The Medical journal of Australia
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Multicenter Study
The role of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in predicting disability after injury.
To examine the relationship between psychological response to injury at 1 week and 3 months, and disability at 12 months. ⋯ PTSD and depression at 1 week and at 3 months after injury significantly increased the risk of disability at 12 months. Routine assessment of symptoms of depression and PTSD in patients who have been physically injured may facilitate triage to evidence-based treatments, leading to improvement in both physical and psychological outcomes.
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Hospitals cannot manage their emergency patients when there is significant access block. There are solutions that should be implemented but require national leadership to be effective. These solutions include an immediate increase in the number of acute hospital beds, improved coordination and increased community capacity to manage medical patients with complex conditions outside acute public hospitals, improved hospital processes, and better standardisation of treatment within emergency departments. There is little evidence that telephone triage, ambulatory care clinics or disaster management techniques, including ambulance diversion, reduce access block.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Is symptom burden a predictor of anxiety and depression in patients with cancer about to commence chemotherapy?
To assess the prevalence, severity and distress from physical symptoms and the prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients about to undergo chemotherapy for potentially curable cancers; and to explore the presence of symptom clusters and investigate their relationships with anxiety and depression. ⋯ Before commencing chemotherapy, patients are already experiencing distressing symptoms and have high scores for anxiety and depression, partially explained by physical symptom distress. Patients should be routinely screened for both emotional and physical needs and appropriate interventions should be developed.