Things in the library 27 Jan...

Things about child health...
The RCPCH published their 'State of Child health 2017' report this week. Nearly one in five children in the UK is living in poverty and inequality is blighting their lives, with those from the most deprived backgrounds experiencing much worse health compared with the most affluent. Despite some improvements in the health of UK children over the last decades, there is clear disparity with Europe, and major cause for concern.

and more...
Findings from a new study  from Community Care challenge government claims that there is no link between spending and outcomes in children's services and asks two questions:
How can the multiple effects of deprivation on families and therefore on demand for children’s services become central to debates about child protection and children’s services?
Is the current level of expenditure on children’s services and its distribution between LAs fit for purpose, especially in more deprived LAs?

Things about sleep...
Published this week "Sleep Regulation, Physiology and Development, Sleep Duration and Patterns, and Sleep Hygiene in Infants, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children" a review article which concludes:
"There are many aspects of sleep that have significant effects on child and family health and well-being. Pediatricians report little formal training in sleep medicine, yet patients frequently report infant and child sleep problems. Basic physiology and development of sleep patterns, normative sleep durations, and the many influencing factors are important to understanding and diagnosing child sleep problems. Pediatricians should discuss sleep hygiene and early adoption of healthy sleep habits during routine anticipatory guidance in an effort to shape long-term healthy child sleep patterns and prevent sleep problems."

Things to watch...
The presentations from the King's Fund recent conference Delivering high value health care are now available to view. Presentations include: International evidence and experience on reducing wasteful spending on health care, tackling overuse and underuse of health care services, stories from the hospital setting: KT framework to minimise opportunity loss, improving safety and reducing harm and error and five Year Forward View: a new relationship with patients.

Things that are teeny -tiny...
You may have seen in the press this week the publicity around the world's smallest MRI scanner here is Sheffield. Read more about it here . The project is a collaboration between the University of Sheffield, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, GE Healthcare, and the Wellcome Trust. The scanner is considerably smaller than a standard MRI scanner, meaning it can be situated within or close to a neonatal unit, and allow new-born babies to be scanned without having to be moved to another part of a building or even another hospital.This means scans can be performed more quickly and the risks and difficulties associated with moving vulnerable babies are dramatically reduced.The MRI images provide more detailed clinical information than a bedside ultrasound scan.

Things published about FGM...
FGM safeguarding and risk assessment: quick guide for health professionals has been published by department of Health this week. This is part of the Female genital mutilation (FGM): guidance for healthcare staff collection. This guide has been created to help health professionals identify and assess the risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) for patients in their care and to support the discussion with patients and family members.

Things to cosy up with...

(c) Blackwells.co.uk 2017

Nothing better to distract you from the real world and the winter fog than a good book. This is a list of books Barack Obama has recommended throughout his presidency. Interesting to see it includes one of my favourites (and one we have in this library for you to borrow) Being mortal: illness, medicine and what matters in the end,  by Dr. Atul Gawande.


Things to treat yourself...
For something a bit different but definitely suitable for the weather Spiced braised venison with chilli & chocolate sounds tempting.

Stay warm and have a lovely weekend!

Things in the library 20 Jan ...

New Things about TRIP....
One of Trip’s main aims is to help users find the best available evidence with the minimum of effort. The latest update has some innovative new features, all there to support your evidence search. Don't forget that for a second year you have access to PRO features by registering as NHS staff.

• Answer Engine. They’ve been discussing this for nearly five years and seriously working on it for over twelve months. Obtain instant answers to some clinical questions, seamlessly integrated in to your search experience.
• SmartSearch. An useful system to help speed up your search and to help users avoid missing important documents. They analyse the articles you click and use that to predict other articles that are highly relevant.
• Search suggestions. Incorporated in to your results allowing you to easily produce a more focused search.
• Broken links. Arguably a minor upgrade, but very important. Broken links can be a terrible user experience. Take out your frustrations by hitting the new ‘Broken link’ feature under each result.

Things about transition and epilepsy...

A recent article in Epilepsy & Behavior discusses 'The transition from pediatric to adult care for youth with epilepsy: Basic biological, sociological, and psychological issues'.  Below they summarise a few of the broad concerns that arise from this review.

• Brain development – Impulsive pleasure seeking and risky behaviour may be the result of an imbalance between frontal and limbic maturation and should be anticipated.
• Endocrinological development – Puberty has a major effect on development, personality, and behaviour.
• Sexual development – Peer relationship problems may interfere with normal sexual development. Sexual debut is early in youth with epilepsy and long-term sexual experiences are often unsatisfactory.
• Psychological development – Normal developmental stages in adolescence may be disrupted by epilepsy. While epilepsy may contribute to adjustment problems, some of these issues are related to normal developmental concerns. Family dysfunction has a strong effect on maturation of adolescents with epilepsy. Severe behaviour problems with intellectual disability and/or autistic spectrum disorder are not typically related to family dysfunction and have multiple etiologies.
• Bone health – The degree of risk for and mechanisms of bone disorders in childhood-onset epilepsy are unclear. For those at increased risk, serum vitamin D and DXA screening may be useful along with supplemental vitamin D.

