The New Zealand medical journal
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Blinded randomised controlled study of the effect of a discharge communication template on proton pump inhibitor prescribing.
To evaluate whether the inclusion of advice in the hospital discharge letter regarding published guidelines for the review of PPI therapy can increase the number of patients that have documented PPI therapy review, consistent with the published guidelines, following hospital discharge. ⋯ We were not able to demonstrate a beneficial change in PPI prescribing practice from the inclusion of PPI prescribing advice in the discharge letter.
-
Historical Article
The Cockroft and Gault formula for estimation of creatinine clearance: a friendly deconstruction.
To review the derivation of the Cockroft and Gault formula for estimating creatinine clearance from serum creatinine in a historical context. ⋯ The Cockcroft and Gault formula has been validated by long usage but the derivation appears logically insecure. Nevertheless, its role in estimating renal function at the bedside is established.
-
Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Screening for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection among healthcare workers in New Zealand: prospective comparison between the tuberculin skin test and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube assay.
A cross-sectional study was used to compare the "QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-tube" assay (QFT-GIT) to the Mantoux tuberculin skin test (TST) as a test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) infection among healthcare workers in Auckland, New Zealand (NZ). New employees who underwent pre-employment interviews between 1 May 2007 and 18 March 2008 were recruited. Participants completed a detailed questionnaire to assess their risk of TB. ⋯ Both tests were associated with at least one well described risk factor for TB infection. The association between positive TST and BCG implies that a high percentage of positive TST results occurred due to non-specific cross-reactivity with BCG. Our findings suggest that among low TB prevalence populations with a high rate of BCG vaccination, the QFT-GIT is more specific than the TST although the superior specificity may be at the expense of some sensitivity.