Evidence based practice updates - 13 September 2012

New guidelines, research and other tools and updates on evidence based techniques and processes from across the UK. For more information about this theme see Quality and Safety e-Bulletin: evidence based practice.

Some of the resources linked to are in PDF format - see how to access PDF files.

BMJ: Lifestyle, social factors, and survival after age 75: population based study. A study published in the British Medical Journal considered the relationship between lifestyle and longevity, and found that the associations between leisure activity, not smoking, and increased survival existed in those aged 75 years or more, with women's lives prolonged by five years and men's by six years. These associations, were still present among people aged 85 or more and in those with chronic conditions. The results suggest that encouraging favourable lifestyle behaviours even at advanced ages may enhance life expectancy, probably by reducing morbidity.
BBC Health: Active pensioners 'add six years'.

GAIN: Guidelines for the Insertion and Maintenance of Central Venous Access Devices in Children and Young People (PDF 308KB). “With the current changes in health care delivery, and advances in medical and nursing practices, the numbers of children and young people requiring Central Venous Access Devices (CVADs) are increasing both in acute and community care settings. GAIN has identified the need to develop such guidelines with the aim to ensure that a consistent approach and care is provided for the management of these devices across all Health and Social Care Trusts in the province.

NHS Confederation: Revising the Clinical Trials Directive. The EU Clinical Trials Directive, which was implemented in the UK in 2004, has been highly criticised for contributing to a significant drop in the number of clinical trials conducted in the UK. This Briefing outlines the key changes proposed and what they mean for the NHS. The proposals will be subject to negotiations at EU level and the NHS European Office will continue to brief EU decision-makers on NHS views.

NHS Evidence: Eyes on Evidence. Issue 41, September 2012. This issue looks at: changes needed to cope with multimorbidity; ethnicity influencing signs of suicide risk; and use of aspirin for secondary prevention of VTE after warfarin prophylaxis.

NICE: Majority of people with diabetes ‘not meeting cholesterol targets’. NICE signposts relevant guidance in a comment on Diabetes UK’s analysis of the national Audit for Diabetes which showed that around 60 per cent of those receiving annual checks are not meeting their targets for cholesterol. 
Diabetes UK news: More than half of people with diabetes have poor cholesterol control.