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Opinion: May 2009
Call for entries for Irish Healthcare Awards 2009
Niamh Mullen | 29 May 2009 | Guests
Following the success of last year’s Irish Healthcare Awards, Irish Medical Times is pleased to announce this year’s ceremony will take place on October 15. Once again, the prestigious event will take place at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, and... Read more
Slowing the health spend
Dr Mick Molloy | 25 May 2009 | Guests
Dr Mick Molloy writes that although the US healthcare budget is colossal compared to ours, perhaps we can learn something from that country's cost-saving efforts. An American report in Healthcare IT News explains how the US Government could save up... Read more
GPs must lead in pandemic preparation
Dr Mel Bates | 25 May 2009 | Letters
Dear Editor, I wish to respond to a letter by Dr Ross Ardill in your May 8 letters page (www.imt.ie/opinion/2009/05/pandemic_preparation.html). I suspect the negativity expressed is due to a lack of information that we all suffered from in the past... Read more
Exposing the underbelly of medical lowlife
Dr Garrett FitxGerald | 25 May 2009 | Garrett FitzGerald
Dr Garrett FitzGerald writes that unscrupulous doctors in the US have been exposed on the internet... but that could not happen here, right? Nowadays, you can blog away without any possibility of being sued. You can say anything you like... Read more
Lee-ding the political way
Dr Paul Stewart | 25 May 2009 | Guests
Dr Paul Stewart wonders about the qualities of leadership and whether we have enough real leaders in politics. But can we ever assess leadership except in hindsight? A priest I spoke to years ago said that he came to the... Read more
Making a difference at a macro level
Terence Cosgrave | 25 May 2009 | Editorial
Terence Cosgrave writes that unless we agree on new and improved ways of doing things, then nobody's hard work or talents will be put to good use — least of all those employed within the health service. We have been... Read more
Is it time to end the free lunches?
Dr Garrett Igoe | 25 May 2009 | Guests
Dr Garrett Igoe writes that the medical profession must take a lead and examine its collective conscience when it comes to pharma sponsorship. Recently I received an invitation to a CME meeting. It is being held in arguably the best... Read more
Is it time to end the free lunches?
Dr Garrett Igoe | 25 May 2009 | Guests
Dr Garrett Igoe writes that the medical profession must take a lead and examine its collective conscience when it comes to pharma sponsorship. Recently I received an invitation to a CME meeting. It is being held in arguably the best... Read more
Obesity must be made a priority by doctors
Niamh Mullen | 25 May 2009 | Guests
Niamh Mullen speaks to weight-loss expert Dr Maurice Larocque, who believes that the way people think about food has to be changed in order to tackle the obesity epidemic When French Canadian weight-loss guru Dr Maurice Larocque visited Ireland last... Read more
Doctor's lies led to his erasure from Register
Ed Madden | 25 May 2009 | Guests
Ed Madden, BL looks at a recent case in which a doctor who lied about his educational and medical attainments appealed against a decision to erase his name from the Medical Register. Between 1992 and 1997, Prabhu Satya attended the... Read more
Mr J. A. O'Donnell — an appreciation
25 May 2009 | Guests
Joseph Anthony O’Donnell died prematurely on March 2, 2009. A native of Cahir, the son of Wilfred and Lelia O’Donnell (nee Kirby), Joe went to school in Cahir and nearby Rockwell College, before proceeding to his medical studies in University... Read more
Patients and the power of technology
Dr Sean Callan | 25 May 2009 | Guests
Dr Sean Callan writes that at the latest HIMSS meeting in Chicago, the pros and cons of electronic health records versus patient health records were discussed. An Irish company OneView was among the vast array of exhibitors, which ran the... Read more
E-health records for Oz?
Helix Health | 25 May 2009 | Guests
The Australian Government has said that every citizen should have their own electronic health record by 2012, but there are some issues to be resolved Every Australian should have their own electronic health record (EHR) by 2012, the federal Government’s... Read more
Using the language of the child
Rory Hafford | 25 May 2009 |
Rory Hafford continues his medical communications series with an examination of ‘to the point’ messages. I used to have a lecturer who liked things simple. One of his favourite sayings was: ‘Explain it to me like I’m a six-year-old.’ When... Read more
Lithium for water supply?
