The New Zealand medical journal
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Stroke units save lives, reduce dependency, and increase the chance of returning home. A 15-bed Acute Stroke Unit (ASU) was opened on the acute hospital campus to complement an established Stroke Rehabilitation Unit (SRU) on a distant campus. The aim of this study was to address whether patient care was improved with the establishment of the ASU. ⋯ Adding an ASU to complement an existing SRU can give major improvements in PoC across many different facets of stroke care. We believe this is one step closer to both the ideals of an overall coordinated stroke service and better overall care for patients with stroke.
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Over the past decade, psychosocial issues have been increasingly identified as risk factors that are associated with the development of chronicity and disability. These psychosocial risk factors are known as Yellow Flags. In New Zealand, in 1997, the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) published the Acute Low Back Pain Guide and the Guide to Assessing Psychosocial Yellow Flags in Acute Low Back Pain. The aim of this qualitative study is to understand the experiences of general practitioners (GPs) in the identification and management of psychosocial Yellow Flags in patients with acute low back pain. ⋯ GPs did not use the Guide to Assessing Psychosocial Yellow Flags in Acute Low Back Pain or the screening questionnaire to identify psychosocial risk factors in their patients with low back pain. Investment of resources in GPs is needed to empower them to be effective gatekeepers guarding against chronicity. This demonstrates a need to alter the current ACC Guideline dissemination and implementation.