Learning from patients: trainers' use of narratives for learning and teaching.

Background: There is a growing interest in how doctors learn from narratives about individual cases, reflected, for example, in the use of e-portfolios.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate how GP trainers conceptualised 'learning from patients', and what use they currently made of narrative recounts in training.

Design & Setting: Thematic analysis (TA) and corpus-linguistic (CL) analysis, with data collected from a convenience sample of trainers in the UK, Ireland, and Spain.

Post-stroke dysphagia: A review and design considerations for future trials.

Post-stroke dysphagia (a difficulty in swallowing after a stroke) is a common and expensive complication of acute stroke and is associated with increased mortality, morbidity, and institutionalization due in part to aspiration, pneumonia, and malnutrition. Although most patients recover swallowing spontaneously, a significant minority still have dysphagia at six months. Although multiple advances have been made in the hyperacute treatment of stroke and secondary prevention, the management of dysphagia post-stroke remains a neglected area of research, and its optimal management, including diagnosis, investigation and treatment, have still to be defined.

Interventions for dysphagia and nutritional support in acute and subacute stroke.

Background: Dysphagia (swallowing problems) are common after stroke and can cause chest infection and malnutrition. Dysphagic, and malnourished, stroke patients have a poorer outcome.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of interventions for the treatment of dysphagia (swallowing therapy), and nutritional and fluid supplementation, in patients with acute and subacute (within six months from onset) stroke.

Challenges of mediated communication, disclosure and patient autonomy in cross-cultural cancer care.

Background: Evidence concerning the influence of ethnic diversity on clinical encounters in cancer care is sparse. We explored health providers' experiences in this context.

Methods: Focus groups were conducted with a purposeful sample of 106 health professionals of differing disciplines, in 18 UK primary and secondary care settings.

The unmet need for interpreting provision in UK primary care.

Background: With increasing globalisation, the challenges of providing accessible and safe healthcare to all are great. Studies show that there are substantial numbers of people who are not fluent in English to a level where they can make best use of health services. We examined how health professionals manage language barriers in a consultation.