Barriers and Enablers for Adolescents Accessing Substance-Use Treatment: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis.

Substance use is a persistent concern for adolescents in many countries due to the significant negative impact on mental, physical and social outcomes. US research indicates that while 4.1% of 12-17-year-olds require treatment, <10% of those who require it access it.

The impact of COVID-19 on non-communicable disease patients in sub-Saharan African countries: A systematic review.

Background: COVID-19 and its prevention measures have had a significant impact on patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by disrupting routine healthcare service and increasing risk factors. These challenges were expected to be more severe in sub-Saharan Africa due to the lack of physical infrastructure and inadequate resources. The quantity of studies conducted was limited, and there was a lack of published systematic reviews in the specified region.

Role of the addiction clinical nurse specialist in acute hospital settings.

Background: The role of an addiction clinical nurse specialist (ACNS) is focused on individuals who misuse drugs and alcohol, and several benefits of the role have been identified in the literature. When people who misuse substances are admitted to acute general hospitals, there is an opportunity to engage with them and ensure they access support services to facilitate their recovery.

Aim: To determine general nurses' experience of caring for patients who misuse substances, and to gauge nurses' views on the implementation of an ACNS role in an acute general hospital.

Retrospective cohort study exploring the impact of universal Tuberculosis (TB) vaccination cessation on the epidemiology of paediatric TB in Ireland, 2011-2021.

Background: Since 2010, Ireland's Tuberculosis (TB) crude incidence rate (CIR) remains below 10 per 100,000 population defining it as a low TB incidence country. Ireland maintained a universal BCG vaccination programme until its discontinuation in 2015 due to lack of vaccine supply. This study explores the impact of discontinuing a national universal BCG vaccination programme on the epidemiology of paediatric TB cases.

'Selling their souls?' Nurses' understanding of addiction and recovery in acute hospital settings.

Background: Nursing disciplines do not currently have a shared understanding of addiction or recovery to address their contribution to their patients' needs. Recent developments of addiction nursing models, alongside an international move to standardise language, is slow to be reflected in nurses' perceptions in acute hospital settings.

Aim: To explore nurses' understanding of addiction and recovery in acute general hospitals.

Nurse prescribing practices across the globe for medication-assisted treatment of the opioid use disorder (MOUD): a scoping review.

Background: Despite the dramatic increase in opioid-related deaths in recent years, global access to treatment remains poor. A major barrier to people accessing Medication-assisted treatment of the opioid use disorder (MOUD) is the lack of providers who can prescribe and monitor MOUD. According to the World Drug Report, more young people are using drugs compared with previous generations and people in need of treatment cannot get it, women most of all.

Women over 50 who use alcohol and their engagement with primary and preventative health services: a narrative review using a systematic approach.

Background: Women who are over 50 years are drinking alcohol in higher quantities and more frequently than in previous decades. Good engagement with primary care is crucial for women's physical and psychological health, particularly if they use alcohol. However, there is little known about the alcohol use of women over 50 and their use of primary care.

Increasing awareness of bullying through small-scale initiatives in higher education.

Employees are entitled to work in an environment that upholds their dignity and respect, but bullying still exists in many disciplines, including in nurse education and nursing practice. Researchers have suggested that to address bullying employers need to intervene at team and/or organisational level rather than focusing solely on the individuals involved. To reduce the incidence of bullying and other adverse social behaviours in the workplace, many higher education institutions and healthcare organisations have developed dignity and respect (D&R) policies.

The second wave: estimating the hidden asymptomatic prevalence of COVID-19 in Ireland as we plan for imminent immunisation.

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Ireland was recorded policy makers have introduced mitigation measures to control the spread of infection. Infection is spread by both known cases and hidden, undetected asymptomatic cases.  Asymptomatic individuals are people who transmit the virus but display no clinical symptoms.

Leadership and community healthcare reform: a study using the Competing Values Framework (CVF).

Purpose: The Health Service Executive in Ireland seeks to further develop healthcare in the community. It has identified that this reform requires developing leadership amongst the staff. This study aims to identify what kind of leadership staff in community healthcare observe in practice and their leadership preferences.

Dynamics of the COVID-19 epidemic in Ireland under mitigation.

Background: In Ireland and across the European Union the COVID-19 epidemic waves, driven mainly by the emergence of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 have continued their course, despite various interventions from governments. Public health interventions continue in their attempts to control the spread as they wait for the planned significant effect of vaccination.

