The Australian journal of rural health
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Aust J Rural Health · Aug 2013
Multicenter StudyThey've given me that many tablets, I'm bushed. I don't know where I'm going: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' experiences with medicines.
To explore Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients' experiences with medicines and the barriers and facilitators to their effective use of medicines. ⋯ Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients take multiple medicines and often find managing their medicines difficult and worrying. These patients require more comprehensive information, verbal and written, and more effective communications from doctors and pharmacists about medication indications, mechanisms, side effects, drug interactions and duration of treatment. Pharmacists have an opportunity to play a greater role in improving understanding of medicines and treatment choices.
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Aust J Rural Health · Aug 2013
Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) utilisation by rural clinicians in acute ischaemic stroke: an audit of current practice and clinical outcomes.
This audit of activity reports on current rates of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) use within specialised stroke care units in rural New South Wales (NSW). It measures stroke onset-to-treatment time and morbidity outcomes for patients treated with rt-PA and aims to establish the safety and effectiveness of rt-PA use in rural NSW. ⋯ Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator can be delivered in rural Australian hospitals in a timely manner within recommended implementation guidelines. Acute stroke thrombolytic services in rural Australian facilities had comparable outcomes to metropolitan facilities. Small numbers of thrombolysed patients prevented a validation study of the well-defined outcome benefits from rt-PA. The need for ongoing data collection in regional settings is supported.