ORGAN PROTECTION: An English surgeon has invented a wristband that he believes will make it virtually impossible for doctors to remove the wrong organ during surgery.
Mike Henley, a urologist surgeon at Derby City Hospital in England, has initiated the use of a patient identity bracelet so that staff can double check what they are doing before surgery begins. Details of the operation are put on the identity bracelet when the doctor obtains the patient's consent for the procedure. The band is checked in the operating theatre and the anaesthetic is not given until the surgeon checks the notes and confirms the procedure with the patient. The surgeon initials the band and checks a final time before the patient is sedated.
MUSICAL THERAPY: Music therapy in parent-infant programmes is the theme of a half-day conference in the University of Limerick on Wednesday, April 12th. Music therapist Maeve Scahill, who runs weekly music therapy sessions for asylum-seeker mothers and their children in Limerick, will speak about the value of such groups. A music therapist and music maker from the Coram Family, which supports disadvantaged families in London, will also address the conference. Admission is free. Tel: 061 202700 for details.
COPING WITH YOGA: Yoga classes aimed at people who suffer from depression, anxiety and panic attacks will take place in two Dublin venues. Facilitated by yoga teacher Anne L'Henoret, the classes include yoga, nutrition tips and practical day-to-day coping skills. Courses will run in the Seraph Yoga Centre, 15 Heytesbury St, Dublin and at the Institute of Psychosocial Medicine, 2 Eden Park, Sumerhill Road, Dún Laoghaire. Cost: €75 for six weeks. Tel: 087 9545777 or e-mail anne.lhenoret@gmail.com