Are there any effective interventions for preventing falls in older people with mental health problems?

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Falls are estimated to cost the NHS more than £2.3 billion per year (College of Optometrists, 2011) and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This fact alone should be giving us the drive to look for ways to prevent falls in healthcare settings. A systematic review recently published in BMC Nursing (Bunn et al, 2014) is [read the full story…]

Development of leave/abscond risk assessment in clinical practice needs evaluation and validation

Individuals more likely to be arrested or taken to ED if living indpependently or with family

The authors of this study, based at the South London and Maudsley Trust, were interested in the way in which leave for patients in secure settings is managed and in particular ways in which the risks associated with managing leave could be assessed. They point out that the number of patients who breach leave conditions [read the full story…]

Risk assessment tool in acute hospitals reported to contribute to improvement in health outcomes for people with learning disabilities

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We recently posted about the publication of the final report of the confidential inquiry into premature deaths in people with learning disabilities. The Inquiry found 43% of the deaths of people with learning disabilities were unexpected and for a substantial number, there was significant difficulty or delay in diagnosis, investigation or specialist referral. The Inquiry [read the full story…]

Review finds insufficient evidence base for the view that violence, sexual, or criminal risk can be predicted

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Normally, we at the Learning Disabilities Elf like to look at learning disability specific research, but we thought this review of the utility of risk assessment tools was interesting and relevant to people with learning disabilities who come into contact with psychiatric and criminal justice services. Risk assessment research stresses the dynamic nature of predictors [read the full story…]