Internal medicine journal
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Systemic sclerosis (SSc) refers to an autoimmune fibrosing disorder with high disease burden and mortality. The prevalence of 23/100 000 in South Australia (SA) is among the highest documented, but anecdotally it is higher still in Cairns. ⋯ The higher prevalence of SSc in Cairns is partly, but not completely, due to migration. Differences in clinical features are not entirely explained by the warmer climate. There is a need for greater rheumatologic services in the Cairns region.
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2020
Iron insufficiency among young Australian women: a population-based survey.
Although serum ferritin is considered a reliable indicator of iron stores, there are few data documenting the prevalence of low ferritin in representative samples of young women. ⋯ This study demonstrates that serum ferritin below 30 μg/L is common amongst young Australian women. Healthcare professionals should note the association between low ferritin and heavy bleeding.
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2020
Weighted activity unit effect: evaluating the cost of diagnosis-related group coding.
Activity-based funding (ABF) is a means of healthcare reimbursement, where hospitals are allocated funding based on the number and mix of clinical activity. The ABF model is based solely on Australian refined diagnosis-related group (AR-DRG) classifications of hospital encounters. Each AR-DRG is allocated a weighted activity unit (WAU) translating to cost value to determine ongoing funding allocations for each hospital annually. ⋯ Clinical note documentation ultimately determines the future funding of our healthcare system. Appropriate communication and education of medical staff and hospital coders are vital to ensure precise documentation and accurate AR-DRG coding for optimal and appropriate reimbursement in this funding model.
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2020
Historical ArticleCook's Endeavour, ship of discovery or ship of distemper: an assessment after 250 years.
The 250-year anniversary of Cook's landfall at Botany Bay on 28 April 1770, approximately half way through a global circumnavigation, was an extraordinary maritime undertaking. An enterprise of astronomy, cartography, cultural-botanical documentation and revelation achieved without a death from infectious disease and only 10 mild cases of scurvy in a ship's company of 95 men. The subsequent homeward journey was far less endurable, marked by shipwreck, unforeseen prolonged delays and fatal epidemics of flux and malaria. Mild scurvy within a handful of souls in a crew experimenting with several putative antiscorbutics, yet at voyage's end the precise treatment of scurvy remained enigmatic.