Dara Gantly | 25 May 2009 | Guests
Dara Gantly considers the ongoing debate regarding the addition of lithium to drinking water to help lower suicide rates. Water fluoridation is viewed by many as one of the top 10 public-health innovations of the 20th century. Its opponents, however,... Read more
Ennis Hospital is not a matter of faith
Dr Tom Nolan | 25 May 2009 | Guests
Dr Tom Nolan writes that many of the conclusions we are being asked to accept in the HIQA report on Ennis Hospital are not based on the facts. During the sermon at a recent Easter Sunday Mass, I was reminded... Read more
Bubble that turned boom to bust
Prof Pierce A. Grace | 25 May 2009 | Guests
Prof Pierce A. Grace writes about the artificial boom and the inevitable crash that took place in 18th-century Britain — a foreshadowing of today's financial crisis, perhaps? “Ye wise philosophers, explain What magic makes our money rise, When dropt into... Read more
Pilot programme could prevent Irish asthma deaths
Dara Gantly | 19 May 2009 | Guests
Dara Gantly reports on a new pilot project in asthma management, which could free up 12,000 bed-days a year and save 50 lives annually if fully implemented A new demonstration project in asthma management plans to recruit 25 GPs in... Read more
Canada's cancer care on fast forward
Nycomed | 18 May 2009 | Guests
A pilot cancer care programme in the Toronto area is expanding thanks to a generous donation from a former patient, which sees patients tested, diagnosed and receiving a treatment plan in the same day. Canada’s biggest cancer hospital announced last... Read more
Medical Practitioners Act update
Aisling Gannon | 18 May 2009 | Guests
Aisling Gannon of Beauchamps Solicitors gives us an update on the terms of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007, which will reform the regulation of the medical profession. The Medical Practitioners Act 2007 (the Act) radically reforms the regulation of the... Read more
Remembrance of tracheostomies past
Brian O’Shea | 18 May 2009 |
Dr Brian O’Shea FRCPsych was reminded of his own experiences in theatre upon reading Barry O'Donnell's riveting read on Irish surgeons. It may appear strange that a psychiatrist is reviewing a book about twentieth-century Irish surgery. The excuses are that... Read more
RT for acute gastroenteritis in the ED
Gary Culliton | 17 May 2009 | Guests
Gary Culliton reports on a new study examining the use of oral rehydration therapy in the paediatric emergency department. Waiting-room oral rehydration is a simple and successful intervention that can be successfully integrated into emergency department (ED) management of acute... Read more
Current and future RA treatment options
Greg Baxter | 15 May 2009 | Guests
Greg Baxter discovers what the treatment options are for rheumatoid arthritis patients who are unresponsive to anti-TNF therapies. Rheumatoid arthritis screening may be the best chance for a cure of the condition, according to one of the world’s leading rheumatologists.... Read more
Risk-factor detection is key to preventing cancer
Niamh Mullen | 15 May 2009 | Guests
Niamh Mullen reports from the 7th International Cancer Conference, where Dr Fenton Howell focused on the prevention of the disease. How we can stop ourselves from getting cancer was the subject of a lecture delivered at a cancer conference in... Read more
Canada's cancer care on fast forward
Nycomed | 15 May 2009 | Guests
A pilot cancer care programme in the Toronto area is expanding thanks to a generous donation from a former patient, which sees patients tested, diagnosed and receiving a treatment plan in the same day. Canada’s biggest cancer hospital announced last... Read more
Medical Practitioners Act update
Aisling Gannon | 14 May 2009 | Guests
Aisling Gannon of Beauchamps Solicitors gives us an update on the terms of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007, which will reform the regulation of the medical profession. The Medical Practitioners Act 2007 (the Act) radically reforms the regulation of the... Read more
Training the future general practitioner
Dr Claire McNicholas | 14 May 2009 | Guests
Dr Claire McNicholas, MRCGP, a trainer and examiner for membership of the ICGP, discusses the evolution of GP training in Ireland. The first General Practice Vocational Training (GPVT) scheme started in Cork in 1972 followed by Galway and Dublin. These... Read more
Surgical stereotypes keep women off table
Joyce Galbraith | 14 May 2009 | Guests
Joyce Galbraith on a new book by female surgeon Gabriel Weston on her journey through the (mostly male) world of surgery — Red Direct. Surgery has for so long been regarded with the correct respect due to it that it... Read more
Delving deep for missing items
Dr Garrett FitzGerald | 14 May 2009 | Garrett FitzGerald
Dr Garrett FitzGerald looks into (literally) every corner of the HSE body to see what he can turn up. The moral of the story is to stay away — unless you want to find yourself full of hospital equipment and... Read more
Hospital car park was not rateable
Ed Madden | 14 May 2009 | Guests
Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent High Court case in which St. Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin challenged a decision of the Valuation Tribunal that its car park facility in the grounds of the hospital was not exempt from rates.... Read more
Emergencies: not just for mornings
Greg Baxter | 14 May 2009 | Guests
