December 2001

Release date: 10 December, 2001 Partnership Agreement between University and Rural Medical Centre An agreement has been signed between National University of Ireland, Galway and the Turloughmore General Practice of Drs. Brendan Day and Mary Conroy. The agreement confirms Turloughmore Medical Centre as the clinical centre for the Department of General Practice, NUI, Galway. Close co-operation between the practice and the department has occurred over the last three years with Professor Murphy's clinical activity being based there. Dr. Brendan Day stated that 'as a graduate of NUI, Galway, and one of the first graduates of the general practice training scheme in Galway, I am delighted that our practice is to be explicitly linked with NUI, Galway. The link has already proven most beneficial to both the practice staff and patients.' Dr Mary Conroy said that '2001 has proven a significant year for the development of the practice. We are about to move to a new practice premises and, together with the formalisation of the link with NUI, Galway, these are two important practice milestones.' This explicit relationship between a University academic department of general practice and a rural practice is unique in Ireland. Professor Andrew Murphy said that 'the department of general practice in NUI, Galway is supported by the North-Western and Western Health Boards. Both of these Health Boards wished for the clinical centre of the department to reflect the rural nature of much of their community. Having been based for three years in Turloughmore, I am delighted that the relationship has now been formalised and I look forward to further developments.' Prof Jim Browne, Registrar, NUI, Galway said 'the University is very aware of its important leadership role in the Western seaboard region. We would see this strategic alliance as reflecting our appreciation of such a role and warmly acknowledge the support of the North-Western and Western Health Boards to the department of general practice, NUI, Galway.' ENDS Information from: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press Officer, NUI, Galway. Tel. 091 750418

Release date: 7 December, 2001 NUI Galway Academics contribute to New Edition of Anthropological Classic The third edition of a pioneering anthropological text entitled, Family and Community in Ireland, was launched in NUI, Galway today (Friday), by Michael D. Higgins, TD. An extended introduction that brings to light much new material concerning the political, economic and cultural context in which the study was conducted, has been provided by Dr. Anne Byrne, Dr. Ricca Edmondson and Dr. Anthony Varley of the University s Department of Political Science and Sociology Family and Community in Ireland, written by Harvard authors, Conrad Arensberg and Solon Kimball, is based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork among the people of north Clare and the townspeople of Ennis in the years 1932-4. It is a world-renowned social anthropological study of how a traditional rural society functioned in the early decades of the twentieth century. One of Family and Community in Ireland's main purposes was to arouse interest in the possibilities of ethnographic fieldwork methods in settings outside premodern and so-called 'primitive' societies and the societies of the industrially advanced 'modern' world. The outstanding interest in Ireland for authors of Family and Community in Ireland lay in the fact that it was still an overwhelmingly rural society in Europe that could be located somewhere in between the pre-modern 'primitive' world and the industrial advanced societies. Family and Community in Ireland provides a detailed study of family and kin, of life and work, of mutuality in social and economic relationships among the small farmer class. Its authors reveal a story of the importance and centrality of the family as a social and economic system, which produced and reproduced a self-sufficient, traditional rural community. Documenting the 'minutiae of social life', this book represents a view of the 'Old World from the inside' by two 'outsiders' from the 'New World', 'a document expressing a point-of-time in the social life of rural Ireland'. This third edition of Family and Community in Ireland is accompanied by new material which allows us to reconstruct the day-to-day experiences of the anthropologists during their time in County Clare. Both the book and its new introduction provide the general reader and the social science student with an opportunity to reassess the significance of this classic text. Ends Information from: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press Officer, NUI, Galway. Tel. 091 750418

