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<title>All Ireland electronic Health Library - latest resources</title>
<description>The All-Ireland electronic Health Library (AIeHL) is a network of interoperable websites across the island of Ireland.  It contains knowledge resources related to health and social well-being from the so-called "grey literature".</description>
<link>http://www.aiehl.ie/</link>


<item><title><![CDATA[Group wants alcohol sponsorship of sport ended.]]></title><link>http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/16917</link><description><![CDATA[A Department of Health expert group has recommended that drinks industry sponsorship of sport and other large events be phased out by 2016.   The report was compiled by the National Substance Misuse Strategy Steering Group, which was set up to identify ways of tackling the problems caused by alcohol misuse.  The report also recommends legislation for minimum alcohol pricing, a ''social responsibility'' levy on the drinks industry and a 9pm watershed for alcohol advertising on television and radio.   The department's Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said alcohol was responsible for 88 deaths each month in 2008.   The expert group report says that alcohol is associated with 2,000 hospital beds being occupied every night.   The related illness cost is over €1.2 billion a year.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[The National Substance Misuse Strategy. Minority report by the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland.]]></title><link>http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/16913</link><description><![CDATA[The Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI) is the umbrella organisation for drinks industry manufacturers and suppliers. ABFI works to promote and support an environment that encourages the sustainable and responsible development of the alcohol beverage manufacturing sector in Ireland. The Irish drinks industry is a major national industry providing over 60,000 direct and indirect jobs, generating approximately €2 billion in excise and VAT revenues for the State, and supporting some of Ireland’s most successful international export products. Last year, our exports were valued at over €1bn, which is comparable to the total exports of prepared consumer foods. Our industry also plays a crucial role in domestic tourism, through the facilities and services we provide and our sponsorship of hundreds of cultural and sporting events and festivals. Our industry is currently facing major challenges due to the difficult economic environment and the significant change in consumption and structure of the drinks market. However, we continue to work to promote a responsible attitude to alcohol in Ireland. We do this through the successfully implemented suite of self- and co-regulatory codes of practice that we have agreed with Government on alcohol marketing, advertising, and sponsorship. We also provide a €20 million investment in Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society (MEAS) and the highly visible www.drinkaware.ie , a consumer focused initiative aimed at reducing the culture of excessive drinking and promoting the responsible use of alcohol, while at the same time challenging anti-social drinking behaviour. ABFI was and remains an active and fully engaged member of the National Substance Misuse Strategy Group (NSMS). While ABFI objected to the concept of establishing the steering group to develop a joint strategy on drugs and alcohol, we attended and participated in all of the meetings of the steering group in a constructive and positive manner. ABFI objected – and still does - to the establishment of the joint strategy on the basis that, unlike illegal drugs, alcohol is a legal licensed product, which when consumed in a responsible manner can form part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Its establishment was not recommended by the National Drugs Strategy (NDS) working group of 2009. Despite these reservations, there is much in the majority report to be commended. ABFI supports the majority of the recommendations, in particular those which relate to community level activities, treatment and rehabilitation resourcing and prevention actions, such as education interventions, youth reach programmes, provision of alcohol free venues and activities for the youth and measures aimed at families. As far back as 2007, ABFI agreed to support Department of Health legislation to provide pregnancy advice and unit labeling of alcohol content on labels – a key recommendation in this report.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Alcohol Strategy – political will key to turning ‘blueprint for change’ into plan of action.]]></title><link>http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/16914</link><description><![CDATA[Alcohol Action Ireland, the national charity for alcohol-related issues, today welcomed the new National Substance Misuse Strategy saying it provided a blueprint for change and marked an opportunity to have a different relationship with alcohol.  