2,934 research outputs found

    Challenge of cardiovascular prevention in primary care: achievement of lifestyle, blood pressure, lipids and diabetes targets for primary prevention in England – results from ASPIRE-3-PREVENT cross-sectional survey

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    Background: Implementation of the cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention guidelines in the UK has been repeatedly evaluated under the auspices of the British Cardiovascular Society in three Action on Secondary and Primary Prevention by Intervention to Reduce Events (ASPIRE) surveys in 1994–1995, 2008–2010 and 2017–2019. The primary care arm of ASPIRE-2-PREVENT (A-3-P) was conducted to evaluate lifestyle and medical risk factor management in people at high risk of atherosclerotic CVD in everyday clinical practice. Methods: A-3-P was a cross-sectional survey in 27 general practices and health centres across 5 English National Health Service regions. Patients with no history of atherosclerotic CVD started on blood pressure and/or lipid and/or glucose lowering treatments were identified retrospectively and interviewed at least 6 months after the initiation of medication. Results: 557 patients attended the interview and examination (45.8% women; mean age 61.7±10.8 years). The risk factor control was poor: 9.3% of patients were smokers, 38.1% obese (body mass index≥30 kg/m2) and 53.5% centrally obese (waist circumference≥88 cm for women, ≥102 cm for men). Only 37.8% of patients on blood pressure-lowering therapies achieved the target of<140/90 mm Hg. Among treated dyslipidaemic patients, 59.5% reached the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol target of <2.6 mmol/L. 62% of patients with self-reported diabetes mellitus attained the glycated haemoglobin target of <7.0%. Conclusion: The results of A-3-P survey show that large proportions of people at high CVD risk have poor control of lifestiles and medical risk factors. There is considerable potential to raise the standards of preventive cardiology care by providing comprehensive, multidisciplinary prevention programmes addressing all aspects of risk factor management to reduce the total risk of future CVD

    Discourse on formation of investigators’ competencies

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    One of the most important aims of law enforcement agencies is crime investigation and prevention. Consequently, one of the main activities of the law enforcement agencies, especially in the pre-trial investigation sphere, is to optimise the organisation of the pre-trial investigation in order to save the experienced skilled and competent specialists. The author of this research offers a new approach and analyses the qualification and competence of the pre-trial investigation subjects not only in terms of personnel management, but all elements of the model of pre-trial investigation to make pre-trial investigation organisation more effective. It should be noted that the content of an investigators‘ qualification or levels of competence are still not determined or strictly regulated and this is the reason for many discussions in this area. These discussions surround what qualification and level of competence the investigators should have in pre-trial investigation, what general and special competencies they should acquire and how the content of the competencies should be determined. In the present article the author analyses the investigators‘ qualification and competence as a presumption that it is an essential aspect of an effective pre-trial investigation. Analysing this question the author compares other subjects such as the regulation of qualifications and levels of competence of the prosecutors and pre-trial investigation judges. The author also identifies the problem of how to define an investigators qualification and level of competence making recommendations to create a Description of Investigators Competencies. Qualification requirements should be determined in this legal act and general, occupational and special competencies should be identified with the content also being determined within this framework. Formation of the Description of Investigators‘ Competencies should determine not only the content of the investigators‘ required level of competence but also this process should be consistent with the assessment and career development of investigators‘ including the process of gaining the investigators‘ qualification. The aim of this research is to identify the problems associated with defining an investigators‘ qualification and levels of competence and to propose recommendations on how this could be achieved. The subject of this research is limited to only looking at investigators‘ qualification and level of competence. The author is using a qualitative method for this research based upon the contents of documents. The author will analysis eight legal acts related to the qualification and competence of pre-trial investigation and fifty different investigators‘ job descriptions.Straipsnyje nagrinėjama ikiteisminio tyrimo pareigūnų (tyrėjų) kvalifikacija ir kompetencija kaip viena iš veiksmingo ikiteisminio tyrimo organizavimo prielaidų. Analizuojant tyrėjų kvalifikacijos ir kompetencijos turinį ir jo reglamentavimą, lyginama kitų ikiteisminio tyrimo subjektų – prokurorų ir ikiteisminio tyrimo teisėjų – kvalifikacijos ir kompetencijos turinio reglamentavimo ypatumai, identifikuojamos tyrėjų kvalifikacijos ir kompetencijos apibrėžties problemos ir pateikiami sprendimo būdai – siūlomas ikiteisminio tyrimo pareigūnų (tyrėjų) kompetencijų aprašas, kuriame būtų tiksliai nustatyti tyrėjų kvalifikaciniai reikalavimai, identifikuotos bendrosios, profesinės ir specialiosios kompetencijos ir apibrėžtas šių kompetencijų turinys. Ikiteisminio tyrimo pareigūnų kompetencijų aprašo suformavimas sudarytų galimybę ne tik aiškiai apibrėžti tyrėjo kompetencijos turinį, bet ir šį procesą nuosekliai susieti su tyrėjo veiklos vertinimu, karjera ir kvalifikacijos tobulinimu. Straipsnį sudaro įvadas ir dvi dalys. Pirmoje dalyje nagrinėjama tyrėjo kvalifikacijos apibrėžties problematika, gretinama ikiteisminio tyrimo pareigūno, prokuroro ir teisėjo kvalifikacijos apibrėžtys. Šioje dalyje siūloma tiksliai nustatyti ir apibrėžti tyrėjo kvalifikacinius reikalavimus. Antrojoje dalyje analizuojama tyrėjo kompetencijos turinys. Nagrinėjant prokurorų, teisėjų kompetencijos turinį ir jo reglamentavimo ypatumus, siūloma sudaryti tyrėjo kompetencijų aprašą, kuriame būtų tiksliai apibrėžtas tyrėjo kompetencijos turinys

