The New Zealand medical journal
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To assess the attitudes of clinicians to temperature management in haematology patients with febrile neutropenia. ⋯ This survey documents clinicians' preferred temperature intervention thresholds and methods for haematology patients with neutropenic fever, and shows considerable variation in practice. Most respondents supported a trial of antipyretic management in febrile neutropenia.
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An audit of rheumatic fever surveillance in Northland was carried out for the period 2002-2011. The aim of the audit was to establish the accuracy and completeness of surveillance of Acute Rheumatic Fever in Northland, and to provide a robust baseline for future comparison given current rheumatic fever prevention efforts. ⋯ Acute rheumatic fever rates in Northland Maori children aged 5-14 (78/100000) are similar to those seen in developing countries and nearly double the rates seen other New Zealand audits. The findings highlight the urgent need to address crowding, poverty and inequitable primary care access if rheumatic fever is to be eliminated.
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Rapid expert management of transient ischemic attacks (TIA) has been shown to reduce the incidence of stroke, but is not always achievable. This study aims to demonstrate that TIA management by stroke experts is indeed more guideline adherent than that of generalists and that a TIA/stroke electronic decision support (EDS) tool closely mimics expert advice and improves guideline adherence. ⋯ This study (a) confirms that stroke expert care achieves higher guideline adherence and (b) provides validation that the TIA/stroke EDS tool is able to mimic expert advice and can reliably apply best practice guidelines.
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A prospective analysis was undertaken of the workload of prehospital triage and treatment facilities established in Wellington for the 2011 and 2012 International Rugby Sevens, and the Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC). The introduction of an alcohol intoxication pathway, the impact of the initiative on ambulance and Emergency Department (ED) workload, and its cost effectiveness were assessed. ⋯ With minimal supervision, event medics and paramedics can safely care for the majority of patients attending large rugby events in New Zealand, easing the pressure on ambulances and the ED, and generating significant cost savings for those services.