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        <title>HERU - Blog</title>
        <description>Blog posts from HERU</description>
        <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/</link>
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            <title>HERU - Blog</title>
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        <item>
            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/what-do-uk-residents-prefer-and-what-are-they-willing-to-trade-when-introducing-lockdown-restrictions/</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/what-do-uk-residents-prefer-and-what-are-they-willing-to-trade-when-introducing-lockdown-restrictions/</guid>
            <title><![CDATA[What do UK residents prefer and what are they willing to trade when introducing lockdown restrictions?]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[
The COVID-19 pandemic arrived in countries around the world in early 2020. Many governments, including those across the United Kingdom, introduced lockdowns to help slow the spread of the virus and protect healthcare systems.
At that time, the impacts of lockdowns on people&rsquo;s lives, the economy and the healthcare system were unknown, as was public opinion about lockdowns. There was a need for research to explore the impacts and the trade-offs people were willing to accept.
This blog post is part of a series that presents our research into public preferences for lockdowns. Previous posts have shown how we designed&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/will-the-public-engage-with-new-pharmacy-roles/</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/will-the-public-engage-with-new-pharmacy-roles/</guid>
            <title><![CDATA[Will the public engage with new pharmacy roles?]]></title>
            <pubDate>Thu, 03 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[
Community pharmacies provide a range of services to health boards. They are independent businesses contracted to provide services to the NHS. In this respect they are similar to other health care services such as GPs, dentists and opticians. Under the most recent community pharmacy contract pharmacists in Scotland are providing more clinical services that aim to improve patient care.
This includes services to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is a considerable health burden in Scotland. Services to modify unhealthy behaviour - for example, smoking, poor diet, and obesity &ndash; are currently provided in community pharmacies. There is also the potential&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/ivf-treatment-what-method-of-embryo-transfer-do-couples-prefer/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[IVF treatment - what method of embryo transfer do couples prefer?]]></title>
            <pubDate>Wed, 22 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;
The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) recently chose a HERU co-authored journal article for their monthly journal club discussion on Twitter.
The article they chose was a study from the ESHRE journal &lsquo;Human Reproduction&rsquo;. The article is on &lsquo;Assessing couples&rsquo; preferences for fresh or frozen embryo transfer: a discrete choice experiment&rsquo;. The authors are from the University of Aberdeen and the Aberdeen Fertility Centre at NHS Grampian and include HERU&rsquo;s Graham Scotland. The lead author, Miss Abdulrahim, undertook an MSc at the University of Aberdeen during her specialist training which was supervised by the co-authors. The&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/the-cost-and-value-of-whole-genome-sequencing-for-rare-disease-diagnosis-in-scotland/</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/the-cost-and-value-of-whole-genome-sequencing-for-rare-disease-diagnosis-in-scotland/</guid>
            <title><![CDATA[The cost and value of Whole Genome Sequencing for rare disease diagnosis in Scotland]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 12 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[
Rare diseases affect an estimated 8% of the Scottish population. Although 80% of rare conditions are believed to have a genetic cause many patients remain undiagnosed. This has a significant impact on quality of life for patients and families who face a &lsquo;diagnostic odyssey&rsquo; of clinical and genetic testing.
New developments in genomic medicine, such as whole genome sequencing (WGS), may increase the number of patients who receive a genetic diagnosis for their condition. A recent study&nbsp;from the 100,000 Genomes Project established the effectiveness of WGS in the diagnosis of rare diseases. However, there is limited economic evidence to support&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/the-diamond-study-medical-or-surgical-treatment-for-deep-infiltrating-endometriosis/</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/the-diamond-study-medical-or-surgical-treatment-for-deep-infiltrating-endometriosis/</guid>
            <title><![CDATA[The DIAMOND study - medical or surgical treatment for deep infiltrating endometriosis?]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;
What is deep endometriosis and how is it different from endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a chronic and often debilitating condition affecting 1 in 10 women in the UK. The condition arises when cells similar to those found in the womb are found elsewhere in the body. Each month, these cells build-up, break down and bleed. This can cause symptoms such as chronic abdominal pain, period pain, pain during or after sex, and infertility. Occasionally, rather than growing on or very near the surface, the endometrial cells grow deeper into tissues and organs, such as the bowel, bladder, and vagina, causing&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/what-are-the-best-options-for-treating-severe-obesity/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[What are the best options for treating severe obesity?]]></title>
            <pubDate>Wed, 30 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What is the problem?
Severe obesity can be described as having a body mass index (BMI)&nbsp;of 35kg/m2 or above. People with severe obesity have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. This shortens people&rsquo;s life span and reduces quality of life. Treating obesity related disease is expensive. NHS Scotland spends between &pound;363 and &pound;600 million per year treating obesity related disease. Total economic costs are even higher.&nbsp; When we add in non-health costs, such as time off work, lost school days or social welfare support, costs increase to &pound;4.6bn per year&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/lives-livelihoods-and-lockdowns-the-publics-views-on-the-covid19-lockdowns/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Lives, livelihoods and lockdowns: the public's views on the COVID-19 lockdowns]]></title>
            <pubDate>Wed, 12 May 2021 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[The COVID-19 pandemic has up-ended our lives. Governments worldwide introduced lockdown policies to lower the number of infections and protect healthcare systems. However, lockdowns also impact on people&rsquo;s everyday lives and work. Governments need to weigh up the need to control COVID-19 and the impact of lockdowns on people&rsquo;s lives.&nbsp;&nbsp;
In late 2020, we asked 4201 people living in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland how lockdowns had affected and changed their lives. We compared people&rsquo;s answers across the four nations of the United Kingdom.
A previous blog post describes the study, and the study protocol has been published. In&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/mens-attitudes-about-treatment-for-prostate-cancer-that-has-spread-matter/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Men's attitudes about treatment for prostate cancer that has spread (MATTER)]]></title>
            <pubDate>Thu, 22 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[
Advanced prostate cancer is cancer that has spread to another part of the body. Advanced prostate cancer cannot be cured, but the symptoms can be controlled with treatment, sometimes for several years. Many possible treatments exist, and new ones are becoming available. Each treatment has its own benefits and drawbacks. Yet little is known about how men with newly diagnosed advanced prostate cancer choose which treatment to have.
Together with researchers at Imperial College London, we have created a study to find out what men think about the treatment options and the outcomes for advanced prostate cancer. The study aims&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/reflections-on-a-year-like-no-other/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Reflections on a year like no other...]]></title>
            <pubDate>Wed, 31 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[
It is&nbsp;hard to believe that a year has passed since we left the University campus and moved to working from home. Like many, we have had to deal with endless MS Teams and Zoom meetings, online teaching, virtual conferences and webinars. All this alongside the personal challenges of restrictions on seeing friends and family, limitations on where we can travel, home schooling and increased caring responsibilities and social isolation. It has indeed been a year like no other.
Whilst I look forward to returning to campus, and connecting in person with friends and colleagues, I&rsquo;m amazed by what can be&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/the-importance-of-patient-preferences-in-treating-recurrent-endometriosis/</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/the-importance-of-patient-preferences-in-treating-recurrent-endometriosis/</guid>
            <title><![CDATA[The importance of patient preferences in treating recurrent endometriosis]]></title>
            <pubDate>Thu, 25 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a condition where the cells lining the uterus grow elsewhere in the body. These cells react in the same way as the cells in the uterus, where they build up, break down and bleed. Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women in the UK, making it as common as Diabetes. Despite this, there is a lack of awareness of the condition. The average time to diagnosis is seven and a half years. Causes for this delay include dismissal of the symptoms by clinicians, as well as misdiagnosis.
Endometriosis can have a significant impact on the quality&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/postgraduate-training-in-health-economics-at-heru-what-our-students-think/</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/postgraduate-training-in-health-economics-at-heru-what-our-students-think/</guid>
            <title><![CDATA[Postgraduate training in health economics at HERU - what our students think...]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[HERU has provided distance learning training in health economics for over 25 years and, while most university teaching has had to adjust in its delivery, we are fortunate to have been providing our postgraduate programme in&nbsp;Health Economics for Health Professionals (HE4HP)&nbsp;fully online for the last four years.
Students on the current HE4HP programme have been working hard and are looking forward to the second semester. In the meantime we are already getting enquiries and some applications for the 2021 intake.&nbsp;

