The Medical journal of Australia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
General practitioner referral patterns for women with gynaecological symptoms: a randomised incomplete block study design.
To describe why, when and to whom general practitioners refer women with symptoms possibly attributable to cervical, endometrial or ovarian cancers, and to identify patient and GP factors that predict referral to either a gynaecologist or a gynaecological oncologist. ⋯ There appears to be significant variation in referral practices among GPs and this variation is greater for endometrial cancer, for which there are currently no evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in Australia. There is a need for further research into understanding the basis of these differences, including a review of the existing guidelines for ovarian and cervical cancer and the development of guidelines for endometrial cancer.
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Comparative Study
Outcomes from the first 2 years of the Australian National Hand Hygiene Initiative.
To report outcomes from the first 2 years of the National Hand Hygiene Initiative (NHHI), a hand hygiene (HH) culture-change program implemented in all Australian hospitals to improve health care workers' HH compliance, increase use of alcohol-based hand rub and reduce the risk of health care-associated infections. ⋯ The NHHI was associated with widespread sustained improvements in HH compliance among Australian health care workers. Although specific linking of SAB rate changes to the NHHI was not possible, further declines in national SAB rates are expected.