scholarly journals Assisted dying – the debate: Videtur… sed contra

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 250-257
Author(s):  
Philip Graham ◽  
Julian C. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Health Professionals ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
List Type ◽  
Assisted Dying ◽  
Type Number ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Uk

SummaryShould the law be changed to allow health professionals to assist mentally competent, terminally ill people to end their own lives? In this article Philip Graham (P.G.) puts the arguments in favour of such a change in the law and Julian Hughes (J.H.) opposes these arguments. J.H. then sets out why he believes such a law should not be passed and P.G., in turn, sets out counterarguments. Before concluding comments, both P.G. and J.H. independently make brief closing statements supporting their own positions.LEARNING OBJECTIVESUnderstand the differences between various types of ‘assisted dying’.Appreciate some of the ethical arguments in favour of and against changes in the law on assisted dying in the UK.Understand some of the empirical data involved in arguments about assisted dying.

scholarly journals The interface between general and forensic psychiatry: the present day

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 359-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivek Khosla ◽  
Phil Davison ◽  
Harvey Gordon ◽  
Verghese Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Psychiatry ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
List Type ◽  
Type Number ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Adult Psychiatry ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Uk

SummaryWith the subspecialisation of psychiatry in the UK, clinicians encounter problems at the interfaces between specialties. These can lead to tension between clinicians, which can be unhelpful to the clinical care of the patient. This article focuses on the interface between general and forensic psychiatry in England and Wales. The pattern of mental health services in England and Wales differs to an extent from those in Scotland, Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland. Consequently, the interface between general and forensic psychiatry is subject to varying influences. Important interface issues include: the definition of a ‘forensic patient’; the remit and organisation of services; resources; clinical responsibility; and care pathways. This article also discusses a general overview of how to improve collaboration between forensic and general adult psychiatric services.Learning Objectives•Develop an understanding of important issues at the forensic/general adult psychiatry interface.•Be aware of areas of conflict that may arise at the forensic/general adult psychiatry interface.•Be aware of options for optimum cooperation at the interface.

Empirical research in the debate on physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 129-132
Author(s):  
Stephen W Smith
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Data ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Voluntary Euthanasia ◽  
Assisted Dying ◽  
Physician Assisted Suicide ◽  
Select Committee ◽  
End Of Life Decisions ◽  
The Uk

This article explores the use of empirical data when considering whether to legalize physician-assisted suicide (PAS) and voluntary euthanasia. In particular, it focuses on the evidence available to the Select Committee for the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill on whether or not covert euthanasia is taking place in the UK under the current prohibition of PAS and voluntary euthanasia. The article shows that there is an insufficient evidentiary basis to make any claims about the extent of covert euthanasia within the UK, although there is sufficient evidence to conclude that instances of covert euthanasia do happen. The article also calls for more research to be conducted in order to determine the rate of covert euthanasia in order to inform debate about the legalization of end-of-life decisions such as PAS and voluntary euthanasia.

The interface between general and forensic psychiatry: a historical perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 350-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harvey Gordon ◽  
Vivek Khosla
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Forensic Psychiatry ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
List Type ◽  
Type Number ◽  
Mentally Disordered Offenders ◽  
Mentally Disordered ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Uk

SummaryMental disorder and criminality are separate entities but some people with a mental disorder commit criminal offences and some criminals have a mental disorder. Before 1800 there was no separate category of mentally disordered offenders (referred to as criminal lunatics until 1948) in UK legislation. The provision of facilities for mentally disordered offenders in Britain and Ireland overlapped with, but was also separate from, provision for the mentally ill generally. The interface between general and forensic psychiatry is an area of tension and of collaboration. To understand how contemporary general and forensic psychiatry interact, it is useful to have an understanding of how factors have evolved overtime.Learning Objectives•Have an understanding of the evolution of general and forensic psychiatry in the UK over the past 200 years.•Comprehend the similarities and differences between general and forensic psychiatry.•Be aware of some of the roots of conflict between general and forensic psychiatry.

scholarly journals Beyond year zero: getting the best out of revalidation

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 237-246
Author(s):  
Mary Jane Tacchi
Keyword(s):  
Medical Practice ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
List Type ◽  
Type Number ◽  
Good Medical Practice ◽  
The Uk

SummaryMedical revalidation was introduced in the UK in 2012 (‘year zero’) after years of discussion and debate. This article describes what it aims to achieve. The General Medical Council's Good Medical Practice is used as a framework on which to build to provide evidence of competencies. Practical aspects of appraisal and revalidation are discussed, with suggestions of how to get the most out of the process both for patients and doctors.LEARNING OBJECTIVES•Understand the purpose of revalidation.•Understand the role of the responsible officer.•Describe the types of supporting information necessary for revalidation.

scholarly journals Metabolic syndrome in psychiatry: advances in understanding and management

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyrus S. H. Ho ◽  
Melvyn W. B. Zhang ◽  
Anselm Mak ◽  
Roger C. M. Ho
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
List Type ◽  
Type Number ◽  
Unhealthy Lifestyle ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship

SummaryMetabolic syndrome comprises a number of cardiovascular risk factors that increase morbidity and mortality. The increase in incidence of the syndrome among psychiatric patients has been unanimously demonstrated in recent studies and it has become one of the greatest challenges in psychiatric practice. Besides the use of psychotropic drugs, factors such as genetic polymorphisms, inflammation, endocrinopathies and unhealthy lifestyle contribute to the association between metabolic syndrome and a number of psychiatric disorders. In this article, we review the current diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome and propose clinically useful guidelines for psychiatrists to identify and monitor patients who may have the syndrome. We also outline the relationship between metabolic syndrome and individual psychiatric disorders, and discuss advances in pharmacological treatment for the syndrome, such as metformin.LEARNING OBJECTIVES•Be familiar with the definition of metabolic syndrome and its parameters of measurement.•Appreciate how individual psychiatric disorders contribute to metabolic syndrome and vice versa.•Develop a framework for the prevention, screening and management of metabolic syndrome in psychiatric patients.

