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Opinion: Guests

All entries for Guests

Vigilance is vital in the risky business of healthcare

Gary Culliton | 12 March 2010

Gary Culliton examines the issues that arise when healthcare staff are exposed to blood-borne illnesses during the course of their work... Read more

Increase in GP training places to meet needs

Aoife Connors | 12 March 2010

Aoife Connors talks to the ICGP and HSE about the plan to increase the number of GP training places... Read more

Centralisation is cause for ire

Gary Culliton | 12 March 2010

Gary Culliton reports on the problems that have arisen following the HSE's decision to centralise medical card administration in Finglas... Read more

Pros and cons of probiotics examined

Aoife Connors | 12 March 2010

Aoife Connors looks into the benefits that are claimed by makers of probiotic drinks as well as a recent US lawsuit that ruled against some of these claims... Read more

Another day at the races...

Dr Ruairi Hanley | 11 March 2010

Dr Ruairi Hanley gives us his survival guide for the Cheltenham Festival, complete with tips, and looks ahead to the HSE CEO Champion Stakes... Read more

Midwife admitted to falsifying records

Ed Madden, BL | 09 March 2010

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent English High Court case in which a midwife contested an application by the Nursing and Midwifery Council for an extension of an interim suspension order made against her... Read more

Getting to the heart of cardiovascular risk

Aoife Connors | 09 March 2010

Aoife Connors reports on the success of the Centre for Cardiovascular Risk in Younger Persons, as it releases its first annual report... Read more

The doctors' dictionary

09 March 2010

Mike Power, Clinical Psychologist, examines the royal associations linked to the infectious disease of scrofula, which was common in the Middle Ages... Read more

Body clocks could keep time on health

Marie-Catherine Mousseau | 09 March 2010

Marie-Catherine Mousseau reports from the recent inaugural Joan Kearney Science Lecture, where the University of Pennsylvania's Prof Garret FitzGerald examined the biological mechanisms underlying our own internal clocks... Read more

EU experts dismiss more spurious health claims

Dara Gantly | 09 March 2010

The European Food Safety Authority has issued its second set of opinions debunking many of the claims of so-called health foods and supplements, reports Dara Gantly... Read more

GPs must be aware of potential legal pitfalls

Dr Ciaran Craven | 09 March 2010

Dr Ciaran Craven MB, BCh, BSc, MFFLM, Barrister at Law will stress the importance of record keeping at IMT's Practice Management Seminar... Read more

Cork Med students tagged the winners

09 March 2010

The UCC MedSoc is glad that the Irish Medical Rugby Intervarsity Tournament is alive and kicking again... Read more

UL acquires pre-famine medical text

09 March 2010

The University of Limerick has acquired a unique account of the health service in Ireland from the middle of the 19th century... Read more

Cutting inpatient numbers is HSE's main aim for 2010

Gary Culliton | 05 March 2010

Gary Culliton reports on how the cuts in the HSE Service Plan for 2010 are likely to impact on the numbers of patients treated this year... Read more

Do parents know more than doctors?

Brian Herron | 05 March 2010

A new study indicates that GPs should take into account a parent's concerns about a sick child, but it also finds that we still do not know how to effectively rule out severe disease in ill children, writes Brian Herron... Read more

Report finds wide referral variations

Gary Culliton | 05 March 2010

Gary Culliton writes that the HIQA review of breast disease services has found significant referral variations in the eight cancer centres of excellence... Read more

Team rebuilding exercise

Dr Ruairi Hanley | 04 March 2010

Dr Ruairi Hanley believes that unless the Primary Care Strategy is altered to re-emphasise the independence and authority of the doctor, it is an offer GPs can and should refuse... Read more

Time to throw the book at MIMS Ireland?

Dr Paul Heslin | 04 March 2010

Dr Paul Heslin admits that he is guilty as charged when it comes to neglecting his duties of checking the updates in MIMS Ireland every month... Read more

Pharmacists’ High Court challenge fails

Ed Madden, BL | 02 March 2010

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a High Court case in which companies operating pharmacies in the south east challenged the constitutionality of emergency legislation passed by the Oireachtas... Read more

Substantial changes sought on Ethical Guide

Dara Gantly | 02 March 2010

Dara Gantly examines a selection of the submissions made during the public consultation stage of drafting the new Ethical Guide... Read more

Study recommends help for breastfeeding mums

Dr Patricia Leahy-Warren | 02 March 2010

Dr Patricia Leahy-Warren reports on the findings of a new study that examined support services for breastfeeding mothers... Read more

Advocacy can put mental health back on the agenda

Dr Anna Data and Justin Frewen | 02 March 2010

Dr Anna Data and Justin Frewen examine the crucial role advocacy can play in addressing the many clinical, economic and political issues facing the mental health services... Read more

Profile of a good project manager

Dr Muhammad Arshad and Prof Michael FitzGerald | 02 March 2010

Dr Muhammad Arshad and Prof Michael FitzGerald examine the skills and psychological profile necessary in order to be a good project manager... Read more

Sensitive data must be backed up

02 March 2010

At the fourth annual IMT Practice Management Seminar in Dublin, doctors will hear how important it is to ensure the safe storage of sensitive patient data... Read more

Hey presto, Mr Expert!

Dr Darragh Little | 02 March 2010

Limerick GP Dr Darragh Little heard from one of his patients about how he got one up on a know-it-all expert Yank... Read more

A qualification of one's own

Dr Amin A. Muhammad | 02 March 2010

Dr Amin A. Muhammad, Professor of Psychiatry at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, examines whether the MCPsychI will be compatible with other major psychiatric qualifications... Read more

Professional conduct, ethics and medical errors

David Quinn | 02 March 2010

David Quinn considers the ethics and obligations that come into play in cases where a medical error occurs and examines whether an apology is an admission of liability... Read more

An App a day keeps docs up to date

02 March 2010

Irish doctor Prof Declan Lyons has been instrumental in the development of a series of Apps that are designed to help doctors during consultations... Read more

Incentives needed for strategy delivery

Gary Culliton | 26 February 2010

Gary Culliton reports on the Oireachtas Joint Health Committee's recommendations to rejuvenate the flagging Primary Care Strategy... Read more

Engagement with NTPF still 'patchy'

Gary Culliton | 26 February 2010

Gary Culliton writes that a number of hospitals still have unacceptably long waiting lists that could be dealt with under the NTPF... Read more

HPAT-Ireland: too far, too fast?

Dr Gerard Crotty | 26 February 2010

The HPAT may actually be less inclusive than the Leaving Certificate system and should have been introduced gradually, writes Dr Gerard Crotty... Read more

HPAT redirects obsession with Leaving Cert points

Dr Siún O’Flynn | 26 February 2010

The Leaving Cert indirectly rewards desirable traits in future doctors, while the HPAT was devised to directly measure suitability for a career in medicine. Dr Siún O’Flynn reports... Read more

The shafting of Navan

Dr Ruairi Hanley | 25 February 2010

In the first of his new weekly columns for Irish Medical Times, Dr Ruairi Hanley says he belives the HSE has a seven-step plan to downgrading hospitals across the country... Read more

Advocate General gives opinion on prescribing

Ed Madden, BL | 23 February 2010

Ed Madden, BL, on the opinion of the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice on a case concerning prescribing incentive schemes for UK GPs operated by Primary Care Trusts... Read more

A simple journey to Inishturk turns rough and windy

Prof Tim O'Brien | 23 February 2010

Prof Tim O'Brien recalls a 1964 trip from Louisburg to Inishturk, which left a Dublin man stranded on the island forever — by choice... Read more

Treatment guidelines to go 'on the couch'

Dr John Wallace | 23 February 2010

Dr John Wallace examines the proposed changes in the draft criteria for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders... Read more

New disorder for children labelled 'bipolar' proposed

Dara Gantly | 23 February 2010

Dara Gantly examines some of the headline changes suggested in the draft criteria for DSM-5... Read more

New disorder for children labelled 'bipolar' proposed

Dara Gantly | 23 February 2010

Dara Gantly examines some of the headline changes suggested in the draft criteria for DSM-5... Read more

Integrated targets for successful recovery

Mike Power | 23 February 2010

Mike Power looks at the psychological influences on a patient's recovery from major surgery or illness and stresses the importance of having an integrated care plan... Read more

Weight loss clinics can achieve results

23 February 2010

A father and son tell how they transformed their lives with the help of obesity expert Dr Eva Orsmond, who believes that with the right support, education and motivation, anyone can achieve weight loss and live a healthier life... Read more

Nursing homes vulnerable to HCAIs

Gary Culliton | 23 February 2010

A new report from the RCPI aims to highlight the challenges associated with HCAIs in long-term care settings, writes Gary Culliton... Read more

Leading the way in education at home and abroad

Niamh Mullen | 23 February 2010

Niamh Mullen reports that independence and expansion abroad has been key to the enduring success of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland... Read more

Is there a robot in the house?

23 February 2010

The Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar has become the first hospital in Ireland to have a stroke patient 'telemedically' treated by a specialist stroke physician... Read more

How to protect your practice

23 February 2010

Irish Medical Times, in asociation with AstraZeneca and Helix Health, presents a new seminar for GPs next month on medico-legal issues relating to general practice... Read more

Autumn target set for co-located hospitals

Dara Gantly | 19 February 2010

HSE National Service Plan 2010 The Health Service Executive (HSE) hopes construction will start on the co-located hospitals at Cork University Hospital (CUH), the Mid-Western Regional Hospital (MWRH) in Limerick, Beaumont and St James’s by the fourth quarter of 2010,... Read more

Primary care cannot replace 1,000 beds from acute sector

Dara Gantly | 19 February 2010

HSE National Service Plan 2010 Rolling out primary care centres and chronic disease management strategies cannot compensate for the loss of 1,000 beds in the acute hospital sector, the IMO has warned. Responding to the HSE’s new service plan, Vice... Read more

95% consultant compliance sought on public/private mix

Dara Gantly | 19 February 2010

HSE National Service Plan 2010 New performance indicators in the areas of access to treatment, waiting times, service-user involvement, staff workload and clinical care will all be measured for the first time in 2010. The HSE wants 95 per cent... Read more

95 per cent target set for MMR vaccines

Dara Gantly | 19 February 2010

HSE National Service Plan 2010 The HSE wants the number of children 24 months of age who have received the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine to increase by 6 per cent in 2010. The 95 per cent completion rate... Read more

One tenth of HSE staff are ‘at risk’ of leaving

Dara Gantly | 19 February 2010

HSE National Service Plan 2010 The HSE has warned that up to 13,000 employees (11 per cent) in the HSE or HSE-funded agencies could leave the health service this year. The warning is contained in the new HSE service plan... Read more

Trying out the HPAT — the doctors' views

Niamh Mullen | 19 February 2010

HPAT - Special report A GP, consultant paediatrician and psychiatrist were brave enough to try some HPAT questions and give us their thoughts. Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

Fear and worry in the GP surgery

Dr Paul Heslin | 18 February 2010

Dr Paul Heslin argues that the public's growing distrust of medical professionals makes it hard to tell them they are wrong about an illness they perceive... Read more

Doctor’s claim was out of time

Ed Madden, BL | 17 February 2010

Ed Madden, BL, on a case in which a doctor appealed against a decision that his claims under fixed-term work legislation were submitted outside of the time limits... Read more

Consumers are king when it comes to salt

Brian Herron | 17 February 2010

A new study shows that reducing just 3g of salt intake from our daily diet could dramatically decrease the chances of heart disease, writes Brian Herron... Read more

Past pupils make their mark in medicine

Niamh Mullen | 17 February 2010

RCSI 200th Anniversary Niamh Mullen writes that in its 200-year history, the RCSI has seen many famous doctors pass through its doors on St Stephen's Green... Read more

Medical history meets modern technology

Niamh Mullen | 17 February 2010

RCSI 200th Anniversary Niamh Mullen finds that the RCSI Library holds many treasures, but also offers a modern information service and a virtual library to students and alumni... Read more

From a band of barbers to two centuries of surgery

Niamh Mullen | 17 February 2010

RCSI 200th Anniversary 2010 marks the bicentenary of one of Dublin’s most imposing buildings. Niamh Mullen reports on 200 years of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland on St Stephen’s Green... Read more

Expert tips on conducting successful medical research

17 February 2010

In order for doctors to progress in their careers, it is usually necessary for them to be involved in, and contribute to, research within their field. We offer some guidelines for medical doctors entering the world of research... Read more

Children and medical treatment

Aisling Gannon | 17 February 2010

Aisling Gannon, Partner and Head of Healthcare at Beauchamps Solicitors, on the law concerning medical treatment as it applies to those aged under 18 years... Read more

On-line portal for radiology reports

Niamh Mullen | 17 February 2010

Niamh Mullen reports on a secure on-line portal from Euromedic Ireland which allows GPs across the country to access patient data from radiologists... Read more

First past the post

Dr Amin A. Muhammad | 17 February 2010

Dr Amin A. Muhammad compares the interview processes for recruiting psychiatric consultants in Ireland, the UK and Canada... Read more

Rediscovering the Chenin Blanc

Giovanni Morelli | 17 February 2010

Giovanni Morelli explores the Loire Valley and surrounding areas to find ideal wines for different meals, and reduced budgets... Read more

HPAT to engender a better balance?

Niamh Mullen | 12 February 2010

In the second part of IMT's HPAT series, Niamh Mullen looks at the controversial suggestion that the test was developed to balance gender in medical schools... Read more

Some top tips for students from the HPAT expert

Brian Herron | 12 February 2010

Brian Herron gets some advice from the Institute of Education's David Ball about how best to prepare for sitting the HPAT later this month... Read more

Irish surgeons to form more than skeleton crew

Dara Gantly | 12 February 2010

Dara Gantly reports on how a team of Irish surgeons and other medics are planning to help treat victims of the Haitian earthquake... Read more

Tax reliefs to be cut for nip-and-tucks

Gary Culliton | 12 February 2010

Gary Culliton reports on last week's Finance Bill and looks at the effects it will have on doctors and on healthcare in Ireland... Read more

Abortion laws criticised by human rights group

Brian Herron | 12 February 2010

A new report puts Ireland's abortion laws under international scrutiny and is very critical of the Government's lack of action on the issue, writes Brian Herron... Read more

Set yourself up for success with sample HPAT questions

11 February 2010

HPAT Special Report The best way to prepare for the HPAT is to be familiar with the types of questions that will be asked. Here are sample questions from each of the test sections... Read more

Big vision... but small change

Dr Anna Data and Justin Frewen | 11 February 2010

Dr Anna Data and Justin Frewen believe A Vision for Change still lacks an effective implementation plan, some four years after its publication... Read more

Assessing future tax implications for locums

Geraldine Corcoran | 11 February 2010

With changes to how Revenue focuses on locum work mooted, tax expert Geraldine Corcoran examines how to determine employment status and looks at the plans to deal with medical locums differently... Read more

Hospital worker wins appeal in needlestick injury case

Ed Madden, BL | 09 February 2010

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent Northern Ireland Court of Appeal case in which a hospital worker sustained a needlestick injury and suffered adjustment disorder as a result... Read more

Three bed sheets to the wind in St Pius Ward

Dr Darragh Little | 09 February 2010

Limerick GP Dr Darragh Little recalls the sorry tale of the Bird Whelan and how his hospital shenanigans ended up intoxicating Sister Gonzaga... Read more

Cutbacks threaten disease monitoring

Gary Culliton | 09 February 2010

The latest HPSC Annual Report warns that cutbacks could negatively effect the detection of infectious diseases, writes Gary Culliton... Read more

Meal sizes a problem of growing proportions

09 February 2010

Researchers at the University of Ulster have found that even in the very short term, eating large portions will lead to an increase in a person's weight... Read more

Sligo targets coeliacs and haemochromatosis

Gary Culliton | 09 February 2010

Gary Culliton looks at how Sligo General is benefitting from bringing patient testing for coeliac disease and haemochromatosis back in-house... Read more

The doctors' dictionary

Mike Power | 09 February 2010

Mike Power, Clinical Psychologist, examines the practical significance of the commonly used medical term, 'the placebo effect'... Read more

A prescription to end confusion

Valerie Ryan | 09 February 2010

Valerie Ryan offers some guidelines for doctors to ensure better communication with patients and make clearer the medical message... Read more

Ensuring health equality for all of Europe’s women

Dara Gantly | 05 February 2010

Dara Gantly examines a new report that gives a snap-shot of the health of women across the EU... Read more

Hospital hygiene needs some help

Gary Culliton | 05 February 2010

Gary Culliton investigates the latest findings of the HIQA spot-check reports to see which hospitals have the most serious hygiene problems... Read more

Getting entry into Irish medical schools down pat

Niamh Mullen | 05 February 2010

HPAT: SPECIAL REPORT - In the first part of our series on the HPAT exam and with this year's test fast approaching, Niamh Mullen charts the introduction of the much-talked-about admissions test for medical school since it was recommended four... Read more

Testing times for medical students

Brian Herron | 05 February 2010

HPAT: SPECIAL REPORT - When the Working Group for Medical Education sought to develop a strategy to diversify the mix of entrants to medical schools, it had international experience from which to draw, writes Brian Herron... Read more

Detecting Columbo's 'just one more thing'

Dr Paul Heslin | 04 February 2010

Dr Paul Heslin knows there is nothing quite as annoying for a busy doctor as the last-minute medical query as the patient is about to exit the surgery... Read more

Limited industrial action and the law

Ed Madden, BL | 03 February 2010

Ed Madden, BL, on a court case in which the judge considered whether an employer is entitled to suspend employees engaged in industrial action and withhold salary payments... Read more

Seeing South Africa with a stethoscope

Dr Cillian Clancy | 03 February 2010

Dr Cillian Clancy experienced first hand how South Africa's health system still suffers from a form of apartheid, based now on a patient's ability to pay... Read more

Suspension follows bizarre sports 'injury'

Dr Simon Mills | 03 February 2010

Dr Simon Mills tells the story of a cheating incident at the quarter final of the Heineken Cup, and the cover-up attempt that got a doctor suspended... Read more

A legend in infectious disease remembered

Dr Robert O'Sullivan | 03 February 2010

Dr Robert O'Sullivan writes that for all his discoveries and innovations, what set Charles Donovan apart was his never-failing humanity... Read more

New landmark sculpture for St James's Hospital

Dr John Wallace | 03 February 2010

Dr John Wallace reports on a sculpture by the artist Eamonn O’Doherty, to be unveiled at the entrance to St James’s Hospital in Dublin... Read more

Health and safety at work

Dermot Casserly | 03 February 2010

Dermot Casserly, Partner, Beauchamps Solicitors, outlines the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees under Irish health and safety legislation... Read more

Wines to warm the heart in cold weather

Giovanni Morelli | 03 February 2010

Giovanni Morelli recommends some good-value Tuscan wines that are now available in Ireland, to make the cold winter days a bit more bearable... Read more

Dr Geoffrey Dean — 1918-2009

Dermot Walsh | 03 February 2010

In the early 1960s, the Irish Government invited Henning Friis, Director of the Danish Institute of Social Studies, to Ireland to advise on the investigation of those medical problems that had a significant social dimension. The result was the setting... Read more

Dr John Patrick McCormack — 1910-2010

03 February 2010

Dr John Patrick McCormack died peacefully in Blackrock Abbey Nursing Home, in Dundalk, on January 15, 2010, having reached his 100th year. He was born in Omeath, Co Louth on October 6, 1910 and passed his Leaving Certificate with honours... Read more

Vaccine expert welcomes HPV programme

Niamh Mullen | 29 January 2010

The co-creator of the HPV vaccine talks about the power of immunisation in the prevention of cervical cancer. Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

Two-tier system criticised in Expert Group submissions

Niamh Mullen | 29 January 2010

Support for a universal health insurance scheme is clear in submissions to the Department of Health on resource allocation. Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

Law office to gobble up HSE's projected savings

Kealan Flynn | 28 January 2010

It is ludicrous that the new HSE legal department is set to cost up to €800,000 — especially when the Executive is outsourcing its legal services needs, writes Kealan Flynn... Read more

Murderer had antipathy to elderly female patients

Ed Madden, BL | 27 January 2010

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent case in England in which a nurse appealed against his conviction for the murder of four elderly female patients and the attempted murder of another... Read more

Depressive psychosis, involuntary ECT and human rights

Dr Brendan Kelly | 27 January 2010

Dr Brendan Kelly writes that removing the possibility of involuntary electro-convulsive therapy for patients with severe mental illness may be a violation of their rights to medical care — and even their right to life... Read more

Enabling dignity at patient's end of life

Paul Murray | 27 January 2010

Paul Murray of the Irish Hospice Foundation reports on the ongoing findings from the national audit on end-of-life care... Read more

Healthcare moves out of the hospital

Niamh Mullen | 27 January 2010

Niamh Mullen speaks to Vhi Healthcare medical director Dr Bernadette Carr about two new services for members... Read more

Mentorship scheme in psychiatry

Dr Amin A. Muhammad | 27 January 2010

Dr Amin A. Muhammad considers the benefits of introducing the Canadian mentorship programme in psychiatry in Ireland... Read more

Sale of the century for psychiatric funds

22 January 2010

Dara Gantly reports on the disposal and reinvestment of mental health assets ahead of the Government’s expected announcement of a new five-year capital programme... Read more

Harney announces u-turn on cervical cancer vaccine

Gary Culliton | 22 January 2010

Gary Culliton on Mary Harney's announcement last week about a number of cancer initiatives... Read more

Groups want explicit warnings on alcohol

Dara Gantly | 22 January 2010

The Government should introduce a French-style logo on alcohol products warning of the dangers of drinking during pregnancy, reports Dara Gantly... Read more

Practitioner claimed delay in hearing breached his rights

Ed Madden, BL | 20 January 2010

Ed Madden, BL, looks at an English High Court case in which an operating department practitioner claimed that a delay in convening a disciplinary hearing against him was a breach of his human rights... Read more

Marking those medical meetings

Dr Charles DuPont | 20 January 2010

Dr Charles DuPont measures the worth of international conferences according to his own unique cost-benefit analysis... Read more