Director Fiona Ryan said: “We know in Ireland that we have a difficult relationship with alcohol. We know because one in 11 children - enough children to fill Croke Park - tell us their lives are being negatively impacted by a parent’s drinking. We know because half of us are drinking at levels currently jeopardising our health – over 2 litres of pure alcohol a year above maximum low risk limits. We know financially because it is costing us €3.7 billion a year in alcohol-related harm with over 2,000 hospital beds a night being used in connection with alcohol.  “The National Substance Misuse Strategy has created a blueprint of recommendations that if implemented will go a considerable way to protecting the health and wellbeing of children, young people and families in communities across Ireland. In the end, however, they are just a set of recommendations, it will take significant political will to turn a blueprint for change into a real plan of action.”   Referring to the report’s recommendations, Ms Ryan said they reflected the World Health Organisation’s evidence on the most effective measures to reduce alcohol consumption and related harm. “Recommendations around tackling pricing, availability and marketing including sponsorship are not empty policy gestures but real ways to make a difference.  Alcohol marketing impacts on young people’s decision to drink alcohol and the amount they drink which is why the report emphasises restricting marketing. “In the debate that follows this report, education will no doubt be presented as an alternative to restricting alcohol marketing.  Unfortunately, the evidence from the World Health Organisation doesn’t support education by itself as a solution for alcohol-related harm - in fairness, how could it? “Over €60million a year is spent in Ireland alone on marketing and promoting alcohol through sports sponsorship, television, internet and social networking sites. It would be difficult for any country to counterbalance the millions spent on promoting alcohol.” Ms Ryan underlined the fact that pricing was key to promoting alcohol and welcomed the recommendation setting a floor price so that alcohol would not be sold at ‘pocket money’ prices.  She said: “Concern over young people’s drinking and the impact on their physical and mental health is one of the prime motivators for the recommendations contained in this report. We should remember that there is another group of children rarely seen, rarely heard and rarely the subject of official reports. These are the one in 11 children whose lives are currently being impacted by a parent’s drinking to the extent that it can become a child welfare and protection issue.  One in seven children in care in Ireland, are there primarily because of parental substance misuse and this is liable to be an underestimation.  “Alcohol Action Ireland has actively campaigned for these children to be seen and heard. At the very least, this strategy recognises these children, the challenges they and their families face and the right of these children to be seen and heard by State services. Agencies need to work together to deliver services for children that are consistent and appropriate: a child’s right to help should not be dependent on whether his or her parents are accessing services.  “Despite the urgency of these children’s plight, we are only at the start of this process. Northern Ireland already has its Hidden Harm strategy in operation to address the needs of these children. A child should not have to wait and suffer in silence because their parent may not or want to recognise they have an alcohol problem.” For more information contact: Joanne Dunne at (01) 878 0610 or Fiona Ryan 087 219 5723]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Launch of the report of the National Substance Misuse Strategy Steering Group.]]></title><link>http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/16915</link><description><![CDATA[Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer and Chairman of the National Substance Misuse Strategy Steering Group, today, 7th February, 2012, launched the Report of the Group. The focus of the Steering Group was on alcohol and it was charged with identifying actions that could be used to deal with the harms caused by alcohol use and misuse.  The Steering Group was drawn from relevant Departments and agencies, medical professional bodies, the community and voluntary sectors and the alcohol industry. Its report is a roadmap for the future direction of policy to deal with the use and misuse of alcohol. Some of the key recommendations of the Group include:  •Increase the price of alcohol so that it becomes less affordable; •introduce a legislative basis for minimum pricing, along with a ‘social responsibility’ levy on the drinks industry;  •commence Section 9 (structural separation of alcohol from other products in supermarkets, etc) of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2008;  •introduce legislation and statutory codes to provide for: a 9.00 p.m. watershed for alcohol advertising on television and radio; alcohol advertising in cinemas to only be associated with films classified as being suitable for over-18s; prohibition of all outdoor advertising of alcohol; and all alcohol advertising in the print media to be subject to stringent codes, enshrined in legislation and independently monitored;  •phase out drinks industry sponsorship of sport and other large public events by 2016; • develop a system to monitor the enforcement of the provisions of the intoxicating liquor legislation;  •establish a Clinical Directorate to develop the clinical and organisational governance framework to underpin treatment and rehabilitation services;  •develop early intervention guidelines for alcohol and substance use across all relevant sectors of the health and social care system. This will include a national screening and brief intervention protocol for early identification of problem alcohol use.  