(Press-News.org) The quality of stroke care in the UK is improving, but significant inequalities still exist, warns a new study published on bmj.com today.
Previous reports have suggested that the quality of UK stroke care is improving, but there is limited information on trends of care from population-based studies. So a team of researchers in London assessed the provision of acute stroke care for 3,800 patients registered on the south London stroke register between 1995 and 2009.
They measured the provision of effective acute stroke care, in line with current guidelines, against demographic factors such as age, sex, ethnic origin and socioeconomic status.
The proportion of patients receiving effective acute stroke care interventions increased substantially between 1995 and 2009.
However, between 2007 and 2009, 5% of patients were still not admitted to hospital after an acute stroke, particularly those with milder strokes, and 21% of patients were not admitted to a stroke unit.
They also found a disproportionate access to effective care. For example, compared with white patients, black patients had significantly increased odds of being admitted to a stroke unit and receiving occupational therapy or physiotherapy, independent of age or stroke severity.
The odds of brain imaging were lowest in older patients (aged 75 or more years) and those of lower socioeconomic status, whereas older patients were more likely to receive occupational therapy or physiotherapy.
Despite a government goal of universal access to healthcare, the findings of this study suggest a disproportionate access to acute stroke care, say the authors. They conclude that strategies to minimise these inequalities are urgently needed to increase the chances that all patients receive optimal care with improved outcomes.
### END
UK stroke care is improving, but inequalities still exist
Research: Provision of acute stroke care and associated factors in a multiethnic population: prospective study with the South London Stroke Register
2011-02-28
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Solar experts detect waves in giant magnetic holes the size of the UK
2011-02-28
Massive waves in giant magnetic holes on the surface of the Sun have been discovered for the first time by solar scientists from the University of Sheffield and Queen's University Belfast, something that will bring experts a step closer to unlocking the secrets of the Sun.
The Sun is interwoven by a complex network of magnetic field lines that are responsible for a large variety of fascinating features that can be seen in the solar atmosphere. Large, dark regions, which look like holes on the Sun's surface, mark out areas where the magnetic field breaks through from ...
New path to water efficient seeds opens as TIP pips PIP as water gatekeeper
2011-02-28
Research by University of Warwick's School of Life Sciences has opened up a new path to produce water efficient seeds that will be a significant tool to cope with drought resistance, and ensure global food security. The research not only provides the best map to date of the key protein that appears to be the principal gateway for water intake during seed germination - it also actually provides the right map as it appears much of the research to date was focussed on a much less relevant protein.
The research team led by Dr Lorenzo Frigerio looked at two proteins that ...
Qualified Latin American immigrants earn less than similarly qualified Spaniards
2011-02-28
A study by the University of Salamanca (USAL) has looked into how salaries would differ if immigrants were paid in the same way as Spanish workers according to education and experience. The results show that, in higher salary ranges, Latin American immigrants earn around 20% less than their Spanish counterparts.
"In this paper we analysed the salary differences between Spanish workers and Latin American or Caribbean immigrants in 2006", José Ignacio Antón, a researcher at the USAL and co-author of the study, which has been published in the Journal of Applied Economics, ...
IOF calls for action following release of Eastern European & Central Asian Regional Audit
2011-02-28
A newly published audit report by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) consolidates information on the status and burden of osteoporosis in 21 countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including the Russian Federation. The landmark report 'Eastern European & Central Asian Regional Audit – Epidemiology, Costs & Burden of Osteoporosis in 2010' shows alarming projections and reveals the poor status of post-fracture care and osteoporosis management in the region.
IOF President John Kanis called for immediate action, asking all stakeholders in the region to ...
Lack of health insurance limits hepatitis C patients' access to latest antiviral therapy
2011-02-28
New research has determined that patients in the U.S. with hepatitis C virus (HCV) are twice as likely to not have health insurance coverage compared with those without the disease. In fact researchers found only a third of HCV infected Americans have access to antiviral therapy; the remaining are either uninsured or not candidates for therapy due to treatment contraindications. Details of this study are published in the March issue of Hepatology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).
HCV is the most common cause ...
Collisions of protein machines cause DNA replication derailment
2011-02-28
Scientists have published results that will forever change the way researchers view the interplay between gene expression, DNA replication and the prevention of DNA damage.
DNA damage, if not kept in check, can lead to many problems including cancers. Researchers, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Wellcome Trust and working at The University of Nottingham, have shown that the process of replication is even riskier than originally thought. This new information is published today (24 February) in the journal Nature.
