Children discharged against medical advice.

Discharge against medical advice (DAMA) occurs when a patient leaves a clinical setting before the end of treatment and against medical recommendation. The most important aspects of DAMA are to ensure ongoing medical needs are met and that it is documented meticulously. This article describes a recent retrospective case note (audit) study of DAMA in paediatric patients attending a district general hospital, followed by a literature review.

Clinical update: recognising brain tumours early in children.

Brain tumour accounts for a quarter of all childhood cancers and is the leading cause of cancer related deaths in children. Initial symptoms can be misleading and is often misinterpreted as being caused by a less serious childhood illness. Available statistics show that it takes almost three times longer for the brain tumour in children to get diagnosed in the United Kingdom in comparison to other developed countries.