South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
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Multicenter Study
Vital signs for children at triage: a multicentre validation of the revised South African Triage Scale (SATS) for children.
To validate a revised version of the paediatric South African Triage Scale (SATS) against admission as a reference standard and compare the sensitivity of triage using: (i) clinical discriminators; (ii) an age-appropriate physiological composite score; and (iii) a combination of both. ⋯ The results of this study illustrate that the revised paediatric SATS is a safe and robust triage tool.
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The term rhinitis implies inflammation of the lining of the nose. Characteristic symptoms are a blocked nose, anterior and posterior rhinorrhea, sneezing and itching. Not all cases of chronic rhinitis have an allergic basis. ⋯ Chronic rhinitis impacts on patient quality of life, and therefore therapy is important. Managing patients with chronic rhinitis requires attention to patient education in order to achieve the maximal therapeutic benefit of medication. This update is intended to provide clinicians with a sound basis for management of a common condition.
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In South Africa, information on sex workers' characteristics, sexual behaviour and health needs is limited. Current social, legal and institutional factors impede a safe working environment for sex workers and their clients. ⋯ Tailored sex work interventions should explicitly include male and transgender sex workers, sex work-specific clinics, focus on the risks of unprotected anal sex, and include interventions to reduce alcohol harm.
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The Constitution and the National Health Act provide that nobody shall be refused emergency medical treatment. 'Do not resuscitate' (DNR) orders require that certain patients should not be given cardiopulmonary resuscitation to save their lives. Whether there is a conflict between these two requirements is answered by considering: (i) the meaning of emergency medical treatment; (ii) the relationship between emergency medical treatment and DNR orders; (iii) the meaning of futile medical treatment; (iv) the relationship between DNR orders and euthanasia; and (v) when DNR orders may be lawfully used.