Things about 3D printing of drugs for children....

An article this week in AAPS PharmSciTech discusses the potential for using 3D printing for paediatric drugs the abstract is below. This article is part of a topical collection on the theme Pediatric Drug Development and Dosage Form Design.

The first medicine manufactured by three-dimensional (3D) printing was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The advantages of printing as a manufacturing route enabling more flexibility regarding the dose, and enlarging individual treatment options, have been demonstrated. There is a particular need for flexible drug delivery solutions when it comes to children. Printing as a new pharmaceutical manufacturing technology brings manufacturing closer to the patient and can easily be adjusted to the required dosing scheme, offering more flexibility for treatments. Printing of medicine may therefore become the manufacturing route of choice to provide tailored and potentially on-demand treatments for patients with individual needs. This paper intends to summarize and discuss the state of the art, the crucial aspects which should be taken into account, and the still-open questions, in order to make 3D printing a suitable manufacturing route for pediatric drugs.

Things about PKU...
A Key European guidelines for the diagnosis and management of patients with phenylketonuria was published in the Lancet recently. From the 70 recommendations formulated, in this Review they describe ten that they deem as having the highest priority.

An e-book for surgeons...
We have recently purchased an e-book copy of  the latest edition of Spitz Operative Pediatric Surgery for SCH staff. Follow the link and login with your free NHS Open Athens account.
Not a surgeon???.....then login to the e-book portal and search for what you are interested in. You can browse books free for 5 mins and if there is a resource which you think will be well used by your department ask us if we can purchase it.

Things with crunch...
As a quick easy and quite healthy dessert why not try these Honey nut crunch pears?  This recipe uses cornflakes but I expect other cereals would work well too!

Things in the library 13 Jan...

Things about the NHS...

The NHS indicators were reported in a briefing paper for House of Commons. The full report can be read here it covers areas such as: A&E, waiting lists, delayed transfers of care, staffing levels, and demand for hospital services.

Things about nicotine...

An article about the developmental toxicity of nicotine was published this month. The authors conclude "The evidence that nicotine adversely affects fetal and adolescent development is sufficient to warrant public health measures to protect pregnant women, children, and adolescents from nicotine exposure." Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews; Jan 2017; vol. 72 ; p. 176-189

Things about anaesthetics...

A recent review article has looked at intraperitoneal local anesthetic (IPLA) in paediatric surgery. They conclude "IPLA appears promising in pediatric surgery. The high absorptive capacity of the peritoneum and high peritoneal surface area to volume ratio in children presents a dose limitation. In comparison to adult surgery, IPLA has been understudied in pediatric surgery." European Journal of Pediatric Surgery; Dec 2016; vol. 26 (no. 6); p. 469-475





Things about priorities ...

The King's Fund have published a list of what they believe will be the priorities for the NHS this year. These are:

• Supporting new care models centred on the needs of patients
•  Strengthening and implementing sustainability and transformation plans 
• Improving productivity and delivering better value 
• Developing and strengthening leadership at all levels 
• Securing adequate funding for health and social care 

Things about Quality Standards...
NICE has published two new Quality Standards.

• Tuberculosis (QS141) - covers preventing, identifying and managing latent and active tuberculosis in children, young people and adults.
• Learning disabilities: identifying and managing mental health problems (QS142) - covers the prevention, assessment and management of mental health problems in people with learning disabilities in all settings (including health, social care, education, and forensic and criminal justice). It also covers family members, carers and care worker

Things about mental health...

The Government’s response to the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health has been published 

Things about online grooming...

Leicestershire Police has made its film to raise awareness of the dangers of online grooming publicly available. Based on the story of teenager Kayleigh Haywood, the film highlights how quickly and easily children can be groomed online without them or those around them knowing it is happening. 'Kayleigh’s love story' is available to watch online in eight different versions, including a signed version, and audio described version and versions translated into five languages. It has previously been shown to schoolchildren aged 11 and above in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland in controlled screenings by specially trained officers. More information here.

Things with a warm glow...

University of Sheffield restaurant (above the Student's Union) will be having a week of the Danish celebration of Hygge from Monday 23rd to Friday 27th January – their menus will be dedicated to this wellbeing celebration and they will play host to a Hygge After Work Celebration on Thursday 26th January.

Hygge (pronounced hue-gah) is a Danish word, which means the feeling or mood that comes from the genuine pleasure in making ordinary, everyday things more meaningful, beautiful or special. 

In essence, Hygge means creating a nice, warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people around you. The warm glow of candlelight, friends and family, and of course eating and drinking. With the dark winter days and nights upon us, they will be taking the time to celebrate!