The Steering Group adopted a population-based approach to its work as such an approach benefits those who are not in regular contact with the health services and those who have not been specifically advised to reduce their alcohol intake.  “The harms from alcohol use and misuse are significant”. said Dr Holohan “For example, alcohol was responsible for at least 88 deaths every month in 2008. It was a contributory factor in half of all suicides and deliberate self-harm, is associated with 2,000 beds being occupied every night in Irish hospitals and related illness cost the health care system €1.2 billion in 2007 with alcohol-related crime costing an estimated €1.19 billion in the same year.”  “The human cost of alcohol use and misuse is too stark to ignore”, continued Dr Holohan “and the Steering Group made 45 recommendations to tackle the harm caused to individuals and society from alcohol use and misuse”.  “The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that alcohol interventions targeted at vulnerable groups can prevent alcohol harm but that policies targeted at the whole population, while having a protective effect on vulnerable populations, also reduce the overall level of alcohol problems. It also helps prevent people from drinking harmful or hazardous quantities of alcohol in the first place.” said Dr Holohan. “After all, Irish adults drink in a more dangerous way than any other country. In effect, 1.5 million Irish drinkers drink in a harmful pattern and this needs to be addressed”  “The Steering Group took note of the shift in the pattern of alcohol purchasing from the pub to the off-licence sector, and to supermarkets in particular: We can’t ignore the impact of this on alcohol consumption given that there was a 161 per cent increase in the number of off-licences operating between 1998 and 2010 and over the same time period the number of pub licences decreased by 19 per cent”, declared Dr Holohan.  The Report may be downloaded at www.doh.ie. A list of all recommendations of the Steering Group is in Chapter 7 of the Report; in addition, the FAQ document summarises the recommendations.  Commenting on the launch, Minister Reilly said: “I am very pleased that the Steering Group have launched their report. The report provides a comprehensive and structured approach to dealing with the problems and harms caused by alcohol use and misuse; and in particular it specifies measures to reduce the availability of cheap alcohol. I also want to thank the Chairman and all members of the Steering Group”, added the Minister. “Their hard work and perseverance in getting the report finished is to be commended”.  Minister of State with responsibility for Primary Care and Drugs Strategy Róisín Shortall stated: “I welcome the launch of this report. It’s a report that is strong on its research and evidence base; comprehensive in its analysis; and specific on recommendations to deal with the issue of alcohol. It will serve as a platform for a public debate on the problems of alcohol use and misuse; and in this regard I will be presenting the report to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health. I wish to express my thanks to the Chairman and members of the Steering Group for all of their time and effort in writing the report” At the launch, Mr Rolande Anderson, the former National alcohol project Director for the ICGP (Irish College of General Practitioners) and who served on the committee as the ICGP representative throughout its deliberations stated "the strategy was expertly chaired and efficiently run. Many of the recommendations will, when implemented, make a serious dent in our national alcohol problem and most importantly benefit individuals and communities.” Meanwhile, Dr Eamon Keenan, Consultant Psychiatrist in Substance Misuse and who represented the College of Psychiatry of Ireland on the Steering Group said: “I welcome the publication of the Government's National Substance Misuse Strategy Report. I believe that this report will greatly assist treatment services to develop appropriate interventions for individuals suffering from alcohol related problems.” Tony Geoghegan from the voluntary sector and who is Chief Executive Officer of Merchant's Quay Ireland declared: "The National Voluntary Drug and Alcohol Service Providers warmly welcome the publication of the Report of the National Substance Misuse Strategy Steering Group. Alcohol, like all drugs, if misused has a huge potential for harm to the individual, their families, the community and society as a whole." Ms Fiona Ryan – Director of Alcohol Action Ireland