Andre Tomlin

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André Tomlin is an Information Scientist with 20 years experience working in evidence-based healthcare. He's worked in the NHS, for Oxford University and since 2002 as Managing Director of Minervation Ltd, a consultancy company who do clever digital stuff for charities, universities and the public sector. Most recently André has been the driving force behind the Mental Elf and the National Elf Service; an innovative digital platform that helps professionals keep up to date with simple, clear and engaging summaries of evidence-based research. André is a Trustee at the Centre for Mental Health and an Honorary Research Fellow at University College London Division of Psychiatry. He lives in Bristol, surrounded by dogs, elflings and lots of woodland!

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RCN position statement on learning disability nursing

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Learning from the past – setting out the future (PDF): Developing learning disability nursing in the United Kingdom (An RCN position statement on the role of the learning disability nurse). As numbers of children and adults with learning disabilities increase and more people with learning disabilities live into adulthood with a range of complex needs, the [read the full story…]

How useful was a visual aid to decision-making for people with learning disabilities?

Communication Aid

Being involved in the day to day decisions of our lives is a key part of self-determination. People with learning disabilities will often need significant support to enable this to happen. This study looked at decision making for 24 people with learning disabilities (mean Full-Scale IQ = 59.8) who attended a day service. Tasks were [read the full story…]

Valuing People – what now?

Valuing People What Now? National Development Team for inclusion. This discussion paper from National Development team for Inclusion (NDTi) reflects the growing concern about what will happen to the Valuing People Now policy and its delivery in the coming months and years. The paper leads the discussion and links to an opportunity to add your [read the full story…]

Are antipsychotics overused in treating people with learning disabilities with aggressive behaviours?

Medication

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in people with learning disabilities is very difficult to ascertain with studies varying in their definitions and inclusion criteria. Estimates suggest that it may be as low as 3%, but despite this, antipsychotic medications comprise between 30–50% of all psychotropics prescribed for people with learning disabilities. This literature review set [read the full story…]

Bullies should be targeted for teenage pregnancy prevention

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A birth cohort study carried out by researchers in Finland has discovered a predictive association between being a bully in childhood and becoming a mother in adolescence. The Finnish 1981 birth cohort study included 2,867 Finnish girls at baseline in 1989. Information, both on the main exposure and outcome, was available for 2,507 girls. Both bullies and victims [read the full story…]

Quetiapine helps reduce anxiety disorder, but the side effects may outweigh the benefits

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Anxiety disorders are common and disabling conditions, with a lifetime prevalence of 17% in the general population. Due to high rates of treatment resistance, there is interest in new pharmacological treatment options. Second-generation antipsychotic drugs may be a helpful treatment for anxiety disorders.  This Cochrane review looked at RCTs comparing quetiapine, olanzapine and risperidone with placebo [read the full story…]