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Homeless service users were screened for autism spectrum disorder through one of Ireland's leading not for profit service providers. Keyworkers acted as proxy informants; their caseloads were screened using the DSM-5--Autistic Traits in the Homeless Interview (DATHI). Client current and historical health and behaviour data was collated. A representative sample of 106 eligible keyworkers caseloads were screened, identifying 3% "present" and 9% "possibly present" for autistic traits with the DATHI. These findings suggest a high estimate of autism prevalence and support emerging evidence that, people with autism are overrepresented in the homeless population, compared to housed populations. Autism may be a risk factor for entry into homelessness and a challenge to exiting homeless and engaging with relevant services.

The European Autism Information System project highlighted the lack of systematic and reliable data relating to the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in Europe. A protocol for the study of ASD prevalence at European level was developed to facilitate a common format for screening and diagnosing children across the EU. This is the first study to operationalise and screen national school children for ASDs using this protocol. National school children 6-11 years (N = 7,951) were screened males 54% (N = 4,268) females 46% (N = 3,683). Screening children for ASD implementing the EAIS protocol using the Social Communication Questionnaire (Rutter et al. in Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ). Western Psychological Services, Los Angeles) as a first level screening instrument in a non-clinical setting of Irish national schools was demonstrated.

Background and Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of prolonged queuing times on blood donors, by measuring their satisfaction levels, and positive and negative affects. As donation times have increased over the past number of years within the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, this is an important issue to examine in a climate where voluntary donors are becoming scarce and demands on people's time are increasing. Materials and Methods Eighty-five blood donors were sampled from one urban and one rural blood donor clinic. The respondents conducted a questionnaire by means of face-to-face interview, while waiting in the clinic. The questionnaire contained the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), and a waiting satisfaction scale. Both actual and perceived waiting times of the donors were noted. Results Waiting time was found to be negatively related to satisfaction. Inexperienced donors expressed higher levels of negative affect than experienced donors. Urban donors were significantly more satisfied than rural donors. There was a significant difference in perceived waiting time between lone donors and those queuing in a group, with those waiting alone perceiving their wait as shorter. While all respondents stated that they intended to donate again, over one-third stated that prolonged waiting times would be their most likely deterrent. However, only 15% stated that long queuing times might actually prevent them from donating in the future, and almost all respondents said that they would recommend donation to a friend, despite long queuing times. Conclusions Although our results show that the respondents were not satisfied with current waiting times, it did not seem to affect their future intentions to donate. These findings provide some optimism for the future of blood donation in Ireland, as they suggest a strong sense of commitment to donation within the population sampled. Future research could explore the application of ‘the service industry’ approach to waiting times to blood donation clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Telephone surveys have been used widely in public health research internationally and are being increasingly used in Ireland and the U.K. Methods: This study compared three telephone surveys conducted on the island of Ireland from 2000 to 2004, examining study methodology, outcome measures and the per unit cost of each completed survey. We critically examined these population-based surveys which all explored health related attitudes and behaviours. Results: Over the period from 2000 to 2005 the percentage of calls which succeeded in contacting an eligible member of the public fell, from 52.9% to 31.8%. There was a drop in response rates to the surveys (once contact was established) from 58.6% to 17.7%. Costs per completed interview rose from €4.48 to €15.65. Respondents were prepared to spend 10-15 minutes being surveyed, but longer surveys yielded poorer completion rates. Respondents were willing to discuss issues of a sensitive nature. Interviews after 9 pm were less successful, with complaints about the lateness of the call. Randomisation from electronic residential telephone directory databases excluded all ex-directory numbers and thus was not as representative of the general population as number generation by the hundred-bank method. However the directory database was more efficient in excluding business and fax numbers. Conclusion: Researchers should take cognisance of under-representativeness of land-line telephone surveys, of the increasing difficulties in contacting the public and of mounting personnel costs. We conclude that telephone surveying now requires additional strategies such as a multimode approach, or incentivisation, to be a useful, cost-effective means of acquiring data on public health matters in Ireland and the U.K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Irish Travellers have a lower life expectancy than the general Population. Objective health-status indices are consistently poorer in Traveller and Gypsy populations than in other comparably deprived social groups. Self-rated Health (SRH) is established as a valid indicator of objective health status. Methods As part of an all-Ireland census of 10 618 Traveller families both North and South (response rate 80% overall) employing a novel audio-visual computer interview methodology with peer researchers to overcome literacy barriers, a personal, structured interview was conducted with a random 20% sub-sample of adults (n=2065, 43.5% male). This analysis describes predictors of SRH in those adults, within health domains such as socio-demographic, environmental, lifestyle and psychosocial factors (including those related to culture/identity, and to social capital such as experiences of discrimination). Six models were constructed initially for each domain separately and then a final backwards stepwise logistic regression model was chosen that included 36 potential predictors from all domains of health, with self rated health as a outcome variable dichotomised into categories good (excellent, very good or good) vs fair or poor. Results SRH was rated as excellent, good or very good by 82.6% of respondents and was age-related. Those who reported limiting disability/long-term illness were excluded. Each separate domain model showed variables predictive of SRH. On adjustment for age-group and sex in the social capital model for instance, experience of discrimination (OR 0.5, p=0.02), low levels of trust (OR 0.6, p=0.04) and worry about getting fair treatment (OR 0.6, p=0.007) were independently inversely associated with good SRH. In the final model, independent positive predictors of good SRH were having a flush toilet (OR 2.2, p=0.02), considering where you live to be healthy (OR 1.9, p=0.02), going “on the road” at least twice in the last year (OR 2.3, p=0.03) and a brisk walk at least once in the last week (OR 2.4, p=0.000). Good SRH was inversely associated with increasing age-group (p=0.000), smoking (OR 0.6, p=0.03), activity-limiting ill health for ≥1 day in the last month (OR 0.4, p=0.001), chronic health condition diagnosed by the GP (OR 0.4, p=0.002), and having been screened for hypertension, high cholesterol or diabetes (OR 0.6, p=0.03). Conclusion There is a clear relationship between established health determinants and SRH in the Traveller community, suggesting the importance of both material and psychosocial factors. The directionality of the relationship between cultural factors and lifestyle cannot be inferred in these models. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: To estimate the prevalence and impact of chronic edema (CE) in two Irish health care settings as part of LIMPRINT, an international study developed and co-ordinated by the International Lymphoedema Framework (ILF), and researched in Ireland by the National Lymphoedema Framework Ireland (NLFI). Methods and Results: Data were collected using clinical assessment tools previously validated by the ILF. Three hospital settings were chosen, both an in-patient and out-patient oncology unit in Galway and a vascular out-patient unit in Dublin. Patients attending an oncology clinic or in an in-patient ward on a specified day were invited to participate as desired, and all patients attending vascular out-patients for a 4-week period were included in the study. All patients were assessed for the presence of CE, and if present, patients were asked to answer several questionnaires regarding diagnosis, available services, quality of life, and wound care where appropriate. The collection of data was anonymized and was inputted to a central database (Clindex). A total of 152 patients were assessed, 76 from the oncology service and 76 from the vascular service. Eighty-seven (57%) patients were female and 65 (43%) patients were male. The mean age was 65 years with a range 15-93 years. Twenty-five patients (16%) had CE, 8 (11%) in the oncology service and 17 (22%) in the vascular service. All the oncology patients were normal weight while almost 60% ( n  = 10) of the vascular patients were obese. Two (25%) of the oncology patients had a history of cellulitis, whereas seven (41%) of the vascular patients had a history of cellulitis. Four of the oncology patients (50%) received full lymphedema management whereas two oncology patients (20%) received no treatment at all. In contrast, in the vascular group, only two patients (12%) received full lymphedema management. Eight patients (47%) were receiving no treatment at all and seven (41%) were in compression garments and received skin care advice only. Conclusion: Though number of patients are small, these results highlight the high prevalence of CE in both oncology and vascular service patients as well as the disparities in management. In addition, there is a high incidence of cellulitis reported that is possibly not surprising given the low number of patients receiving full lymphedema care. Good data collection is essential if we are to provide and fund a comprehensive service in the future.

