Original Articles

On Saturday the 23rd March 2013, ATRIUM will be hosting the second annual conference of the National Student Association of Medical Research at the Chancellor's Building, New Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Abstract

Background: The incidence of work related mental health problems and sickness absences are increasing. The most vulnerable group are health care workers. The majority of health care workers are employed by the National Health Service.
Aims: To identify rates and degree of anxiety, depression and stress at work amongst National Health Service employees in five trusts attending the occupational health department. To describe the demographics of employees returning to work and characteristics of their work patterns, and what interventions were used if needed.
Methods: A retrospective observational study on 226 employees from October 2000 to November 2007 was carried out.
Results: Stress at work was associated with either anxiety or depression or both. Age, number of years in the NHS, past psychiatric history and shift work also influenced stress at work factors. Nurses were the most vulnerable group followed by administrative staff. With effective intervention, nearly 86% of employees were able to return to work.
Conclusions: The study supports that intervention by multiple approaches has a significant role for a successful fitness and early return to work.

Abstract

Suicide is the second most common cause of death among young men in England and Wales. Gatekeeper training aims to reduce suicide rates by teaching members of the public how to recognise individuals at risk, intervene when necessary and direct them safely to professional help. In addition, the training aims to challenge taboo, promote open discussion about suicide and improve confidence to intervene with at-risk individuals. Gatekeeper training is currently employed around the globe, but the evidence base for its use is not yet fully established. Our aim was therefore to determine, using the currently available literature, if gatekeeper training is an effective suicide prevention strategy as analysed in the context of the Kirkpatrick model. The studies analysed may suggest a positive impact of training upon both trainee knowledge and, more tentatively, behaviour. However, this is by no means a universal finding and it is difficult to conclude whether or not improvements persist over time. The nature of the training used and the demographic targeted appear to be important, but variation in the standard of available studies as well as differences in their results make it difficult to draw firm conclusions. The authors therefore conclude that the currently available literature does not enable a reliable assessment of whether or not gatekeeper training is an effective suicide prevention strategy.

Homer once wrote: “taught by time, my heart has learn’d to glow for others’ good, and melt at others’ woe” [1]. While a poet attempts to describe empathy in verse, it is neurologically complex. It can be argued that empathy defines mankind and severe deficits are considered a key part of the social difficulties that is a defining feature of autism spectrum conditions (ASC). The autism spectrum is often viewed as a triad of difficulties.

Osteoporosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in people over the age of 50. Calcium and vitamin D supplements are recommended as adjuncts to other pharmacological therapies for osteoporosis in this group. Recent evidence suggests that, whilst calcium supplements co-administered with vitamin D may reduce osteoporotic fracture risk, calcium supplements given alone have little, if any, effect on fracture risk, and are associated with a 30% increase in the risk of myocardial infarction.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a variable disease which has been a source of fascination, and perplexity, for physicians over the years. The muddled early descriptions of the disease and evolving diagnostic criteria testify to its complexity. This article summarises past and present diagnostics and treatments, and relates these to current ideas of SLE pathogenesis.

It is well recognised that cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of mortality in western societies. The British Heart Foundation in 2004 [1] stated that 1-3 people per 500 per annum suffer myocardial infarction. The natural history of this pathological process is the development of a fibrotic, non-contracting region of the ventricular wall, which physiologically manifests as reduced ventricular function.