Alternative to warfarin therapy launched

Niamh Mullen | 20 January 2010

Niamh Mullen reports from New Orleans on the drug that could replace warfarin for the treatment of venous thromboembolism... Read more

New guidelines from WHO on HIV treatment

Dara Gantly | 20 January 2010

Dara Gantly reports on new medical advice to HIV-positive mothers and their infants... Read more

Lack of funding is short sighted

20 January 2010

Medics at the Western Vascular Institute have used a new device that can not only save limbs, but also thousands of euro compared with amputation... Read more

From IT bench to bedside

Niamh Mullen | 20 January 2010

Niamh Mullen reports on how one Irish company is bringing a new vista on hospital patient care to centres in the Far East and closer to home... Read more

The Nursing Home Support Scheme

John Costello | 20 January 2010

Described by the Minister for Health as ‘A Fair Deal’ for all, the NHSS poses a number of legal issues for doctors, according to John Costello of Beauchamps Solicitors... Read more

Hopefuls under starter’s orders

Niamh Mullen | 15 January 2010

There’s still time to have a flutter on who will replace Prof Brendan Drumm as Chief Executive of the HSE, reports Niamh Mullen... Read more

VHI defends price hikes as thousands leave market

Gary Culliton | 15 January 2010

Gary Culliton on VHI's claim that price increases are necessary to best provide for its older clientele... Read more

Mental health facility for teenagers opens

Dara Gantly | 15 January 2010

A new private inpatient psychiatric facility for teenagers — only the second in the country — will take referrals directly from GPs, reports Dara Gantly... Read more

Drawing the tan line

Dr Paul Stewart | 14 January 2010

Disappointed with the ministerial back-pedalling over banning sunbeds, Dr Paul Stewart believes the scientific evidence means Mary Harney must now act... Read more

Frozen embryos do not enjoy constitutional protection

Ed Madden, BL | 13 January 2010

Ed Madden, BL, looks at the recent Supreme Court case, which considered whether three frozen embryos enjoyed the protection of article 40.3.3 of the Constitution... Read more

Curtain raiser on docklands

Dr John Wallace | 13 January 2010

Dr John Wallace looks at some of the exciting architectural developments to emerge on Dublin’s Grand Canal Square... Read more

Epidemics of the past still relevant

13 January 2010

Dr Robert O'Sullivan looks back at some of the main epidemics and plagues recorded throughout history and asks if we can learn any lessons from them... Read more

GP training scheme reforms urged by CA

Niamh Mullen | 08 January 2010

A proposal for the reform of GP training is outlined by the Competition Authority in its latest report on the profession. Niamh Mullen reports on its findings... Read more

A die-hard fan’s guide to film

Dr Pat Harold | 07 January 2010

A 'Die Hard' fan of 1980s action movies, Dr Pat Harold says he'll be watching the Bruce Willis film again over the holidays to recall America's indefatigable spirit and a time of evil 'hairy foreigners'... Read more

Domiciliary midwife loses High Court challenge

Ed Madden, BL | 06 January 2010

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent High Court case in which a domiciliary midwife alleged objective bias in the composition of a Fitness to Practise Inquiry of An Bord Altranais... Read more

Putting children’s health first

Dr Patrick Smyth | 06 January 2010

Dr Patrick Smyth, SHO in Emergency Medicine at St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, asks whether the decision on the new national paediatric hospital is a fait accompli or should it be revisited... Read more

Acting as an expert witness in court

Ciara Dalton | 06 January 2010

Ciara Dalton of Beauchamps Solicitors gives a practical guide for doctors asked to act as an expert witness, and outlines the principle duties that the Court will expect of them... Read more

'And so to bed...'

Prof Pierce Grace | 06 January 2010

January 2010 being the 350th anniversary of Samuel Pepys’s commencement of his famous diary, University of Limerick’s Prof Pierce Grace examines some of the book’s many medical references... Read more

Europe begins to embrace concept of health literacy

06 January 2010

Ireland moves to improve patients' understanding of health information... Read more

Patients empowered through literacy

Niamh Mullen | 06 January 2010

Niamh Mullen reports on a new Irish website dedicated to promoting health literacy among patients... Read more

New textbook on medicine in old age

06 January 2010

Doctors working in the area of care of the elderly gathered in Limerick recently for the launch of Medicine in Old Age: A Clinical Approach... Read more

Department fixed despite new expert advice on vCJD

Dara Gantly | 18 December 2009

With the UK set to filter all blood destined for young children, Dara Gantly examines why the Irish Department of Health is not following suit... Read more

SPUC took legal case on abortion document

Ed Madden, BL | 16 December 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent Northern Ireland High Court case in which the Court was asked to quash the publication of a guidance document on abortion... Read more

Poor literacy poses risk for patients

James Fullam and Dr Gerardine Doyl | 16 December 2009

James Fullam and Dr Gerardine Doyle of UCD's School of Business on how health literacy can ensure patient safety... Read more

A Nobel tale for Christmas

Dr Darragh Little | 16 December 2009

Limerick GP Dr Darragh Little revisits a former college friend and Nobel Prize winner in his hidden lab in Connemara to discover the secret formula behind the mysterious gnosticum... Read more

The real cost of computerisation

Niamh Mullen | 16 December 2009

Niamh Mullen reports on new research from the US which has found that while embracing computers may improve quality scores, it does not necessarily cut the cost of running a hospital... Read more

Coming to a land down under

Brian Herron | 16 December 2009

Brian Herron examines why more and more Irish doctors are looking to Australia to enhance their careers... Read more

€1.5bn being spent on malnutrition

16 December 2009

A leading expert believes Ireland needs to formulate a new policy on malnutrition and address its mounting cost... Read more

Michael Shine’s victims still waiting for justice

Dara Gantly | 11 December 2009

Dignity 4 Patients spokesperson Bernadette Sullivan tells Dara Gantly of how doctors in the northeast failed to report the allegations of sexual abuse against Michael Shine... Read more

Patient safety report spurs changes

Gary Culliton | 11 December 2009

Gary Culliton reports on the first quarterly report from the Implementation Steering Group set up to respond to the recent patient safety report... Read more

Graft could cut surgery needed by dialysis patients

Brian Herron | 11 December 2009

Brian Herron reports on the University of Limerick's new graft which could help dialysis patients and bring 'considerable revenues' to UL... Read more

The prosyletising atheist strikes again

Dr Pat Harold | 10 December 2009

Dr Pat Harold doesn't go to Mass, but he has faith in the soul and the afterlife. He argues that fundamentlist atheists are just fundamentalists with a different faith... Read more

Generous severance seen to reward failure

Ed Madden, BL | 09 December 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recently reported English High Court case in which the Court decided that a severance package for a chief executive of an NHS Trust was ‘irrationally generous’. Could it happen here?... Read more

Employers must investigate Christmas party complaints

Dermot Casserly | 09 December 2009

Dermot Casserly of Beauchamps Solicitors writes that employers must take steps to prevent incidents occurring at work-related social events – including the Christmas party... Read more

Employers must investigate Christmas party complaints

Dermot Casserly | 09 December 2009

Dermot Casserly of Beauchamps Solicitors writes that employers must take steps to prevent incidents occurring at work-related social events – including the Christmas party... Read more

Commitment to cancer research

Staff reporter | 09 December 2009

This year's ICS Research Fellowship Awards highlighted work by the best and brightest young researchers in Ireland's fight against cancer... Read more

When ‘FF’ sees a horse, he bets on it

Dr Pat Harold | 03 December 2009

Dr Pat Harold, tells of the woeful and diminished romance of the former beloved dandy from the country, named FF, and the sophisticated Miss Greene. It looks irreconcilable... Read more

Happiness is a 'noble' thought but best to avoid some advice

Terence Cosgrave | 03 December 2009

Terence Cosgrave on a new book that explores the Irish view of happiness and contentment... Read more

Devices help heart failure earlier

Brian Herron | 03 December 2009

Brian Herron reports on a trial of CRT-Ds, devices that can benefit patients in the early stages of heart failure... Read more

Social services manager was criminally harassed by client

Ed Madden, BL | 02 December 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent UK High Court case in which the court upheld a conviction of criminal harassment of a social services manager by a client... Read more

Malawi mums need support

Denis Donohoe | 02 December 2009

Denis Donohoe warns that when we recruit healthcare providers to Ireland from developing countries where shortages exist, we cause deaths... Read more

Nelligan wins student research medal

02 December 2009

UCD medical undergraduates are contributing to the growing body of reseach being conducted in Ireland and recently, one of their number was awarded the prestigious Summer Student Award Scheme Medal — sponsored by Irish Medical Times — at a ceremony... Read more

‘Paperless’ hospital opens in Scotland

Niamh Mullen | 02 December 2009

A new Glasgow hospital is seen as a model for future hospital planning and heralds a new era in patient care. Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

Doolin lecture by Ombudsman

Niamh Mullen | 02 December 2009

Niamh Mullen provides some background to the upcoming Doolin lecture, which will be given by Ombusdman Emily Logan... Read more

Risk of depression may be possibly be measured

02 December 2009

Brian Herron reports on the recent conference of the College of Psychiatry of Ireland, where participants discussed depression... Read more

Cracking the code of ethics

Dara Gantly | 27 November 2009

Dara Gantly reports on the standards of professional practice and behaviour now expected from doctors — together with their responsibilities to patients — as laid down in the Medical Council’s recently released new Ethical Guide... Read more

HSE clamps down on non-compliance

Gary Culliton | 27 November 2009

Gary Culliton writes that the HSE has identified a 'concerning' amount of consultants who are not complying with the agreed public/private ratio... Read more

Error led to birth of disabled child

Ed Madden, BL | 25 November 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent English Court of Appeal case in which an NHS Trust appealed against a decision of the High Court that it was partly responsible for a misdiagnosis that led to the birth of a... Read more

Dutch lessons in healthcare show way forward for reform in Ireland

Niamh Mullen | 25 November 2009

Dr James Reilly visited the Netherlands to see how the best-ranked health service in Europe operates. Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

Lack of specialised stroke services

Brian Herron | 25 November 2009

Brian Herron reports on the publication of the Irish Heart Foundation’s Stroke Manifesto, which contains 16 urgent proposals... Read more

More teens underweight than over

Niamh Mullen | 25 November 2009

Niamh Mullen reports on Irish research which suggests more teenagers are underweight than overweight... Read more

Dealing with obstetric medical negligence claims

Aisling Gannon | 25 November 2009

Aisling Gannon of Beauchamps Solicitors outlines the fundamentals of medical negligence in Irish law as established by the 'Dunne' case in 1989... Read more

Health Service is improving yearly

Prof Brendan Drumm | 20 November 2009

Prof Brendan Drumm writes — in response to a letter in Irish Medical Times — that the health service is showing measureable improvement in many areas... Read more

Pharmaceutical company challenged NHS ruling

Ed Madden, BL | 18 November 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent English High Court case in which Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals challenged a decision by NICE to refuse to declare abatacept cost-effective... Read more

Sr Mary, Brecht and the collapse of Communism

Tim O'Brien | 18 November 2009

Tim O'Brien went to Berlin in 1989 and left with uncertainty about the world following the defeat of Soviet-style Communism... Read more

Mediation has a role to play in medical disputes

Dr Simon Mills | 18 November 2009

Dr Simon Mills explains the role of mediation in medical disputes. Part of the value of the process is the fact that all sides of the story get told... Read more

Getting off on the right foot

Dr Paul Stewart | 18 November 2009

With plenty of personal experience to fall back on when a patient presents with problem feet, Dr Paul Stewart has some ‘shoo-in’ treatment advice... Read more

Irish doctor leading vaccine programme

Niamh Mullen | 18 November 2009

Reporter Niamh Mullen speaks to Irish doctor Eilish Cleary who has been thrust into the limelight in New Brunswick, Canada, where she is Chief Medical Officer... Read more

Licensure in Canada: What is required?

Dr Amin A. Muhammad | 18 November 2009

Dr Amin A. Muhammad urges doctors in Ireland to consider the benefits of living and working in Canada, where the standard of living is high and where there is a shortage of GPs and specialists... Read more

Remote 24/7 monitoring

Niamh Mullen | 18 November 2009

Niamh Mullen reports on a digital plaster that allows doctors to monitor a patient's vital signs – and any worrying changes – remotely and around the clock, and deal with them quickly... Read more

NCHDs will be at the 'heart of Europe' - Morris

Dara Gantly | 13 November 2009

Dr John Morris, IMO President and member of the Executive Committee of the PWG, tells Dara Gantly how European junior doctors are about to flex their political muscle in Brussels... Read more

Innovation in healthcare is for patients

Niamh Mullen | 13 November 2009

Niamh Mullen reports that health research must shift its focus to help deliver better healthcare and contribute to the smart economy... Read more

Important decision on annual leave entitlement

Ed Madden, BL | 11 November 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent Labour Court case in which the Court, in following a ruling of the European Court of Justice, accepted that a nurse was entitled to accrue annual leave entitlement during a period of sick... Read more

Medical indemnity bill huge deterrent

Dr Simon Mills | 11 November 2009

Fine Gael’s proposal to make medical indemnity compulsory for all registered and practising doctors is a laudable legislative move, says Dr Simon Mills... Read more

Enjoy cocaine responsibly

Dr Cathal Ó Súilliobháin | 11 November 2009

Dr Cathal Ó Súilliobháin — a leading GP drug expert — says that policy on drug use has become based on myths that the public have come to accept and this thinking directs politicians and health managers - not common... Read more

Where did all those old crutches go?

Brian Herron | 11 November 2009

Brian Herron reports on charitable efforts around the world for prosthetic limbs and asks if the HSE could make better use of 'one-use items'... Read more

Individuals must have a say in own death

Paul Murray | 11 November 2009

Paul Murray discusses the Forum on End of Life in Ireland, part of the Irish Hospice Foundation... Read more

Irish cancer research could be set back a decade without a Biobank

11 November 2009

Without investment now in a national system of biobanks – supported by a Government expert group and the National Cancer Strategy – Ireland could lose huge ground in research on cancer and diseases linked to specific genes, such as cystic... Read more

Gun money, war and 'farts for the bishop'

Pierce Grace | 11 November 2009

Pierce Grace on the military and political history behind the birth of token coinage – where coins have more face than intrinsic value – in Ireland... Read more

Medical negligence — basic principles in law

Aishling Gannon | 11 November 2009

Aishling Gannon of Beauchamps Solicitors outlines the fundamentals of medical negligence in Irish law as established by the 'Dunne' case 1989... Read more

Samples could solve sudden death riddle

Rory Hafford | 11 November 2009

Rory Hafford examines a report calling for DNA sampling to be allowed as the clamour grows to tackle the growing problem of Sudden Cardiac Death... Read more

HSE targets Dublin's 20 hospital CEOs

Dara Gantly | 06 November 2009

With more than 20 hospital CEOs and management teams in the Dublin region, the HSE is looking to the capital to achieve savings under its transformation programme. Dara Gantly reports... Read more

Morphine side effects can indicate infection

Dara Gantly | 06 November 2009

Research findings by the Palliative Care Team at Galway University Hospitals will be presented at a major conference this week, reports Dara Gantly... Read more

Disability? What disability?

Paul Stewart | 05 November 2009

Paul Stewart tells us how a renowned fundraiser helped send a boy born with one ear to America for treatment. It involved more than 50 sheep in a steeplechase... Read more

Consultant told to extend career break

Ed Madden, BL | 04 November 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent High Court case in which the Court considered some of the rights and obligations of consultants and the HSE under the terms of the Consultants’ Common Contract... Read more

Virtual autopsy meets touch-screen technology

Brian Herron | 04 November 2009

Brian Herron reports on a virtual-autopsy prototype that has gained interest around the world since being unveiled this year... Read more

Controversy surrounds link between cancer and insulin

Niamh Mullen | 04 November 2009

Questions about the link between insulin and cancer risk in diabetics dominated proceedings at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). Niamh Mullen reports from Vienna... Read more

Electronic records to help predict domestic abuse

Niamh Mullen | 04 November 2009

Niamh Mullen highlights research from Harvard on calculating the likelihood of future domestic abuse with patient history... Read more

The stent revolution rolls on

Rory Hafford | 04 November 2009

Rory Hafford talks to Professor Declan Sugrue about the 20 years of stent technology in Ireland and its future direction... Read more

ESRI report highlights (again) the shortage of GPs in Ireland

Niamh Mullen | 30 October 2009

A report from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has once again highlighted the serious manpower problem in general practice. Niamh Mullen reports on its findings... Read more

Cuts of the 1990s should be avoided in December

Gary Culliton | 30 October 2009

Gary Culliton reports on the Irish Hospital Consultants Association's pre-Budget submission to the Minister for Health... Read more

GPs refer too many for breast lumps

Gary Culliton | 29 October 2009

Prof Tom Keane says the symptomatic breast cancer service is getting too many unnecessary referrals. Gary Culliton reports... Read more

Women was humiliated by radiographer’s conduct

Ed Madden, BL | 28 October 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent case in which a radiographer appealed against a decision of the High Court after his regulatory body found that he was guilty of serious misconduct... Read more

The battle to get rid of Irish typhus

Dr Patrick Rowan | 28 October 2009

Dr Patrick Rowan on the history of typhus infection, and how it affected Ireland and how it has now mostly become a scourge of the past... Read more

Consent issues in a surgical setting

Aishling Gannon | 28 October 2009

Aishling Gannon of Beauchamps Solicitors outlines the key issues in terms of getting consent from a patient in advance of a surgical procedure... Read more

Music and medicine meet in melodies

Niamh Mullen | 28 October 2009

The worlds of medicine and music will meet with a performance next month in the National Concert Hall. Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

Directive to be decided in High Court

Dara Gantly | 23 October 2009

The HSE believes significant progress has been made in achieving EWTD-compliant rosters for NCHDs: the IMO disagrees. The High Court is poised to decide which is right, reports Dara Gantly... Read more

Chronic fatigue link to retrovirus

Gary Culliton | 23 October 2009

Gary Culliton reports on a new US study which appears to show a link between Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and a retrovirus — XMRV... Read more

Injection of advice ahead of swine flu vaccinations

Gary Culliton | 23 October 2009

Gary Culliton examines the latest advice from the HSE and Dept of Health on the H1N1 virus... Read more

Finding the middle ground

Dr Simon Mills | 22 October 2009

Dr Simon Mills explores whether mediation can play a more significant role in medical negligence cases and Medical Council hearings under the new Medical Practitioners Act... Read more

Labour Court orders reinstatement of hospital

Ed Madden, BL | 22 October 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a Labour Court case in which the IMO argued that a doctor who was dismissed at the conclusion of his fifth consecutive fixed-term contract should be reinstated... Read more

CMH takes overall award

Niamh Mullen | 22 October 2009

Projects in 14 categories were recognised with an Irish Healthcare Award at the annual ceremony last week. Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

What would an alien think of NAMA?

Dr Paul Stewart | 22 October 2009

Dr Paul Stewart takes an alien from outer space for a drive around Ireland, tells him that hospitals were invented as places to employ people, then tries to explain NAMA... Read more

Med students - beware of blogging

22 October 2009

Medical schools are struggling to develop policies around students posting information about patients on blogs and Facebook pages... Read more

Experts dismiss some spurious health claims

Dara Gantly | 16 October 2009

The European Food Safety Authority has issued the first in a series of opinions debunking many of the claims of so-called ‘health foods’, reports Dara Gantly... Read more

EWTD opt-out remains best option

Dara Gantly | 16 October 2009

Irish NCHDs should be allowed the choice of opting out of the European Working Time Directive, leading UK expert Prof Roy Pounder tells Dara Gantly... Read more

Labour court refuses to extend HSE benefits

Ed Madden, BL | 14 October 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent Labour Court case in which two health sector unions sought to have the terms and conditions of staff in the HSE applied to their members in voluntary hospitals and the intellectual disability voluntary... Read more

Rewarding Irish health excellence

Niamh Mullen | 14 October 2009

Reporter Niamh Mullen speaks to Quintiles MD in Ireland — John Kiernan — about the company's on-going support and enthusiasm for the Irish Healthcare Awards... Read more

Dealing with mental health in the primary care sector

June Shannon | 14 October 2009

June Shannon reports on Mental Health Day and the continuing efforts of various stakeholders to get more resources and help for primary care to deal with mental health problems... Read more

My story: the long- awaited autobiography

Prof Cuimín T. Doyle | 14 October 2009

Prof Cuimín T. Doyle's story about a 'pal' — reproduced here — was a finalist in the Aindreas McEntee short story competition for 2009... Read more

Body modification - making your mark or mutilation?

Mike Power | 14 October 2009

Clinical psychologist Mike Power writes on the increasing phenomenon of people piercing, tattooing and ornamenting their bodies... Read more

Directive has implications for management and record-keeping

Dermot Casserly | 14 October 2009

Dermot Casserly of Beauchamps Solicitors outlines the key points of the Working Time Directive and what is required in terms of limiting the hours that doctors work... Read more

Berlin not Boston for the HSE

Dara Gantly | 09 October 2009

The HSE CEO has turned to Berlin not Boston for inspiration on how to transform health service funding in Ireland, reports Dara Gantly... Read more

Paediatric respiratory illness may be for life

Niamh Mullen | 09 October 2009

Global experts met in Dublin for the first time to discuss the latest developments in the management of respiratory infections. Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

Seeing results from research

Derbhile Dromey | 09 October 2009

A conference last week heard that gene therapy/stem cell transplantation will play a major role in finding cure for retinal disease. Derbhile Dromey reports... Read more

Fenton Howell: the early advocacy years

Dr Paul Stewart | 08 October 2009

Dr Paul Stewart recalls an unusual approach to patients who refuse to quit smoking. And an encounter with one of Ireland's leading advocates for smoking cessation...... Read more

Does 'professional' imply 'clinical' or 'medical'?

07 October 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent English High Court case in which a company made a complaint to the General Medical Council against two senior administrators involved in the project who were also doctors... Read more

Lithium discovery has changed bipolar care

Dr Robert O'Sullivan | 07 October 2009

Dr Robert O'Sullivan writes on the origins and use of lithium in medicine and the orginal scepticism that greeted its introduction... Read more

Diana and Shirley: Queens of the desert

Diana Hogan-Murphy | 07 October 2009

Diana Hogan-Murphy — a clinical pharmacist in Cavan decided to go for a short run in Asia with her friend Shiley Potter, a specialist registrar in Galway... Read more

What does karma have to do with it?