Background: Recent changes have resulted in the loss of 4% of the donor panel in the Republic of Ireland and 3% in Northern Ireland. In order to increase the number of donors in these two regions, it is important that transfusion service providers explore and understand the reasons, which prevent individuals from donating. The aim of this study was to explore these issues particularly in non-donors and those who had lapsed., Methods: This 7-month all-Ireland study was conducted by computer-assisted telephone interview. Data collected included sociodemographic history, donation status, as well as barriers/deterrents to donation., Results: There were 4166 completed questionnaires (44% donors; 56% non-donors). Of the donors, 13% had donated blood within the last 2 years. Current donors cited 'awareness of patients needs' (88%), 'trust in the blood transfusion service' (70%), and 'an advertising campaign' (70%) as reasons encouraging them to donate blood. Lapsed donors and non-donors cited 'more frequent mobile clinics/sessions' (30% lapsed donors; 53% non-donors), 'if I was asked' (28% lapsed donors; 53% non-donors), and 'more flexible opening hours' (23% lapsed donors; 44% non-donors) as reasons that would encourage them to donate. The main reasons cited by non-donors for never having donated included 'medical reasons' (41% Republic of Ireland; 43% Northern Ireland), 'lack of information' (20% Republic of Ireland; 22% Northern Ireland), 'fear of needles' (15% Republic of Ireland; 17% Northern Ireland), and 'time constraints' (12% Republic of Ireland; 13% Northern Ireland). Among the non-donor group, 10% (Republic of Ireland) and 6% (Northern Ireland) claimed that they are not permitted to donate., Conclusion: Replacing regular donors is a major challenge for the transfusion service providers. This study shows that by facilitating the general public by introducing more mobile clinics/sessions, more flexible opening hours and having a better level of knowledge in the community about blood donation may encourage lapsed donors and new donors to become regular donors.