Internal medicine journal
-
Internal medicine journal · Jan 2013
ReviewRequirement for cardiac telemetry during intravenous phenytoin infusion: guideline fact or guideline fiction?
Guidelines recommend the use of cardiac telemetry when phenytoin is administered intravenously. Clinical areas where telemetry is available may not always be the most suitable place to monitor and treat these sick patients. We sought to clarify the evidence regarding the need for cardiac telemetry during intravenous infusion of phenytoin.
-
Internal medicine journal · Jan 2013
Why older patients of lower clinical urgency choose to attend the emergency department.
To examine non-clinical factors associated with emergency department (ED) attendance by lower urgency older patients. ⋯ Most older patients of lower clinical urgency presented to ED because of perceived access block to primary or specialist services, alongside an expectation of more timely and specialised care. This suggests that EDs should be redesigned and/or integrated community-based models of care developed to meet the specific needs of this age group who have growing demand for acute care.
-
Internal medicine journal · Jan 2013
Multicenter StudySurvey of practices and policies relating to the use of complementary and alternative medicines and therapies in New South Wales cancer services.
To examine policies and practices relating to the provision, prescription and monitoring of complementary and alternative medicine and therapies (CAM) in conventional cancer services in NSW. ⋯ Most cancer services in NSW recognise potential CAM use by patients and expect medical staff to ask patients about their use of CAM. While few cancer services provided or prescribed CAM, over half permitted inpatients to bring their own CAM into hospital. There was little control over the use of CAM, however, and monitoring was lax. Given the wide usage of CAM by patients with cancer, this lack of control may compromise clinical outcomes, with potentially dangerous consequences.
-
Internal medicine journal · Jan 2013
Letter Review Case ReportsA rare cause of high anion gap metabolic acidosis.