Development of an implementation science informed "Test Evidence Transition" program to improve cancer outcomes.

Introduction: Translation of cancer research into practice takes around 15 years. Programs informed by implementation science methods and frameworks offer potential to improve cancer outcomes by addressing the implementation gap.

Methods: We describe the development of a Test Evidence Transition (TET) program which provides funding and support to health system delivery teams and project design and evaluation partners working together to achieve three objectives: Test innovations to support optimal cancer pathways that transform clinical practice; Evidence the process, outcome, and impact of implementation; and work with strategic partners to ensure the Transition of best practice into effective and equitable adoption across UK health systems.

New horizons in supporting older people's health and wellbeing: is social prescribing a way forward?

Older people's health and care needs are changing. Increasing numbers live with the combined effects of age-related chronic illness or disability, social isolation and/or poor mental health. Social prescribing has potential to benefit older people by helping those with social, emotional or practical needs to access relevant services and resources within the local community.

Evaluation of a Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) based breath intervention for patients with mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety disorders.

Aim: Research identifies a need for expanded therapeutic options for people with mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety disorders treated within the UK National Health Service (NHS). We aimed to examine potential benefits of a Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) based breath intervention delivered in this context.

Background: SKY is a structured programme derived from yoga in which participants are taught relaxation and stress-management techniques including body postures, breathing exercises and cognitive-behavioural procedures.

Evaluability assessments as an approach to examining social prescribing.

We report on two evaluability assessments (EAs) of social prescribing (SP) services in South East England conducted in 2016/7. We aimed to demonstrate how EAs can be used to assess whether a programme is ready to be evaluated for outcomes, what changes would be needed to do so and whether the evaluation would contribute to improved programme performance. We also aimed to draw out the lessons learned through the EA process and consider how these can inform the design and evaluation of SP schemes.

Does a modified mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) course have the potential to reduce stress and burnout in NHS GPs? Feasibility study.

AimTo explore, for the first time, whether a modified mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) course has the potential to reduce stress and burnout among National Health Service (NHS) General Practitioners. BACKGROUND: There is a crisis of low morale among NHS GPs, with most describing their workload as 'unmanageable'. MBCT has been demonstrated to improve stress and burnout in other populations, but has not yet been evaluated in a cohort of NHS GPs.

Evaluation of a pilot service to facilitate discharge of patients with stable long-term mental health needs from secondary to primary care: the role of Primary Care Mental Health Specialists.

Unlabelled: Aim We aimed to evaluate a pilot service to facilitate discharge of patients with stable long-term mental health needs from secondary to primary care.

Background: Patients with stable long-term mental health conditions are often not discharged from secondary mental health services when no longer needed due to insufficient systems and processes to enable safe, effective, recovery-focussed treatment and support. The Primary Care Mental Health Specialist (PCMHS) Service was developed to address this gap; new PCMHS posts were introduced to act as a conduit for patients being discharged from secondary care and a single point of referral back into secondary care, should it be required.

Restrained eaters preserve top-down attentional control in the presence of food.

This study investigated the attentional control of restrained eaters when exposed to food. Restrained (N=55) and unrestrained eaters (N=56) completed a color word Stroop task. Top-down attentional control was assessed by adaptation effects (the Stroop effect is smaller when the previous trial is an incongruent color word than a congruent color word).

Help-seeking in relation to signs of dementia: a pilot study to evaluate the utility of the common-sense model of illness representations.

Despite the importance of early diagnosis of dementia, little is known about the factors underlying help-seeking in relation to signs of the condition. In this pilot study, we aimed to examine the potential utility of the common sense model (CSM) of illness representations for understanding lay perceptions of dementia and predicting intentions to seek help in relation to possible signs and symptoms. A secondary aim was to develop a measure of (dementia-related) illness representations as a tool for future research.

Smoking-related attitudes and perceptions among young adults in Malta and the UK.

Although youth smoking in Europe has been highlighted as a significant public health concern, there is little data available to guide development of population-specific smoking prevention measures. In this study, we examined smoking-prevalence and smoking-related attitudes and perceptions among 118 young adults in Malta (a country for which there is little existing data), with comparison data from a sample of young adults in the UK (N = 112). To ensure that samples were demographically similar (e.

Living with Ankylosing Spondylitis: the patient's perspective.

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a potentially debilitating chronic condition that necessitates a biopsychosocial approach for successful long-term management. However, the psychosocial consequences of AS are not well understood. In this study patients (N = 68) reported impacts of AS across a wide range of life domains; negative impacts included physical effects of AS, changes in mood or personality, effects on social life and relationships with friends and family, low self-esteem, stigma and worry about the future; positive impacts included increased exercise, feelings of achievement and empathy, stronger relationships, slower pace of life and a more positive perspective.

Factors influencing MMR vaccination decisions following a mumps outbreak on a university campus.

Following a number of mumps outbreaks in universities and colleges, the UK Health Protection Agency has suggested that it is appropriate to consider offering the MMR vaccine in these settings. However, little is known about the factors associated with uptake of the MMR jab or perceptions of risks/benefits of the vaccine among higher education students. The current study focused on a sample of students offered the MMR vaccine following an outbreak of mumps on a university campus.

GP attitudes to early diagnosis of dementia: evidence of improvement.

This paper offers a comparative analysis of GPs attitudes towards early diagnosis of dementia in 1997 and 2001. It draws on data from two studies conducted in the same area using the same research instrument. Overall, findings reveal a significantly greater commitment to early diagnosis at Time 2 than at Time 1.