Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Dec 2013
Comparative StudyIndian-born patients attending a sexual health clinic in Australia have differing characteristics to their Australian-born counterparts.
We report a retrospective cross-sectional study from Western Sydney that assessed the sexual health characteristics of Indian-born patients attending sexual health services compared with Australian-born controls. The sexual health needs of Indian-born patients differed significantly from controls with those born in India reporting more sexual dysfunction and controls having more sexually transmitted infections (STI). These issues should be considered when delivering services to people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
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Internal medicine journal · Dec 2013
Hip fractures among indigenous Western Australians from 1999 to 2009.
Minimal trauma hip fractures are prevalent in Australia. The incidence rate and trend of hip fractures in Indigenous Western Australians have not been formally reported. ⋯ There is a widening gap in minimal trauma hip fracture rates between indigenous and other Western Australians. This study demonstrates a need for public health review and management strategies to reduce falls and hip fracture in the indigenous community.
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Internal medicine journal · Dec 2013
Impact of opening a new emergency department on healthcare service and patient outcomes: analyses based on linking ambulance, emergency and hospital databases.
Emergency department (ED) crowding caused by access block is an increasing public health issue and has been associated with impaired healthcare delivery, negative patient outcomes and increased staff workload. ⋯ An additional ED within the region saw an increase in the total volume of presentations at a rate far greater than local population growth, suggesting it either provided an unmet need or a shifting of activity from one sector to another. Future studies should examine patient decision making regarding reasons for presenting to a new or pre-existing ED. There is an inherent need to take a 'whole of health service area' approach to solve crowding issues.
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Internal medicine journal · Dec 2013
Total length of stay, costs and outcomes at final discharge for admitted patients with hip fracture: linked episode data for Australian veterans and war widows.
To identify the total duration of hospital stay, total hospital costs and outcomes at final discharge for a series of Australian patients with hip fracture. ⋯ For complex conditions such as hip fracture, a process of patient-specific episode linkage is required to identify accurately hospital LOS, costs and patient outcomes.