Greg Baxter – staff journalist with Irish Medical Times – was recently in a traffic accident. Here he recounts his experience in the Mater's Emergency Department, from the patient's point of view. I was involved in a accident recently. I... Read more
Questions remain on Consultant contract
Dr Mick Molloy | 14 May 2009 | Mick Molloy
Dr Mick Molloy writes that there are still issues to be resolved on the Consultant contract — even after the many years of negotiation. A number of issues appear to be raising their heads with respect to the Consultant contracts... Read more
Interview with the guy from vehicle recovery
G.B. | 14 May 2009 | The Inside Back
The breakdown recovery man picked me up outside my local Centra. He and I were going to the impound lot in Balbriggan together, so I could pick up my motorycle, which a car had run over (with me on it)... Read more
A road trip into the heartlands of America
Dr John Ryan | 14 May 2009 | Letter from America
Dr John Ryan visits one of the United States' most famous landmarks and finds he is becoming more American than Americans themselves. My fiancée Jeanna and I drove from Salt Lake City to Chicago this week. I was telling my... Read more
Fixing the nation’s mood disorder
Dr Paul Stewart | 14 May 2009 | Guests
Dr Paul Stewart writes that there is some good news to be found amidst all the doom and gloom — and that's surely something to cheer up the nation a little bit. A colleague at work recently looked cheesed off.... Read more
Are we going to talk about it or do it?
Terence Cosgrave | 14 May 2009 | Editorial
Terence Cosgrave writes that we need to take action on the development of primary care and give proper support, assurances and resources to GPs in the setting up of primary care teams. The annual general meeting of theIrish College of... Read more
Psychiatry and the medical model
Dr John Harding-Price | 14 May 2009 | Letters
Dear Editor, The philosophy of the National Health Service is based on the highest moral standard applicable to a civilised, caring world. Unfortunately, it does not meet these standards. When these standards are flawed, people then in need are enmeshed... Read more
More than just a matter of style
Rory Hafford | 11 May 2009 | Guests
Rory Hafford continues his medical communications series with a look at the pros and cons of linguistic style. It is an ordinary, everyday situation and one with which you are probably familiar. The patient, a foreign-national woman from Ghana, comes... Read more
Do you need to change your pension strategy?
John O'Connor | 11 May 2009 | Guests
John O'Connor writes that everybody needs to have some different pension strategies for retirement savings at the various stages of our lives. Very few of us want to work forever and as a result, it would be nice to know... Read more
Explaining medicine to sick kids
Helix Health | 11 May 2009 | Guests
A children’s medical website, which is designed to help children to understand their illnesses better, is being launched in July. The world’s first children’s medical website, designed to empower sick children, will be launched in July by the charity Medikidz... Read more
The top 10 tips to improve general practice in Ireland
June Shannon | 11 May 2009 | Guests
June Shannon spoke to ten doctors involved in general practice to find out the most pressing issues facing the specialty today. In the lead up to this year’s ICGP AGM, Irish Medical Times interviewed ten doctors from all across the... Read more
Dumping drugs saves lives
Gary Culliton | 11 May 2009 | Guests
Gary Culliton reports on the DUMP campaign, which was introduced to help prevent suicide and self-harm, as well as accidental poisoning. Suicide and self harm is a significant public health concern in Ireland, with 431 completed suicides in 2005 and... Read more
Surgeon to king and commoner
Dr Patrick Rowan | 11 May 2009 | Guests
Dr Patrick Rowan looks at the life of surgeon Sir Astley Cooper, who treated everyone from paupers to King George IV. Sir Astley Cooper (1768-1841) was an internationally renowned surgeon who helped lead his fellow surgeons out of the practice... Read more
Man's claim against Louth County Hospital surgeon fails
Ed Madden | 11 May 2009 | Guests
Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent High Court case in which a Dundalk man claimed damages in respect of the outcome of a number of operations carried out at Louth County Hospital. Fifty-two-year-old John English is a native of... Read more
Pandemic preparation
Dr Ross Ardill | 11 May 2009 | Letters
Dear Editor, I listened, somewhat bemused, to the announcement last week by the Minister for Health and her CMO that ‘Ireland is ready and prepared for a potential pandemic’ and that all doctors had been organised and equipped. As a... Read more
Rules change for GP reimbursement
Dr John Hastings | 11 May 2009 | Letters
Dear Editor, I recently submitted my study and annual leave claims for 07/08 and 08/09 to the HSE for approval. Imagine my surprise when I received a letter from the Primary Care Manager stating: “Unfortunately, I have been advised by... Read more
Let me tell you about working from home
G.B. | 11 May 2009 | The Inside Back
As a result of getting hit by a car last week, thrown off my motorcycle (that’s right, ladies, a motorcycle) and smashing my knee – I use the word ‘smash’, but perhaps it’s more like ‘bang’ – I’ve been allowed... Read more
How can we be sure of what we hold to be true?
