ireland.com - The Irish Times

Hospital records are not secure, says report
Hospital study: Medical records are not being appropriately stored in a number of Irish hospitals which means confidential patient information may be seen by third parties, researchers have found. p

Irish women still have major misconceptions about the risks of breast cancer, study shows
Breast cancer: Irish women have major misconceptions about the risks of breast cancer, a new survey has found. Almost half believe that a family history of the condition is the key contributory factor in getting cancer, whereas this has been a factor in only 5 to 10 per cent of cases. p

Heart disease patients in west less likely to get bypass
Cardiac surgery: Patients in the west of Ireland, who have a higher incidence of heart disease than people in Dublin, are less likely to be offered bypass surgery or angioplasty (the use of a balloon to clear a blockage), doctors have been told. p

Other Health Stories

Cost of GP visit for private patients set to rise due to overheads
IMO warning: The cost of visiting a GP for private patients is likely to rise to meet the increasing expense of running a doctor's surgery, a leading member of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has warned. p
Research vital to diabetes cure
Conference: A major international conference on diabetes is under way in Athens this week as medical practitioners and scientists present and analyse hundreds of research studies on the condition. p
Recreational drug use is linked to birth defects
Drug study: Recreational drug use by young women has been linked for the first time to a particularly severe form of abnormality in newborn babies. p
Endoscopic ultrasound unit will help cancer care
Technology: The opening of a dedicated endoscopic ultrasound centre in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin early next year will give a major boost to the diagnosis and treatment of lung, stomach, pancreas, oesophagus and rectal cancer, which account for almost four out of 10 of all cancer deaths in Ireland. p
Lenihan defends Harney's hospital bed plan
Response: Brian Lenihan, Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, responds to points made by Maurice Neligan in his Heart Beat column last week, on the Government's plans to move 1,000 private beds in public hospitals in private facilities. p
Controlling the effect you have on your relationship
That's men for you: There is a question which is used in reality therapy and which is a godsend to people who are trying to improve their relationships. p
InShort
HEPATITIS B SCREENING: The Department of Health is set to introduce a new scheme to test for the Hepatitis B virus in expectant mothers, writes Martin Wall . p

News Focus

No place for medical students
As students fight for fewer places, the future of the health service is threatened. James Fitzgerald reports. p
When a trial drug is withdrawn patients can pay a high price
Strict rules govern how firms test new treatments but withdrawing a drug can have adverse effects for patients trialing them, writes Dominic Coyle p
What happens in clinical trials and are they safe?
What is a clinical trial? A clinical trial is a study into the safety and effectiveness of a drug not yet licensed or a drug already on the market to test its effectiveness in the treatment of a different illness or the same illness at a different stage. p
Finding the right fall guys
Heart Beat: I wondered when we would get back to blaming consultants for the lamentable state of the health service. It didn't take very long. p

Your Health

Homeopathic solutions to learning problems
Parents of children with behavioural difficulties are turning to homeopathy. Elaine Keogh reports. p
Explaining without scaring
Medical Matters: Explaining risks to patients has become a central part of medical practice. Whether you are a surgeon preparing to operate, or a family doctor deciding on the best medication for your patient, the ability to communicate the risks and benefits of various decisions is a critical element of good doctor-patient communication. p
Once bitten by the walking bug there was no looking back
Teresa Doggett p
Check-up
Diverticular disease: I've always had what I'd consider to be a healthy digestive system. But recently I started to experience tummy bloating, abdominal cramps and wind. My sister says it sounds like diverticulitis which she suffers from. Could I have this? (PS. I'm 63 years old if this makes any difference.) p

Consumer Health

Home is where the danger is
A leading paediatrician is calling for an injury database in a bid to keep our children safer, writes Elaine Edwards p
Safety rules
Ita Patton, from Swords, Co Dublin, has two children, Harry (2) and Alannah, who is almost six months old. p
Self-help guru takes energy to the extreme
Changing the way we think is author Wayne Dyer's recipe for a happy and fulfilled life. Niamh Hooper reports on the utopian thoughts of the self-help guru. p
Wading through granite
Mind Moves: "Life is just one damn thing after the other, if you're lucky; but life is the same thing, over and over again, if you are depressed." p

Your Lifestyle

Take a break from your usual holiday
Haydn Shaughnessy took a holiday but not the kind where you put your feet up and sip a cocktail by the pool p
Eat your greens
The Bigger Picture: Many of us don't have time for vegetables in our lives. All the washing and chopping is too time and labour intensive to be welcome when we are preparing a meal. Most of us have just minutes to get a meal together among pangs of hunger and exhaustion. p
My Kind of Exercise
Bobbi Connolly, member of the Irish paralympic boccia team and Enable Ireland service user, tells Patricia Weston she considers herself very fit. p

The Back Page

The science behind the art
A New Life: Sylvia Thompson meets an artist who marries her background in science with her passion for creativity. p
Lives beyond the walls
TVScope: The Asylum, RTÉ 1, Monday, September 12th, 9.30pm p
My Working Day
Helen Maher environmental services officer, HSE, Southern Area, says staff are very keen to see recycling at work. p
On the Couch
Leán O'Flaherty: Nutrition manager, The National Dairy Council. p
Lifelines
CONCERNED PARENTS: Parents in the west of Ireland concerned about their children's eating habits and levels of exercise can attend a public meeting at 7.30pm on Wednesday, September 21st in the Corrib Great Southern Hotel, Galway. p

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Hospital records are not secure, says report

Irish women still have major misconceptions about the risks of breast cancer, study shows

Heart disease patients in west less likely to get bypass

Cost of GP visit for private patients set to rise due to overheads

Research vital to diabetes cure

Recreational drug use is linked to birth defects

Endoscopic ultrasound unit will help cancer care

Lenihan defends Harney's hospital bed plan

Controlling the effect you have on your relationship

InShort

No place for medical students

When a trial drug is withdrawn patients can pay a high price

What happens in clinical trials and are they safe?

Finding the right fall guys

Homeopathic solutions to learning problems

Explaining without scaring

Once bitten by the walking bug there was no looking back

Check-up

Home is where the danger is

Safety rules

Self-help guru takes energy to the extreme

Wading through granite

Take a break from your usual holiday

Eat your greens

My Kind of Exercise

The science behind the art

Lives beyond the walls

My Working Day

On the Couch

Lifelines

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