Make the most of Hygge Week, with warm candle light and nice wholesome food. Sooth your spirit and soul and relax, taking the time to focus on your wellbeing.

Things to eat...
Sarah made this curried chickpea salad recently and recommends it. Have a cosy time at home this weekend with these warming flavours and with some candles to make it more Hygge!

Things in the library 6 January...

Harry New Year to you all

Things about e-books...

We have bought the following e-books which you can access for free using your NHS Open Athens account - let us know if there are other resources you would like us to purchase and don't forget you can browse 1000s of books for free for 5 mins.

• Training in Paediatrics
• How to Read a Paper : The Basics of Evidence-Based Medicine
• Nutrition and Bone Health
• The Royal Marsden Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures : Professional Edition
• Lovell and Winter's Pediatric Orthopaedics
• Hodson and Geddes' Cystic Fibrosis, Fourth Edition
• Medical Statistics Made Easy
• Neonatology at a Glance
• Paediatrics at a Glance

Things pleasant...

A recent Health Technology Assessment was published by National Institute for Health Research  on 'Preventing and Lessening Exacerbations of Asthma in School-age children Associated with a New Term – a cluster randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation'. A medication reminder letter sent in July from general practitioners to parents/carers of school-age children with asthma did not reduce unscheduled contacts in September; but there appeared to be later effects and cost savings.

Things for physiotherapists...

A Cochrane review protocol has been published  on  'Physiotherapy interventions for functional bladder and bowel dysfunctions in neurologically normal and otherwise healthy children' The authors believe this will be the first systematic review that aims to assess the effects of physiotherapy or physiotherapy-related interventions in childhood BBD

Things about personalised perioperative pediatric pain management...

Recent article in Journal of Pediatric Nursing discussing this topic summarises: "Genomics has revolutionized pharmacological science and furthering the possibility of personal pain management based on individual's genotype. However, the usefulness of a personalized pain management is not exclusively based upon the genetic code but further aspects of nature and environment (Manworren et al., 2015). Thus, additional pediatric research requires further exploration on how to safely apply genetic revelations in perioperative pain to improve outcomes in pediatric pain management. Pediatric nurses must advocate for children during the peri-operative period. Pediatric nurses can assess for adequate pain control by using appropriate pain and weaning scales. Alerting the intraprofessional health care team to subtle changes in the child's response after administration of narcotics can be the clue that something more is occurring. In addition, pediatric nurses can minimize the effects of the environment on the hospitalized child in an effort to enhance future pain control.

Things about end of life care...

Published in December by NICE 'End of life care for infants, children and young people with life-limiting conditions: planning and management' This guideline covers the planning and management of end of life and palliative care in for infants, children and young people (aged 0–17 years) with life-limiting conditions. It aims to involve children, young people and their families in decisions about their care, and improve the support that is available to them throughout their lives.

Things about respiratory distress syndrome...

A recent article in Frontiers in Pediatrics discusses 'Viral Infection in the Development and Progression of Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome'. This review outlines what is known about ARDS secondary to viral infections including the epidemiology, the pathophysiology, and diagnosis. In addition, emerging treatment options to prevent infection, and to decrease disease burden are outlined. They focused on RSV and influenza A (H1N1) viral-induced ARDS, as these are the most common viruses leading to pediatric ARDS, and have specific prophylactic and definitive treatment options.

and...

The effect of inhaled nitric oxide in acute respiratory distress syndrome in children and adults: a Cochrane Systematic Review with trial sequential analysis was published in Anaesthesia this month.  Their primary objective in this systematic review was to examine the effects of inhaled nitric oxide administration on mortality in adults and children with acute respiratory distress syndrome. They concluded "there is insufficient evidence to support inhaled nitric oxide in any category of critically ill patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome despite a transient improvement in oxygenation, since mortality is not reduced and it may induce renal impairment."

and also...

A Cochrane Review published in December looked to answer the question "Does NIPPV [nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation] confer greater short-term and long-term benefits without harm to preterm infants with or at risk of respiratory distress compared with [nasal continuous positive airway pressure] NCPAP? They concluded that "early NIPPV does appear to be superior to NCPAP alone for decreasing respiratory failure and the need for intubation and endotracheal tube ventilation among preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome. Additional studies are needed to confirm these results and to assess the safety of NIPPV compared with NCPAP alone in a larger patient population."

Things that disappear quickly...

I don't normally have time (or inclination) for bread making but I do enjoy making soda bread as it is so quick and easy. I made this Seeded wholemeal soda bread this week...but think I will be making some more tomorrow as it has all gone already!

...and what to go with it?

Has to be a nice cosy soup I think and this Butternut squash soup with chilli & crème fraîche is a favourite. 

Tip:If you find peeling a butternut squash awkward (the skins are so hard) you can make it easier by putting the squash in the sink and pouring boiling water over it first or by microwaving it whole for 30 seconds.