Lena Drahotsky | 07 October 2009

Philosopher and self-help guru Lena Drahotsky offers some advice on getting through the day... Read more

What should you say to the children about the recession?

Dr Paul Heslin | 07 October 2009

Dr Paul Heslin offers some advice on how to talk to children about the recession and how to allay their fears about the future... Read more

The Last Day...

Prof Peter Gillen | 07 October 2009

Prof Peter Gillen was one of the finalists in the Aindreas McEntee story competition for 2009 with 'The Last Day'... Read more

e-prescribing enjoys growth across EU

07 October 2009

Study shows that the market for e-prescription systems will expand from $85 million to almost $450 million in the next six years across Europe... Read more

Health Award supports IT excellence

07 October 2009

Helix Health — the largest indigenous IT provider in Ireland — sponsors the IT award in the Irish Healthcare awards taking place this month... Read more

Ireland shown the benefits of going 'Dutch' on health

Gary Culliton | 02 October 2009

Gary Culliton heard about the Dutch health system at a recent seminar on health spending in Dublin — the model favoured by Fine Gael... Read more

Ireland sticks to formula

Niamh Mullen | 02 October 2009

Ireland contines to have the worst breastfeeding rates in the world, a national survey published this week shows. Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

Breastfeeding lacks medical support

Dr Siun Murphy and Dr Aoife Mullally | 02 October 2009

Dr Siun Murphy and Dr Aoife Mullally write that something must be done to turn around the extremely poor figures in the latest report on Irish breastfeeding... Read more

Obese patients suffer from prejudice in Ireland

Niamh Mullen | 01 October 2009

Even doctors can be prejudiced against obese patients, causing them even greater problems. Niamh Mullen investigates... Read more

What a difference a day makes in the law

Ed Madden, BL | 29 September 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent Labour Court decision in which a determination on an appeal against a Rights Commissioner's recommendation was within the statutory time limit... Read more

IHCA celebrates 20 years of daily struggles

Greg Baxter | 29 September 2009

Greg Baxter writes on the evolution of the IHCA since its first AGM 20 years ago... Read more

East African medicine — a graduate medical students' perspective

Eilish Foran | 29 September 2009

Eilish Foran, a first-year graduate medical student, University of Limerick writes that while she didn't learn a lot about medicine in Zanzibar, she did have a rewarding and enlightening experience... Read more

Advance care directives: prospects for legislation

Madeleine Delaney | 29 September 2009

Madeleine Delaney of Beauchamps Solicitors outlines the framework suggested by the Law Reform Commission for the introduction of legisation on Advanced Care Directives... Read more

Dissatisfaction with headache care

Dara Gantly | 29 September 2009

Headache sufferers in Europe wait an average of nine years between their first consultation with a health professional and being prescribed preventive medication, reports Dara Gantly... Read more

Children get fat on TV diet

Niamh Mullen | 25 September 2009

By 2010 the number of overweight children in the European Union will be increasing at a rate of one million per year. Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

Reform of Ireland's health service by a thousand cuts

Dara Gantly | 25 September 2009

In its proposed cuts, An Bord Snip Nua went much further than the Department of Health initially recommended, reports Dara Gantly... Read more

Finding downtime can be difficult

Dr Paul Stewart | 24 September 2009

Dr Paul Stewart writes that it is very difficult for a doctor to go on holiday and leave the day job behind, as there is invariably somebody looking for medical help or even a prescription... Read more

Appreciation: Dr Alphonsus T Greene (Foncie)

24 September 2009

Dr Alphonsus T Greene (Foncie) died on November 6, 2008 after a short illness. Foncie, as he was universally known, was for many years an outstanding clinician, teacher and practitioner of the Art of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Coombe... Read more

Doctor was lacking in candour and credibility

Ed Madden, BL | 23 September 2009

Ed Madden, BL on a case in which a doctor claimed that Ulster Bank had given him assurances that substantial monies lodged by him would not be offset against a guarantee he had earlier given, in respect of a loan... Read more

Famine in an evidence glut: the practice of evidence-based medicine today

Dr John Wallace | 23 September 2009

Dr John Wallace looks at the essential steps of evidence-based practice and guides us through the process of forming questions, finding evidence and assessing the facts... Read more

Sims: butcher or saviour?

Dr Robert O'Sullivan | 23 September 2009

Dr Robert O'Sullivan looks at the controversial legacy of Dr James Marion Sims, who developed a treatment for fistulae by operating on slave women... Read more

A grape way to fund French medical charity

Prof Pierce Grace | 23 September 2009

Prof Pierce Grace takes a look at the long history of the Hospices de Beaune wine auction, the proceeds of which go to charity... Read more

All systems go for flu tracking in the North

23 September 2009

As we approach the winter season, Northern Ireland prepares to launch its first flu surveillance system to track the development of the flu virus... Read more

Investing in Irish health

23 September 2009

Cork-based pharmaceutical company Recordati sponsors the Best Patient Education – Non Pharma category for this year’s Irish Healthcare Awards... Read more

Adoption of OECD health accounts urged

Dara Gantly | 18 September 2009

The IMO has told the Expert Group on Resource Allocation and Financing that health spending must become more transparent, reports Dara Gantly... Read more

New technology helps doctors and patients

June Shannon | 18 September 2009

June Shannon speaks to Prof Tim O'Brien, Director of the Gait Laboratory, about how technological developments have helped him in his personal and professional life... Read more

Re-engineering youth mental health

Dara Gantly | 18 September 2009

Although the mind-set and leadership is present, Ireland still lacks the resources to transform youth mental-health services, Prof Pat McGorry tells Dara Gantly... Read more

Woman would have terminated pregnancy

Ed Madden, BL | 16 September 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent Scottish court case in which a woman claimed that had she been told that her unborn son had cystic fibrosis, she would have terminated the pregnancy... Read more

Challenges in a land of contrasts and culture

Dr Cillian Clancy | 16 September 2009

Dr Cillian Clancy writes about his experiences earlier this year while spending six months working in Zambia — which, despite the poverty of the patients and lack of facilities, was extremely rewarding... Read more

Can belief in faith healing delay patient recovery?

Greg Baxter | 16 September 2009

Greg Baxter writes that a patient's belief in faith healing could jeopardise their recovery from illness, according to a new study by University of Ulster researcher Prof Tony Cassidy... Read more

Can 'grind' schools help with HPAT preparation?

Niamh Mullen | 16 September 2009

A plethora of courses on how to prepare for the controversial Health Professionals Assessment Test will be offered around the country in the coming months, writes Niamh Mullen... Read more

Specialist centre is needed to scan obese patients

Gary Culliton | 16 September 2009

Gary Culliton reports on a study that has analysed Irish radiology departments' ability to cope with patients of increasing size and weight... Read more

Labs must aid reform process

Gary Culliton | 16 September 2009

Gary Culliton takes a look at the recommendations contained in the recent Teamwork Report with regard to the organisation of laboratories in Ireland... Read more

A lot done, but still more to do in coronary care

Dara Gantly | 16 September 2009

Dara Gantly reports on a new survey of 16 European countries, which shows that Ireland's rate of mortality from heart disease ranks mid-table... Read more

Discovery could develop more efficient vaccines

Gary Culliton | 16 September 2009

A protein called TAG, newly discovered by Trinity College researchers, could be pivotal in the development of vaccine research, writes Gary Culliton... Read more

Will so-called savings cost in future?

Greg Baxter | 16 September 2009

Greg Baxter reports on an expert's view that cost-cutting on important medical technology is a bankrupt philosophy... Read more

Patients get more advice on OTCs

16 September 2009

A new Irish website aims to provide patients with information and advice on over-the-counter medicines and a special ‘Find a Pharmacist’ service... Read more

Freedom of information legislation: a basic guide

Elaine Healy | 16 September 2009

Elaine Healy of Beauchamps Solicitors takes a look at the terms and conditions of the Freedom of Information Acts and lists some of the healthcare bodies covered under the legislation... Read more

Changes ahead for northeast hospitals

Gary Culliton | 11 September 2009

Gary Culliton reports on the changes to the provision of services in Louth and Meath hospitals about which staff were briefed last week... Read more

Obesity surgery abroad leads to follow-up care problems

Niamh Mullen | 11 September 2009

Niamh Mullen speaks to Cork-based obesity consultant Mr Colm O'Boyle about the developing specialty of laparoscopic bariatric surgery... Read more

Explosion of sickle cell disease could mean early deaths

Gary Culliton | 11 September 2009

Gary Culliton reports on the lack of a comprehensive service programme for a very vulnerable patient group... Read more

Fellowship winner helps patients to smile again

Niamh Mullen | 11 September 2009

An RCSI student won the Operation Smile Ireland Medical Student Fellowship, writes Niamh Mullen... Read more

Why, oh why, don't patients comply?

Karen O'Keefe | 10 September 2009

Karen O'Keefe looks at some of the reasons why patients do not follow their treatment regimems... Read more

Practitioner’s 'moral radar went out of commission'

Ed Madden, BL | 09 September 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent English High Court case in which an osteopath continued to work during a period when he was suspended by his regulatory body... Read more

On your bike in lovely Leitrim and Cavan countryside

Prof Paul Finucane | 09 September 2009

Prof Paul Finucane — Irish Medical Times's biking correspondent — reports on a two-wheeled journey through counties Leitrim and Cavan... Read more

Can doctors in government really make a difference?

Dr Dermot Walsh | 09 September 2009

Dr Dermot Walsh reports on Lord Darzi — who studied for medicine in Ireland — and who was, until recently, prominent in drawing up a constitution for the National Health Service in the UK... Read more

Taking the piss: is HSE drug testing wasting millions?

Dr Cathal Ó Súilliobháin | 09 September 2009

Dr Cathal Ó Súilliobháin — a GP working in addiction counselling — writes that the current policy of weekly testing is costly and not evidence-based... Read more

The day the Wall came down — memories of Berlin '89

Dr Patrick Treacy | 09 September 2009

Dr Patrick Treacy recounts a famous night twenty years ago in Berlin, when both communism and the Berlin Wall collapsed... Read more

Hospitals harness social networking technology

09 September 2009

A study has found that growing numbers of hospitals across Europe are making use of social networking and media tools, like Facebook and blogs... Read more

The cost of safe blood

Dara Gantly | 04 September 2009

In the final part of a three-part investigation, Dara Gantly asks whether it is legitimate to apply standard health economic arguments to blood safety. Read part 1 and part 2 of this article.... Read more

Cancer czar Keane to stay in Ireland

Niamh Mullen | 04 September 2009

As the centralisation of cancer services to eight centres nears completion, Prof Tom Keane looks to the future. Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

Ireland needs leadership in smoking cessation policies

Niamh Mullen | 04 September 2009

Niamh Mullen reports on the publication of the third edition of the Tobacco Atlas and what Ireland can do to get more people to quit smoking... Read more

Doctor admitted to two-year affair with his patient

Ed Madden, BL | 02 September 2009

Ed Madden, BL on the case of a doctor whose registration was suspended by the Singapore Medical Council and later by the General Medical Council in London after he admitted to a two-year affair with one of his patients... Read more

Understanding the evolution of the whale from land animals

Laurence O'Dwyer | 02 September 2009

Laurence O'Dwyer writes that since the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species, science has itself evolved — enabling us to understand how the whale descended from land animals... Read more

Learn a few lessons from TV docs

Dr Paul Stewart | 02 September 2009

Dr Paul Stewart wonders if doctors have anything to learn from the portrayal of medics in television and in films, and whether real life can sometimes be influenced by art... Read more

So you think your job is hellish?

02 September 2009

Dr Patrick Rowan reviews a new book by Matt Baglio, which deals with the subject of possession, called The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist... Read more

Risk management: swine flu and employee considerations

Dermot Casserly | 02 September 2009

Dermot Casserly of Beauchamps Solicitors explains the obligations of healthcare employers when it comes to protecting their employees from swine flu and dealing with staff who contract the virus... Read more

'Four Ps' mean fewer falls among patients

02 September 2009

A simple idea being put into practice in a New York hospital has reduced the number of falls in high-risk or elderly patients. The initiative sees nurses assessing the 'Four Ps' — pain, position, potty and placement... Read more

GPs oppose drug legalisation

Niamh Mullen | 28 August 2009

Niamh Mullen examines the results of the latest IMT survey of GPs on issues such as the legalisation of cannabis... Read more

Defence options against vCJD

Dara Gantly | 28 August 2009

In the second part of a major investigation, Dara Gantly examines the options available to detect and filter out variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease from blood donations. Read part 1 of this article, which was published last week... Read more

Prematurity now the main cause of infant deaths

Gary Culliton | 28 August 2009

Gary Culliton reports on a study that examines trends in Irish neonatal mortality data and compares the rates to those of other countries... Read more

Delay in bringing judicial review proceedings may be detrimental

Ed Madden, BL | 26 August 2009

Ed Madden, BL on a case in which a prison officer sought to set aside a decision that he was not entitled to paid sick-leave in respect of an incident at work in which he was assaulted by a prisoner... Read more

US health plans face obstacles

26 August 2009

Dr Seán Callan looks at the healthcare reform options that US President Barack Obama may seek to enact and examines the barriers that he faces in the process... Read more

Europe to lay out a ‘robo road map’

26 August 2009

Recommendations have been made to the European Commission for developing the use of robots in healthcare over the next 15 years... Read more

DoH goes for 'do nothing' option on tests for vCJD

Dara Gantly | 21 August 2009

The IBTS has called on the Department of Health to re-establish an expert advisory group on vCJD to safeguard the blood supply, reports Dara Gantly... Read more

Hereditary theory now orthodoxy

Greg Baxter | 21 August 2009

Greg Baxter talks to Prof Henry Lynch about the Syndrome that carries his name and how to treat patients and families with hereditary cancers... Read more

The old blood and guts of surgery

Dr Paul Stewart | 20 August 2009

Dr Paul Stewart spends a bit of this rainy summer watching television, and medical-themed programmes in particular. But are they a bit too much like real life?... Read more

Lords decide policy must exist for future suicide prosecutions

Ed Madden, BL | 19 August 2009

What are the circumstances taken into account in deciding whether or not to take to a prosecution in the case of assisted suicide? Ed Madden, BL, examines a recent UK case where this complex issue was decided... Read more

What are the national standards for residential services for disabled people?

Aisling Gannon | 19 August 2009

Aisling Gannon of Beauchamps Solicitors explains what the new National Quality Standards for Residential Services for people with disablities are and how they will be enforced... Read more

Replicating the ‘Newry effect’ in healthcare

Dara Gantly | 19 August 2009

Dara Gantly reports on a cross-border initiative that is hoping to improve patient care in the north west — a region isolated geographically and politically. So will we soon see patients travelling across borders for care?... Read more

The courteous radiologist

19 August 2009

Dr Noel Blake was an eminent radiologist and a respected figure in the field of paediatric radiology across the Continent... Read more

US healthcare: the good and the bad

Dr Sean Callan | 19 August 2009

Dr Sean Callan explains the strengths and weaknesses of the American healthcare system — of which he has had recent personal experience... Read more

Translating science into medicine

Marie-Catherine Mousseau | 19 August 2009

Marie-Catherine Mousseau looks at how interaction between bench and bedside can fine-tune our therapeutic approaches... Read more

Primary Care Strategy — a new approach?

Dr Garrett Igoe | 19 August 2009

Dr Garrett Igoe writes that there is a major logjam in the Primary Care Strategy as it is currently envisaged, but it could easily be made to flow again... Read more

Too fat to be the US Surgeon General?

Dr Joyce Galbraith | 19 August 2009

Dr Joyce Galbraith reports on the controversy over the appointment of an obese woman as Surgeon General by US President Barack Obama... Read more

Don't listen to biking 'friends'

Prof Paul Finnucane | 19 August 2009

Prof Paul Finnucane recommends travelling by bicycle — but all the way from Paris to Geneva is a bit of a stretch!... Read more

Irish doctor says 'fat genes' are responsible for obesity

Niamh Mullen | 14 August 2009

Throughout his career Irish Professor Stephen O’Rahilly has been involved in cutting edge research dedicated to working out the genetic reasons for obesity. Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

EU attempts to tackle workforce issues in health

Dara Gantly | 14 August 2009

Dara Gantly examines the Irish submissions made to the EU Green paper on the European Workforce for Health... Read more

A pioneer in medical education

Dr Robert O'Sullivan | 12 August 2009

Dr Robert O'Sullivan describes the circumstances of how Abraham Flexner became one of the most influential people in the development of medical education across the world. But despite all his work in developing medical training — did he do as... Read more

Medical student sought copies of examination

Ed Madden, BL | 12 August 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent High Court case in which an adjudication on whether the release of copies of a multiple choice paper to a UCD medical student was required... Read more

Doctoring the lethal injection

Dr Thecla Scully | 12 August 2009

Dr Thecla Scully writes that doctors' involvement in the process of execution — most notably in the US — is a cause of concern to many. Should doctors ever participate in the execution of a person condemned to death? Or... Read more

Glucose testing device connects with kids

12 August 2009

A new glucose test — developed by the parent of a child with diabetes — connects with children using computer games and rewards for usage... Read more

Whistleblowers protected

Dara Gantly | 07 August 2009

Dara Gantly speaks to Larry Walsh, who was recently appointed to facilitate employees who wish to make a protected disclosure. Under new legislation, staff who want to express concerns about the health service now have legal protection... Read more

Report finds flaws in Rotunda's procedures

Gary Culliton | 07 August 2009

Gary Culliton examines the findings of the Carter report on the Rotunda Hospital's practices with regard to organ retention... Read more

Report finds flaws in Rotunda's procedures

gary.culliton@imt.ie | 07 August 2009

Gary Culliton examines the findings of the Carter report on the Rotunda Hospital's practices with regard to organ retention... Read more

Vitamin D — the wonder drug?

Dr Paul Stewart | 06 August 2009

Dr Paul Stewart writes that vitamin D is hugely under-rated when it comes to disease prevention, as reduced levels have been linked to everything from diabetes to depression... Read more

Doctor was entitled to legal representation

06 August 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent Court of Appeal case in England in which the Court was called upon to construe disciplinary clauses in a doctor’s contract of employment... Read more

Project aims to reduce re-hospitalisation rates

06 August 2009

A project has just been launched in three American states with the aim of reducing the number of people who have to be readmitted to hospital within 30 days of first being discharged... Read more

Licensing of healthcare providers

Aisling Gannon | 06 August 2009

Aisling Gannon of Beauchamps Solicitors reports on Minister Harney's announcement of key steps to implement the Madden Report on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance... Read more

HSE letter suggests reducing access to beds

Gary Culliton | 31 July 2009

An internal HSE letter indicates that to reduce demand for hospital beds in the northeast, 'access to casualty' should be limited. Gary Culliton reports... Read more

Pricing ourselves out of the market?

Gary Culliton | 31 July 2009

Gary Culliton explains the drugs payment system called 'reference pricing', which has been mooted by Minister Harney for introduction from next year... Read more

'Freeze overdraft levels' – Considine

Dara Gantly | 31 July 2009

A draft version of the Considine report into various HSE accounting practices recommends an overdraft freeze at voluntary hospitals, writes Dara Gantly... Read more

EU hopes to break barriers to telemedicine

29 July 2009

The European Commission has published its aims to deploy telemedicine more widely across member states and integrate it into health policies... Read more

Social medicine role varies across the world

Laurence O'Dwyer | 29 July 2009

Laurence O'Dwyer on how the principles of social medicine are bringing the medical skills and technology of Harvard to the impoverished country of Haiti... Read more

Woman answered questions to the best of her knowledge

Ed Madden | 29 July 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent case in which the insurer refused to pay out on an insurance 'living cover' policy when the woman who had the policy developed MS... Read more

Last-minute tips from awards experts

Niamh Mullen | 29 July 2009

With only one week remaining to get your entries in for Ireland’s most prestigious healthcare awards, Niamh Mullen offers some last-minute advice from the experts... Read more

A week with the NHS: a view from the outside

Dr Amin A. Muhammad | 24 July 2009

Dr Amin A. Muhammad spent a week working as a locum in the UK to see what the situation is really like for a consultant in the NHS... Read more

A great loss to science and medicine

24 July 2009

An outstanding doctor and scientist — and also a dear friend and colleague — has been lost after the untimely death of Prof John Feely last month... Read more

Skibbereen GP keeps an eye on world medicine

June Shannon | 20 July 2009

June Shannon speaks to Dr Michael Boland on his recent retirement as Director of the ICGP’s Postgraduate Resource Centre, after 25 years with the College. Irish general practice owes a huge debt of gratitude to Dr Michael Boland, who has... Read more

Staffing concerns resolved in Central Mental Hospital

Dara Gantly | 20 July 2009

Dara Gantly reports that staffing issues in the Central Mental Hospital have been addressed and that the hospital is to stay in Dundrum. The Clinical Director of the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) has stated that recent concerns over staffing levels... Read more

Ireland to answer to EU Court of Justice

Dara Gantly | 20 July 2009

Dara Gantly reports that Ireland has been referred to the European Court of Justice due to Vhi's exemption from some EU rules on non-life insurance. The European Commission (EC) has referred Ireland to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over... Read more

Ponderings on privacy in hospital

Dr Joyce Galbraith | 20 July 2009

I had not, until I experienced it myself, realised how much trouble a displaced hammer-toe can cause. Frequent visits to a chiropodist, which necessitated dressings and an inability to wear my favourite shoes, made me increasingly feel like the dead... Read more

Website helps with alcohol concerns

Helix Health | 20 July 2009

A new website aims to help people who have concerns regarding their drinking habits by offering help that is tailored to their specific needs. People concerned about their drinking habits can get help tailored to their needs via a UK-based... Read more

Transport services to be restructured

Niamh Mullen | 19 July 2009

Niamh Mullen writes that HSE spending on cabs for patients and staff last year cost more than three times the budget shortfall of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin. A review of patient transport services is under way at the... Read more

If it's broken, maybe it ain't worth fixing

Dr Paul Stewart | 19 July 2009

Dr Paul Stuart gives the Government a few timely lessons about when to recognise if something, although broken, is just not worth the bother of mending What does Anglo Irish Bank have, in the mind of the Government, that the... Read more

Application Form: Download the Irish Healthcare Awards '09 brochure

18 July 2009

The deadline for the Irish Healthcare Awards is looming: entries must be received by 3 p.m. on August 7. Download the pdf of the brochure. The categories are: Best Education Project – General Practice/Pharmacy Best Hospital Project Best Educational Meeting... Read more

Insurance company could rely on general practitioner's report

Ed Madden BL | 17 July 2009

Ed Madden, BL, on a recent case in which a woman claimed that she had been unlawfully discriminated against when an insurance company refused her application for life insurance. In May 2006, a woman referred a case to the Equality... Read more

Award winners blaze a trail of success

Niamh Mullen | 17 July 2009

Niamh Mullen speaks to recipients of Irish Healthcare Awards in pharmaceutical categories about how their projects have evolved since their big win. Many projects that win an Irish Healthcare Award are so successful they continue to run long after the... Read more

Think FAST to recognise stroke signs

Nycomed | 12 July 2009

A Scottish initiative is urging people to be more aware of the signs and symptoms of stroke, which is the third-biggest killer in Britain . An initiative to make the public more aware of the symptoms of stroke has been... Read more

Dr Stanley Hewitt — an appreciation

12 July 2009

Dr Stanley Hewitt passed away earlier this year and will be remembered for the pioneering work he did for Portiuncula Hospital and for his patients. Dr Stanley Hewitt, former Consultant Obstetrician-Gynae-cologist in Portiun-cula Hospital, Ballinasloe and Past Chairman of the... Read more

Go international for equity growth

John O'Connor | 11 July 2009

John O'Connor writes that historically, equities have delivered the best long-term performance of any investment asset and offers a guide to international equities Every financial page you open seems to have at least one story devoted to the decline of... Read more

Highlighting the plight of refugees

Dr Brendan Kelly | 11 July 2009

Dr Brendan Kelly reviews a new book about one doctor's experiences in treating Tibetan refugees in north India, who are exiled from their homeland A Doctor in Little Lhasa: One Year in Dharamsala with the Tibetans in Exile, by Timothy... Read more

Be sure to secure your future

Dr Nuala O'Farrell | 11 July 2009

Dr Nuala O'Farrell stresses the importance of taking out income protection and making provisions for your practice in the event of you becoming ill. Doctors are, historically, not good at providing for either their pensions or the possibility of major... Read more

Nursing homes support scheme

Aisling Gannon | 11 July 2009

Aisling Gannon of Beauchamps Solicitors explains the terms and conditions of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act, which underpins the 'fair deal' nursing-home funding scheme. The Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009 was signed by the President on July 1,... Read more

Listening to the patient

Alison Ledger | 11 July 2009

At the International Association for Music & Medicine conference, Alison Ledger learns that Ireland is a leader in arts and medicine collaborations. The first-ever conference of the International Association for Music & Medicine (IAMM) was held at the Carlton Castletroy... Read more

Hospital services to be 'slashed' next month?

