A practical playbook for addressing health misinformation
A new resource sets out practical steps to address health misinformation.
The playbook includes summary checklists and detailed advice sections on topics including:
- Setting yourself up for success before rumours spread
- Deciding whether to address rumours
- Taking action to address misinformation
- Evaluating anti-misinformation messages
It was published by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Center for Health Security in the USA.
Download the full resource from the Center for Health Security website here.
2024 Self-Care Awards open for entries
The 2024 Self-Care Awards, organised by PIF partner the Self Care Forum, are now open for entries.
The awards celebrate resources and initiatives which support the practice of self-care. This can include educational materials, personalised care, peer support and much more.
Entries close on 31 July. The winning entry will receive £500 and be recognised as exemplary.
Find our more and see the full entry requirements on the Self Care Forum website here.
Preventative health information must meet needs of people with learning disabilities
Nuffield Trust has published a report exploring preventive health care services to understand whether they work for people with a learning disability.
The report looks at obesity, cancer screening, mental health, annual health checks and early diagnosis.
It found evidence that people with a learning disability are not always able to get equitable preventive support. For example:
- Breast and cervical screening rates are lower among people with a learning disability
- Cancer is often diagnosed at a later stage
- People with a learning disability are more likely to be obese, particularly in teenage years and early adulthood
- People with a learning disability are more likely to have mental health problems and less likely to be referred for talking therapies
The report concludes opportunities for support are being missed as a result of disjointed care, and information and communication that fails to meet the needs of users.
Read the full report via the Nuffield Trust website here.
Translation project aims to improve patient experience
PIF member Barts Health NHS Trust has introduced translated prescription medicines labels at one of its sites.
Outpatients at Newham Hospital who are given a prescription can choose to have the label on their medicine translated into one of 11 languages: Arabic, Bengali, French Gujarati, Hindi, Polish, Punjabi (Gurmukhi), Romanian, Somali, Tamil or Urdu.
Newham is the only hospital in Barts Health to offer this service.
The quality improvement project aims to make it easier for patients to understand how to take their medicines.
Read more via the Barts Health website here.
Study: Co-production and adaptation of a workbook to support mental health
A new study assesses the process of adapting a prison-based problem-solving skills workbook to support the mental health of patients within a medium- and low-secure hospital setting.
Researchers used the Medical Research Council framework in a participatory mixed methods study incorporating an adapted survey, three interactive co-production workshops and qualitative feedback.
Patients reported problems relating to restrictions of freedom and boredom. The workshops produced two case studies for the workbooks, with mainly positive patient and staff feedback.
More work is required to improve the visual representation of the characters in the case studies, the amount and content of the language and the mechanism of the intervention delivery.
Read the full study via the Wiley Online Library here.
The relationship between poverty and NHS services
PIF member The King's Fund has published a report illustrating the relationship between poverty and NHS services.
It says people living in poverty find it harder to live healthy lives, and access NHS services, live with greater illness and die earlier than the rest of the population.
The report says the NHS needs to do more to deliver services that people living in poverty can easily able access and navigate, building on good examples at local levels.
However, lifting millions of people out of poverty requires sustained investment and prioritisation across national government, public services and wider business and civic society.
Read the full report via The King's Fund website here.
Study: The effect of digital mental health literacy interventions
A new systematic review investigates digital mental health literacy interventions and their long-term impacts on mental health literacy and mental health.
It found digital interventions were as effective as face-to-face interventions.
Effects were optimised when combined with informal, nonprofessional active treatment components such as skills training and peer support.
Authors said further work on culturally-adapted interventions is needed to drive adoption and implementation at scale.
Read the full study results via the JMIR website here.
App improves speech in stroke patients
An NIHR-supported study has found a digital platform significantly improves speech for people with a language disorder.
The app, iTalkBetter, has been designed for users with aphasia.
It analyses speech in real time and provides feedback for the user. The app allows them to practise more than 200 commonly used words in their own time and without limits.
Read more via the NIHR website here.
NHS New Hospitals Programme engagement workshop
The New Hospital Programme’s Transformation directorate is hosting a virtual workshop to explore the experiences of vulnerable groups.
The workshop is open to patients and their carers who would be willing to share their experiences of acute hospital settings.
In particular, the directorate would like to hear from patients with mental health difficulties, neurodivergence, learning disability and other cognitive, emotional, learning, communication or sensory processing difficulties.
The workshop takes place on Tuesday, 16 April.