Many of these questions are technical or&nbsp;academic questions about how the programme is structured, entry requirements, etc. Some questions relate&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/public-sector-resource-allocation-following-an-economic-crisis/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Public sector resource allocation following an economic crisis]]></title>
            <pubDate>Mon, 23 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[The costs employers need to pay to attract and retain staff varies between areas. Costs tend to be higher in areas with a high cost of living. The London wage premium is the most obvious case.
&nbsp;
Public sector resource allocation

To help healthcare providers in England and Wales to provide a common level of service, differences in private sector wages are estimated. This is a central component of public sector resource allocation decisions and a leading example of evidence-based policymaking.
Data giving the wages of employees are used to measure differences between areas. These differences are known as standardised&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/actwell--a-lifestyle-programme-to-reduce-the-risk-of-breast-cancer/</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/actwell--a-lifestyle-programme-to-reduce-the-risk-of-breast-cancer/</guid>
            <title><![CDATA[ActWELL - a lifestyle programme to reduce the risk of breast cancer]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[&nbsp;
About&nbsp;1 in 7 females&nbsp;are diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. This makes&nbsp;breast cancer is the&nbsp;most common type of cancer in the UK. &nbsp;In Scotland, cases of breast cancer are expected to rise by around 27% by 2030. Evidence suggests that breast cancer risk can be reduced by about 30% by lifestyle choices. One of the most important ways of doing this is by managing body weight through having a healthy diet and being physically active.
&nbsp;

ActWELL
ActWELL is a lifestyle programme developed in Scotland, and funded by the Scottish Government, that encourages women to lose weight and&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/what-matters-most-to-patients-when-choosing-treatment-for-secondary-breast-cancer-and-what-does-the-health-team-think/</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/what-matters-most-to-patients-when-choosing-treatment-for-secondary-breast-cancer-and-what-does-the-health-team-think/</guid>
            <title><![CDATA[What matters most to patients when choosing treatment for secondary breast cancer... and what does the health team think?]]></title>
            <pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[&nbsp;
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in the UK. About 1 in 7 females are diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. There are two types of breast cancer: primary and secondary. Primary cancer is when the cancer has not spread outside the breast or glands under the arm. Secondary cancer occurs when cancer has spread from the first (primary) cancer to other parts of the body.
Healthcare professionals will consider many factors when recommending a treatment for secondary breast cancer. Each treatment has advantages and disadvantages which will impact the quality and length of the&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/the-bicarb-study/</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/blog/the-bicarb-study/</guid>
            <title><![CDATA[The BiCARB study]]></title>
            <pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Sodium bicarbonate for older patients with chronic kidney disease and mild acidosis - is it value for money?
&nbsp;
Acidosis is common in chronic kidney disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a health condition where the kidneys are not working as well as they should. It is more common in older people. It affects about 2% of those aged 70 years and above. The kidneys remove wastes, excessive acids, salt, water and minerals from our blood and get rid of them through urine.&nbsp;Healthy kidneys are important for healthy blood and for our health in general.
As kidney function gets worse,&#8230;]]></description>
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