Dara Gantly | 10 July 2009

Dara Gantly reports on the RCPI's claim that the European Working Time Directive will adversely affect patient care and hospital services. The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) has called for the implementation of the European Working Time Directive... Read more

Supreme Court critical of case taken against St Vincent's Hospital

Ed Madden | 10 July 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent Supreme Court case in which the Court found that proceedings taken on behalf of a psychiatric patient were initiated and maintained on purely technical and unmeritorious grounds. Ms E. H. is a single... Read more

Winners benefit from awards exposure

Niamh Mullen | 10 July 2009

Niamh Mullen speaks to two previous winners of an Irish Healthcare Award in pharmaceutical categories. Educational projects, which reached a large number of doctors and members of the public, were among the winners of an Irish Healthcare Award last year.... Read more

Consultant primarily responsible for child's catastrophic injuries

Ed Madden | 05 July 2009

Ed Madden, BL on a case in which the judge was severely critical of certain medical and nursing staff at Tralee Hospital after a baby suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of their negligence. On February 14, 2000 Paul Healy... Read more

Dr Catherine O'Connor — an appreciation

05 July 2009

Dr Catherine O'Connor will be long remembered for her pioneering work in the field of sexual health in Ireland. Dr Catherine O’Connor, who recently passed away, touched the lives of many during her life. Originally from Ballyclough, Mallow, she went... Read more

New plan to harness internet power for health

Dara Gantly | 04 July 2009

Dara Gantly writes that the EU is looking to formulate a new action plan for the information age, which could radically change the healthcare of tomorrow. If talking yogurt pots are used in a newspaper headline, chances are you’ll start... Read more

The Samaritan principle or the profit principle?

Dr Gerry Burke | 04 July 2009

Dr Gerry Burke writes that Ireland should seriously re-think any moves towards a for-profit hospital system and concentrate instead on the Samaritan principle of healthcare. Privatising healthcare is a costly business. Increasing privatisation in Ireland has coincided with an increase... Read more

New nursing category in 2009 awards

Niamh Mullen | 03 July 2009

For the first time, a special category for nurses has been added to the Irish Healthcare Awards this year, as Niamh Mullen reports... Read more

Irish system faces shortfalls

Dara Gantly | 03 July 2009

Dara Gantly on a new report, which found that Ireland's medical training system will lead to shortfalls in GPs and public health doctors by 2020. A new report analysing the labour market for 12 healthcare professions has predicted that shortfalls... Read more

Hospital infections rise in long-stay patients

Gary Culliton | 03 July 2009

Gary Culliton writes that long hospital stays are one of the main risk factors when it comes to healthcare-acquired infections. Patients who have recovered from illness should leave hospital as soon as possible — before they become sick again.... Read more

DVDs help patients with PKU

Nycomed | 29 June 2009

Two new Irish-made DVDs for patients with PKU, and their families, aim to help them to make the necessary lifestyle changes. The National Centre for Inherited Metabolic Disorders (NCIMD) has launched two DVDs to explain PKU (phenylketonuria) to parents and... Read more

Reporter fined for 'promoting' medicinal product on website

Claire Callanan | 28 June 2009

Claire Callanan of Beauchamps Solicitors reports on a case in which a medical reporter — despite having no commercial interest in a drug — was fined for 'advertising' it. The protection of public health is an essential aim of the... Read more

Irish laboratory to test for levels of iodine in children

Dara Gantly | 27 June 2009

Despite the importance of iodine in the diet of pregnant women, Ireland and the UK have low levels of consumption. Dara Gantly reports on Irish involvement in a new study measuring iodine levels across the UK. An Irish laboratory is... Read more

RCSI graduate is vindicated of dishonesty in English High Court

Ed Madden | 27 June 2009

Ed Madden, BL, on a recent case in which a medical practitioner — found guilty of dishonesty by a Fitness to Practice Panel — successfully appealed the decision of the Panel. Amir Maqbul Khan, who is now 40 years old,... Read more

Assessing drug treatment

Dara Gantly | 27 June 2009

Dara Gantly speaks to Comptroller and Auditor General John Buckley about his new report on the effectiveness of drug-treatment schemes. In 2007, State agencies spent an estimated €140 million on the provision of treatment and rehabilitation services for problem drug-users.... Read more

New entrants urged for healthcare awards

Niamh Mullen | 26 June 2009

More companies should enter the Irish Healthcare Awards to get their work recognised, writes Niamh Mullen... Read more

Changing seasons and eras at Trinity

niamh mullen | 26 June 2009

Dr John Wallace looks at a new book on Trinity College Dublin and its progression through the acdemic year. Its history goes back much further, however, to 1166. The Trinity Year is a tribute to Ireland’s earliest university. Trinity College,... Read more

Cork-based doc tackles malnutrition

Niamh Mullen | 26 June 2009

Niamh Mullen speaks to a doctor, now living in Ireland, who has dedicated many years of his career to tackling the problem of malnutrition in Africa. Dr Steve Collins has not had a conventional career in medicine. He has spent... Read more

Cancer programme exceeds targets

Gary Culliton | 26 June 2009

Gary Culliton reports on the success of the core programme for cervical cancer vaccination in Northern Ireland, which has a 92 per cent uptake. The core programme for cervical cancer vaccination in Northern Ireland – now coming to the end... Read more

Cutting the costs of colon-cancer screening

Gary Culliton | 26 June 2009

Gary Culliton writes that attempts are now being made to reduce the estimated cost of a national colon cancer-screening programme, with a view to including it in the Government's 2010 estimates. Health Minister Harney has signalled the start of a... Read more

Animal pecking order has implications for humans

Laurence O'Dwyer | 26 June 2009

Laurence O'Dwyer examines the area of ethology — the study of animals in their natural environment — and the implications of such studies for human behaviour, noting that there is no law that states that humans will evolve into something... Read more

Funding can follow award winners

Niamh Mullen | 19 June 2009

Niamh Mullen speaks to Dr Dermot Power about the rewards that winning an Irish Healthcare Award can bring... Read more

Unification and change needed for HSE South

Gary CUlliton | 19 June 2009

Gary Culliton speaks to Prof John Higgins, the new Chief Executive of HSE South, about how the recent reconfiguration plan for the southern region will be implemented in light of current economic difficulties . When economic times are hard, patients,... Read more

Are work practices conditions of service?

Ed Madden BL | 19 June 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a High Court case which considered whether there is a difference in law between 'conditions of service' and 'work practices' In day-to-day parlance the terms ‘conditions of service’ and ‘work practices’ are sometimes used interchangeably.... Read more

Recovery should be at the heart of mental health services, says SHINE

Niamh Mullen | 19 June 2009

Niamh Mullen reports on the annual conference of the Centre for Recovery and Social Inclusion, which took place recently in Cork. Recovery has to be the focus of all mental health services. That is according to the Director of Shine... Read more

Slovenian health card will be world’s most advanced

Helix Health | 19 June 2009

A new system for tracking health insurance in Slovenia could be the forerunner of a European healthcare card and electronic patient record. Slovenia will have ‘one of the most advanced’ health-insurance systems in the world when the rollout of its... Read more

Heartlift patients — sources of joy in general practice

Dr Margaret O'Riordan | 19 June 2009

Dr Margaret O'Riordan reports on a study that found that there are some patients out there that inspire and encourage their doctors. General practice is a special place to be. GPs walk side by side with patients on the challenging... Read more

So what’s the word on stress?

Rory Hafford | 19 June 2009

Rory Hafford looks at an insidious condition creeping through the profession and suggests a few pointers. Many moons ago, a good friend of mine moved to New York to practice medicine. For her, it was a dream come true. She... Read more

Belfast-born doctor pushes ME research

Dara Gantly | 19 June 2009

Dara Gantly talks to Dr Derek Enlander — a Belfast-born doctor who specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of myalgic encepalomyelitis (ME) — also known as chronic fatigue syndrome — in his New York practice. It was two decades ago,... Read more

Report finds higher rates of stroke

Niamh Mullen | 19 June 2009

Stroke incidence and outcomes in north Dublin are significantly worse than in Oxfordshire in the UK, according to major study due to be published this year. Niamh Mullen speaks to one of the neurologists behind it. In the North Dublin... Read more

More GPs needed for drug addiction treatment

Dara Gantly | 19 June 2009

Dara Gantly reports on the recent report from the Comptroller and Auditor General on Ireland's efforts to tackle the growing problem of drug addiction. The profile of patients and fear of local opposition are among the issues that have been... Read more

More GPs needed for drug addiction treatment

Dara Gantly | 19 June 2009

Dara Gantly reports on the recent report from the Comptroller and Auditor General on Ireland's efforts to tackle the growing problem of drug addiction. The profile of patients and fear of local opposition are among the issues that have been... Read more

Grangegorman development misses the point

Dr Dermot Walsh | 19 June 2009

Dr Dermot Walsh, former Inspector of Mental Hospitals, says the new mental hospital planned for the northside of Dublin goes against all the principles of A Vision for Change. According to the Dublin People (4 June), ‘an application for a... Read more

A helping hand for homeless boys

Dr Paul Stewart | 19 June 2009

Dr Paul Stewart compares the Boys Town institution in the US — which was founded by an Irish priest — with the Irish experience of caring for homeless or poor children He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’ is a song... Read more

NHS service raises quit rates

Nycomed | 12 June 2009

A smoking cessation programme which has been tried on a pilot basis is now to be rolled out across the NHS after it increased referrals for Stop Smoking Services by 49 per cent A smoking cessation initiative, which has increased... Read more

Pharma solution is haven by the sea

Niamh Mullen | 12 June 2009

Reporter Niamh Mullen speaks to Pharma Solutions managing partner, Paul Flanagan, about recruitment and the company’s move to a new premises. After seven years working from offices on Dublin’s Leeson Street, Pharma Solutions has moved to a new base in... Read more

Managing redundancies

Dairine Walsh | 12 June 2009

Dairine Walsh of Beauchamps Solicitors looks at the issue of redundancy and outlines employers' obligations and employees' rights in such circumstances. The latest projections from the ESRI of an unemployment rate of 17 per cent in 2010 indicate that redundancies... Read more

On big pharma and drug reps

Dr Garrett Igoe | 12 June 2009

Dr Garrett Igoe writes that the medical profession must take a lead and examine its collective conscience when it comes to pharma sponsorship. Drug reps are nice people…… cheerful, intelligent, good looking and always giving us things. In spite of... Read more

Blue Monday 2010

Dr Clare Thornley | 12 June 2009

This story was written By Dr Clare Thornley who is taking a breather from general practice. She has an acupuncture and homeopathy practice on scenic Forth Mountain, Co Wexford. The story won first prize in the recent Aindreas McEntee competition... Read more

Breast surgeon didn't have indemnity in Ireland

Ed Madden | 12 June 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent case in which a doctor who underwent breast enlargement surgery at Clane General Hospital claimed damages after scars were visible afterwards. In the year 2000, Janet (not her real name) decided to undergo... Read more

Specialist doctors frustrated

niamh mullen | 12 June 2009

Doctors working in a range of specialised areas have expressed frustration that they are not registered on the Medical Council’s Specialist Register. Community health doctors, in particular, aired their views in several submissions to the Medical Council during its public... Read more

HSE faces major challenged to National Service Plan

Dara Gantly | 12 June 2009

Dara Gantly looks at the effects that the economic recession is having on the Health Service Executive's ability to deliver on its Service Plan promises. The current economic downturn continues to impinge on the HSE’s ability to deliver on its... Read more

Cut the waffle! And say what you've done — not your hopes

Niamh Mullen | 12 June 2009

Reporter Niamh Mullen speaks to one of last year’s Irish Healthcare Award winners about the impact of winning and some tips for those entering this year... Read more

Costs do not always have to follow the event

Ed Madden | 08 June 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent Supreme Court case that dealt with the circumstances in which the courts may depart from the normal rule that costs follow the event. In 1973, schoolgirl Louise O’Keeffe, who was then nine years... Read more

World Grid helps millions

Helix Health | 08 June 2009

The Help Cure Muscular Dystrophy Project is looking for 150,000 volunteers to donate their computers' idle time and help find a cure for the condition. The Help Cure Muscular Dystrophy project is looking to use the idle computational power from... Read more

When to stick and when to twist...

Rory Hafford | 08 June 2009

Rory Hafford takes a look at when to tell the patient more about their condition – and when not to. I have been thinking about the whole body language thing (and the way some patients might look at you). Some... Read more

Killarney Primary Care Centre falls at the first hurdle

Dara Gantly | 08 June 2009

The decision by Killarney Town Council not to grant planning permission for a pharmacy at a new primary care centre in the town has not only scuppered the plans locally, but could have national implications for the roll-out of the... Read more

What is the right prescription for a sick health system?

Dr Fergus O'Ferrell | 08 June 2009

Dr Fergus O'Ferrell writes that universal health insurance would cure our health system's ills and that now is the right time to introduce it. On April 27 2009, Fine Gael launched a major ‘road-map’ policy to reform the health system... Read more

Entries are now being accepted for Irish Healthcare Awards

Niamh Mullen | 05 June 2009

Entries are now being accepted for the eight annual Irish Healthcare Awards 2009. For the second time the prestigious event will take place in Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel, on October 15. RTE newsreader Bryan Dobson will also reprise his role as... Read more

Report highlights lack of progress

Greg Baxter | 02 June 2009

Greg Baxter writes that according to the Mental Health Commission's annual report, the implementation of A Vision for Change is still being stymied by problems with funding and work practices. The Mental Health Commission’s annual report, which highlighted a lack... Read more

Will Ireland's healthcare be decided by Europe?

Dara Gantly | 02 June 2009

Dara Gantly reports on the upcoming elections to the European Parliament and how the results might affect the Irish healthcare system. Between June 4 and 7, some 375 million citizens across 27 countries are being called to the polls to... Read more

Give us resources to improve primary care

Dr Nuala O'Farrell | 02 June 2009

Dr Nuala O'Farrell writes that the ICGP has a lot to be proud of regarding its achievements over the last 25 years, but there is still a lot of work to be done This year, the Irish College of General... Read more

Convicted doctor receives award of damages from Court

Ed Madden | 02 June 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent decision of the European Court of Human Rights in which a doctor convicted of indecent assault received an award of damages. Fifty-three year old Dr Imad Al-Khawaja, a British national, worked as a... Read more

Dr Mary Grehan — an appreciation

M.D. | 02 June 2009

I first met Mary Grehan in 1987 and joined the new association she had just founded. The Association of General Practitioners reflected Mary’s personality and she guided and led it with honourable principles and unmatched energy. A talking shop was... Read more

Call for entries for Irish Healthcare Awards 2009

Niamh Mullen | 29 May 2009

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

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

Lee-ding the political way

Dr Paul Stewart | 25 May 2009

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

Is it time to end the free lunches?

Dr Garrett Igoe | 25 May 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lithium for water supply?

Dara Gantly | 25 May 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

RT for acute gastroenteritis in the ED

Gary Culliton | 17 May 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hospital car park was not rateable

Ed Madden | 14 May 2009

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

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

Fixing the nation’s mood disorder

Dr Paul Stewart | 14 May 2009

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

More than just a matter of style

Rory Hafford | 11 May 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How can we be sure of what we hold to be true?

Dr Paul Stewart | 11 May 2009

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

Fair care for all with FG?

Dr Mick Molloy | 11 May 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

Medical Miscellany

Terence Cosgrave | 05 May 2009

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

Children need 24/7 cover

Dara Gantly | 01 May 2009

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

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

It's different out there...

Declan Fox | 27 April 2009

Declan Fox, from O'Leary, Prince Edward Island, writes that the attitude to healthcare makes a big difference to the way patients are treated in Canada. It’s different out there...and it’s not just the language that’s different. You have to be... Read more

Dilemmas of developing countries: to stay or go

Dr Amin a Muhammad | 26 April 2009

Dr Amin A. Muhammad writes about the woes and wonders of migration and the difficulties faced by people who leave their homeland. The tradition of migration is common to humans as well as animals. The fascinating sight of migrating birds... Read more

Primary care targets are ‘extremely optimistic’

Niamh Mullen | 26 April 2009

Reporter Niamh Mullen speaks to the HSE’s Assistant National Director of Estates and Capital about the roll out of primary care centres. By the end of 2009, the first nine dedicated primary care centres promised under the Primary Care Strategy... Read more

'Bug lady' reveals secret to elimination of MRSA

Greg Baxter | 25 April 2009

Greg Baxter investigates how the Mater Private has effectively eliminated MRSA in its wards. I got to meet the ‘bug lady’ at the Mater Private Hospital – Ann Higgins, Assistant Director of Nursing Infection Control – a woman with an... Read more

The myths behind medical tourism

Caelen King | 24 April 2009

Caelen King writes about the globalisation of the healthcare market and what this means for both healthcare providers and for patients... Read more

What does the Hippocratic oath mean?