    Selection of medication in hospitalised elderly patients with Angina Pectoris

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    Objective: To evaluate medication changes in hospitalised elderly patients diagnosed with angina pectoris and to compare the selection of medication with evidence-based treatment guidelines. Design: Review of medical notes and patient interview. Setting: St. Luke's Hospital, Malta; January - May 2001. Subjects: 226 patients, aged 60 years or over, with a history of chronic stable angina and a discharge diagnosis of angina. Main outcome measures: Prevalence of use of antiplatelet agents, lipid lowering agents, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, nitrates, potassium channel openers and cellular anti-ischaemic agents; presence of co-morbidities, concurrent medication and adverse effects. Results: Prior to discharge, 77% of patients were receiving antiplatelet agents and 27% were receiving lipid lowering agents. The most frequent anti-ischaemic agents used were nitrates (97%) and second-generation dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (59%). Beta-blockers were used in 31% of patients and non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers were used in 4% of patients. Potassium channel openers (nicorandil) and cellular anti-ischaemic agents (trimetazidine) were used in 5% and 19% of patients respectively. Of patients discharged on a single anti-ischaemic agent, 96% were prescribed nitrates, while 64% of those on two agents were prescribed nitrates and dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers. Beta-blockers, nicorandil and trimetazidine were generally used in conjunction with at least two other antiischaemic agents. The major medication changes involved the addition, or increase in dose, of amlodipine and isosorbide dinitrate. The major determinants affecting choice of medication were age and co-morbidities. Conclusion: Medication selection for chronic stable angina was not in accordance with treatment guidelines.peer-reviewe

    Internet technologies relevant to private investigators’ working practices

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    Much has been written and discussed especially in the various US media and in legislative organs, about how the Internet is used illegally (hacking, stalking for instance), but hardly if any research has been done as to how the investigative industry employs the new medium to its benefit. The author described in this thesis how private investigators (PIs) execute their profession these days using the facilities the Internet avail them in contrast to the time before the dawn of the Internet. This contrast is also investigated in an international context, an important part of the thesis, drawn from the author's 32 years of international business experience and that of PIs worldwide. The availability of the various online facilities in different countries are compared. To better understand the new medium, and its facilities a short outline of the Internet’s history, it’s set up in general and for the use of PIs in particular is supplied. PIs also face limitations in their daily work, limitations originating from online, legal, educational, financial and international causes. The new medium not only helps PIs in their investigative, but also in their office work. Finally PIs' wishes for new tools to facilitate their daily investigative work and their outlook as to where the new medium will head are also discussed

    Forms of cooperation between public prosecutor and preliminary investigators

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    Straipsnyje, remiantis teisės aktų ir mokslinės literatūros analize bei atliktu empiriniu tyrimu, autorius nagrinėja prokurorų ir ikiteisminio tyrimo pareigūnų bendradarbiavimo sampratos, teisinio įtvirtinimo bei šių subjektų bendradarbiavimo pasireiškimo formų problematiką. Aiškindamasis prokuroro ir ikiteisminio tyrimo pareigūnų bendradarbiavimo sampratą autorius akcentuoja kriminalistikos taktikos vaidmenį šio bendradarbiavimo suvokime. Analizuojant bendradarbiavimo svarbą nusikalstamų veikų tyrimui ir nusikalstamumo prevencijai atkreipiamas dėmesys į būtinybę tokiam nusikalstamas veikas tiriančių pareigūnų bendradarbiavimui suteikti baudžiamojo proceso principo statusą. Nagrinėjant prokurorų ir ikiteisminio tyrimo pareigūnų bendradarbiavimo išraiškos formas praktiniame pareigūnų darbe akcentuojamas prokurorų pasyvumas šiame procese. Reikšminiai žodžiai: Prokuroras; Ikiteisminio; Tyrimo pareigūnas; Bendradarbiavimas; Kriminalistikos; Taktika; Nusikalstamų veikų tyrimas; Tyrimo planavimas; Ir organizavimas; Bendradarbiavimo formos; Public Prosecutor; Preliminary Investigator; Co-operation; Tactic's of Criminalistic; Investigation; Planning and Organization of Investigation; The Forms; Of Co-operationThe goal of this research is to present the main forms of the co-operation between public prosecutor and preliminary investigators. The author analyzed the main problems of the description's and legal regulations in the Lithuanian Code of Criminal procedure of the co-operation between public prosecutor and preliminary investigators. The description of co-operation between public prosecutor and preliminary investigators is formulating in accordance with the regulations of the tactic of criminalistics. The empirical research submitted problem that public prosecutor's are more passive than preliminary investigators in initiative to co-operate. The author takes attention on the necessity to legitimize the principium of the co-operation between public prosecutor and preliminary investigators in the Lithuanian Code of Criminal procedure
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