Guest posts

The ESRI has responded to criticism from the IHCA of how consultants’ private practice is measured, reports Gary Culliton {openx:269} The measurement of private work under the consultant contract was agreed by both the IMO and the IHCA in advance, Prof Miriam Wiley of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has told Irish Medical Times.

Continuing his series of in-depth articles, Dara Gantly hears from the RCSI that professional competence will be the ‘norm for the many, rather than a sanction for the few’ {openx:269} It has been the RCSI’s stated policy for more than a decade that all surgical staff, other than those in training, should participate in continuing medical education (CME).

Giovanni Morelli had some excellent wines during an even more exceptional meal in a must-visit restaurant in Barcelona {openx:269} Have you taken a Dublin taxi recently? With a few exceptions, most of my taxis have been filthy Toyotas with very smelly drivers.

Irish consultant gastroenterologists from across the country met in Kilkenny recently to discuss the latest international evidence and advice on the management of inflammatory bowel disease {openx:269} In April, Ireland took part for the first time in an annual exchange on the advances in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), sponsored by Abbott, and known as the IBD Ahead meeting.

The Government believes that reference pricing will introduce competition in the off-patent drugs market, reports Gary Culliton {openx:269} Potential savings of up to €22.

‘Abandon hope all ye who enter’ is unfortunately over too many of our mental health inpatient facilities, reports Gary Culliton {openx:269} Some 700 staff left the mental health services in 2009 – 10 per cent of the entire workforce, according to the latest Annual Report of the Mental Health Commission (MHC).

Ed Madden, BL, looks at a recent High Court case involving the parents of a man, with marriage difficulties, who died while undergoing cosmetic surgery at a hospital in Bogota, Colombia {openx:269} On September 3, 2007, Pierre Christian Lawlor died while undergoing cosmetic surgery at a hospital in Bogota, Colombia.

With Men’s Health Week just gone, Aoife Connors examines why we are seeing a rapid rise in the prevalence of prostate cancer {openx:269} Almost 5,500 Irish men are diagnosed with the five most common male cancers each year: prostate, bowel, lung, skin and testicular.

Aoife Connors speaks to Beaumont consultant Kashif Siddiqui about the hospital’s rapid access prostate clinic {openx:269} Waiting times for prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment will be significantly reduced when an expanded rapid access prostate clinic in Beaumont Hospital opens later this year.

Madeleine Delaney, Beauchamps Solicitors, looks at the Data Protection Commissioner’s recommendations to the HSE to increase security of patient information {openx:269} The Data Protection Commissioner (the Commissioner) called on the Health Service Executive (HSE) to increase security of patient information in his 2009 annual report which was published on 8 April 2010.