Dr Simon Mills | 24 April 2009

Dr Simon Mills writes that despite beliefs to the contrary, Irish doctors do not take the Hippocratic oath and even if they did, it doesn't actually commit them to 'do no harm'... Read more

Gold in them thar records

Dr Sean Callan | 23 April 2009

Dr Sean Callan reports from the 2009 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society meeting in Chicago on the financial stimulus being given to medical informatics in the US. The recent American Reinvestment and Recovery Act – better known as President... Read more

It’s medicine Jim, but not as we know it

Thecla Scully | 22 April 2009

Thecla Scully writes that the futuristic days of Pixar's Wall-E may be closer in medicine than we think. Pixar’s latest brain child, Wall-E, was inspired by a question: what if mankind evacuated earth and forgot to turn off the last... Read more

Negotiating the stony path of ethics

Rory Hafford | 22 April 2009

Rory Hafford continues his medical communications series with an illuminating look at truth and lies. Navajo Indians hold strongly to their beliefs. For instance, they believe that language and thought can shape reality. They also believe that if you give... Read more

Food chain’s new links

Dr Cliona Foley Nolan | 22 April 2009

Dr Cliodhna Foley Nolan on the relationship between antibiotics in animal feed and AMR in humans. We have tended to associate antimicrobial resistance (usually antibiotic resistance) with overcrowded hospitals, poor hand-washing and over-prescribing by medical clinicians. However, it is clear... Read more

Food chain’s new links

Dr Cliona Foley Nolan | 22 April 2009

Dr Cliodhna Foley Nolan on the relationship between antibiotics in animal feed and AMR in humans. We have tended to associate antimicrobial resistance (usually antibiotic resistance) with overcrowded hospitals, poor hand-washing and over-prescribing by medical clinicians. However, it is clear... Read more

The economic costs of mental illness in Ireland

Dr Brendan Kelly | 21 April 2009

Dr Brendan Kelly writes that the economic downturn makes investing in mental health even more pressing — for both patients and society as a whole. The next few years are likely to see a much more considered approach to healthcare... Read more

Medicine man's laughter elixir

Dr Paul Stewart | 21 April 2009

Dr Paul Stewart recently rediscovered the story of Thomas P. Kelley, Canada's king of the old-fashioned medicine men and inventor of the classic 'pie-in-the-face' gag. Dr Quirkey’s Good Time Emporium on Dublin’s O’Connell Street was a place I passed last... Read more

Medical Miscellany

Terence Cosgrave | 21 April 2009

The scientific sessions at the Irish Medical Organisation’s agm are becoming stronger each year and this year was no exception. A ‘must-see’ this year for sports enthusiasts was the session on ‘The role of Medicine in Sport’. Chaired by Irish... Read more

'Irresponsible' closures to put patients at risk

Niamh Mullen | 21 April 2009

Reporter Niamh Mullen speaks to the HSE’s Assistant National Director of Estates and Capital about the roll out of primary care centres. By the end of 2009, the first nine dedicated primary care centres promised under the Primary Care Strategy... Read more

GPs quit north-east Unit

Niamh Mullen | 20 April 2009

Niamh Mullen writes that GPs are discontented with the Health Service Executive's plans to reconfigure acute hospital services in the north-east Three doctors from Cavan, Monaghan and Louth have resigned from the GP Unit in the HSE Dublin North-East area... Read more

Medical Miscellany

Terence Cosgrave | 20 April 2009

There has been a considerable amount of nostalgia-tinged pieces in the media recently about previous recessions, as pundits try to imagine what the effects of this one will be. Ah, the days of leg-warmers, Sony Walkmans, shoulder pads and, of... Read more

A sorry tale of a king's 'sorre legge'

Prof Pierce A. Grace | 20 April 2009

Prof Pierce A. Grace on the medical complaints of King Henry VIII, whose love of sport was hampered by chronic leg ulcers, among other problems. Five hundred years ago, on April 21, 1509, the reclusive Henry VII died, reputedly of... Read more

Keeping down the cost of renal care

Gary Culliton | 20 April 2009

Gary Culliton writes that as the instance of end-stage kidney disease rises, renal physicians are focusing on preventive strategies. During World Kidney Day last month, the issue of the high-cost of treatment for a small number of renal patients was... Read more

Patient survey yields surprises

Nycomed | 20 April 2009

People’s satisfaction with their healthcare system depends more on external factors than on the care they experience as a patient, says a new survey. A survey measuring patient satisfaction in 21 European countries investigated what determines satisfaction with a healthcare... Read more

A look at the proposed Health Information Bill

Aisling Gannon | 20 April 2009

Aisling Gannon of Beauchamps Solicitors looks at the proposed Health Information Bill, which will offer a legislative framework for the governance of personal health information. The proposed Health Information Bill, which is part of the ongoing Health Reform Programme, will... Read more

Right to legal representation at disciplinary hearing questioned

Ed Madden | 17 April 2009

Ed Madden, BL, on a case in which the State appealed against a decision of the High Court that two prison officers were entitled to legal representation in the course of a disciplinary hearing... Read more

Cork seminar to help GPs

Dara Gantly | 16 April 2009

Dara Gantly writes that doctors can learn how to manage their practices during the recession at Irish Medical Times's upcoming seminar in Cork.... Read more

Competence schemes will deal with diversity

Dara Gantly | 16 April 2009

Dara Gantly speaks to the RCPI\s Leo Kearns on how to ensure professional competence.... Read more

'Irresponsible' closures to put patients at risk?

Niamh Mullen | 08 April 2009

With overnight emergency-department services due to close this week in Ennis and Nenagh, Niamh Mullen reports on the situation in the mid west. Many GPs have joined the public and unions in expressing their opposition to the closure of overnight... Read more

Where one or more docs are gathered

Rory Hafford | 08 April 2009

Rory Hafford reports on the recent EAU Conference in Stockholm...and the way some doctors might look at you! Stockholm. The great and the good of the medical world have gathered together for the eagerly anticipated European Association of Urology (EAU)... Read more

Crossed wires, cross GPs

Paul Stewart | 07 April 2009

Dr Paul Stewart writes that despite all our advances in communications, messages will inevitably get lost in translation between doctor and patient. There’s many a slip between the spoken word and the understanding of it by ourselves or others. A... Read more

Three years on and nothing is done

Mr Fergal Hickey | 07 April 2009

The persistence of the emergency-department overcrowding problem three years after the Minister termed it a 'national emergency' and the lack of Ministerial and HSE action is a very serious cause for concern, writes Mr Fergal Hickey. On March 28, 2006,... Read more

IT system guides patients to health

Helix Health | 07 April 2009

When some patients in the US arrive at their hospital or GP surgery, they will no longer have to fill out a clipboard full of paper forms because a pioneering handheld touch-screen device is being introduced to make life easier... Read more

Pharmaceutical company failed in Turkish trademark action

Ed Madden BL | 07 April 2009

Ed Madden, BL, on a recent case in which Eli Lilly claimed that the manner in which a UK-based pharmacy business dealt with its Turkish products was an infringement of its trademarks. Eli Lilly (‘Lilly’), the large, worldwide pharmaceutical company,... Read more

Pass the sprouts and the medical education

Ellen E. Grace | 06 April 2009

Ellen E. Grace writes that nearly all of her family suffers from the peculiar and incurable condition of Medicus Superious Improbabilis. My great-grandfather was a psychiatrist. My grandfather was a psychiatrist. My father is a surgeon and my mother is... Read more

Treating tropical travellers

Gary Culliton | 06 April 2009

Gary Culliton speaks to Dr Graham Fry about the development of travel medicine and the services provided by the Tropical Medical Bureau. Dr Graham Fry, one of the speakers at the Irish Medical Times ‘Managing a Successful Practice’ GP seminar... Read more

Playing for laughs: if you can't be clean, be clever

Dr Charles Dupont | 06 April 2009

Dr Charles Dupont takes a look at what makes us laugh and examines the different types of humour that may tickle our funny bones. The appreciation of humour is intensely personal. That which provokes a hearty laugh in one produces... Read more

Treating tropical travellers

Gary Culliton | 06 April 2009

Gary Culliton speaks to Dr Graham Fry about the development of travel medicine and the services provided by the Tropical Medical Bureau. Dr Graham Fry, one of the speakers at the Irish Medical Times ‘Managing a Successful Practice’ GP seminar... Read more

The politics of fruit flies and research

Laurence O'Dwyer | 06 April 2009

Laurence O'Dwyer writes that research being carried out on the fruit fly, in Ireland and elsewhere, is helping to solve some of the remaining puzzles of human biology More than a century of fruit-fly research has helped us to unlock... Read more

Playing for laughs: if you can't be clean, be clever

Dr Charles Dupont | 06 April 2009

Dr Charles Dupont takes a look at what makes us laugh and examines the different types of humour that may tickle our funny bones. The appreciation of humour is intensely personal. That which provokes a hearty laugh in one produces... Read more

Doctor's actions were abuse of his position of trust

Ed Madden | 06 April 2009

Ed Madden, BL, on a recent Fitness to Practice panel hearing in which the Panel considered the case of a doctor who had attempted to form an emotional relationship with a patient. On August 16, 2007, Ann (not her real... Read more

Dealing with fixed-term contracts of employment

Beauchamps | 06 April 2009

Darine Walsh of Beauchamps Solicitors writes that there can be no less favourable treatment of a fixed-term employee than a comparable permanent employee under Irish law. Employers often employ workers on a fixed term or temporary basis. Common reasons for... Read more

Exercise initiative aims to encourage older people

Dara Gantly | 03 April 2009

Dara Gantly reports on an initiative in Co. Carlow that aims to involve more older people in health-related fitness and recreational sport. One of country’s leading specialists in age-related healthcare has backed a new development in Carlow aimed at promoting... Read more

Plans for PCTs press ahead

Niamh Mullen | 03 April 2009

Eight years after the Government promised a system of one-stop shops for healthcare, 107 primary care teams (PCTs) are up and running but there are only six centres housing full teams. The established teams are established in 23 counties (Monaghan,... Read more

Getting advice – not giving it – on depression

Terence Cosgrave | 03 April 2009

Over one hundred delegates from general practice in Ireland attended theIrish Medical Timesseminar at the Herbert Park Hotel last Saturday to hear a panel of experts advise them on how to manage their practices through the recession — or is... Read more

Getting advice – not giving it – on depression

Terence Cosgrave | 03 April 2009

Over one hundred delegates from general practice in Ireland attended theIrish Medical Timesseminar at the Herbert Park Hotel last Saturday to hear a panel of experts advise them on how to manage their practices through the recession — or is... Read more

Irish doctor was ahead of his time

Marie-Catherine Mousseau | 03 April 2009

Marie-Catherine Mousseau on the life of Dr Robert Bentley Todd, the Irish doctor whose contribution to the understanding of epilepsy was immense. Robert Bentley Todd is best remembered for Todd’s paralysis, or post-epileptic paralysis – the temporary stiffening of the... Read more

St John of God's foundation letter is discovered

03 April 2009

A recently discovered letter has revealed the extent to which Fr Thomas McNamara played a role in the founding of St John of God Hospital. He is little known outside of Castleknock College and the Irish Congregation of the Mission,... Read more

Toolkit helps staff improve care

Nycomed | 03 April 2009

A toolkit developed by the NHS Institution for Innovation and Development is improving the experience of patients with diabetes in UK hospitals. The success of a tool that was trialled at five NHS hospitals to help staff improve the care... Read more

RA 'cure' a possibility

Greg Baxter | 01 April 2009

Greg Baxter writes that treating rheumatoid arthritis early and aggressively may cure some patients. New evidence supports the argument that treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with expensive and aggressive biologic therapy could save money in the long run, because doing... Read more

Low trust in generic drugs

Niamh Mullen | 31 March 2009

ONLY three per cent of people suggested generic drugs as a way to reduce prices in a survey of Irish consumers’ awareness and attitudes to the cost of medicines. Overall, 39 per cent said they were aware generic medicines were... Read more

Diseases should not bear Nazi criminals' names

Dr Robert O'Sullivan | 30 March 2009

Dr Robert O'Sullivan on the diseases that still bear the names of Nazi doctors — now thought to be despicable criminals and murderers. An eponym is a disease, structure or species named after a person; usually the person who discovered... Read more

Anatomy is best learned on cadavers!

Dr Joyce Galbraith | 30 March 2009

Dr Joyce Galbraith writes that while there are mixed views on fast-track courses into medicine, there is no substitute for a good grounding in anatomy. The increasing use of the so-called ‘fast-track’ method of medical training has caused some critics... Read more

It's the quality — not the quantity — that counts

Dr John Wallace | 30 March 2009

Dr John Wallace on qualitative research, an increasingly important form of evidence that can make a significant contribution to patient care. Qualitative research (QR) is about understanding the experiences and values of patients. Instead of looking at numbers, it focuses... Read more

Shortlist for literacy awards published

Niamh Mullen | 30 March 2009

Niamh Mullen speaks to some of the people behind the projects that have been shortlisted for this year’s Health Literacy Awards. More than 50 per cent of Irish people are affected in some way by literacy difficulties, which could impact... Read more

Public Medical Council hearings raise questions

Simon Mills | 30 March 2009

Simon Mills writes that the reporting in the media of the recent Fitness to Practice committee should surely send a shiver down the spine of all doctors. The news of the first public hearing of the Fitness to Practice Committee... Read more

24-hour cuff monitoring of BP could save on medication

Greg Baxter | 30 March 2009

Greg Baxter undergoes a 24-hour monitoring of his blood pressure — under the supervision of Prof Eoin O'Brien — and learns how the system is superior to traditional methods. At the beginning of December last year, I underwent a 24-hour... Read more

Midwife's incompetence was judged professional misconduct

Ed Madden | 30 March 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent High Court case in which a Polish midwife challenged a decision of An Bord Altranais to erase her name from the Nursing Register. Gertruda Kudelska, a Polish national, first came to Ireland in... Read more

Can whistleblowers' law really make a difference?

Dara Gantly | 30 March 2009

Dara Gantly writes that it remains to be seen whether new legal protection for whistleblowers will make a difference to the quality of the health service The effectiveness of new legal protections for ‘whistleblowers’ in the health service will only... Read more

'Spokes' treat strokes remotely

Helix Health | 28 March 2009

The Alaskan 'spoke' system brings stroke care to patients in isolated areas and allows neurologist to treat patients miles away. Stroke patients in Alaska now have a greater chance of survival because of a telemedicine system that will allow neurologists... Read more

Doctors given a right dressing down

Rory Haford | 27 March 2009

Rory Hafford continues his series on medical communications with a look at how clothes maketh the medic. I was talking to a young doctor recently about how physicians should dress. This chap, an SpR in surgery, told me he was... Read more

Doctors should cut bureaucracy

Paul Heslin | 27 March 2009

Dr Paul Heslin says that if GPs have to take a cut in pay — then they should cut back on the useless work they do in order to improve their service. Have you been wondering whether the financial storms... Read more

Blood transfusions and consent from parents

Kieran Doran | 27 March 2009

Kieran Doran, UCC Senior Lecturer in Healthcare Ethics, discusses the issue of consent for children whose parents are Jehovah's Witnesses. Currently, one of the most controversial aspects of medico-legal practice is that of the provision of blood transfusions to patients... Read more

Never retire — the secret to a long life

Dr Paul Stewart | 26 March 2009

Dr Paul Stewart writes on a man who has survived the Depression, a World War and an addiction to chocolate to make to 100 (almost). He was born to an Irish mother and Scottish ship’s carpenter father somewhere in the... Read more

Medical Miscellany

Terence Cosgrave | 23 March 2009

I share a birthdate and a first name with the great Spike Milligan. For that and for many other reasons, I have always felt an affinity with him. Thankfully, I am not known as ‘Spike’ — which would be a... Read more

Irish College of Psychiatry aims for better mental health

Terence Cosgrave | 23 March 2009

Terence Cosgrave speaks to Dr Justin Brophy about the recent establishment of the Irish College of Psychiatry and his hopes for better mental health care in Ireland The attitude to mental health and services for the mentally ill in Ireland... Read more

Should patients take control of medication

Niamh Mullen | 23 March 2009

The sale of statins over the counter (OTC) would be an ‘obvious development’ in patient self-care in Ireland. That is according to Prof Colin Bradley, head of the Department of General Practice at University College Cork, who said the idea... Read more

Reliability of laboratory testing was questioned

Ed Madden | 22 March 2009

Ed Madden, BL, on a US case in which the Court considered the reliability and validity of a Dublin laboratory’s testing that purported to find evidence of persisting measles virus in intestinal tissue. In July 1997, Michelle Cedillo, who was... Read more

Service overhaul for Cork?

Dara Gantly | 22 March 2009

Dara Gantly writes that the possible relocation of services within the Cork University Hospital campus may form part of the development control plan for the Cork and Kerry region. An examination of the future development of Cork University Hospital (CUH)... Read more

Asthma test helps with coughs

Nycomed | 19 March 2009

A test used for diagnosing asthma is also proving to be of major benefit in predicting which patients with chronic cough will respond to treatment. Pulmonologists have found that the exhaled nitric-oxide test is a quick and easy way to... Read more

Get it written and get it write!

Rory Hafford | 16 March 2009

Rory Hafford offers a few tips for any doctors who are also aspiring writers — one of which is to give up the golf. I first came across Dr Paul Carson when he was writing for a medical magazine (which... Read more

Reminders raise screening rates

Helix Health | 16 March 2009

A new study has shown that both patients and GPs benefit from electronic and postal reminders when it comes to attending for colon cancer screening. Reminders of appointments posted to patients’ homes can promote colon cancer screening, according to US... Read more

Ireland marks World Glaucoma Day

16 March 2009

The aim of this year's World Glaucoma Day is to help educate those at risk of glaucoma and also those newly diagnosed with the condition. Twice as many people fear going blind as are afraid of premature death or heart... Read more

A night with the paramedics

Anne Grace | 16 March 2009

Medical student Anne Grace discovered patience and professionalism among the paramedics that took her out around Limerick on one busy Saturday night On the radio, Queen sang ‘It’s a kind of magic’, and it had stopped raining. I was driving... Read more

Cultural competency training needed to break down barriers

Dr Sinéad Donohue | 16 March 2009

Dr Sinéad Donohue elaborates on the postgraduate training needs assessment, currently being carried out, on the need for clinical cultural competency training. Culture emerges from a blend of many different factors and it is therefore not surprising that we often... Read more

Wexford GP served generations of patients

JC | 16 March 2009

A lifetime of service in general practice remembered.Dr Stephen PJ Cox was born on March 6, 1922, one of nine children who grew up on a farm on the banks of the Kilglass Lake near Strokestown in Co. Roscommon. He... Read more

Medical Miscellany

Terence Cosgrave | 16 March 2009

The judging for the Crystal Clear Health Literacy Awards took place last week and so I had to make my way down to the Morgan Hotel in Temple Bar to perform the solemn task of Solomon — how do you... Read more

Ireland's abysmal rate of breastfeeding — 1 in 450

Niamh Mullen | 16 March 2009

Niamh Mullen reports on the need to encourage women to breastfeed after a Dublin study reveals the extent of our poor breastfeeding rates. More support and better information is needed from GPs and maternity hospitals to encourage women to breastfeed... Read more

Irish High Court upholds Medical Council decision

Ed Madden | 13 March 2009

Ed Madden, BL, on a recent case in which a UK national argued for automatic registration on Ireland's Register of Medical Specialists based on a certificate of registration from Sweden. In September 2003, Dr Ahmed Khashaba, a British national with... Read more

The life of Brian

Dr Paul Heslin | 13 March 2009

Dr Paul Heslin overhears some conversations about how a certain medical practice will have to adjust its 2009 budget. The practice accountant called Dr Brian into his office urgently and said abruptly: “Dr Brian, we have a crisis here. I... Read more

The Minister must change her mind

Dr James Reilly | 13 March 2009

Dr James Reilly, Fine Gael spokesperson on health, writes that administering the HPV vaccine and protecting girls from cervical cancer must be a priority. For doctors and for those people whose lives have been blighted by cervical cancer, it was... Read more

Prof Higgins to reconfigure South acute services

Jason McGoey | 10 March 2009

Professor John Higgins has been appointed as the Project Director to lead the reconfiguration of health services in Cork and Kerry, the HSE has confirmed. As Consultant Obstetrician/Gynaecologist at the modern Cork University Maternity Hospital, Professor Higgins has a proven... Read more

Newborn screening to detect heart problems

Dara Gantly | 10 March 2009

Dara Gantly examines a new screening tool aimed at improving the detection of life-threatening congenital heart disease in newborns. The Rotunda Hospital has become the second of Dublin’s maternity hospitals to carry out routine screening of blood oxygen levels in... Read more

Force at the front-line of healthcare

Helix Health | 09 March 2009

The integration of IT between primary, secondary and community care is proving a critical factor for doctors when choosing their technology partner. The medical profession has witnessed increasing levels of conversion between technology systems over the past decade. One only... Read more

Training helps prevent slip-ups

Nycomed | 09 March 2009

A new study showing that fall-prevention training can help people to maintain their balance could have major benefits for patients who have osteoporosis. Fall-prevention training using unstable surfaces in a laboratory could help elderly people to avoid slips and trips... Read more

Potential problems in the White House

Dr Joyce Galbraith | 09 March 2009

Dr Joyce Galbraith writes that while Obama may have to deal with the world's problems, he also has to build a home life at the White House. The rise of Barack Obama is not only phenomenal, but has happened very... Read more

Unions could be sued for industrial action on levy

Ed Madden BL | 09 March 2009

Ed Madden, BL, considers whether those who strike against the pension levy enjoy the protection of the immunities against legal actions under the Industrial Relations Act, 1990. On February 18, 2009, the Government published The Financial Emergency Measures in the... Read more

Report queries drugs value

Gary Culliton | 09 March 2009

Gary Culliton writes that the Barry Report has identified that the State could drastically cut its spending on drugs every year. A group chaired by Dr Michael Barry, of the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics at St James’s Hospital, has recommended... Read more

Learn a lesson in success

Paul Stewart | 08 March 2009

Dr Paul Stewart ponders the different teaching methods that produce the best outcomes, and finds that not even the best teachers are infallible. Not all of us, when learning, can have the benefit of Irish pianist John O’Connor mentoring us.... Read more

Re-living the Irish experience in Newfoundland

Dr Amin A. Muhammad | 06 March 2009

Dr Amin A. Muhammad writes that his training and unique experiences in Irish psychiatry have stood to him during his work in other countries. I came to the UK in December 1987 in order to look for a training post... Read more

The devil is in the detail of religious traditions

Dr Barkat Masood | 06 March 2009

Dr Barkat Masood writes that the figure of the Devil appears in different guises in many cultures and traditions around the world. We are all familiar with the mythical Devil of The Omen and of The Exorcist. This Devil is... Read more

Irish College welcomed

Dr John Hardin-Price | 06 March 2009

Dear Editor, The letter by Prof Amin A. Muhammad (IMT, Jan 30, www.imt.ie/opinion/2009/01/college_of_psychiatry_a_truly.html) is international recognition of the new College of Psychiatry in Ireland. This, along with the College, is to be heartily welcomed. It is imperative that mental illness,... Read more

The cost of kidney care demands more resources

Terence Cosgrave | 06 March 2009

Terence Cosgrave reports on the HSE's proposed National Renal Programme, in light of the rising costs of treating kidney disease in Ireland. There has been a steady increase in the numbers of people suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) over... Read more

Beat the recession with GP seminars

Dara Gantly | 06 March 2009

Dara Gantly writes that the IMT Practice Management Seminars will focus on surviving the recession. Experts in the fields of finance, practice development and IT will be among the speakers addressing this year’s Irish Medical Times Practice Management Seminar in... Read more

Founding Christian Science

Mike Power | 04 March 2009

Mike Power — in an occasional series — looks at books that have changed medical thinking. Here he examines Mary Baker Eddy's Science and Health. What is ‘reality’? Does pain really have an objective existence? What is the mind’s role... Read more

Learn a lesson in success

Dr Paul Stewart | 04 March 2009

Dr Paul Stewart ponders the different teaching methods that produce the best outcomes, and finds that not even the best teachers are infallible. Not all of us, when learning, can have the benefit of Irish pianist John O’Connor mentoring us.... Read more

