scholarly journals How Mainstream Medicine Sees Photodynamic Therapy in the United Kingdom

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (Suppl_2) ◽  
pp. S-69-S-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen G. Bown

Although photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been used successfully to treat an assortment of different types of cancer, it has yet to reach the level of mainstream medicine on either side of the Atlantic. Unsubstantiated claims of PDT’s efficacy in the past may be part of the reason for this. However, perhaps the main obstacle to PDT’s endorsement by conventional medicine is the limited number of high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing it with relevant comparators for all meaningful outcomes, including effectiveness, safety, adverse events, quality of life, survival, and cost. Based on a Health Technology Assessment report on the current status of PDT and consultation with professional groups, specialist societies, and clinical study groups in the United Kingdom, this article explores the current clinical guidelines for use of PDT in cancer treatment and the dearth of supportive data from RCTs.

2005 ◽  
Vol 119 (5) ◽  
pp. 356-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christos Georgalas ◽  
Edward Hadjihannas ◽  
Khalid Ghufoor ◽  
Paul Pracy ◽  
Michael Papesch

Objective: To assess the current status of operative training for otolaryngology specialist registrars in the United Kingdom.Design: Web-based questionnaire survey.Participants: All otolaryngology specialist registrars in the United Kingdom.Main outcome measures: The overall satisfaction with operative training was assessed as wellas the number of operations performed and level of competency in stage-specific procedures, as defined by the Joint Committee for Higher Specialist Training.Results: Otolaryngology specialist registrars are generally satisfied with the quality of their operative training. The most important predictive factor of satisfaction with operative training was the number of theatre sessions per week. The vast majority of registrars (92 per centby the end of year one, 73 per cent at the end of years two to four) appear to attain all the stage-appropriate surgical competencies during the first four years. However, with respect to the last two years of registrar training, only 26 per cent can perform all the designated (complex) procedures. There are no significant differences between deaneries or geographic regions in the overall satisfaction rates, number of operative sessions, number of operations performedor operative competencies attained.Conclusion: It appears that the Specialist Advisory Committee (SAC) is generally successful in maintaining common operative training standards and providing a homogenous training environment. During the first four years registrars attain an appropriate level of general training while the last two years are mainly devoted to subspecialty interests.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilia Majsiak ◽  
Magdalena Choina ◽  
Dominik Golicki ◽  
Alastair M. Gray ◽  
Bożena Cukrowska

Abstract Background Coeliac disease (CD) is characterised by diverse clinical symptoms, which may cause diagnostic problems and reduce the patients’ quality of life. A study conducted in the United Kingdom (UK) revealed that the mean time between the onset of coeliac symptoms and being diagnosed was above 13 years. This study aimed to analyse the diagnostic process of CD in Poland and evaluate the quality of life of patients before and after CD diagnosis. In addition, results were compared to the results of the original study conducted in the UK. Methods The study included 2500 members of the Polish Coeliac Society. The patients were asked to complete a questionnaire containing questions on socio-demographic factors, clinical aspects and quality of life, using the EQ-5D questionnaire. Questionnaires received from 796 respondents were included in the final analysis. Results The most common symptoms reported by respondents were bloating (75%), abdominal pain (72%), chronic fatigue (63%) and anaemia (58%). Anaemia was the most persistent symptom, with mean duration prior to CD diagnosis of 9.2 years, whereas diarrhoea was observed for the shortest period (4.7 years). The mean duration of any symptom before CD diagnosis was 7.3 years, compared to 13.2 years in the UK. CD diagnosis and the introduction of a gluten-free diet substantially improved the quality of life in each of the five EQ-5D-5L health dimensions: pain and discomfort, anxiety and depression, usual activities, self-care and mobility (p < 0.001), the EQ-Index by 0.149 (SD 0.23) and the EQ-VAS by 30.4 (SD 28.3) points. Conclusions Duration of symptoms prior to the diagnosis of CD in Poland, although shorter than in the UK, was long with an average of 7.3 years from first CD symptoms. Faster CD diagnosis after the onset of symptoms in Polish respondents may be related to a higher percentage of children in the Polish sample. Introduction of a gluten-free diet improves coeliac patients’ quality of life. These results suggest that doctors should be made more aware of CD and its symptoms across all age groups.


1968 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-37
Author(s):  
Oscar Gish

The factors conditioning immigration to the United Kingdom are analyzed in this article with the view to understand British immigration policy. The volume and place of origin of immigrants, the attitudes held toward immigrants by the British people, the legal and administrative framework placed around immigration, the emigration of highly skilled people from the United Kingdom in more recent years, all these aspects—the author shows—have contributed to the formulation of past governmental decisions and are likely to determine the volume and quality of future British immigration.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stan Lester

Professional self-regulation is often conceptualised as involving the delegation of state powers to professional groups.  An examination of four groups in the United Kingdom provides examples of self-regulation that have developed, with one partial exception, without the support of any statutory framework. Some common aspects of self-regulation are identified along with some differences that relate to how the professions have evolved, and to their operating contexts. Significant influences include how the profession is situated among adjacent groups, the degree of demand from clients and employers for qualified practitioners, and potentially whether the occupation is suitable as an initial career or requires  a measure of maturity and prior experience. An argument is made for greater recognition, both through practical examples and in academic discourse of self-regulation that is initiated and furthered voluntarily through negotiation between professions, their members and their clients rather than via legislative powers. 


1982 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 921-956
Author(s):  
Brian Chiplin ◽  
Mike Wright

The application of competition policy to nationalized industries (state enterprises) has been strengthened recently in the United Kingdom. Section 11(1) of the 1980 Competition Act broadened the Monopolies Commission oversight of state enterprises. In practice, the Commission will conduct an efficiency audit of each major nationalized industry every four years. The Commission will focus its review on the quality of services, manpower utilization and productivity, and pricing, distribution and purchasing methods of the state enterprise. These efficiency audits have been fairly well received. Their cost-effectiveness and the follow-through on the Commission's recommendations remain to be demonstrated.


Author(s):  
Susan Nancarrow

The chapter begins by describing the allied health workforce, before exploring from a neo-Weberian perspective the development of the support workforce associated with the allied health professions with a focus on the United Kingdom and Australia – not least by considering the reasons for introducing a support workforce, the contexts in which it is used, the negotiation of its boundaries, and the challenges and opportunities for allied health professions and its support workforce. In particular, this chapter claims that the heterogeneous allied health support workforce has evolved through two models, with different types of workers. The first is the profession-led model, which supports the neo-Weberian idea of the professional project, in which allied health professions developed support roles to expand and maintain their market monopoly and autonomy in niche areas. The second is the managerial model, which instead privileges the ‘patient-centred’ goals of increasing role flexibility by recognising and rewarding individuals’ skills and competencies and working across traditional professional and organisational boundaries. The chapter finally outlines some of the key challenges to allied health support workforce going forward.


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