Release date: 10 December, 2001 IMPORTANT NEW FINDINGS ON IRISH RURAL GENERAL PRACTICE Irish rural practitioners, in comparison to their urban colleagues, work longer hours, have more public patients, are more likely to work from purpose built premises which are publicly owned and participate more in a team approach to patient care delivery. The results of a national census on general practice in Ireland, with an emphasis on rural general practice, has just been published in the international journal Family Practice. The project was conducted, with the significant support of the Irish College of General Practitioners, by Dr. Saoirse Nic Gabhainn (Assistant Academic Director, Department of Health Promotion, NUI, Galway), Professor Andrew W Murphy, (Professor of General Practice at NUI, Galway) and Professor Cecily Kelleher (Professor of Health Promotion at NUI, Galway). Completed questionnaires were returned from 2,093 General Practitioners which was an 86% response rate. Information on 1429 practice centres were provided; 34% of these were designated as city, 28% as town and 38% as rural. Dr. Saoirse Nic Gabhainn said : 'We were especially pleased with both the high quality and quantity of responses to this census. This could only have occurred because of the significant support which the Irish College of General Practitioners provided to the study'. The mean number of public or 'GMS' patients per general practitioner was 740 for city, 818 for town and 865 for rural locations. Professor Andrew W Murphy commented that : 'Public perceptions of poverty are dominated by urban images yet the health implications of poverty are universal and irrespective of location. Combining these figures with the distances which patients live from acute hospitals emphasises the workload implications of rural poverty for General Practitioners. 70% of rural practitioners have weekly contact with a public health nurse; this compares to 30% and 38% for city and town practitioners respectively. 54% of rural practitioners have weekly or monthly contact with a community psychiatric nurse; this compares to 30 and 39% for city and town colleagues respectively. The quality of these contacts is described much more positively by rural practitioners. Professor Andrew W Murphy said that : 'The recent primary care strategy emphasised the importance of teamwork. The results of this study suggest that what levels of teamwork currently exist in Ireland, do so largely in rural areas. Consideration of these rural primary care teams is worthwhile if the aspirations of the teamwork approach as outlined in the strategy are to be implemented.' Smaller and more regional studies of rural practice from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and the United States have found broadly similar results. Dr. Saoirse Nic Gabhainn stated that : 'This means that, irrespective of the prevailing health care system, rural practice appears to have distinctive characteristics. Specific programmes to support the development and delivery of rural general practice are therefore appropriate.' Mr. Fionán Ó Cuinneagáin, Chief Executive of the Irish College of General Practitioners, commented: 'The results of this important study emphasise the unique role which Irish rural general practitioners play in the delivery of healthcare in this country. For this role to continue, and to develop, it is important that substantial support be given to rural practitioners in reducing excessive workload and guaranteeing locum coverage and the provision of distance learning programmes. It also highlights the important contribution which academic general practice can make in the formulation of policy development.' sor Andrew Murphy is available for interview on the findings of the national census ENDS Information from: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press Officer, NUI, Galway. Tel. 091 750418 Professor Andrew W Murphy, Department of General Practice, NUI, Galway Tel : (091) 750470

Release date: 3 December, 2001 Announcement of New Chair of BioMedical Engineering Science at NUI Galway NUI, Galway wishes to announce the appointment of Dr. Terry Smith as the first Professor of Biomedical Engineering Science and Director of the National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science (NCBES) which is also based on campus. A graduate of Trinity College, Dublin and Oxford University, Professor Smith has been General Manager of the National Diagnostics Centre, NUI, Galway since 1994. His major research interest is focused on using functional genomics approaches to investigate the molecular basis of human disease, in particular, human reproductive disorders. As Director of the NCBES, Professor Smith s main priority will be to lead the development of a world-class research Centre in Biomedical Engineering Science. "This goal will be achieved through the development of interdisciplinary research programmes within the Centre in selected areas where significant expertise already exists, and by establishing research collaborations nationally and internationally with key research Institutes and researchers. Through our interdisciplinary approach, the NCBES will establish itself as a world-leader in key areas of Biomedical Engineering Science research", he said. Professor Smith s other priorities include the development of collaborative research programmes with local and national biomedical and biotechnology industries and to harness the expertise within the NCBES towards the development of novel diagnostics tests and treatments for human disease. Ends Information from: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press Officer, NUI, Galway. Tel. 091 750418