Immunological research in clinical psychiatry: report on the consensus debate during the 7th Expert Meeting on Psychiatry and Immunology. (49/743)

There is convincing evidence that cytokines are involved in the physiology and pathophysiology of brain function and interact with different neurotransmitter and neuroendocrine pathways. The possible involvement of the immune system in the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie psychiatric disorders has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Thus in the last decade, numerous clinical studies have demonstrated dysregulated immune functions in patients with psychiatric disorders. Such findings formed the basis of the 7th Expert Meeting on Psychiatry and Immunology in Muenster, Germany, where a consensus symposium was held to consider the strengths and weaknesses of current research in psychoneuroimmunology. Following a general overview of the field, the following topics were discussed: (1) methodological problems in laboratory procedures and recruitment of clinical samples; (2) the importance of pre-clinical research and animal models in psychiatric research; (3) the problem of statistical vs biological relevance. It was concluded that, despite a fruitful proliferation of research activities throughout the last decade, the continuous elaboration of methodological standards including the implementation of hypothesis-driven research represents a task that is likely to prove crucial for the future development of immunology research in clinical psychiatry.  (+info)

Does primary medical practitioner involvement with a specialist team improve patient outcomes? A systematic review. (50/743)

Patients with chronic or complex medical or psychiatric conditions are treated by many practioners, including general practitioners (GPs). Formal liaison between primary and specialist is often assumed to offer benefits to patients. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of formal liaison of GPs with specialist service providers on patient health outcomes, by conducting a systematic review of the published literature in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL and Cochrane Library databases using the following search terms: 'family physician': synonyms of 'patient care planning', 'patient discharge' and 'patient care team'; and synonyms of 'randomised controlled trials'. Seven studies were identified, involving 963 subjects and 899 controls. Most health outcomes were unchanged, although some physical and functional health outcomes were improved by formal liaison between GPs and specialist services, particularly among chronic mental illness patients. Some health outcomes worsened during the intervention. Patient retention rates within treatment programmes improved with GP involvement, as did patient satisfaction. Doctor (GP and specialist) behaviour changed with reports of more rational use of resources and diagnostic tests, improved clinical skills, more frequent use of appropriate treatment strategies, and more frequent clinical behaviours designed to detect disease complications. Cost effectiveness could not be determined. In conclusion, formal liaison between GPs and specialist services leaves most physical health outcomes unchanged, but improves functional outcomes in chronically mentally ill patients. It may confer modest long-term health benefits through improvements in patient concordance with treatment programmes and more effective clinical practice.  (+info)

How much do doctors know about consent and capacity? (51/743)

To assess knowledge of capacity issues across different medical specialties we conducted a cross-sectional survey with a structured questionnaire at academic meetings, lectures and conferences. Of 190 individuals who received the questionnaire 129 (68%) responded-35 general practitioners, 31 psychiatrists, 29 old-age physicians [corrected] and 34 final year medical students. Correct answers on capacity to consent to or refuse medical treatment were given by 58% of the psychiatrists, 34% of the geriatricians, 20% of the general practitioners and 15% of the students. 15% of all respondents wrongly believed that a competent adult could lawfully be treated against his or her will, with no obvious differences by specialty. As judged by this survey, issues of capacity and consent deserve more attention in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education.  (+info)

Defensive practice among psychiatrists: a questionnaire survey. (52/743)

OBJECTIVE: There has been little research on the prevalence of defensive practice within hospital settings. The aim of this report was to examine the extent of defensiveness among psychiatrists and to examine the relationship between defensiveness and seniority, as well as the effect of previous experiences on the level of defensiveness. DESIGN: A postal questionnaire survey on defensive practice. SETTING: Northern Region of England. SUBJECTS: 154 psychiatrists in the region. RESULTS: 96 responses were received from 48 equivalent consultants, 18 specialist registrars, and 23 equivalent senior house officers. Overall, 75% of those who replied had taken defensive actions within the past month. In particular, 21% had admitted patients overcautiously and 29% had placed patients on higher levels of observations. Junior psychiatrists were particularly prone to practise defensively. Important contributing factors included previous experience of complaints (against colleague or self), critical incidents, and legal claims. CONCLUSION: Almost three quarters of the psychiatrists who responded had practised defensively within the past month. The higher propensity of junior trainees to practise defensively may be attributable to their lack of confidence and experience. Experience of complaints (colleague or self) and critical incidents were important factors for defensive practice. Better and more structured training might reduce the high level of defensive practice and the way complaints and investigations are handled should be improved to maintain a truly "no blame" environment conducive to learning from past experience.  (+info)

