Six new research projects have been awarded a share of £2m funding by NIHR and UKRI to investigate and reduce the impacts of Covid-19 and the pandemic on mental health.
The projects will focus on reducing the negative effects of the pandemic on the mental health of three at-risk groups: healthcare workers, children and younger people, and those with serious mental health problems.
To find out more click here.
This month focuses on telemedicine, making research more accessible, digital innovations and includes a range of articles in support of Black History Month, plus much more.
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With research suggesting that vaccines via a nasal spray or inhalation can protect people against the disease and help to reduce the transmission of this disease, a new clinical trial, funded by UKRI and NIHR, has been launched. The trial aims to explore the effect of the virus by administering the vaccine as inhaled airborne droplets rather than injection to the muscle. The aim is to induce a more effective immune response, potentially leading to the acceleration of an effective vaccine.
Lead researcher Dr Chris Chiu, from the Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College London explained;
“The current pandemic is caused by a respiratory virus that primarily infects people through the cells lining the nose, throat and lungs.
“These surfaces are specialised and produce a different immune response to the rest of the body, so it is critical we explore whether targeting the airways directly can provide an effective response compared to a vaccine injected into muscle.”
With the clinical trials already going ahead and many countries working on their own form of vaccine- this trial may give some guidance on whether we have the right vaccine but wrong delivery method.
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This month’s newsletter focuses on ‘the new normal’, acute care innovations, clinical leadership, telehealth and the importance of research.
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Recommendations for continued care and support of people who are clinically extremely vulnerable
Royal College of Physicians (RCP); 2020.
(Statement from the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, National Voices and specialist societies highlighting the challenges faced by both doctors and patients in identifying and reducing the risks associated with COVID-19 for the most clinically vulnerable people.)
Expanding the primary care workforce in 2020/21 .
NHS England & NHS Improvement; 2020.
(Actions for CCGs, PCNs and STPs resulting from People Plan and Third phase of NHS response to covid-19.)
Reintroduction of NHS continuing healthcare.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2020.
(Sets out how clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will restart NHS continuing healthcare (CHC) assessment processes from 1 September 2020.Published 21 August 2020.)
Virtual training for midwives during a pandemic.
Abramson P. British Journal of Midwifery 2020;28(8):502–503.
(When a baby dies, it is a tragedy at any time but during the COVID-19 pandemic, bereaved families and the professionals supporting them have been faced with additional and often distressing challenges. Restrictions have made access to hospitals difficult for partners and other family members, while support services that would normally be provided for bereaved parents have been unavailable or severely limited.)
Ketamine as a mental health treatment: Are acute psychoactive effects associated with outcomes? A systematic review.
Grabski M. Behavioural Brain Research 2020;392:112629.
(The databases Medline, Embase and PsycInfo were searched. The studies reviewed displayed great variability in methodology and quality of reporting. The most commonly assessed effect was dissociation, measured by the CADSS. Our results suggest that the CADSS total is not consistently associated with antidepressant outcomes. Apart from this, the current literature is too limited to draw definite conclusions on an association between acute psychoactive effects and mental health outcomes.)
The article focuses on one arm of the immune response – the B and T cells which produce antibodies. It shows that people keep T cells from the mild coronaviruses long enough to interact with a new challenge by SARS-CoV-2, meaning that those T cells might recognise SARS-CoV-2 and help to clear the infection. Could this possibly provide an answer as to why some people have less severe effects compared to others? Click here to read more.
To read the whole research, conducted by La Jolla Institute for Immunology click here.
Should antidepressants be used for major depressive disorder? Jakobsen JC. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine 2020;25(4):130.
The benefits of antidepressants seem to be minimal and possibly without any importance to the average patient with major depressive disorder. Antidepressants should not be used for adults with major depressive disorder before valid evidence has shown that the potential beneficial effects outweigh the harmful effects.
Clinical pathways as a mobile device. Please log in via Athens to access the whole article. Barrett J. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine 2020;25(4):131-137.
Overall, this project supports the development of a mobile application based on the design principles used in the clinical pathways. Providers did indeed use the clinical pathways. They found the pathways easy to use and helped provide evidence-based care in clinical practice. While the iPad was useful for some participants, a small sized tablet and phone would be preferred by others. Future work will be undertaken on mobile application development using multiple screen sizes.
Dementia prevention, intervention and care. The Lancet 2020;:doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6. Excessive alcohol consumption, traumatic brain injury, and air pollution have been added to the list of potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia. Together the 12 listed modifiable risk factors account for around 40% of worldwide dementia’s.
The case studies highlighted in the report illustrate how digital technology may have the potential to transform care, build stronger relationships and work effectively as a team in order to support patients.
The paper also makes us question the changes of online services due to COVID-19, encouraging us to discuss the impact of these changes and whether services could be redesigned for the better.
To read the full report click here.
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This briefing provides a review of the research methods and approaches used to evaluate UK-based social prescribing interventions in recent years, to inform health care and social services professionals, as well as organisations delivering social prescribing interventions and those conducting evaluations of them. It aims to give an overview of how social prescribing has been evaluated, and what can be learned from this.