'People's Budget' '09 shocks the status quo

Prof Pierce A. Grace | 03 March 2009

Prof Pierce A. Grace on a Budget that dealt with the cost of pensions and featured radical reform which caused major controversy — a century ago. On January 1, 1909 the money began to flow. All over Britain and Ireland... Read more

Silence is a golden opportunity

Rory Hafford | 02 March 2009

Rory Hafford continues his medical communications series with a close look at the non-communicative patient. We Irish are not great with silences. We feel uneasy around them. We feel the need to fill the silence, sometimes just for the sake... Read more

Celebrating 20 years of PMI success

Niamh Mullen | 02 March 2009

After 20 years of successfully representing its members, The PMI really has something to celebrate this year, writes Niamh Mullen. The Pharmaceutical Managers’ Institute of Ireland (The PMI) celebrates 20 years of representing its members and facilitating education in the... Read more

Gender violence tests GPs

Niamh Mullen | 01 March 2009

Niamh Mullen reports that the vast majority of GPs feel they lack the training to treat victims of gender-based violence. Eighty per cent of GPs feel they lack the necessary training to properly treat women who have experienced gender-based violence... Read more

Walking your way to health

Dr Paul Stewart | 01 March 2009

Dr Paul Stewart takes a leaf from his own book in recommending exercise to his patients and tries it out for himself. It has worked out well — except for the fact that he has come to the attention of... Read more

Patient groups push rare disease research

Derbhile Dromey | 28 February 2009

Derbhile Dromey writes that some patient-led organisations, such as Duchenne Ireland, are stimulating research into medical conditions. Patient-led organisations are playing a powerful role in stimulating research into rare diseases that would not otherwise attract funding. Organisations representing people with... Read more

Appeal by nurse who had killed her husband

Ed Madden | 28 February 2009

Ed Madden, BL, on an English High Court case in which a nurse who had pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of her husband appealed the removal of her name from the nursing register. Wadanalahugedera Chandrasekera, who is originally from Sri... Read more

Medical Miscellany

Terence Cosgrave | 27 February 2009

You could be forgiven for feeling a bit jaded from the blanket coverage of all things Darwin. But being as it is the bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth (February 12) and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his seminal... Read more

Patients cook their way to good health

Nycomed | 23 February 2009

A unique cookery course, funded by the NHS, is teaching cardiac patients in Scotland how to improve their diet and prevent further heart trouble. Cardiac patients at a Scottish hospital are taking part in a unique cookery course designed to... Read more

Consolidation to transform IT sector in primary care

Helix Health | 20 February 2009

GPs have voted in favour of a ground-breaking merger between Helix Health and Health Ireland Partners, reports Irish Medical Times. The GP IT landscape in Ireland was transformed last weekend when doctors voted in favour of a merger between rival... Read more

Bum note helps to bond

Dr Paul Stewart | 20 February 2009

I had taken five minutes for a cup of tea and a few pages of a novel, The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova (about that early, if misguided, pioneer of inoculation, Dracula). Then I dragged myself away from it and returned... Read more

Ireland needs a literacy champion

Terence Cosgrave | 20 February 2009

Terence Cosgrave talks to Dr Rima Rudd — one of the world's leading experts on health literacy — and discovers that Ireland has a long way to go in improving literacy and communication. How many doctors would be prepared to... Read more

Bum note helps to bond

Dr Paul Stewart | 19 February 2009

Dr Paul Stewart tells how an embarrassing — and somewhat painful — incident at work helped to improve his relationship with his teenage son. Ihad taken five minutes for a cup of tea and a few pages of a novel,... Read more

Legal issues concerning teenagers and consent

Elaine Healy | 18 February 2009

Elaine Healy of Beauchamps Solicitors gives us an overview of the law in Ireland regarding teenagers and when they can consent to, or refuse, medical treatment In England recently, a Care Trust withdrew its application to force a 13-year-old girl... Read more

New joint faculty launched

Gary Culliton | 18 February 2009

Gary Culliton reports on the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, which will deal with training and accreditation. The Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine was launch-ed on December 16. The Faculty includes four bodies, namely the College of Anaesthetists... Read more

No laws means IVF is still in limbo

Dr Simon Mills | 18 February 2009

Dr Simon Mills writes that the lack of unregulated assisted human reproduction in Ireland means that there are many unresolved ethical issues concerning embryos It has been a while (five and a half years, to be precise) since I last... Read more

The doctor responsible for mass executions

Dr Robert O'Sullivan | 16 February 2009

Dr Robert O'Sullivan on the Swiss-born doctor Jean-Paul Marat who went from being the king's doctor to the most ruthless proponent of the guillotine. His assassin said she 'had killed one man to save a hundred thousand' — an unusual... Read more

Do you have the feelgood factor?

Rory Hafford | 16 February 2009

Rory Hafford continues his medical communications series with a look at the thorny subject of empathy in medicine and how and why to achieve it. The eagle-eyed reader of all things medical will be familiar with a story carried recently... Read more

Pooling expertise to improve standards

Gary Culliton | 14 February 2009

Gary Culliton speaks to Prof Bill Powderly about the work being carried out in Dublin Academic Health Care, Ireland's first academic medical centre. UCD School of Medicine has joined with the Mater and St Vincent’s hospitals to form Ireland’s first... Read more

Eleventh hour on the 48-hour week

Dara Gantly | 13 February 2009

Dara Gantly looks at how Ireland has found itself totally un-prepared to meet the looming deadline of the 48-hour working week for NCHDs. When the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) was amended to include doctors in training, the August 2009... Read more

Medical Miscellany

Terence Cosgrave | 13 February 2009

A wonderful book has made its way from Sligo to the Medical Miscellany clearing desk and one that should prove invaluable to me as I struggle to find health-related humour in 2009 (see panel). Laughter: a wonderful tranquilliser –... Read more

A helping hand with prosthetic advances

Mary Anne Kenny | 12 February 2009

He may not quite be the ‘Six Million Dollar Man’, but 19-year-old Evan Reynolds is the owner of the world’s most advanced bionic hand. The sports biology student at University of the West of England (UWE), in Bristol, is one... Read more

Are we detectives or doctors? Sherlock or Dr Watson?

Dr Paul Heslin | 12 February 2009

Dr Paul Heslin on the clues that patients can give doctors to help them solve the mysteries of their illness. It's all 'alimentary', Dr Watson. It is important how patients see us as doctors. These images affect their relationships with... Read more

Tackling cancer through theatre

Niamh Mullen | 11 February 2009

Niamh Mullen writes about a new play, which is touring the country, that highlights the importance of talking to patients about their cancer pain. Doctors and other healthcare professionals must continually ask cancer patients about the levels of pain they... Read more

House of Lords rules on right to life

Ed Madden | 11 February 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent House of Lords case in England in which the Court examined the right to life of a psychiatric patient under the European Convention on Human Rights and the obligations of hospital staff. On... Read more

Mental health funding still in freefall in 2009

Dr Dermot Walsh | 11 February 2009

Dr Dermot Walsh, Inspector of Mental Hospitals 1987-2003, writes that the HSE's Service Plan for 2009 will follow past form when it comes to neglecting the needs of psychiatric patients. The HSE Service Plan for 2009 has surfaced. Given that... Read more

The legal issues that are associated with needlestick injuries

Ciara Dalton | 10 February 2009

Ciara Dalton of Beauchamps Solicitors looks at the risk of needlestick injury, and the legal consequences of such injuries. A significant number of claims arise from needlestick injuries. While the most likely victim of a needlestick injury is a nurse... Read more

Help for First Nations patients

Nycomed | 10 February 2009

A support programme established by the Vancouver Coastal Area health authorities aims to guide aboriginal patients through the healthcare system. A new programme designed to help First Nations (or aboriginal) patients to access and navigate their way through the healthcare... Read more

Long walk home: medical practice in rural Uganda

Dr Mark McClean | 09 February 2009

Dr Mark McClean initially went to Africa as a medical student in 2004 and worked in Kenya. After he graduated in 2005, he trained in the Mater. Here he writes about his experiences working in Uganda last year. Uganda is... Read more

College of Psychiatry for Ireland

Dr Dermot Walsh | 09 February 2009

Dr Dermot Walsh examines the establishment of the College of Psychiatry of Ireland, in the final article of our series on the history of Irish psychiatry. The response (to a circular requesting the views of Irish psychitrists on the establishment... Read more

Changes in heart attack treatment

Dara Gantly | 09 February 2009

With plans for primary angioplasty to become the first line of treatment for heart attack patients across Europe, Dara Gantly examines where Ireland stands in terms of adopting the change. Cardiac care in Europe is undergoing something of a revolution.... Read more

Equality Officer ruled against porters' work equality claim

06 February 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at an Equality Tribunal case in which SIPTU claimed 13 male portering/attendant staff at Cavan Regional General Hospital were entitled to equal pay with a female telephonist/receptionist who also worked at the hospital. In September... Read more

Croatia Tours launch 2009 brochure

06 February 2009

If you're looking for an elegant and up-market destination for your summer holiday this year, escape to Croatia for sun, fun and culture. The concept of specialisation is well understood by doctors. Sometimes, to get the best results, it is... Read more

Nurse injured her back while using mobile hoist

Ed Madden | 04 February 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent English Court of Appeal case, in which a nurse appealed against a decision that she was not entitled to damages for a back injury suffered as a result of using a mobile hoist... Read more

Vision for Change... but has anything been done?

June Shannon | 04 February 2009

June Shannon writes that three years after the publication of A Vision for Change, little progress has been made with regard to its implementation. The publication of A Vision for Change on January 24, 2006 heralded a new dawn for... Read more

BZDs as risky as alcohol when driving

Gary Culliton | 03 February 2009

Gary Culliton writes that driving a vehicle while on benzodiazepines can be as risky as driving under the influence of alcohol, according to one expert. The increased risks arising from driving when on benzodiazepines (BZDs) is at least the same... Read more

Virtual theatre improves skills

Helix Health | 02 February 2009

Medical students at the University of Washington use a full-scale fake operating room to help trainee surgeons to test their skills in the virtual world, before ever getting near a patient. Medical students at the University of Washington (UW) who... Read more

A College for Irish Psychiatrists

Dr Dermot Walsh | 02 February 2009

In the second part of a three-part series, Dr Dermot Walsh continues his examination of the history of psychiatry in Ireland. The annual meeting of the (Medico-psychological) Association was held in Cork at the Queen’s College, later in 1901, under... Read more

The truth about CV preparation

Rory Hafford | 02 February 2009

Rory Hafford has a look at the best way to prepare for your SpR interviews in his communication series. When it comes to preparing a medical CV, there are key things that you need to make sure are covered. The... Read more

Examining the end of a life

Paul Murray | 30 January 2009

Paul Murray of the Hospice Foundation of Ireland writes that a new forum will examine attitudes to end of life in Ireland. What are the main issues at end of life in Ireland? This is the question being posed to... Read more

Back to the basics of bedside care

Nycomed | 29 January 2009

A care programme that has been implemented at a Michigan hospital is helping to develop communications between patients and healthcare staff and improve care levels Nurses working at a US hospital in Michigan are working to improve patient relationships by... Read more

Bullying and harassment at work

Ann Brizzell | 29 January 2009

Ann Brizzell of Beauchamps Solicitors writes that under the terms of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, employers are obliged to provide a safe working environment for staff. Every employer has a responsibility to provide a safe... Read more

Mid-west acute review 'flawed'

Dan Danaher | 27 January 2009

Dan Danaher speaks to Kilkee-based GP Dr Tom Nolan about his opposition to the centralisation of acute care services in the mid-west region. The use of a population area with about 350,000 people to justify the centralisation of acute care... Read more

Awards scheme is food for thought for students

Dr Paul Stewart | 27 January 2009

Dr Paul Stewart writes on the importance of food as medicine and he highlights an awards scheme for doctors and for medical students with an interest in nutrition. Food, the first generic drug, is also sometimes the first drug of... Read more

Physician, sometimes you can't heal yourself

Dr Nuala O'Farrell | 23 January 2009

Dr Nuala O'Farrell writes that sometimes, doctors need to be patients too and that every doctor really needs their own general practitioner. Being a patient, even temporarily, can be a humbling experience for a doctor. I recently had a bad... Read more

Carers blind to their own needs

Dr Paul Heslin | 22 January 2009

Dr Paul Heslin writes that carers must realise the effect that neglecting their own health can have on others around them. Mary was very stressed due to family issues. Her baby picked up on this distress and became irritable. Mum... Read more

Mid-west hospital plan has backing of doctors — Burke

21 January 2009

Dan Danaher speaks to Dr Paul Burke, who has responsibility for implementing the reconfiguration of hospitals in the mid-west region. The project director of the implementation team delivering the reconfiguration of hospital services in the mid-west, Dr Paul Burke, outlines... Read more

The reasons behind high drug costs

Gary Culliton | 21 January 2009

Gary Culliton examines a new paper that indicates that medicine prices in Ireland are amongst the highest in Europe, and also demonstrates that generic prescribing rates have fallen significantly over the past decade. Medicine prices in Ireland are amongst the... Read more

Irish College formed for psychiatrists (at last)

Dr Dermot Walsh | 20 January 2009

The recent establishment of a truly national body representing Irish psychiatrists — the College of Psychiatrists in Ireland — replaces the British-based Irish Division of the Royal College, which in recent years had adopted, confusingly and inappropriately, the title ‘Irish... Read more

Technician error found to have contributed to baby's death

Ed Madden | 20 January 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent UK Court of Appeal case in which the Court balanced the merits of imposing a hefty fine on a health service provider against the impact of that fine on the provider’s ability to... Read more

Innovation in health literacy

Terence Cosgrave | 19 January 2009

Terence Cosgrave writes that helping patients to overcome health literacy problems can have major benefits. “Doctor, I think I’ve swallowed a bone. Are you choking? No, no I really swallowed a bone.”... Read more

Better asthma regime could save millions

Dara Gantly | 18 January 2009

Dara Gantly reports on a Finnish model for treating asthma that could benefit Irish patients and the Exchequer. Hawkins House says... maybe? The Asthma Society of Ireland has submitted a draft submission to the Department of Health and the HSE... Read more

HPV vaccination: yes, no, yes, no?

Dr Jack Lambert | 17 January 2009

Dr Jack Lambert, Consultant in Infectious Diseases at the Mater Hospital, says that linking essential healthcare to the vagaries of the world economy is wrong. A number of recent articles have focused on the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. In my... Read more

Orkney gets TIA telemedicine

Helix Health | 16 January 2009

An innovative telemedicine service that was launched in Orkney last July is using technology to improve care standards for stroke patients on the island. A specialist stroke telelink team in Orkney, one of the islands off the coast of Scotland,... Read more

Medical Miscellany

Terence Cosgrave | 16 January 2009

It’s always good to start off the New Year with a bit of good news and what could be better than the fact that one of our columnists has decided to tie the knot and get married? Dr John Ryan... Read more

A strategic approach to breaking bad news

Rory Hafford | 16 January 2009

Rory Hafford continues his series on medical communications with a look at the best ways to break bad news to patients. It started with a simple comment over dinner. My father said to me, “I’m having trouble swallowing.” It ended... Read more

MRSA prevalence in nursing homes higher than expected

Dr Mark Hennessy | 16 January 2009

Dr Derek Hennessey reports on a recent study that revealed that nursing homes in Ireland have much higher rates of MRSA than previously believed. A recent study conducted in St Vincent’s University Hospital has revealed that the MRSA prevalence in... Read more

Just one 24-hour ED for mid-west, says report

Gary Culliton | 16 January 2009

Gary Culliton reports on the conclusions and the recommendations of the Teamwork/Howarth Report in relation to the mid-west. The HSE has commissioned a number of reviews in relation to how acute hospital services should be organised, including the Teamwork/Howarth Report... Read more

Time lapse was bar to complaint being considered

Ed Madden | 15 January 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent UK case in which a psychiatrist objected to a case being taken against him on the basis that too much time had passed for the case to proceed. Between 1996 and 1998, ‘Anna’... Read more

Medical Council Changes under way

Gary Culliton | 13 January 2009

Gary Culliton speaks to Prof Kieran Murphy, President of the Medical Council, about the new lay majority, changes under the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 and the fact that hearings of the Council's Fitness to Practice Committee will be held in... Read more

New consultant contract deal — was Minister Harney right?

Sherif Sultan | 12 January 2009

Mr Sherif Sultan writes that Minister Harney was sincere and decisive in reversing the unsustainable consultant contract and withdrawing the offer that had been made to medical consultants. Health Service Executive, Irish Medical Organisation and Irish Hospital Consultants Association negotiators... Read more

Consent issues and the elderly patient

Elaine Healy | 09 January 2009

Elaine Healy of Beauchamps Solicitors writes that, as with all other patients, it is essential that a practitioner has received the appropriate consent when providing care to an elderly person. The informed consent of an elderly patient is a prerequisite... Read more

Hospital worker claimed for needlestick injury

Ed Madden | 08 January 2009

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a case in which a worker who sustained a needlestick injury at work claimed damages in respect of psychiatric injury he allegedly suffered as a result On August 4 2006, Sean Fryers, who was employed... Read more

Legacy of chief demythologiser

Dr Seamus Kilby | 05 January 2009

In the few weeks since the demise of Conor Cruise O’Brien, there has been a barrage of obituaries and life reviews. Predictably, these have ranged from gushing hagiography, best typified by the Sindo-nista school of journalism, to the hostility of... Read more

Turkey plucker was infected with campylobacter bacterium

Ed Madden | 14 December 2008

Ed Madden, BL, on a case in which a woman who worked at a turkey farm alleged that she had been infected by the campylobacter bacterium due to a breach of duty by her employer. Mr and Mrs Sanderson ran... Read more

Colonies, catastrophies and financial crashes

Prof Pierce Grace | 13 December 2008

The current collapse in the financial world is causing great concern to the monied and political classes and is beginning to adversely affect the lives of ordinary people. Unfortunately, this is not the first time society has seen financial Armageddon.... Read more

Telemedicine project under way

12 December 2008

A new telemedicine project being piloted in NHS Lothian, Scotland, has the potential to reduce the number of inpatient hospital admissions in the area. The NHS in Lothian, Scotland, has embarked on a new telemedicine pilot project involving a remote... Read more

Doctors and their patients — Great Expectations or Catch 22?

Mike Power | 11 December 2008

Mike Power examines the reasons why society holds doctors in such high esteem and why patients place their lives in the hands of physicians. “The treatment is really a co-operative of a trinity — the patient, the doctor and the... Read more

Nurses should not call patients 'love'

Nycomed | 11 December 2008

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the UK has just approved its ‘Guidance for the Nursing Care of Older People’ – and when it is published next year, nurses will be told they should not call patients ‘love’ or... Read more

Settlement a 'step forward' in recognition of Irish sign language

By Alan Deeley | 09 December 2008

Irish sign language (ISL) cannot be underestimated in its capacity to empower deaf people in their own education and in the education of others – yet a High Court action settled at the end of November demonstrates that full State... Read more

Remembered and respected: Dr Jack Molony, 1924-2008

09 December 2008

Jack Molony, retired Consultant Rheumatologist at St Vincent’s Hospital and St Joseph’s Rehabilitation Centre, died recently. He was 83. One of the first rheumatologists appointed in the State, he made an outstanding contribution to the development of the specialty in... Read more

Calls for ban on alcohol adverts

Dara Gantly | 09 December 2008

Special correspondent Dara Gantly examines calls for the new Broadcasting Bill to ban alcohol advertising. A former President of the Irish Medical Organisation has described the new Broadcasting Bill as a ‘lost opportunity’ to ban alcohol advertising and tackle the... Read more

Irish general practice loses unique doctor

09 December 2008

With the sudden death of Dr Rita Kirwan (nee Lannen), in August — on her annual holiday near Ballinskelligs, in her beloved south Kerry – Irish general practice lost a unique and legendary family doctor. She had been working full... Read more

When is a ‘delay and prejudice’ court application appropriate?