Dr Paul Stewart | 11 May 2009 | Guests
Dr Paul Stewart wonders how accepted wisdom has come to hold that revered position and whether it is time to question a few home truths. For most of my life, spelling was either right or wrong and I had a... Read more
Public sector must share pain
Dr Mark Hannnon | 11 May 2009 | Mark Hannon
Dr Mark Hannon writes that the Government needs to make some hard decisions regarding vested interests and stop tackling the 'soft' target of NCHDs. In a previous article, I complained about the sway that the media holds over popular opinion,... Read more
A berry good way to live a longer, healthier life
Garrett FitzGerald | 11 May 2009 | Garrett FitzGerald
Dr Garrett FitzGerald writes that the secret to a long life would appear to be eating hearty doses of blackberries — and avoiding the pooka. The pooka was the devil himself, and probably still is. Clever me knows him now... Read more
Fair care for all with FG?
Dr Mick Molloy | 11 May 2009 | Guests
Dr Mick Molloy writes that Fine Gael's ambitious plans to fix our health service are all well and good, but the necessary resources must be in place in order for any plan to succeed. Another health strategy weaving its way... Read more
X-ray improvement helps patient care
Gary Culliton | 11 May 2009 | Guests
Gary Culliton writes that new digitised systems are allowing for economic efficiencies and improved care for patients at two Dublin hospitals. Lost x-ray film, which used to account for 20 percent of the total, is now a thing of the... Read more
Socio-religious aspects of male circumcision
Dr Barkat Masood | 11 May 2009 | Guests
Dr Barkat Masood takes a look at some of the religious, medical and societal reasons for the carrying out of male circumcisions. It is estimated that 30 per cent of the world’s population is circumcised, which is a total of... Read more
NCSS progresses with programmes and policies
Gary Culliton | 11 May 2009 | Guests
Gary Culliton reviews the work done so far by the National Cancer Screening Service and looks at its aims for future screening programmes. Since the BreastCheck service began, a total of 442,612 mammograms have been provided to women aged 50... Read more
Doctors gear up for introduction of PC schemes
Dara Gantly | 11 May 2009 | Guests
Dara Gantly speaks to Prof Paul Finucane about the introduction of professional competence schemes, now that the hurdle of registration has been cleared Over the past number of weeks, Irish Medical Times has examined some of the more pressing issues... Read more
Medical Miscellany
Terence Cosgrave | 08 May 2009 | Guests
As the Irish Medical Organisation’s agm fades into memory, it is important to note that as well as debate and discussion of pressing issues, it is also a great time to get away from the daily grind and indulge in... Read more
Time to act has come
Terence Cosgrave | 08 May 2009 | Editorial
Terence Cosgrave says the HSE has a moral duty to appoint a National Mental Health Directorate immediately. Sometimes, you might think, we are living in an Orwellian world of dystopia, but perhaps more accurately its Irish variant — ‘Whataboutery’ or... Read more
Medical Miscellany
Terence Cosgrave | 05 May 2009 | Guests
Irish Medical Times took off to the ‘real’ capital on the banks of the Lee for our second Practice Management Seminar for GPs last weekend. It was another great turnout of over 75 doctors and a chance to see old... Read more
Thoughts while lying on a Dublin pavement
G.B. | 05 May 2009 | The Inside Back
I woke early on a Saturday to write this column. I have been sitting at this computer for more than an hour, trying to think of something my five readers might like to read to distract them from their work.... Read more
Children need 24/7 cover
Dara Gantly | 01 May 2009 | Guests
Dara Gantly writes about concerns over the welfare of at-risk children outside office hours, despite a new foster service planned by the HSE Doctors, the Garda Síochána and Ireland’s leading children’s charity have expressed concern over the out-of-hours care for... Read more
Have we finally a real alternative?
Terence Cosgrave | 01 May 2009 | Guests
The difference between the Fine Gael health policy document launched this week and what has gone before is that while the proposals do attempt to tackle the huge and growing problems of our health service, they do not proclaim themselves... Read more