Elucidating managerial, staff and client perspectives on the Speech and Language Therapy service in Malta.

Background: Speech and language therapy (SLT) services are fundamental for communication, academic and social development. Evidence shows that demand for services is increasing, and this can adversely affect the quality of care. There are limited published studies in relation to the demand and quality of speech and language services in Malta.

Impact of an injury hospital admission on childhood academic performance: a Welsh population-based data linkage study.

Background: While injuries can impact on children's educational achievements (with threats to their development and employment prospects), these risks are poorly quantified. This population-based longitudinal study investigated the impact of an injury-related hospital admission on Welsh children's academic performance.

Methods: The Secure Anonymised Information Linkage databank, 55 587 children residing in Wales from 2006 to 2016 who had an injury hospital admission (58.

Cost comparison of oral, transnasal and magnet assisted capsule endoscopy in the examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract in patients with dyspepsia.

Introduction: Conventional oral upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy can obe uncomfortable. By comparison, transnasal endoscopy (TNE) and magnet assisted capsule endoscopy (MACE) have superior tolerability. A cost comparison of competing upper GI endoscopic modalities have yet to be performed.

Temporal association between invasive procedures and infective endocarditis.

Objective: Antibiotic prophylaxis has been recommended for patients at increased risk of infective endocarditis (IE) undergoing specific invasive procedures (IPs) despite a lack of data supporting its use. Therefore, antibiotic prophylaxis recommendations ceased in the mid-2000s for all but those at high IE risk undergoing invasive dental procedures. We aimed to quantify any association between IPs and IE.

Exploring the implementation of public involvement in local alcohol availability policy: the case of alcohol licensing decision-making in England.

Background And Aims: In 2003, the UK government passed the Licensing Act for England and Wales. The Act provides a framework for regulating alcohol sale, including four licensing objectives with local governments having devolved responsibility for granting licences to sell alcohol. Members of the public can make representations of oppositions to licence applications.

Economic, clinical and social impact of simple limbal epithelial transplantation for limbal stem cell deficiency.

Aims: To report the global uptake of simple limbal epithelial transplantation (SLET) and compare the economic, clinical and social outcomes of SLET with those of cultured limbal epithelial transplantation (CLET).

Methods: A comprehensive literature review and an online survey of eye surgeons were conducted to understand the efficacy and current uptake of SLET surgery. A de novo economic model was developed to estimate the cost savings with SLET compared with CLET.

Systematic review of factors influencing decisions to limit treatment in the emergency department.

Background: Emergency physicians are frequently faced with making decisions regarding how aggressive to be in caring for critically ill patients. We aimed to identify factors that influence decisions to limit treatment in the Emergency Department (ED) through a systematic search of the available literature.

Design: Prospectively registered systematic review of studies employing any methodology to investigate factors influencing decisions to limit treatment in the ED.

Parental experience of prophylactic antibiotics.

Background And Objectives: Long-term prophylactic antibiotics are often used to prevent bacterial infections. However, supporting evidence for this is not always robust. Including parents in decisions relating to medication is key to medicines optimisation.

Potential for epistemic injustice in evidence-based healthcare policy and guidance.

The rapid development in healthcare technologies in recent years has resulted in the need for health services, whether publicly funded or insurance based, to identify means to maximise the benefits and provide equitable distribution of limited resources. This has resulted in the need for rationing decisions, and there has been considerable debate regarding the substantive and procedural ethical principles that promote distributive justice when making such decisions. In this paper, I argue that while the scientifically rigorous approaches of evidence-based healthcare are claimed as aspects of procedural justice that legitimise such guidance, there are biases and distortions in all aspects of the process that may lead to epistemic injustices.

A better way to measure disability in older people.

Background: Health care experts, older people and carers were asked to weight 18 personal and social activities of daily living (ADLs) with regard to the importance of being able to perform them.

Results: All groups agreed on the order of importance but experts gave greater weight to personal ADLs. We have used these results to produce a ratio scale.