Supporting safe swallowing of care home residents with dysphagia: How does the care delivered compare with guidance from speech and language therapists?

Introduction: Dysphagia affects up to 70% of care home residents, increasing morbidity and hospital admissions. Speech and language therapists make recommendations to support safe nutrition but have limited capacity to offer ongoing guidance. This study aimed to understand if recommendations made to support safe and effective care are implemented and how these relate to the actual care delivered.

Maternal mental health: a key area for future research among women with congenital heart disease.

In this viewpoint, we respond to the recently published national priorities for research in congenital heart disease (CHD) among adults, established through the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership, with specific attention to priority 3 (mental health) and priority 5 (maternal health). Our recent policy impact project explored how maternal mental health is currently addressed in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) services in the National Health Service, identified gaps and discussed possible ways forward. Our multidisciplinary discussion groups, which included women with lived experience of CHD and pregnancy, cardiology and obstetrics clinicians and medical anthropologists, found that while pregnancy and the postnatal period increase the mental health challenges faced by women with CHD, current services are not yet equipped to address them.

Volume based feeding versus rate based feeding in the critically ill: A UK study.

Background: Underfeeding in intensive care patients on enteral nutrition is commonplace and multifactorial. This can be exacerbated by interruptions caused by routine fasting for procedures and investigations. Our study aims to demonstrate that a volume based feeding protocol can overcome the barriers of underfeeding and safely increase energy and protein delivery in UK intensive care patients, potentially improving clinical outcomes.

A systematic review of the impact of stroke on social support and social networks: associated factors and patterns of change.

Objective: Identify what factors are associated with functional social support and social network post stroke; explore stroke survivors' perspectives on what changes occur and how they are perceived.

Data Sources: The following electronic databases were systematically searched up to May 2015: Academic Search Complete; CINAHL Plus; E-journals; Health Policy Reference Centre; MEDLINE; PsycARTICLES; PsycINFO; and SocINDEX.

Review Methods: PRISMA guidelines were followed in the conduct and reporting of this review.

What are the important factors in health-related quality of life for people with aphasia? A systematic review.

Objective: To determine factors associated with or predictive of poor health-related quality of life (HRQL) in people with aphasia poststroke. Better understanding of these factors can allow better targeting of rehabilitation programs.

Data Sources: Electronic databases, covering medical (eg, Medline, Excerpta Medica Database, Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Ovid, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database) and social sciences (eg, PsycINFO) were searched and key experts were approached.