Mental health care and nutrition. Integrating specialist services into primary care. (53/743)

PROBLEM BEING ADDRESSED: Primary care reform is an important component of health services restructuring. One of the goals of primary care reform is to integrate specialized services into primary care settings. To date, few programs have successfully achieved this. OBJECTIVE OF PROGRAM: To integrate specialized mental health services into the offices of family physicians through the Hamilton Health Services Organization (HSO) Mental Health and Nutrition Program. MAIN COMPONENTS OF PROGRAM: Since 1994, the Hamilton HSO Mental Health and Nutrition Program has integrated mental health counselors, psychiatrists, and dietitians into the offices of 87 family physicians. Activities of specialists are coordinated by a central administrative body. CONCLUSION: Lessons learned from this program can indicate how to succeed in integrating specialist services into primary care offices.  (+info)

Effectiveness of collaborative care depression treatment in Veterans' Affairs primary care. (54/743)

OBJECTIVE: To compare collaborative care for treatment of depression in primary care with consult-liaison (CL) care. In collaborative care, a mental health team provided a treatment plan to the primary care provider, telephoned patients to support adherence to the plan, reviewed treatment results, and suggested modifications to the provider. In CL care, study clinicians informed the primary care provider of the diagnosis and facilitated referrals to psychiatry residents practicing in the primary care clinic. DESIGN: Patients were randomly assigned to treatment model by clinic firm. SETTING: VA primary care clinic. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred sixty-eight collaborative care and 186 CL patients who met criteria for major depression and/or dysthymia. MEASUREMENTS: Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-20), Short Form (SF)-36, Sheehan Disability Scale. MAIN RESULTS: Collaborative care produced greater improvement than CL in depressive symptomatology from baseline to 3 months (SCL-20 change scores), but at 9 months there was no significant difference. The intervention increased the proportion of patients receiving prescriptions and cognitive behavioral therapy. Collaborative care produced significantly greater improvement on the Sheehan at 3 months. A greater proportion of collaborative care patients exhibited an improvement in SF-36 Mental Component Score of 5 points or more from baseline to 9 months. CONCLUSIONS: Collaborative care resulted in more rapid improvement in depression symptomatology, and a more rapid and sustained improvement in mental health status compared to the more standard model. Mounting evidence indicates that collaboration between primary care providers and mental health specialists can improve depression treatment and supports the necessary changes in clinic structure and incentives.  (+info)

Research on the mentally incompetent. (55/743)

The specific problems of consent for the mentally incompetent are reviewed. Scientific research is essential to test the validity of present treatments and to develop new ones. The respective roles of the physician and the researcher have to be clearly defined. The vulnerability of psychiatric patients has to be taken into consideration in such a way that some research can be conducted. It is emphasised that the ethical restrictions for research, although highly justified and necessary, are in part responsible for the relatively slow progress in the application of modern neurosciences to psychiatric diseases.  (+info)

Psychiatric research: what ethical concerns do LRECs encounter? A postal survey. Local research ethics committees. (56/743)

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Psychiatric research can occasionally present particular ethical dilemmas, but it is not clear what kind of problems local research ethics committees (LRECs) actually experience in this field. We aimed to assess the type of problems that committees encounter with psychiatric research, using a postal survey of 211 LRECs. RESULTS: One hundred and seven (51%) of those written to replied within the time limit. Twenty eight (26%) experienced few problems with psychiatric applications. Twenty six (24%) emphasised the value of a psychiatric expert on the committee. The most common issues raised were informed consent (n=64, 60%) and confidentiality (n=17, 16%). The use of placebos (and washout periods) (n=18, 17%), the validity of psychiatric questionnaires (n=16, 15%) and overuse of psychiatric "jargon" (n=14, 13%) in psychiatric applications also raised concern. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that LRECs have specific concerns regarding methodology, consent, and confidentiality in psychiatric research, and that they find psychiatric input invaluable.  (+info)