Lead ...
A glove to prevent premature birth
2011-02-28
Changes to the microbiological equilibrium in the female genital tract can lead to obstetric complications. In the current issue of the Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2011; 108[6]: 81), the working group around Eva-Maria Bitzer investigates a method of screening for such changes.
Among the complications in question are low birthweights and preterm deliveries. To avoid these, in a model project running from 2004 to 2006, pregnant women were asked to self-test their vaginal pH. They were provided with test gloves and asked to carry out the ...
Hospital infections and multidrug-resistant pathogens
2011-02-28
Infections are among the most frequent complications of a stay in hospital and raise the complication and mortality rates. Calculations based on data from the Hospital Infection Surveillance System (Krankenhaus-Infektions-Surveillance-System, KISS) showed an incidence of almost 60 000 newly acquired infections per year in intensive care units in Germany. This is the conclusion reached by Christine Geffers and her coauthor in the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2011; 108 (6):87-93).
KISS is a quality assurance tool for hospitals. More ...
Language patterns are roller-coaster ride during childhood development
2011-02-28
Why, and when, do we learn to speak the way that we do? Research from North Carolina State University on African-American children presents an unexpected finding: language use can go on a roller-coaster ride during childhood as kids adopt and abandon vernacular language patterns.
"We found that there is a 'roller-coaster effect,' featuring an ebb and flow in a child's use of vernacular English over the course of his or her language development," says Dr. Walt Wolfram, William C. Friday Distinguished University Professor of English Linguistics at NC State and co-author ...
Home urine test measures insulin production in diabetes
2011-02-28
A simple home urine test has been developed which can measure if patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are producing their own insulin. The urine test, from Professor Andrew Hattersley's Exeter-based team at the Peninsula Medical School, replaces multiple blood tests in hospital and can be sent by post as it is stable for up to three days at room temperature. Avoiding blood tests will be a particular advantage for children.
The urine test measures if patients are still making their own insulin even if they take insulin injections. Researchers have shown that the test ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
New discovery sheds light on evolutionary crossroads of vertebrates
Aortic hemiarch reconstruction safely matches complex aortic arch reconstruction for acute dissection in older adults
Destination Earth digital twin to improve AI climate and weather predictions
Late-breaking study finds comparable long-term survival between two leading multi-arterial CABG strategies
Lymph node examination should be expanded to accurately assess cancer spread in patients with lung cancer
Study examines prediction of surgical risk in growing population of adults with congenital heart disease
Novel radiation therapy QA method: Monte Carlo simulation meets deep learning for fast, accurate epid transmission dose generation
A 100-fold leap into the unknown: a new search for muonium conversion into antimuonium
A new approach to chiral α-amino acid synthesis - photo-driven nitrogen heterocyclic carbene catalyzed highly enantioselective radical α-amino esterification
Physics-defying discovery sheds new light on how cells move
Institute for Data Science in Oncology announces new focus-area lead for advancing data science to reduce public cancer burden
Mapping the urban breath
Waste neem seeds become high-performance heat batteries for clean energy storage
Scientists map the “physical genome” of biochar to guide next generation carbon materials
Mobile ‘endoscopy on wheels’ brings lifesaving GI care to rural South Africa
Taming tumor chaos: Brown University Health researchers uncover key to improving glioblastoma treatment
Researchers enable microorganisms to build molecules with light
Laws to keep guns away from distressed individuals reduce suicides
Study shows how local business benefits from city services
RNA therapy may be a solution for infant hydrocephalus
Global Virus Network statement on Nipah virus outbreak
A new molecular atlas of tau enables precision diagnostics and drug targeting across neurodegenerative diseases
Trends in US live births by race and ethnicity, 2016-2024
Sex and all-cause mortality in the US, 1999 to 2019
Nasal vaccine combats bird flu infection in rodents
Sepsis study IDs simple ways to save lives in Africa
“Go Red. Shop with Heart.” to save women’s lives and support heart health this February
Korea University College of Medicine successfully concludes the 2025 Lee Jong-Wook Fellowship on Infectious Disease Specialists Program
Girls are happiest at school – for good reasons
Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine discover genetic ancestry is a critical component of assessing head and neck cancerous tumors
[Press-News.org] UK stroke care is improving, but inequalities still existResearch: Provision of acute stroke care and associated factors in a multiethnic population: prospective study with the South London Stroke Register