and Steering Group member – referred to impact the recommendations would have: “Alcohol Action Ireland has campaigned for recognition of children affected by parental alcohol problems which affect as many as one in 11 children in Ireland”, added Fiona. “One in seven children in care in Ireland are there primarily because of parental substance misuse and this is liable to be an under-estimation. This strategy recognises these children, the challenges they and their families face and the right of these children to be seen and heard by State services.” Dr Joe Barry, Clinical Professor in Public Health Medicine and Head of the Department of Public Health and Primary Care (TCD) and member of the Steering Group said “The introduction of a social responsibility levy on the alcohol industry will help meet the considerable cost to the Irish health service from alcohol related harms.” Dr Declan Bedford, Specialist in Public Health Medicine from the IMO said: "As a nation we drink too much alcohol and this has resulted in a huge burden of health and social harms. The level of alcohol related harm across the whole of our society is such that it demands the implementation of the recommendations in this report” (A list of all recommendations of the Steering Group is in Chapter 7 of the report)]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Report: Alcohol plays part in half of suicide.]]></title><link>http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/16916</link><description><![CDATA[Alcohol was responsible for 88 deaths a month in 2008 and played a role in half of all suicides and cases of deliberate self-harm, according to a government body. The National Substance Misuse Strategy Steering Group has released a set of recommendations on how to reduce the alcohol intake in Ireland. The group was charged by the Government with identifying ways of tackling the harm caused by alcohol in Ireland. Its recommendations include increasing the price of alcohol, including minimum pricing, and curbing the advertising of alcohol products before 9pm.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Steering Group Report on a National substance misuse strategy.]]></title><link>http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/16908</link><description><![CDATA[Alcohol plays a complex role in Irish society. It is associated with many aspects of Irish social and cultural life and is generally consumed for enjoyment, relaxation and sociability. The pub often plays an important role in community life and is an attraction for tourists. More broadly, alcohol plays a significant role in the Irish economy by generating employment, tax income and export income. However, alcohol is no ordinary commodity. It has major public health implications and it is responsible for a considerable burden of health and social harm at individual, family and societal levels. Alcohol is a psychoactive substance that can impair motor skills and judgement, and its impacts on the individual can be at various points across a spectrum. It is a drug of dependence and can act as a gateway to the use of illicit drugs for some people. Polydrug use is now commonplace and those who drink alcohol and use other drugs place themselves at greater risk and make treatment responses more complicated. Binge drinking is also a common phenomenon in Ireland. In recent years a significant shift has occurred in the share of alcohol sales, from pubs –which may provide a more controlled environment for the consumption of alcohol – to the off-trade sectori (specialist off-licencesii and mixed trade outlets). Particular concerns arise in respect of supermarkets and other mixed trade outlets providing increased availability of alcohol and the normalisation of alcohol among a range of products, and also in terms of these outlets using the discounting of alcohol products along with alcohol-based promotions to encourage people into their premises.  The Government decided in 2009 to include alcohol in a National Substance Misuse Strategy. Arising from this decision, a Steering Group(chaired by the Department of Health) was established to advise Ministers on a new Strategy. The Substance Misuse Strategy now being developed focuses on alcohol in particular and will be taken in conjunction with the National Drugs Strategy 2009–2016 as the overall National Substance Misuse Strategy until the end of 2016. Thereafter it is envisaged that a single combined document will be involved.  A key aim of this Strategy is the promotion of healthier lifestyle choices throughout society in relation to alcohol. Given the range of health problems that can arise from alcohol consumption, or to which alcohol can be a contributory factor, a population health approach is being taken with a focus on reducing alcohol-related harm and the amount of alcohol we drink. While personal responsibility is of central importance in the management of alcohol use, the State can play a crucial role by intervening to prevent problems through addressing factors that cause difficulties and also through tackling the negative consequences that arise when problems occur.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[National Substance Misuse Strategy 2009-2016.
