Bulletin Board

Needle time

Prescribing an EpiPen? It is important that both the patient and family understand how to use the device before it is needed. The manufacturer has developed a how-to video, available from www.epipen.com, that includes information on when to use the EpiPen and the importance of accessing medical help.

Free heeling

Running shoes with wheels are becoming increasingly popular with children, but are the shoes safe? A group of researchers from Ireland decided to study the safety of roller shoes. They prospectively recorded data on all roller-shoe injuries referred to the trauma and orthopedic surgery department in an academic children’s hospital during the school summer holiday. During the 10-week period studied, 67 children suffered orthopedic injuries, mostly involving upper limbs. Injuries included distal radial fractures, supracondylar fractures, elbow dislocations, and hand fractures. One fifth of injuries occurred when children were using the shoes for the first time. Most injuries occurred outside. The researchers recommended that children be closely supervised when learning to use roller shoes and that protective gear be used at all times.

Source: Vioreanu M, Sheehan E, Glynn A, Casidy N, Stephens M, McCormack D. Heelys and street gliders injuries: a new type of pediatric injury. Pediatrics 2007;119:e1294–8. Available from: www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2006-2882. Accessed 2007 August 20.

Bad mood

The Best Start program (Ontario’s maternal, newborn, and early child development resource centre) has a series of useful resources on postpartum depression for physicians, patients, and families. The resources, which include a self-administered screening test and a physician desk reference covering risk factors, treatment options, and resources, are available on-line from www.lifewithnewbaby.ca.

What older women want

In 2005, a Canadian study looked at older women’s unmet health needs and concerns (Can Med Assoc J 2005;173:153–9). The researchers found that urinary incontinence, memory loss, and exercise topped the list for the 5000 women studied. In response to these findings, the researchers, along with the Canadian Women’s Health Network and the Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, have developed a new website, www.wowhealth.ca. The website contains practical information for both patients and health practitioners on the top 3 concerns. The emphasis is on screening and prevention.