The New Zealand medical journal
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The art of physical examination has continued to be practised by physicians largely unchanged for over 200 years. Ultrasound, once the domain of the radiologist, is now being increasingly used by emergency physicians and intensivists to make rapid, accurate diagnoses at the point-of-care. ⋯ Compared with physical examination, PoCUS may increase diagnostic accuracy and patient satisfaction; reduce unnecessary investigations and healthcare costs; be shared with experts for a second opinion; and have automated decision-support applied to improve diagnosis. Further research is needed to identify the ideal combination of physical and PoCUS techniques to establish a gold-standard 'hybrid' approach to bedside assessment.
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To estimate rates of presenteeism in the New Zealand senior medical workforce and identify reasons why this workforce feels pressured to work through illness. ⋯ Presenteeism is a widespread behavioural norm in this medical workforce. Choosing whether to work through illness reflects the high value placed on duty of care, but also tensions around defining responsible behaviour in this regard.