The Medical journal of Australia
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A clear and nuanced critique of the Northern Territory government's policy of removing speed limits on sections of the Stuart Highway. Read explores evidence linking driving speed and posted speed limits with vehicle accidents and trauma, noting that for the Territory:
- Northern Territorians are "... three times more likely to die on the roads than people living in other parts of Australia, and at a rate that is equivalent to that in many low- and middle-income countries."
- After the last open speed limits were abolished in 2007, the "Australian road deaths database shows a decrease in fatalities of 3.4 per year on those NT roads..."
He concludes that the NT needs a stronger road safety package that includes removing unlimited speed limits along with driver fatigue, alcohol and seatbelt interventions.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Coordinated care versus standard care in hospital admissions of people with chronic illness: a randomised controlled trial.
To determine whether Care Navigation (CN), a nurse-led hospital-based coordinated care intervention, reduced the use of hospital services and improved quality of life for patients with chronic illness. ⋯ CN did not improve quality of life or reduce unplanned hospital presentations or admissions despite community health services almost doubling. Future service development should explore potential benefits of linking navigated intrahospital care to ongoing, proactive care planning and delivery in the community.