The New Zealand medical journal
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Comparative Study
Prevention of burn injuries to children involving nightwear.
The effectiveness of legislative intervention in the New Zealand market for children's nightclothes as an injury prevention strategy has been reassessed by examining those hospital admissions for the period 1980-8 (with emphasis on the 1985-8 period) in which clothing and/or nightclothes were involved. The profiles of the production of children's nightclothes (1977-86) and domestic heating (1984-8) were also examined. Ninety-five cases of burn injury discharges were identified (1985-8), and of those cases involving clothing 42% involved nightwear (49% 1981-4). ⋯ Estimated production of nightdresses in New Zealand also decreased (460,000 to 80,000 units, 1973-86). The pronounced decrease in injuries attributable to ignition of children's nightclothes is likely to be the result of mandatory controls on children's nightclothes, increased use of pyjamas, and a steady decrease in use of open fires and portable electric heaters. The typical injury event portrayed to the public of a girl in front of a heater or open fire needs to be corrected.
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Two peer review groups of ten general practitioners each reviewed their management of two conditions, headache and fatigue. Each group used internal standards which they had set for the review of one condition and external standards set by the other group for the other condition. Data for the review were collected from the general practitioners' case notes and presented to them. ⋯ Group 2 improved their management of the condition where internal standards were used by 12% and the condition where external standards were used by 9%. This difference was not statistically significant. Although there was a significant improvement in the management of both conditions in each group, the use of internal versus external standards made no difference to the degree of improvement following peer review.