Minority report by Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society limited.]]></title><link>http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/16912</link><description><![CDATA[MEAS1 (Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society Limited) is an alcohol social responsibility organisation committed to tackling the problems of alcohol abuse and misuse. A registered charity, MEAS works in partnership with Government, with other appropriate bodies, including An Garda Siochana, the Road Safety Authority and local authorities and with the alcohol industry to promote the responsible marketing, retailing and use of alcohol in Irish society.  Established in 2002 by the alcohol manufacturers, distributors and licensed trade associations in Ireland as an independent, not-for-profit company, MEAS supports the Responsible Serving of Alcohol training programme, administers the MEAS Code of Practice on the Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks, and has developed and delivers the drinkaware.ie Social Marketing Communications Initiative. The drinkaware.ie initiative was established in 2006 further to the drinks’ Industry commitment under the then Government-sponsored Sustaining Progress Special Initiative on Alcohol. Financial support valued at €20m was committed by the drinks industry to the initiative over the five year period, 2007-2011 and the industry has committed to support the initiative beyond this timeframe. Most regrettably, MEAS has found itself in a position where it is obliged to submit this Minority Report despite supporting many of the Majority Report recommendations.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Republic could ban drinks sponsorship of sports events.]]></title><link>http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/16909</link><description><![CDATA[New plans for minimum drink price Drinks firms will no longer be able to sponsor sports events, concerts or festivals in the Irish Republic if recommendations in a report are adopted. The National Substance Misuse Strategy is expected to recommend banning all outdoor advertising of alcohol. They are also expected to push for minimum pricing in an effort to tackle underage and problem drinking. The measures are likely to be controversial and heavily resisted.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[EPHA open letter to the Ministers for Health of Ireland and Northern Ireland on alcohol minimum pricing.]]></title><link>http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/16910</link><description><![CDATA[On 6 February 2012, EPHA wrote to the Ministers of Health for Ireland and Northern Ireland in response to the announcement made at the first North/South Conference on alcohol misuse that took place on 26 January 2012. During this Conference, the New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs was notably presented and a commitment to collaboratively tackle the burden of alcohol abuse was announced. In its letter, EPHA expressed its support for this move and congratulated both Ministers for their willingness to take a bold step forward in the fight against a considerable public health threat. At a population level, alcohol consumption is driven by price, availability and marketing. Consumers are today, more than ever, confronted with cheap, readily available alcohol and outlets selling beer more cheaply than bottled water. This, combined with sophisticated marketing techniques, has led to a significant increase in consumption. EPHA has consistently advocated actions, in the area of pricing, availability, access and marketing, to reduce alcohol-related harm. The World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe has produced comprehensive reports documenting the evidence for these actions, pricing interventions being the most effective way to reduce levels of consumption and minimum price per unit being the most effective measure of all. Alcohol use represents a number of challenges that go beyond borders and make collaborative approaches necessary. In that sense, the European public health community welcomed the Ministers’ willingness to jointly tackle one of the most preventable disease burdens and hoped this move will have a positive impact on alcohol policy developments across the European region.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Golden Opportunities - Social Entrepreneurs in an Ageing Society]]></title><link>http://www.cardi.ie/node/10389</link><description><![CDATA[UnLtd has launched the fourth paper in its Finding Series, which  focuses on its learning from social entrepreneurs aged 50 and over.  Having worked with nearly a 1,000 social entrepreneurs over 50, it has found a wealth of untapped potential offered by this age group.  The findings show the personal benefit experienced by the social  entrepreneur themselves, as well as the social and economic impact their  ventures create.  Read the full report here: Golden Opportunities - Social Entrepreneurs in an Ageing Society]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Drug-related deaths and Drug-related deaths and deaths among drug users in Ireland: 2008 figures from the National Drug-Related Deaths Index January 2011]]></title><link>http://www.hrb.ie/publications/hrb-publication/publications//570/</link><description><![CDATA[This paper presents new NDRDI figures on drug-related deaths and deaths among drug users in 2006 and 2007, and updates previously published figures for the years 19982005.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Alcohol-related deaths and deaths among people who were alcohol dependent in Ireland, 2004 to 2008]]></title><link>http://www.hrb.ie/publications/hrb-publication/publications//571/</link><description><![CDATA[This paper describes, for the first time, trends in alcohol-related  deaths and deaths among people who were alcohol dependent in Ireland, as  recorded by the National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) for the  years 2004&#8722;2008.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Treated problem alcohol use in Ireland 2005 to 2010]]></title><link>http://www.hrb.ie/publications/hrb-publication/publications//573/</link><description><![CDATA[This paper describes trends in treated problem alcohol use in Ireland over the six-year period 2005 to 2010, as recorded by the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS). This information will assist policy makers, service planners and public health practitioners to develop appropriate responses to problem alcohol use in the future.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Treated problem alcohol use in Ireland 2005 to 2010 - Appendix]]></title><link>http://www.hrb.ie/publications/hrb-publication/publications//574/</link><description><![CDATA[This online Appendix is a supplement to HRB Trends Series 11,]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Drug-related deaths and deaths among drug users in Ireland: 2009 figures from the National Drug-Related Deaths Index]]></title><link>http://www.hrb.ie/publications/hrb-publication/publications//575/</link><description><![CDATA[This update presents figures from the National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) on deaths due to poisoning by alcohol and/or other drugs, and deaths among drug users, in the period 20042009. Alcohol-only poisonings have been retrospectively recorded by the NDRDI from 2004 onwards and are included in this update. The figures in this update supersede all previously published figures.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trends in treated problem drug use in Ireland 2005 to 2010]]></title><link>http://www.hrb.ie/publications/hrb-publication/publications//576/</link><description><![CDATA[This paper describes trends in treated problem drug use in Ireland between 2005 and 2010. The analysis presented is based on data reported to the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) and to the Central Treatment List (CTL). 