Elaine Healy | 08 December 2008

Elaine Healy elaborates on the background to cases where a defendant healthcare institution or doctor decides to bring an action to court, on the grounds of delay and prejudice . A number of applications have come before the courts in... Read more

Australia: different was of life for medics

Dr Ernan Hession | 07 December 2008

Australia’s chronic doctor shortage offers ideal opportunities for Irish doctors to enjoy short-term locum positions and working holidays Down Under. The free flow of GPs between our two countries, particularly over the last ten years, reflects how similar our two... Read more

Woman had ovary and small bowel removed

Ed Madden | 03 December 2008

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent case in which a woman who brought proceedings sought information concerning the reasons for the removal of her left ovary and small bowel. On August 13, 1996, Paula Suzanne Tully was admitted by... Read more

Are we making life more difficult for patients

Dr Paul Heslin | 03 December 2008

Dr Paul Heslin writes that in order to solve some of the problems in the health system, we have to start thinking like the patients who use the service. Are we in the health service making life difficult for our... Read more

Early HIV drug treatment cuts babies' risk of death

Alan Deeley | 29 November 2008

Alan Deeley writes about new research that concludes that rapid drug treatment of babies with HIV dramatically cuts their risk of death. Compelling new research from South Africa advocates the administration of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to HIV-positive children as soon... Read more

Concession to older doctors was illegal

Ed Madden | 29 November 2008

Ed Madden, BL, on a recent case in which the British Medical Association challenged a decision to abolish a concession to doctors aged 65 and over. On 30 January 2008, Dr David Farrer-Brown, a registered medical practitioner, wrote to the... Read more

Getting more from consultations

Rory Hafford | 29 November 2008

I have been running quite a number of medical communciations programmes for doctors up and down the country. No matter where we find ourselves, the same concerns keep cropping up. Patients are as different in their make-up as snowflakes (just... Read more

Transferable skills training is necessary for medics

Dr Kenneth McKenzie | 28 November 2008

Dr Kenneth McKenzie writes that the role of the medic is becoming increasingly more complex and that medical training must reflect this. Although it always seems foolhardy to try to predict the healthcare landscape, it seems very unlikely that the... Read more

Breaking the IT barriers

Helix Health | 28 November 2008

The health sector needs to take advantage of the opportunities presented by ICT in order to improve both efficiency and the quality of care for patients. Among the largest barriers to technology integration in the health sector today are tight... Read more

Poll shows support for data sharing

Gary Culliton | 26 November 2008

Gary Culliton looks at the results of a new opinion poll published by HIQA, on the issue of sharing health information across the medical system. The results of a new opinion poll published by the Health Information and Quality Authority... Read more

It's time to face up to your priorities

Dr Paul Heslin | 26 November 2008

Dr Paul Heslin takes a few minutes to wonder whether shaving, flossing or brushing his teeth should be his priority in the morning — and wastes more of his precious time in the process. The time management guru said that... Read more

Screening in Waterford city

David Slattery | 25 November 2008

Dear Editor, I was amused at the article in Irish Medical Times on 7 November by Derbhile Dromey (www.imt.ie/news/2008/11/waterford_city_gets_screening.html). The headline was ‘Waterford city gets screening services’. This was referring to cardiac screening in two private clinics in Waterford city.... Read more

Co-op success for HSE and GPs

Greg Baxter | 25 November 2008

Greg Baxter speaks to Dr Mel Bates about the success of D-Doc, with doctors and the HSE working together to provide the service. The two-year anniversary of the start of operations for D-Doc, the north Dublin GP co-op, is 28... Read more

Dealing with redundancies

Dermot Casserly | 24 November 2008

Dermot Casserly writes that in the event of redundancy, it is vitally important to implement procedures that minimise the risk of future difficulties and avoid potential claims. Redundancy, especially in the current economic upheaval, is an unwelcome but often unavoidable... Read more

Theatre plan to improve care

Nycomed | 24 November 2008

An initiative that is currently being field-tested in the UK aims to ensure best practice in operating theatres and to improve the patient's experience. A programme targeted at surgeons and anaesthetists in the UK aims to ensure consistently excellent practice... Read more

Man Trap makes prostate case

Terence Cosgrave | 24 November 2008

Terence Cosgrave reviews a new book by Irish Medical Times writer Rory Hafford, which examines the case for a national prostate screening programme for Ireland — would it save lives? This book is a compelling addition to medical debate in... Read more

Finger injury gives rise to claim against surgeon for negligence

Ed Madden | 20 November 2008

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent High Court case in which a man claimed damages arising from treatment of an injury to his finger at St James’s Hospital, Dublin In the early hours of the morning of 28 October... Read more

Seven beds for transfer of cancer surgery to CUH

Dara Gantly | 20 November 2008

With phase one of the transfer of breast cancer surgery in the south under way, Dara Gantly looks at the requirements for and implications of moving the entire service to Cork University Hospital. Cork University Hospital (CUH) will require seven... Read more

Saviour of the ghetto children

Dr Thecla Scully | 17 November 2008

Dr Thecla Scully writes about the life of Irena Sendler, the doctor's daughter who rescued 2,500 Jewish children from the ghetto in Warsaw, Poland. Irena Sendler was the only child of Dr Stanislaw Krzyzanowski. At the time of her birth... Read more

Healthtopia: a tale of two countries

Max Borders | 17 November 2008

Max Borders looks at the healthcare systems in Singapore and in France and wonders if there really is an ideal system that protects the vulnerable, while also allowing people to make their own choices. If you could design a healthcare... Read more

Focusing on the patient: the eyes have it

Rory Hafford | 17 November 2008

Rory Hafford continues with his medical communications series by taking a quick blink at the importance of eye contact. My GP used to scare me. I was rather young at the time, but I remember he had two particular traits... Read more

Innovative research to aid medicine and pharma

17 November 2008

Research is currently under way in the University of Limerick that may be of major benefit to the pharmaceutical industry and medical sector. A number of world-class research pro-jects are under way at the University of Limerick (UL). Research projects... Read more

Challenging conditions in the Congo

Alan Deeley | 17 November 2008

Alan Deeley reports on Médicins Sans Frontières' current work in the crisis-ridden Democratic Republic of Congo. Crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has presented Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) with a dilemma: to direct medical, paramedical and non-medical staff... Read more

Doctor's appeal rejected by High Court

Ed Madden | 17 November 2008

Ed Madden, BL, on a case in which a consultant psychiatrist appealed against a decision of a Fitness to Practice Panel of the General Medical Council to suspend her from the Medical Register Dr Moya Catriona Russell, who practises as... Read more

Deciding on advance care

Gary Culliton | 17 November 2008

Gary Culliton on the Law Reform Commission's recent consultation paper on advance care directives, which allow a person to set out their wishes in advance about future care and treatment. Currently there is no formal legal structure in Ireland under... Read more

UCC's code of practice for stem cells

Gary Culliton | 16 November 2008

Gary Culliton takes a close look at the strict new guidelines governing embryonic stem cell research at University College Cork. The Governing Body of University College Cork has backed the recommendation of the university’s Academic Council allowing embryonic stem cell... Read more

Efforts needed for asthma control

Ian McGuinness | 15 November 2008

Ian McGuinness reports from last week's meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health, which heard that Ireland needs a new model for asthma control. A Finnish-style model for asthma control needs to be adopted by the Republic of Ireland,... Read more

Rewards of helping heal mind

Dr Karen O'Connor | 14 November 2008

That must be depressing. This is the most common response I receive to the disclosure that I am training as a psychiatrist and for quite a while, I didn’t have a satisfactory or truly honest answer to this statement. Often... Read more

Good health linked to better education

Greg Baxter | 12 November 2008

Greg Baxter on a new report that looked at the health impacts of education and found that higher education levels are linked to better health in adulthood. We know that education is a determinant of good health. But a debate... Read more

First course to use Second Life

11 November 2008

A new training system has just been implemented for paramedic students in London, which allows them to treat online avatars of patients. A new approach to paramedic training in the UK, which uses the latest in e-health applications, will see... Read more

New report praises Safetynet

Ian McGuinness | 11 November 2008

Ian McGuinness reports on a new study which has found that a pilot methadone programme for homeless people should be greatly expanded. A pilot programme to provide methadone services to homeless people at the Dublin Simon Emergency Shelter should be... Read more

Flu vaccine reduces hospitalisations

Dr Fionnuala Cooney | 10 November 2008

Dear Editor, I would like to comment on the clinical item entitled, ‘Vaccine does not reduce hospitalisations’ (IMT, 24/10/’08, p35 or see www.imt.ie/clinical/respiratory/vaccine-does-not-reduce-hospit.html). This report relates to a study from the USA of 414 children aged between six months and... Read more

The consent process in elective procedures

Ciara Dalton | 10 November 2008

Ciara Dalton, Solicitor with Beauchamps Solicitors, outlines the three issues to consider in the consent process — the obligation to warn, the content of the warning and the time of the warning. The essential basis of the consent process is... Read more

Cut out the middleman with clean transactions

Dr Paul Heslin | 10 November 2008

Dr Paul Heslin writes that patients who deal in clean and simple cash transactions should be rewarded for cutting out the middlemen — the banks and their bureaucracy It was while putting my cheques into my bank account that I... Read more

Injection device makes life easier

Nycomed | 10 November 2008

The careful design of medical devices can help to empower patients to take charge of their medical conidtions and improve their daily living conditions. Empowering patients to take charge of their medical condition, and improve their quality of life, is... Read more

Coroner's decision challenged by man's girlfriend

Ed Madden | 10 November 2008

Ed Madden, BL, on a case in which a woman challenged a coroner's decision not to conduct an investigation into her boyfriend's death under the European Convention on Human Rights. Mahdi Abdullah Nadir Al-Jaf, who lived in Sheffield with his... Read more

The 'must-do' act for the HSE during global recession

Mr Sherif Sultan | 10 November 2008

Mr Sherif Sultan writes that during economic recession, health managers must demonstrate responsibility and he asks if it is time to make medical health management a true profession. Over the past decades, despite widespread institutional breakdown of the healthcare system,... Read more

Bill aims to offer fair deal for the elderly

Gary Culliton | 10 November 2008

Gary Culliton reports on the Department of Health and Children's recent clarification of the terms of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill. The Department of Health and Children has responded to questions raised following the publication of the Nursing Homes... Read more

Stroke risk going untreated

Greg Baxter | 10 November 2008

Greg Baxter speaks to Prof Eoin O'Brien, who says Ireland needs to initiate widespread ambulatory blood pressure measurement. Seventy per cent of the thousands of pensioners who gathered at the gates of Leinster House to protest about medical card cutbacks... Read more

No sanction for Ireland over qualifications directive

Dara Gantly | 10 November 2008

Dara Gantly writes that Ireland has been given a reprieve over a failure to implement new legislation regarding doctors' qualifications across the EU. Ireland will not be brought before the European Court of Justice over failure to implement a European... Read more

No sanction for Ireland over qualifications directive

Dara Gantly | 10 November 2008

Dara Gantly writes that Ireland has been given a reprieve over a failure to implement new legislation regarding doctors' qualifications across the EU. Ireland will not be brought before the European Court of Justice over failure to implement a European... Read more

Modern stresses put many doctors under pressure

Dr Joyce Galbraith | 05 November 2008

Dr Joyce Galbraith writes that the possibility of competency tests, combined with language barriers, make working conditions very stressful for doctors. I read a news item recently which at first made me wonder if it wasn’t a spoof, although it... Read more

Council committed to improving standards

Gary Culliton | 05 November 2008

Gary Culliton reports on the new competence assurance programme being planned at the Medical Council and what the scheme will entail. The Medical Council has agreed to develop competence assurance schemes, and a representative group has been set up, which... Read more

Council committed to improving standards

04 November 2008

Gary Culliton reports on the new competence assurance programme being planned at the Medical Council and what the scheme will entail. The Medical Council has agreed to develop competence assurance schemes, and a representative group has been set up, which... Read more

Dealing with the media interview

Rory Hafford | 31 October 2008

Rory Hafford gives us a step-by-step guide to managing potentially difficult interviews with members of the media. A few years ago, I was in Monaco for the World Vaccination Conference. It was the same day that the Andrew Wakefield MMR... Read more

Dr Helen McNamee remembered

Dr Helen McNamee | 29 October 2008

Dr Helen McNamee passed away in April of this year. She will be remembered by many for the contribution she made to the health and happiness of colleagues and patients . We owe a lot to the William Stokes Faculty... Read more

Terms of new Coroners Bill

Ann Brizzell | 29 October 2008

Ann Brizzell, Solicitor with Beauchamps Solicitors, reports on the terms of the Coroners Bill 2007, which will consolidate and extend the law relating to coroners. Currently, under the Coroners Act 1962 (1962 Act), all sudden, unexplained, violent and unnatural deaths... Read more

Report tackles ED overcrowding

Greg Baxter | 29 October 2008

Greg Baxter looks at the suggestions to ease emergency department overcrowding from a report by the American College of Emergency Physicians. Last spring, the American College of Emergency Physicians published a task force report on emergency department (ED) overcrowding, and... Read more

Study links doctor visits with screening

29 October 2008

New research has shown that patients who always attend the same primary care physician receive better care when it comes to cancer. The study, which was published in Archives of Internal Medicine, evaluated the medical records of nearly 2,000 state... Read more

Why can't we just keep the system simple?

Dr Paul Heslin | 29 October 2008

Dr Paul Heslin writes that the stresses of working within the Irish medical system can mean that it is often the doctors who need treatment. Okay, so I am renovating the surgery and the resulting confusion may be the reason... Read more

Written contracts still elusive for new GPs

Dara Gantly | 29 October 2008

Special correspondent Dara Gantly concludes his two-part analysis of the hurdles facing doctors establishing their careers in general practice. Improving your lot as an establishing GP would be a difficult task if all one could do was work the current... Read more

Care worker was verbally abusive to elderly resident

Ed Madden | 29 October 2008

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a UK case in which a care home appealed against a decision of an employment tribunal that its decision to dismiss a support worker at the home was unfair. Ms D. E. Smith was employed... Read more

Budget focus on charges and cutbacks

Gary Culliton | 28 October 2008

Next year, the private sector will begin construction of 200 primary care centres across the country, on behalf of the HSE, Health Minister Harney said on Budget day. This will involve investment of €1.5 billion. A total of 50 of... Read more

Medical Miscellany

Terence Cosgrave | 24 October 2008

There was palpable anger from many doctors at the Rural, Island and Dispensing Doctors’ conference, which took place last weekend, at the decision to withdraw the medical card for the over-70s. But then, others were more phlegmatic about the issue... Read more

How to manage a crisis!

Rory Hafford | 21 October 2008

Rory Hafford continues his Medical Communications series with a look at an evidence-based approach to crisis management. Turn on any radio station, or flick through the pages of any newspaper and you are sure to find it... the daily attack... Read more

Written contracts still remain elusive for establishing GPs

Dara Gantly | 21 October 2008

Special correspondent Dara Gantly begins a two-part analysis of the pressing concerns facing doctors establishing their careers in general practice. They may not seem the archetypal Young Turks eager for fundamental change in the established order, but establishing GPs do... Read more

Medical Miscellany

Terence Cosgrave | 21 October 2008

Welcome to the first ‘Medical Miscellany’ column — a collection of medicine-related bits and bobs that won’t fit anywhere else. I am constantly being sent pictures, jokes and anecdotes which, although very amusing and perhaps even interesting, often fail to... Read more

Rural doctors travel to Barna for 23rd annual general meeting

20 October 2008

This year’s Rural Doctors conference takes place against the background of a Budget that is expected to make cuts in services right across the board — both in health and other areas which are essential for the welfare of... Read more

Rural doctors meeting is a must for Irish GPs

Dr Pat Harold | 20 October 2008

Dr Pat Harold profiles the 'splendidly named' Rural, Island and Dispensing Doctors annual conference. Among the many invitations to meetings that I get every autumn there is one in particular that lifts my heart. That is the invite to the... Read more

Majority reject new union proposal

Dan Danaher | 19 October 2008

Dan Danaher reports from the AGM of Overseas Medics of Ireland, where a majority of delegates rejected a proposal to establish a new trade union to represent overseas doctors working in Ireland. The proposed establishment of a new trade union... Read more

No models found for modern medicine

Greg Baxter | 18 October 2008

Greg Baxter reports on a new study which concludes that there is no model of best practice when it comes to delivering access, value and quality in healthcare. Everywhere in the world, developed countries are struggling to cope with ways... Read more

Let us further delineate the problem of fancy talk

G.B. | 17 October 2008

After excoriating celebrities, journalists, and your-average-man-on-the-street in last week’s Inside Back, for confusing words and phrases in an effort to look smart, in the last 24 hours I’ve made two of the most embarrassing (verbal) mistakes in recent memory. The... Read more

Doctor who assaulted his wife was suspended

Ed Madden | 16 October 2008

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent General Medical Council decision in which a doctor who was convicted of assaulting his wife was suspended from the Medical Register for three months. On July 31, 2007, at Norwich Magistrates’ Court, Dr... Read more

CVD risk data analysed in IT platform

Helix Health | 15 October 2008

An EU-funded project has developed an IT platform to combine clinical, laboratory and metabolic information with genomic data. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) claims the lives of 17 million lives globally every year, according to the World Health Organization, and yet doctors... Read more

No room left in the centre for vote-hungry politicians

Dr Mark Hannon | 15 October 2008

Dr Mark Hannon writes that in these troubling economic times what is required of democracies are leaders who are prepared to make the hard decisions. These are testing times. Economic turmoil, falling tax revenues, cuts in government expenditure, and collapsing... Read more

Consulting with Clinical Directors

Gary Culliton | 14 October 2008

Gary Culliton reports on how the breakdown between public and private work by consultants will be measured and also on how the clinical directorates are expected to function. Hospitals will commence reporting on the amount of private work done by... Read more

Supporting the future of pharma

John Kiernan | 11 October 2008

John Kiernan, Managing Director of Innovex and Quintiles, explains how the pharmaceutical industry is helping to educate patients in the management of their own health and wellbeing. In these straitened times, the pharmaceutical industry is, according to Innovex Managing Director... Read more

The pain-relieving power of beauty

10 October 2008

New research suggests that beautiful art is a natural painkiller and that hospitals should make a bigger effort to beautify patients' surroundings. Beauty is truth, wrote John Keats – and according to scientific research, it is also a natural painkiller.... Read more

Supporting the future of pharma

John Kiernan | 10 October 2008

John Kiernan, Managing Director of Innovex and Quintiles, explains how the pharmaceutical industry is helping to educate patients in the management of their own health and wellbeing. In these straitened times, the pharmaceutical industry is, according to Innovex Managing Director... Read more

Pensions rights for employees

Dairine Walsh | 09 October 2008

Dairine Walsh, Solicitor with Beauchamps Solicitors, outlines employers' obligations to their staff regarding pension schemes, as defined under the Pensions Act of 1990. For many years, there has been concern in Ireland over the level of pension coverage, as only... Read more

Will crunch mean cuts in care?

Greg Baxter | 08 October 2008

Greg Baxter spoke to Vincent Barton, MD of Prospectus, about the menacing effect that an economic downturn could have on healthcare. Consulting firms are easy targets for criticism during times of a budgetary crunch, probably because they seem to do... Read more

Breaking the barriers to proper healthcare

Ian McGuinness | 08 October 2008

Ian McGuinness speaks to Dublin GP, Dr Austin O'Carroll, about the barriers preventing socially excluded patients from gaining proper access to the healthcare system. Homeless people, drug users and asylum seekers are among the socially excluded patients treated by Dr... Read more

Scotland takes the e-health initiative

Helix Health | 06 October 2008

Two e-health projects in Scotland are using the latest technology to improve patient health and services. A number of projects in Scotland are using e-health in order to streamline services and improve the care given to patients.... Read more

Uses of human stem cells

Gary Culliton | 06 October 2008

Gary Culliton previews a forthcoming international symposium on the potential of human pluripotent stem cells, which is to be held in Dublin's Croke Park in April of next year. Researcher Dr Willy Lensch, of Harvard Medical School, will be one... Read more

Ambulance-free ED is new trend

Gary Culliton | 06 October 2008

The Hermitage Emergency Department (ED) in Lucan, Co. Dublin is part of a new trend in private EDs, in that it does not deal with trauma that would require ambulance responses. It does not cater to car-crash victims or people... Read more

Partnering with Pharma

03 October 2008

Pharma Solutions has done well by being a partner to the pharaceutical industry. Managing partner Paul Flanagan tells Terence Cosgrave about why the company decided to give something back. For Paul Flanagan, the managing partner of Pharma Solutions, the company’s... Read more

Fool me once, shame on you

Dr Sean O'Domhnaill | 03 October 2008

Dr Seán Ó Domhnaill writes that when resources are tight, necessity is the mother of innovation when it comes to providing healthcare services. Twenty-four years ago, the Department of Health launched its seminal vision for the future of mental health... Read more

Facing the facts of healthcare

02 October 2008

As the world economy hits a rough patch, it is more important than ever for companies to know their market. Jason Byles, Commercial Director of IMS Operations in Ireland, explained to IMT how knowledge is power. Anybody with eyes and... Read more

Career management: piece by piece

Rory Hafford | 01 October 2008

Rory Hafford looks at the ‘bite-size’ approach to effective career management, starting with a trip on the New York subway. Back in the late 70s, early 80s, the New York subway was arguably the most dangerous place on earth. Stabbing,... Read more

The Life and Death of Ireland

Brenda Moore-McCann | 01 October 2008

Yet, one of our medical colleagues, Brian O’Doherty, has managed to do so in an artistic way by not only creating an alter-ego, Patrick Ireland, and living and working as him for thirty-six years, but then deciding to lay him... Read more

'Normal, ongoing change' in the Irish health sector

Ed Madden | 01 October 2008

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a Labour Court case in which unions representing IBTS donor attendants argued that changes in work practices sought by management were well in excess of what was provided for under 'Towards 2016' Donor attendants (DAs)... Read more

It’s just the system, stupid!