Parliamentary Report

2010 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-81
Author(s):  
Frank Cranmer
Keyword(s):  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Mental Capacity ◽  
Assisted Dying ◽  
Considerable Controversy ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Government ◽  
Travel Abroad ◽  
Do So

The issue of assisted suicide has been a matter of considerable controversy. On 9 December 2008 the incoming Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, announced that he would not prosecute Mark and Julie James for taking their son Daniel, paralysed as a result of a rugby accident, to an assisted-dying clinic in Switzerland. At the same time, Margo MacDonald MSP has been attempting to change the law in Scotland, where assisting the suicide of another is a common law offence. During the Lords committee stage of the Coroners and Justice Bill Lord Falconer moved a new clause to make it legal to help another to travel to a country in which assisted dying was lawful, in circumstances where that person had made a formal declaration of intent to travel abroad in order to die and two doctors, independent of each other, had certified that that person was terminally ill and had the necessary mental capacity to make the declaration. For the Government, Lord Bach said that Ministers felt that the Bill was not the appropriate vehicle for changing the law on assisted suicide and suggested that if Falconer wished to pursue the matter further he should do so through a Private Member's Bill – and the new clause was duly defeated by 194 votes to 141.

scholarly journals Managing delirium in everyday practice: towards cognitive-friendly hospitals

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 380-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry O'Connell ◽  
Sean P. Kennelly ◽  
Walter Cullen ◽  
David J. Meagher
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare System ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Cognitive Disorder ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Everyday Practice ◽  
List Type ◽  
Type Number ◽  
Hospital Environments ◽  
Cognitive Problems ◽  
The Way

SummaryProviding optimal healthcare for increasingly elderly hospital populations who have high rates of cognitive disorder is a great challenge. Using delirium as an example, we describe how improved management of acute cognitive problems through a multifaceted hospital-wide programme can promote cognitive-friendly hospital environments. A specific plan of action is described that spans interventions in day-to-day clinical care of individual patients all the way to wider organisational practices.Learning Objectives•Understand the concept of cognitive friendliness and how addressing the problem of delirium can contribute to this in our healthcare system.•Become more aware of specific aspects of a cognitive-friendly programme and how these can be implemented in practice.•Explore the key outstanding issues for research that can further enhance our awareness of cognitive-friendly practices.

scholarly journals Use of Kodak Tech-Pan Film at the Ukstu

1994 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 129-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q.A. Parker ◽  
S. Phillipps ◽  
D.H. Morgan ◽  
D.F. Malin ◽  
K.S. Russell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Great Success ◽  
List Type ◽  
Type Number ◽  
Schmidt Telescope ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Focal Surface ◽  
Flexible Film ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Reciprocity Failure

Kodak Technical Pan (Tech Pan) emulsion is an extremely fine grained, high resolution, panchromatic negative film with extended red sensitivity. It has been produced under this name since about 1980 (Kodak P–255, 1981) and is available on Kodak's Estar base in a number of thicknesses and sizes. The thick ∗∗base Tech Pan is designated 4415 and has been used with great success by the amateur astronomical community for many years (e.g. Martys 1991). Its astronomical potential was recognised early by Everhart (1981). However, tests at professional telescopes (e.g. West et al. 1981) and early sensitometer tests at the UK Schmidt Telescope (UKST) in 1981 and 1987 were discontinued when the glass and film samples did not respond well to normal hypersensitisation techniques. These and other difficulties led to a lack of interest among the professional astronomical community until quite recently (Russell et al. 1992; Parker & Malin 1992). The first successful use of 14 × 14 inch hypered Tech-Pan 4415 film in the UKST was in March 1991. Films were obtained which exhibited excellent image quality and resolution. Furthermore, in good seeing these appeared to be about 1 magnitude deeper than the equivalent IIIa-F emulsion on glass but with considerably lower grain noise. This result was achieved because two main problems associated with Tech-Pan and film use in the UKST have been resolved. These were: 1) obtaining Tech-Pan film with long exposure speed sufficient for deep astronomical photography (i.e. reduction of low intenstiy reciprocity failure); 2) overcoming the practical difficulties of mounting large-format flexible film at the UKST's curved focal surface.

Reforming fitness to plead and stand trial legislation in England and Wales

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-15
Author(s):  
Nuwan Galappathie ◽  
Angela Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Case Law ◽  
Mental Capacity ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
List Type ◽  
Consultation Process ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Extensive Consultation ◽  
The Law ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Law Commission

SUMMARYThe legal decision on whether a defendant can fairly take part in a criminal trial in England and Wales is currently based on the leading case of R v Pritchard (1836), which despite subsequent case law updates does not embrace the concept of mental capacity or effectively identify defendants who are unable to meaningfully participate. Further to an extensive consultation process, the Law Commission published recommendations for reform in 2016, with a proposed new test of capacity to participate effectively in a trial and detailed suggestions for statutory reform of court procedures for managing defendants found unable to participate. Here we review the proposals and consider practical implications and suggestions regarding their implementation.LEARNING OBJECTIVESAfter reading this article you will be able to: •appreciate the current problems with the law on fitness to plead in England and Wales•understand the proposed test of capacity to participate effectively in a trial•understand the proposed changes to the procedures available when a defendant is found unable to participate.

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