On the Rounds

Published on Monday 20 April 2009 20:11

PEOPLE

A SCOTTISH surgeon has returned from a trip on which he trained more than 50 Iraqi surgeons in specialist head, neck and facial surgery.

Sean Laverick, who is a consultant in maxillofacial surgery at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, spent a week in Baghdad as part of a training programme run by the International Medical Corps charity.

&#149 TWO of Glasgow University's clinical senior lecturers have been awarded fellowship funding by the Scottish Funding Council.

Dr Colin Berry and Dr Mhairi Copland, lecturers in cardiovascular and cancer medicine respectively, secured the funding for the next four years.

NEWS

OLDER stroke patients may not receive the same level of care as younger counterparts because of ageism within the NHS, research published in the Postgraduate Medical Journal has suggested.

The study, of 379 treatment programmes, found that patients under 75 were five times more likely to be given a brain scan to check for blockages and bleeds. Four per cent of that patient group were given a scan, compared with 26 per cent of younger patients.

The research, by Karen Kee and colleagues from Mayday University Hospital in Surrrey, also showed that "Doppler" ultrasound scans of the blood flow in the carotid artery were more common in the younger group with 92 per cent receiving these checks against 77 per cent of over 75s.

The authors conclude: "The results of this study possibly reflect negative views, attitudes and behaviour of healthcare professionals towards older patients," before adding "rationing of care on the basis of age has occurred in other medical areas".

&#149 THREE-quarters of snorers are too embarrassed to seek help for their problem, according to a survey published by the British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association. Released to coincide with National Stop Snoring Week, which runs until Friday, the poll of more than 2,500 snorers also suggests that female sufferers are more self-conscious about it than men.

It found that 60 per cent of snorers do not get enough sleep and 90 per cent of all snorers' partners were annoyed by the noise.

&#149 A NEW resource to help schools support the needs of autistic children has been launched by the Scottish Government.

The "Autism Toolbox", which has been sent to every Scottish education authority, offers practical examples, literature and research into the condition, which is thought to affect about 50,000 people in Scotland.

The pack offers advice to school staff on good practice on dealing with autistic children as well as providing directions to where they can get further information and help. The toolbox can be ordered from Blackwell's bookshop or downloaded from.scotland.gov.uk.

EVENTS

A PUBLIC debate on Alzheimer's disease will be held at the Sensation science centre in Dundee on 28 April. Featuring Dundee University researchers currently investigating the disease, the event is part of a series on how the brain works being held at the centre. For more information visit www.sensation.org.uk.

&#149 THE next meeting of the NHS National Waiting Times Centre board takes place on Thursday 30 April at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank.

Interested members of the public are invited to the meeting which will discuss the progress of the special NHS board that takers referrals from across Scotland and is the home to the West of Scotland Heart and Lung Centre. For further information visit www.nhsgoldenjubilee.co.uk.

&#149 "THE Future of Genetics in Every Day Medicine" is the title of a conference being run by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh on 30 April.

Chaired by Dr John Dean, a consultant in clinical genetics at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, the event will include talks on genomics and muscle disease, the genetics of obesity and genetic therapies for eczema and asthma.

For further information visit www.rcpe.ac.uk.