Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides
NICE: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Clinical Guideline Centre have issued a guideline to improve the diagnosis & management of chronic open angle glaucoma (COAG) and ocular hypertension (OHT). It sets out how best to diagnose COAG, how people with COAG, OHT or at risk of COAG should be monitored, and which treatments should be considered.
Affecting an estimated 480,00 people in England, COAG is a common condition involving optic nerve damage and loss of the visual field that can lead to blindness if it’s not diagnosed early & treated promptly. Around 10% of UK blindness registrations are due to glaucoma. Glaucoma is more common with increasing age and people of African or Caribbean descent or with a family history of glaucoma may be at greater risk of developing it.
Press release ~ Glaucoma: diagnosis and management of chronic open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension ~ National Clinical Guideline Centre ~ International Glaucoma Association
NICE: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Collaborating Centre for Women’s and Children’s Health have published a clinical guideline on assessing & managing diarrhoea & vomiting caused by gastroenteritis in children under the age of five.
The guideline provides healthcare professionals with consistent advice on key issues such as fluid intake, nutritional management and preventing & managing dehydration. It also provides recommendations on advice to be given to parents & carers and when care should be escalated – from home management through to hospital admission.
Press release ~ Management of acute diarrhoea and vomiting due to gastoenteritis in children under 5 ~ National Collaborating Centre for Women’s and Children’s Health
NICE: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published final guidance on the use of rivaroxaban for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in adults after having planned total hip replacement or total knee replacement surgery. NICE produced the guidance as part of its rapid single technology appraisal (STA) work programme.
When a blood clot forms in one of the deep veins in the leg, thigh, pelvis or arm it is known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). DVT occurs in over 20% of surgical patients and over 40% of patients undergoing major orthopaedic surgery. The blood clot itself is not life threatening, but if it comes loose it can be carried in the blood to another part of the body where it can cause problems – this is called a venous thromboembolism. If the blood clot reaches the lungs (called pulmonary embolism) it can be fatal.
Press release ~ Rivaroxaban for the prevention of venous thromboembolism ~ Single technology appraisal (STA) process
ScotGov: A new map showing which areas of Scotland have the highest levels of the naturally-occurring radioactive gas radon has been published to help homeowners identify whether they need to take any action. Radon occurs in all rocks & most soils and, while quickly diluted if it escapes into the air, it can get trapped inside buildings and, over time, exposure can increase the risk of lung cancer.
The maps - produced by the UK Health Protection Agency for the Scottish Government - shows 'Radon Affected Areas', where at least one house in a hundred can be expected to exceed the HPA's Action Level. The HPA advises that any house showing a radon build-up above this level should have work carried out to remedy the problem.
In response to the map's publication, the Scottish Government has announced free testing for homeowners in areas with a 5% chance or more of houses being above the Action Level. In Scotland as a whole, around 62,000 homes are located in Radon Affected Areas, although it is estimated that only between 1,000 and 3,000 of these will have radon concentrations above the Action Level.
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