BackgroundPoor communication between healthcare professionals is recognised as accounting for a significant proportion of adverse patient outcomes. In the UK, the General Medical Council emphasises effective handover (handoff) as an essential outcome for medical graduates. Despite this, a significant proportion of medical schools do not teach the skill.ObjectivesThis study had two aims: (1) demonstrate a need for formal handover training through assessing the pre-existing knowledge, skills and attitudes of medical students and (2) study the effectiveness of a pilot educational handover workshop on improving confidence and competence in structured handover skills.DesignStudents underwent an Objective Structured Clinical Examination style handover competency assessment before and after attending a handover workshop underpinned by educational theory. Participants also completed questionnaires before and after the workshop. The tool used to measure competency was developed through a modified Delphi process.SettingMedical education departments within National Health Service (NHS) Lanarkshire hospitals.ParticipantsForty-two undergraduate medical students rotating through their medical and surgical placements within NHS Lanarkshire enrolled in the study. Forty-one students completed all aspects.Main outcome measuresPaired questionnaires, preworkshop and postworkshop, ascertained prior teaching and confidence in handover skills. The questionnaires also elicited the student’s views on the importance of handover and the potential effects on patient safety. The assessment tool measured competency over 12 domains.ResultsEighty-three per cent of participants reported no previous handover teaching. There was a significant improvement, p<0.0001, in confidence in delivering handovers after attending the workshop. Student performance in the handover competency assessment showed a significant improvement (p<0.05) in 10 out of the 12 measured handover competency domains.ConclusionsA simple, robust and reproducible intervention, underpinned by medical education theory, can significantly improve competence and confidence in medical handover. Further research is required to assess long-term outcomes as student’s transition from undergraduate to postgraduate training.

The Labour Party is proposing to scrap band one dentistry charges in England, which cover a check-up, a scale and polish, and any radiography needed.1 The …

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 for people with learning disabilities in Scotland, in the context of the recent commitment by the Scottish Government to review the place of learning disability (LD) within the Act.Design/methodology/approachAll current compulsory treatment orders (CTO) including LD as a type of mental disorder were identified and reviewed. Data was collected on duration and type of detention (hospital or community based) for all orders. For those with additional mental illness and/or personality disorder, diagnoses were recorded. For those with LD only, symptoms, severity of LD and treatment were recorded.FindingsIn total, 11 per cent of CTOs included LD as a type of mental disorder. The majority of these also included mental illness. The duration of detention for people with LD only was almost double that for those without LD. A variety of mental illness diagnoses were represented, psychotic disorders being the most common (54 per cent). Treatment was broad and multidisciplinary. In all, 87 per cent of people with LD only were prescribed psychotropic medication authorised by CTO.Originality/valueThere has been limited research on the use of mental health legislation for people with learning disabilities. This project aids understanding of current practice and will be of interest to readers both in Scotland and further afield. It will inform the review of LD as a type of mental disorder under Scottish mental health law, including consideration of the need for specific legislation.

Mayor reports a study from Newcastle showing that patients with dental problems are now approaching 0.7% of all attendees at emergency departments.1 This figure is 10 times …

With oral cancer on the rise,1 dentists and their teams have a vital role in ensuring early detection and informing patients of the risk factors. Early detection is associated with …

Appleby examined the link between deprivation and use of dental services in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.1 Scotland, because it has devolved responsibility for the NHS, decided not to participate in the adult dental health survey 2009 and the children’s dental health survey 2013. Recent figures from the national dental inspection programme in Scotland show some …

Contradicting a popular stereotype that Brits have ugly teeth compared with the perfectly straight sparklers of the US, the study from Guarnizo-Herreno and colleagues shows that the oral health of Americans is no better than that of the English.1 Recent statistics show …

It is with great pride that we welcome our readers to the new A4 format for the International Journal of Developmental Disabilities (IJDD). Indeed, not only have the physical dimensions of the jour...

To evaluate longitudinally the effectiveness of a cooking programme on self-reported confidence about cooking skills and food consumption patterns in parents of young children. An evaluation of cooking programmes delivered by National Health Service (NHS) community food workers using a single group pre-test/post-test repeated measures design. A shortened version of a validated questionnaire at baseline, post intervention and 1-year follow-up determined confidence in cooking using basic ingredients, following a simple recipe, tasting new foods, preparing and cooking new foods on consumption of ready meals, vegetables and fruit. Deprived communities in Ayrshire and Arran, Scotland. Parents of nursery age children, 97 % were female and <45 years old. One hundred and two participants had completed baseline and post-intervention questionnaires. Forty-four participants contacted by telephone completed a follow-up questionnaire. In participants who completed all questionnaires (n 44), median confidence in four aspects of cooking increased significantly from baseline to post intervention (P < 0·001) but was retained at 1-year follow-up only for following a simple recipe and preparing and cooking new foods. Improved food consumption patterns were reported from baseline to post intervention (ready-meal consumption reduced from 2-4 times/week to 1 time/week, P < 0·001; vegetable consumption increased from 5-6 times/week to 1 time/d, P < 0·001; fruit consumption increased from 5-6 times/week to 1 time/d, P < 0·001) and remained at 1-year follow-up. The cooking programmes appeared to improve cooking confidence and food consumption patterns in the target group and some of these changes were retained after 1 year.