Methods: To tackle this challenge and the observed non-stationary aspect of the epidemic we used a modified SEIR stochastic model with time-varying parameters, following Brownian process.

A mechanistic and data-driven reconstruction of the time-varying reproduction number: Application to the COVID-19 epidemic.

The effective reproduction number Reff is a critical epidemiological parameter that characterizes the transmissibility of a pathogen. However, this parameter is difficult to estimate in the presence of silent transmission and/or significant temporal variation in case reporting. This variation can occur due to the lack of timely or appropriate testing, public health interventions and/or changes in human behavior during an epidemic.

First back-calculation and infection fatality multiplier estimate of the hidden prevalence of COVID-19 in Ireland.

Background: To date computer models with multiple assumptions have focussed on predicting the incidence of symptomatic cases of COVID-19. Given emerging vaccines, the aim of this study was to provide simple methods for estimating the hidden prevalence of asymptomatic cases and levels of herd immunity to aid future immunization policy and planning. We applied the method in Ireland.

Prevalence and concordance of oral HPV infections with cervical HPV infections in women referred to colposcopy with abnormal cytology.

Background: Considering the shared aetiology of Human Papillomavirus infections in oropharyngeal and cervical cancers and the possible role for sexual transmission, several key aspects of the relationship between cervical and oral infections merit investigation, including prevalence of concomitant oral HPV infection and type-specific concordance with concurrent cervical infections.

Methods: A cross-section study was performed on women referred to colposcopy clinics with cytological abnormalities and a cervical HPV infection. An oral rinse sample was taken from the participants at their baseline visit for HPV testing, and a demographic and risk factor questionnaire was also administered.

Effects of migration on tuberculosis epidemiological indicators in low and medium tuberculosis incidence countries: A systematic review.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the top ten causes of death each year globally. While the risk of migrant TB is linked to the TB incidence in their country of origin, the migration process can increase the TB risk.

Objective: We aimed to synthesis the evidence on key differences in the epidemiological profile of TB between migrants from high TB incidence birth countries and non-migrants resident in low to medium incidence TB countries.

The Healthy Addiction Treatment Recovery Model: Developing a Client-Driven, Nurse-Led Addiction Nursing Model.

The current model of nursing within international addiction services has been described as task oriented and reactive. Yet, it is known that nursing models should be led by client need and operate within the domain of the client and their wider environment. The aim of this study was to address this gap within addiction nursing and to develop an evidence-based addiction nursing model.

Parallel trends in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and retail/recreation and public transport mobility during non-lockdown periods.

Recent literature strongly supports the hypothesis that mobility restriction and social distancing play a crucial role in limiting the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). During the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it was shown that mobility restriction reduced transmission significantly. This study found that, in the period between the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was high positive correlation between trends in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and mobility.

Journeying with fear: Young people's experiences of cannabis use, crime and violence before treatment entry.

Problem: The experiences of crime and policing from the perspective of adolescent cannabis users before treatment entry are not often understood by practitioners.

Methods: A qualitative design within an interpretivist paradigm was used. Data were collected using one-to-one semi-structured interviews.

Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery: a partnership and evidence-informed approach to developing the new Irish health led, National Drug Strategy.

Background: Policy development by partnership is difficult, however, 'Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery- A health led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland 2017-2025' hailed a new era. This policy was based on an agreed philosophy and core values across a 21-member partnership and has stated a common commitment to a health-led response.

Methods: To drive strategy development, a cross-discipline committee with an independent Chair was created by the Minister.

"Debt on Me Head": A Qualitative Study of the Experience of Teenage Cannabis Users in Treatment.

Background: Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in most western countries. In Ireland, it now accounts for most new presentations to substance use treatment services. Cannabis use for most of these people commenced during adolescence.

Clients' Views on the Importance of a Nurse-Led Approach and Nurse Prescribing in the Development of the Healthy Addiction Treatment Recovery Model.

Globally, from America to Europe and beyond, the need for the expansion of the role of nurse practitioners has been recognized within the healthcare professions. However, little emphasis has been placed on assessing the views of clients, and within the addiction services, the voice of clients can be additionally marginalized as a result of treatment philosophies, stigma, and resource constraints. The aims of this study were to establish from clients their nursing needs and to use these findings alongside an objective measurement of clients' health, to inform the development of a nurse-led treatment model.