It is important to note that each record in the NDTRS database relates to a treatment episode (a case), and not to a person. This means that the same person could be counted more than once in the same calendar year if he/she had more than one treatment episode in that year.
The main findings of the analysis are: The total number of cases in treatment for problem drug use increased over the reporting period, from 12,101 in 2005 to 16,429 in 2010.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trends in treated problem drug use in Ireland 2005 to 2010: Appendix]]></title><link>http://www.hrb.ie/publications/hrb-publication/publications//577/</link><description><![CDATA[The appendix for]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Potential of Telehealth to Manage Heart and Respiratory Care]]></title><link>http://www.cardi.ie/node/10384</link><description><![CDATA[The older adult home health care patient population is socially  isolated and often medically complicated, so strategies to reduce costs  and other barriers to treatment are always needed. John Davy, Aging in Action, writes:Heart failure (HF)  and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are frequently  co-occurring conditions that are prevalent among home health care  patients. A forthcoming article in the Gerontologist presents findings  from a randomized controlled trial on the impact of a telehealth  intervention for homebound older adults with HF or COPD. Telehealth is the use of computer and telephone communication to  provide long-distance health care. This can include education, health  administration, or long-distance clinical care. Telehealth is  particularly useful in rural areas, and is used to treat a wide range of  medical conditions. This study examined a new telehealth intervention,  called tele-HEART, which draws on recent research to provide improved  home health services. This program provides an in-home assessment and  telehealth setup and education, as well as delivering ongoing support  and education, as a way of getting patients more involved in the  program. The program also makes use of recent technical innovations such  as integrated electronic medical records and computerized tracking  tools to improve care quality, and a user-friendly interface. Participants, who were home health patients age 65 or better, were  randomly assigned to either the tele-HEART group, or a control group  that provided usual home health care, involving in-home visits from  registered nurses working as case managers. In the tele-HEART system,  nurses are available on a daily basis, by telephone, and ongoing  education and symptom monitoring is provided to the patient. This  enabled daily reviewing of patient data by distance nurses, such as  heart rate, oxygen saturation, and other vital signs. The tele-HEART  system also provides audio and text prompts for self-care tasks. The  researchers hypothesized that the participants in the tele-HEART group  would have improved physical and mental health outcomes, and would have  less need for emergency medical  services.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Participants in both groups were assessed on a range of mental health  and quality of life scales at baseline and after three months of  treatment. Participants also filled out a satisfaction survey at the  three month point. Twelve months after baseline, researchers tallied the  number of emergency department visits, hospital admissions, and home  care visits in each group throughout the year. At the three month point, the tele-HEART group had significantly  lower scores on depression symptoms, and significantly better  self-reported quality of life in the areas of general health and social  functioning. Both groups reported general satisfaction with their care.  At 12 months, the control group had a significantly higher number of  emergency visits. Although this study did not report cost outcomes,  previous research has suggested that telehealth is cost effective  relative to home health care. This study suggests that person-centered,  technologically current models of telehealth can be effective for  homebound older adults. Source: Gellis  ZD, Kenaley B, McGinty J, et al (2012). Outcomes of a Telehealth  Intervention for Homebound Older Adults With Heart or Chronic  Respiratory Failure: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The Gerontologist [epub ahead of print].]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[The value of education in drug rehabilitation: report of new research,Issue 40, Winter 2011.]]></title><link>http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/16861</link><description><![CDATA[.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trends in treated problem alcohol use,Issue 40, Winter 2011.]]></title><link>http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/16864</link><description><![CDATA[.]]></description></item>
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