Machine learning for treatment optimisation: part two

Taliaz et al (2021) explored the use of machine learning to optimise treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), which is multifactorial, and poses a challenge to the tailoring of optimal...

Machine learning for precision treatment: part one

In a study published in Heart, Sotomi et al (2023) examined the use of machine learning to identify cohorts of a population that may benefit from specific medications. The team had previously...

New research to support the achievability of diabetes remission in general practice

A fairly novel concept, which now has considerable backing by clinical research, relates to the ability for diabetes to reverse—that is, to go into remission. According to Diabetes UK (2023),...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: potential new treatments

Pradhan et al (2022) examined whether the use of the receptor agonist glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2)...

Use of decongestants in cold and flu season

As we make our way through cold and flu season, nurses in the community are likely to encounter many patients with varying degrees of illness from these viruses..

Medication savings for the NHS and for patients

Over the years, cheaper versions of the same drugs have been acquired by NHS England. An example of this is the drug adalimumab (NHS England, 2022), which is used to treat over 45 000 patients with...

Nurses’ role in smoking cessation interventions

For those people who would like to stop smoking, nurses can play a key role, with nurse prescribers helping deliver life-changing treatment.

What is new in intermittent self-catherisation?

Pickard et al (2018) examined antibiotic prophylaxis in intermittent self-catheterisation, noting that people carrying out clean intermittent self-catheterisation (CISC) in order to void their...

Blood pressure age ranges for community patient care

Dexamethasone as an adjunct to pain management following knee surgery

In a recently published study, Gasbjerg et al (2022) explored dexamethasone as an analgesic adjuvant in multimodal pain management following total knee arthroplasty; the authors examined the effects...

Adjuncts to treatments for long COVID

Lymphoedema in the community

The first-line of treatment involves using compression of some kind. This may be compression hosiery (which the patient must be appropriately measured for), to complex massage (a drainage technique...