Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jul 2015
Surgical site infection-a population-based study in Australian adults measuring the compliance with and correct timing of appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis.
Prophylaxis for surgical site infection (SSI) is often at variance with guidelines, despite the prevalence of SSI and its associated cost, morbidity, and mortality. The CareTrack Australia study, undertaken by a number of the authors, demonstrated that appropriate care (in line with evidence- or consensus-based guidelines) was provided at 38% of eligible SSI healthcare encounters. Here, we report the indicator-level CareTrack Australia findings for SSI prophylaxis. ⋯ Where antibiotics were not indicated, 72% of patients still received them. SSI prophylaxis in our sample was poor; over two-thirds of patients were given antibiotics, whether indicated or not, mainly at the wrong time. There is a need for national agreement on clinical standards, indicators and tools to guide, document and monitor SSI prophylaxis, with both local and national measures to increase and monitor their uptake.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jul 2015
Historical ArticleDevelopments in labour analgesia and their use in Australia.
Since the introduction of chloroform for labour analgesia in 1847, different methods and medications have been used to relieve the pain of labour. The use of heavy sedative medication in the early 1900s was encouraged by enthusiastic doctors and by women empowered by the women's suffrage movement in America. Nitrous oxide by inhalation has been used in Australia since the 1950s and improved methods of administration have made this method of analgesia safe and practical. ⋯ Thanks to this historical connection, in today's Australia there is no question that women should use analgesia as a pain relief if they wish. Currently, the majority of women worldwide use some form of analgesia during labour and different methods are widely available. This paper discusses the four milestones of the development of obstetric analgesia and how they were introduced into patient care in Australia.