A primary care-based needs assessment of people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common cause of chronic progressive neurological disability where reduction in quality of life is an important feature. Many GPs have MS patients with a range of disabilities. Little is known about the supply of medical and community services and how this compares with demand.

Patient's perceptions of quality in a Northern Ireland hospital trust: a focus group study.

Explores the value of focus group methodology in a patient satisfaction initiative intended to identify quality improvement targets in a large general hospital. Analyses the transcripts from ten focus groups selected from hospital discharge lists, using simple cut-and-paste techniques. Finds that the focus group methodology was successful in amplifying feedback previously gleaned from surveys.

Housing and health: a case study of two areas in West Belfast.

The issue of housing and health has received growing attention in recent years. This article reviews why this has been the case and presents the results of the authors' study of housing and health in two areas of West Belfast. A large scale household survey was carried out in Divis Flats and part of the Twinbrook estate, both deprived areas of public sector housing, to compare health and housing conditions.