Paul Heslin | 30 September 2008

Dr Paul Heslin writes that this country's senseless, inefficient systems must change if we are ever to have a health service of which we can be proud. Mary Harney was right, you know. Now, that is a controversial statement these... Read more

A proud inheritance for Irish geneticists

Terence Cosgrave | 30 September 2008

Terence Cosgrave spoke to Prof David McConnell on the history of genetics at Trinity College last week. The Department of Genetics is celebrating a half-century of existence and going from strength to strength. You can sum up the last fifty... Read more

'Terroirists' are in the genes

Thecla Scully | 29 September 2008

The scenes might have been scripted in Hollywood. It’s rural France, it’s July, it’s 2007. In the dead of the night, a shadowy group of dissident wine producers take a TV journalist to a remote location to witness a video... Read more

Mental Capacity Bill 2008

Elaine Healy | 29 September 2008

Currently, where a person is considered incapable of managing his affairs, an application to court can be made to make that person a ward of court. On 15 September 2008, the Government approved proposals for a Mental Capacity Bill (Bill).... Read more

Safety culture must be implemented

Gary Culliton | 26 September 2008

Gary Culliton reports on the findings of the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality, which advocates openness and learning from mistakes as key objectives for the future. A strong, positive culture of patient safety in Ireland, which would ensure effective... Read more

Pharmacists’ court victory may yet come at a cost

Ed Madden | 25 September 2008

Ed Madden, BL, looks at the recent High Court judgment in the case brought by a number of pharmacists against the Health Service Executive. Patrick Hickey is a pharmacist and the majority shareholder of Drishlawn Ltd, a holding company which... Read more

ADHD diagnosis takes years

Greg Baxter | 25 September 2008

On average, there is a four-year lag between the time when parents suspect their child may have a problem and the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a new survey has revealed. A Survey of ADHD in Irish Children,... Read more

Patient care affected by fast pace in hospitals

24 September 2008

No matter how quickly a patient is diagnosed or how suited the prescription is to treating their ailment, it may all go to waste if the patient cannot remember what the doctor has told them. All too often, patients cannot... Read more

Unit looks to the future of stem-cell work

Terence Cosgrave | 24 September 2008

Terence Cosgrave speaks to Prof Shaun McCann about the work carried out at the National Stem Cell Transplant Centre. In 1995, the Minister for Health, Michael Noonan, asked Liam Dunbar, Chief Executive of St James’s Hospital, and Consultant Haematologist, Prof... Read more

NEDOC GPs concerned about patient safety

Ian McGuinness | 23 September 2008

Ian McGuinness reports that members of the North East Doctor on Call GP co-operative are worried about shortcomings in services that may occur under the HSE's Transformation Programme. The HSE has been put on notice that North East Doctor on... Read more

Waiting list success for NTPF

Gary Culliton | 20 September 2008

Gary Culliton on the NTPF's announcement that a number of common procedures on the waiting list can now be done within two to five months. National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) Chief Executive Pat O’Byrne can now point to a number... Read more

A two-way medical conversation

Dr Paul Heslin | 18 September 2008

Dr Paul Heslin on dealing with the difficulties involved in treating patients who don't have the language skills to communicate about their illness. DOC: I have a lot of new Irish and foreign nationals in my practice. T: And how... Read more

The '4Ps' are now '4Es'

JP Donnelly | 17 September 2008

JP Donnelly is Chief Executive of the Ogilvy Group in Ireland. Ogilvy are sponsors of the ‘Student Project of the Year’ in this year’s Irish Healthcare Awards. How does a healthcare professional develop a sustainable and profitable income stream in... Read more

The human face of mistakes

Dan Danaher | 17 September 2008

Irish Medical Times reported on the Ann Moriarty story on our website last week. But behind the medical detail and the litany of mistakes is a person who lost his life partner. Dan Danaher spoke to Karl Henry in his... Read more

The great prostate cover-up

Rory Hafford | 17 September 2008

A number of years ago I made a TV documentary for RTE on beloved poet and writer John B Keane. Keane had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and he wanted to speak to the nation’s men-folk on how best to... Read more

The squeakiest wheel

16 September 2008

Terence Cosgrave wonders which patients or services should get priority treatment and whether there is a way to decide. On page 14 of this issue of Irish Medical Times, Rory Hafford makes the case for a comprehensive prostate screening programme... Read more

'Whistleblower' is a hero with courage and spirit

15 September 2008

Paul Heslin writes on the recent RTE drama about the Neary case in Drogheda and asks if we'll ever develop a 'whistleblower' culture. Hitler, Haughey, Bin Laden, Shakespeare, Mandela, Washington, Ryan Air and Neary. It is in our nature as... Read more

A prescription for healthier patients through education

Ciara Cauldwell | 14 September 2008

Are people today taking more control of their health? Ciara Cauldwell of WHPR looks at the role communications can play in informing, educating and influencing patients to take a greater responsibility for their own well-being. The public’s appetite for health... Read more

Criminals detected by hair-raising exam

Dr Thecla Scully | 12 September 2008

Dr Thecla Scully writes about a new process in forensic detection that allows scientists to link people with a region through their hair. At first glance it seems an almost ludicrous proposition: using hair analysis to catch criminals, investigate murders... Read more

Criminals detected by hair-raising exam

Dr Thecla Scully | 12 September 2008

Dr Thecla Scully writes about a new process in forensic detection that allows scientists to link people with a region through their hair. At first glance it seems an almost ludicrous proposition: using hair analysis to catch criminals, investigate murders... Read more

Managing wards of the court

Elaine Healy | 12 September 2008

Elaine Healy of Beauchamps Solicitors examines the circumstances by which a person can be made a ward of the court for their own protection. Where a person is considered incapable of managing his or her affairs an application to court... Read more

Hospital food plays a role in recovery

11 September 2008

Hospital meals — and food brought into hospitals by relatives and friends — can be an important part of a patient's recovery process. When we think of hospital care, we tend to automatically think of the tests carried out on... Read more

Setting the standard in care

Gary Culliton | 11 September 2008

Gary Culliton spoke to the Director of HIQA's Social Services Inspectorate, Dr Marion Witton about standards in Ireland's nursing homes. The government’s commitment to standards and improved care provision implies a recognition that older people deserve somewhere decent to spend... Read more

Judge commends action of hospital staff in detention

Ed Madden | 11 September 2008

FW had been a patient at the Department of Psychiatry out-patient service in James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Dublin since November 2007. The 45-year-old married woman had a history of mental disorder and had been assessed as suffering from paranoid... Read more

How to heal with the human voice

09 September 2008

Rory Hafford takes a look at the forgotten tool that is the physician’s voice and how it can have a significant impact on medical care Perception is everything. The way people view you is the way they tend to think... Read more

Brand new venture for PPAG

Terence Cosgrave | 09 September 2008

Terence Cosgrave speaks to Paul Crowther, Group Finance Director of PPAG, about the company's recent expansion into the UK and why it is proud to sponsor an Irish Healthcare Award. Anyone who has ever attended a medical conference knows that... Read more

Tomorrow's research needs legislation now

Gary Culliton | 08 September 2008

Gary Culliton writes about the possibilities that are inherent in disease-specific stem cell research and the need for legislation to govern such research. It is important to point out that cell replacement therapies will probably be the last and most... Read more

Secrets of happy families kept behind closed doors

Dr Joyce Galbraith | 08 September 2008

Dr Joyce Galbraith writes that the increase in domestic violence and filicide is a sad indictment of today's society. Following American patterns seems more and more inevitable these days, disturbingly so in the matter of violence — especially domestic violence.... Read more

Nurse attended Glastonbury with vulnerable patient

Ed Madden | 08 September 2008

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent English High Court case in which a community psychiatric nurse appealed the decision to remove his name from the Nursing Register. Eric Brian Phillips, a registered nurse of some 15 years standing, was... Read more

Screening service finally begins for women in Ireland

Ian McGuinness | 06 September 2008

Ian McGuinness speaks to Tony O'Brien, CEO of the National Cancer Screening Service, about the long-awaited roll out of the cervical screening programme More than 1,000 contracts have been signed by GPs to provide services under the cervical screening programme... Read more

Investigative journalists were deemed to be patients

Ed Madden | 27 August 2008

Ed Madden, BL, on a recent case in which a doctor appealed a UK Fitness to Practice Committee decision that investigative journalists who were conducting an enquiry into his internet practice should be regarded as patients. In or about 2000,... Read more

Obituary: Michael Ellis DeBakey

26 August 2008

The death of Dr Michael De Bakey on 11 July 2008 has brought to an end almost a century of tireless work for the improvement of surgical treatment of major cardio-vascular disorders. I had the privilege of working with him... Read more

Delicate dealings with difficult patients

Rory Hafford | 20 August 2008

Rory Hafford looks at the best ways to handle difficult patients and the subtle differences of communication. Medicine. Made up of the brightest and the best. Highly prepared professionals, carefully coached in the art of clinical diagnosis to an extraordinary... Read more

E-health: A new prescription for efficiency

19 August 2008

A new robotic system, which automates the drug dispensing process, is now available in Ireland to help with the management of busy pharmacies A pharmacist in Achill Sound, Co. Mayo, has become the first in Ireland to install a Willach... Read more

Understanding is key

18 August 2008

Low-income patients can be just as good at following medication regimens when they get a little assistance from a health professional. It is well recognised that people on low incomes have traditionally suffered poorer health than those who are more... Read more

Diary of a physician and a photographer

Dr Tina Buckley | 18 August 2008

Dr Tina Buckley writes about her work as a physician (and a photojournalist) in Africa and the types of challenges a doctor faces in an environment where there is little back-up or support. I came to Kenya in the March... Read more

'Hands-down victory' for ED consultants

Greg Baxter | 18 August 2008

Greg Baxter reports on the arbitrator's findings in the dispute over private fees for ED doctors. The IHCA has claimed a ‘hands-down’ victory over the HSE in the dispute over private fees for emergency medicine consultants, in which an arbitrator... Read more

Earthquake devastation

Dr Kevin Carson | 17 August 2008

Dr Kevin Carson on the earthquake disaster that happened recently in China and the efforts of the Chinese and international bodies to aid the victims. On Monday, May 12, 2008 at 14.28 local time, a devastating earthquake, 8.0 on the... Read more

Pathology cuts strike Limerick this summer

Ian McGuinness | 17 August 2008

Ian McGuinness writes that pathology services have been curtailed in the Mid-Western Hospital in Limerick due to cost-cutting measures. Staff shortages and cost-cutting measures have resulted in a curtailment of pathology services supplied by the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.... Read more

Designing for a dignified death

Paul Murray | 16 August 2008

Paul Murray writes about recent efforts to improve end-of-life care in Ireland and an upcoming national audit of the palliative care provided in acute and community hospitals. Our attitudes to dying and death have been inexorably changing. In not much... Read more

Act will change Medical Council

David Quinn | 15 August 2008

David Quinn of Beauchamps Solicitors takes a look at the significant changes that have been introduced under the Medical Practitioners Act 2007. On 2 July last, the Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney announced that the new Medical Council,... Read more

New system shows service flaws

Gary Culliton | 15 August 2008

Gary Culliton takes a look at Healthstat, the HSE's system of performance measurement indicators, which was introduced by the Executive this year. Huge areas of the health service that are in urgent need of improvement have been exposed by a... Read more

A history of Ireland's social health insurance

Prof Pierce Grace | 14 August 2008

Prof Pierce Grace takes a look at the history of healthcare and medical insurance in Ireland. Recently, the Adelaide Hospital Society brought the whole concept of social health insurance (SHI) to the fore in Ireland with the publication of two... Read more

LRC points to the value of mediation in medical negligence disputes

Ed Madden BL | 14 August 2008

Ed Madden, BL, looks at the recently published Law Reform Commission Consultation Paper on Alternative Dispute Resolution as it relates to medical negligence claims. On 30 July 2008, the Law Reform Commission Consultation Paper on Alternative Dispute Resolution was launched... Read more

Don't assume, don't presume on tests

Dr Paul Heslin | 11 August 2008

Dr Paul Heslin offers some helpful advice on how to deal with bureaucracy and how to get the best results (and peace of mind) for your patients. Do you have the HIV test result for my patient? Lab: No. It... Read more

Supreme Court allows appeal on behalf of Council

Ed Madden | 08 August 2008

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a Supreme Court case in which the Medical Council sought to overturn a High Court order preventing the Fitness to Practise Committee from examining complaints brought against a doctor. Michael Shine, who is now retired,... Read more

Supreme Court strikes down risk equalisation scheme

Ed Madden | 05 August 2008

Ed Madden, BL, looks at the Supreme Court's decision that the Minister for Health exceeded her powers under the Health Insurance Act 1994 when she introduced a risk equalisation scheme to the private health insurance market. The Health Insurance Act... Read more

Language hides the realities of death

Dr Paul Heslin | 31 July 2008

Dr Paul Heslin writes on 'end of life' or death issues. He is a a medical doctor, a personal and business coach, and a family therapist. Putting the dog down is a common euphemism. Is it kindness or murder? We... Read more

GP cervical screening service finally begins

30 July 2008

Ian McGuinness writes that the country's cervical screening programme can finally start, now that the IMO has agreed a contract with the NCSS. After a dispute lasting for most of this year, and following months of talks, GPs are due... Read more

Health checks can make sense for some

Joyce Galbraith | 28 July 2008

Joyce Galbraith writes that the TRILL project — which aims to give elderly people their independence for as long as possible — is a worthy one. People are very divided in their attitude to having regular or annual check-ups. There... Read more

Section of Mental Health Act was unconstitutional

Ed Madden | 27 July 2008

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent decision of the Irish Supreme Court in which the Court declared a section of the Mental Health Act, 1945 to be unconstitutional. Louis Blehein was involuntarily admitted to St. John of God Hospital... Read more

Capacity to consent to treatment

Aisling Gannon | 24 July 2008

Aisling Gannon, Partner and Head of Healthcare with Beauchamps Solicitors, writes that issues of consent can be complex — as was the case recently when a patient refused a blood transfusion. The essential basis of the consent process is that... Read more

Sun-smart lessons 'Down Under'

Dr Ernan Hession | 22 July 2008

With the summer now (hopefully) in full swing, Australian medic Dr Ernan Hession writes that it's a good time to follow Australia's lead in preventing serious skin damage One negative consequence of living in this ‘Great Brown Land’, with its... Read more

Disability consultant fails to establish discrimination

Ed Madden | 20 July 2008

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent Equality Tribunal case in which a disability consultant alleged that the HSE had discriminated against him by not re-scheduling a dental appointment, Dermot Walsh, who works as a self-employed disability consultant/trainer, is one... Read more

Sure steps to managing conflict

Rory Hafford | 19 July 2008

In this week’s feature on medicine and communication, Rory Hafford looks at the most effective ways of avoiding conflict in the workplace. This country has changed. The way we do business is now a lot more rigid and restricted. In... Read more

My minor opinion on drinking as a minor

Fionn Fitzpatrick | 16 July 2008

Fionn Fitzpatrick — a 16-year-old reader of Irish Medical Times — recently sent us this contribution to the paper on alcohol from a teen's perspective. I felt compelled to write this article after it struck me how much minors are... Read more

Front-line staff are also in the firing line

Dr Paul Heslin | 09 July 2008

Dr Paul Heslin writes that front-line workers should not be judged by those in safe, comfortable jobs who do not have to make split-second decisions. As I listened to RTE Radio 1 on the way to work, I heard that... Read more

The call of general practice beckons

Dr Robert Marsh | 09 July 2008

Dr Robert Marsh looks back on his time spent working in hospital posts, as he nears the end of his GP training and prepares to start work in the community. It’s that time of the year again when our health... Read more

Who's afraid of a 'New Deal' for the Irish health service?

Dr Truls Christiansen | 19 June 2008

Dr Truls Christiansen, a Wicklow GP, agrees with some recent suggestions in Irish Medical Times — especially the need for a one-tier health service. I read with gloom in The Irish Times lately that patients will soon be able to... Read more

GP training needs to be expanded

Kevin Quinn | 22 May 2008

Dr Kevin Quinn, Chairman of the MICGP exam sub-committee and a GP on Arranmore Island says that though we have a good system of training GPs, we are not training enough of them. Ireland is fortunate to have a high... Read more

Health atrocities solved

21 May 2008

Prof Tom O'Dowd, Professor of General Practice at Trinity College Dublin, on how best to finance the Irish healthcare system — and solve several problems in the process. When yet another violent incident occurred in Northern Ireland, the media would... Read more

How to fix the health service with GPs

20 May 2008

Dr James Reilly, GP and Fine Gael spokesperson on Health details what he would do if he were Minister for Health to solve Ireland's many healthcare problems. The problems of health are myriad but basically it comes down to two... Read more

Training increases needed

19 May 2008

Mr Fionan O'Cuinneagáin outlines the current structure for GP training and how places need to be increased to meet future demand from demographic trends in the population and among doctors. There are 13 GP Specialist Training Programmes in Ireland, offering... Read more

New 'Quacktitioners' cannot replace doctors

Dr Joyce Galbraith | 27 March 2008

Dr Joyce Galbraith writes about the lack of faith in the health service that is affecting both patients and doctors. The recent non-stop and ongoing stream of complaints from patients and relatives trying to grapple with the deficiencies of the... Read more

What's the 'link' in warfarin?

Nollaig Rowan | 23 March 2008

Nollaig Rowan recalls the curious history behind the naming and patenting of the anticoagulant drug warfarin - and its origins in the bovine world In a Dublin restaurant last summer, a friend pushed aside his salad and spinach and declined... Read more

Nostalgia ain't what it used to be

Dr C. Dupont | 22 March 2008

Dr C. Dupont reflects on medical educators of the past - who often had their own idiosyncratic ways of teaching medicine... Read more

Medical Council's decision is overturned by High Court

Ed Madden | 14 March 2008

Ed Madden BL looks at a High Court case in which the Court cancelled a finding of the Medical Council that a pathologist in the Army Medical Corp was guilty of professional misconduct. On 10 April 2000, Lieutenant Colonel Michael... Read more

Galen: hero or villain of medicine?

22 February 2008

Dr Robert Sullivan looks at the fascinating figure of Claudius Galen, one of the founding fathers of medicine, whose legacy divides medical opinion today as much as his practices did in Roman times Medicine, like all professions, has its heroes... Read more

An effective solution to river blindness

Thecla Scully | 20 February 2008

Thecla Scully reports on a WHO project in the Democratic Republic of Congo that sees local farmers trained to carry out simple medical tasks Dense rainforest covers a large portion of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Only a naïve explorer... Read more

Football: Smells like team spirit

Joyce Galbraith | 15 February 2008

After attending a football match, Joyce Galbraith gains an understanding of why football evokes such passion and enthusiasm I have never really understood the enormous importance given to football in today’s world and how the game has assumed such huge... Read more

Technology can't take the place of empathy

Dr Joyce Galbraith | 11 January 2008

The automatic phone switchboard can be annoying enough at times, but dealing with the automatic voices used increasingly by supermarkets can be even more irritating, with their orders to "weigh your bananas" and "please take your change". The extension of... Read more

Getting the system to work requires trust

Dr Joyce Galbraith | 14 December 2007

The battles that rage today in order to provide a health service commensurate with Ireland’s growing prosperity call to mind the battles that raged in the UK in the 40’s during the lead-up to the formation of the National Health... Read more

Looking the part is part and parcel of medicine

Dr Joyce Galbraith | 16 November 2007

When I was a medical student, wearing a white coat meant that you were on the way to becoming a ‘real’ doctor (along with a stethoscope stuffed in the pocket of that coat — the more elegant fashion of wearing... Read more

GPs call for action on new contract for primary care

Dr Gary Stack, Dr Mary Favier, Dr Pat Daly, Dr Pat Durcan and Dr Tom English | 09 November 2007

It is hardly headline news that we are awaiting a new GP contract, yet there is no sign of leadership from either of our professional organisations in preparing the groundwork. The attitude of the IMO appears to be to wait... Read more

Evidence does not suggest that bigger equals better

Dr Illona Duffy | 26 October 2007

Welcome to our new editor Terence Cosgrave– I have to be nice so that he will continue my occasional rant in Irish Medical Times. Seeing the change brings back memories of Aindreas McEntee. During his wonderful stewardship of IMT he... Read more

A case of rough justice from the media circus

Dr Joyce Galbraith | 12 October 2007

The joke I saw in Private Eye recently caught my attention as being sadly relevant not only to the changed times we live in but to certain features of the tragic McCann case. A young doctor, stethoscope draped over his... Read more

A return to the slog: stethescopes and practice re-accrediation

Dr Illona Duffy | 07 September 2007

After a full month totally away from the practice, I had planned to write a nice piece talking about how important it is to have a complete break from work when on holidays. To date I have found it hard... Read more

Why we need a strong Minister for Older People

Paul Murray | 17 August 2007

Máire Hoctor, the newly appointed Minister for Older People, has one good thing going for her. She has no hard act to follow. None of the last three incumbents made any indent on their portfolios. Respectively they were ineffectual, appalling... Read more

Violence breeds violence whatever shape it takes

Dr M. Akmal Makhdum & Akhtar Ali Syed | 17 August 2007

Britain is seeing some interesting and dangerous developments in the advent of terrorism. Seven suspects, at least five of them doctors, have been arrested for involvement in the recent botched terrorist attacks on London and Glasgow. This time terrorism took... Read more

Learning from our peers

Dr Dermot Walsh | 10 August 2007

Psychiatry has often been referred to as the Cinderella of the health service and as far as funding is concerned that is certainly true, particularly when considered in the light of the contribution of mental ill-health to morbidity. And yet... Read more

Poles apart– family practice in Poland from 1950s onward

Dr Thecla Scully | 20 July 2007

Present day Poland was settled by Slavic groups in the sixth and seventh centuries and the Polish state was founded in 966. Between the 14th and 17th centuries, it was a strong and prosperous country with a flourishing culture, but... Read more

An argument put to bed

Dr Peadar Gilligan | 06 July 2007

I read with interest the articles by Greg Baxter and Prof Brendan Drumm in Irish Medical Times on 15 June 2007. In Greg Baxter’s report entitled ‘HSE say more beds is not the answer’, he argues that the Emergency Department... Read more

Primary care strategy part II will need more consideration

Dr Garrett Igoe | 29 June 2007

Primary care employment is made up of two teams; GP-employed and Health Service Executive-employed workers. It simply makes sense that both sets of workers are looking after the SAME population. GPs are subject to difficulties working with public health nurses... Read more

Advocacy role under attack

Dr Illona Duffy | 11 May 2007

Advocacy has been an interesting topic in the past year and even within the past few weeks has generated a lot of debate. It has been one of the sticks the consultants’ groups have used to beat the HSE and... Read more

HSE's version of what a surgeon should be holds very little appeal

Dr Ronan Cahill | 27 April 2007

The insistence of the Minister of Health and the Health Service Executive (HSE) in pressing ahead with introducing a new category of consultant into Irish hospitals means attention now focuses on who will occupy these posts. Although the issue of... Read more

Sometimes doing your job may mean not doing it

Dr Illona Duffy | 23 March 2007

For any of you who attend the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) Continuing Medical Education (CME) meetings you may well have attended one entitled ‘Critical Case Analysis’. For the uninitiated, a critical case is defined as one that affects... Read more

Beyond white coats and stethoscopes

Dr Mike Power | 02 March 2007

A junior houseman I once saw for therapy presented with significant anxiety-related symptoms. With working-class origins, he was regularly seized with severe panic attacks when lunching in the hospital cafeteria. Matters reached a crisis when he dropped a full tray,... Read more

The future holds no reprieve for Irish general practice

Dr Illona Duffy | 02 February 2007

It’s been a busy, busy week. A visit to a private nursing home started it all. All was well with the patients. A few coughs and wheezes were dealt with and, with time to spare, a few words of chatter... Read more

GPs need a strong public face to make their case

Dr Illona Duffy | 05 January 2007

One of the joys of motherhood is the early-morning start to my day, though this can be a bit earlier than actually necessary which means that I get to watch quite a bit of breakfast TV. This week the topic... Read more

An anxious Christmas with Mist Sedativa

Dr Joyce Galbraith | 15 December 2006

The Christmas I will never forget and which is burned into my memory is the one I spent in my very first job after I qualified. I wanted to stay in Ireland, of course, but that was not an option... Read more

Remembrance of things past...

Dr Charles Dupont | 01 December 2006

I watched the recent RTÉ series Junior Doctors with interest and pondered the changes since I was an intern several decades ago. In those days we were called house officers– intern being an American term. After qualification my head was... Read more