Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Dec 2022
Quality of care in people requiring hospital admission for gout in Aotearoa New Zealand: a nationwide analysis.
The quality of care for patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of gout, both before and after admission, has not been systematically examined. ⋯ In this nationwide study, rates of admission for gout were highest in Pacific peoples and in Māori. Rates of regular allopurinol dispensing were low even after admission for a primary diagnosis of gout. These findings highlight the need for improvements in gout management in Aotearoa New Zealand, including in post-discharge planning from secondary care inpatient services.
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Previous research suggested cardiac auscultation is underdeveloped in physicians-in-training. Developing proficiency requires wide exposure to signs, practice and feedback, which may not regularly occur in clinical environments. Our novel pilot study using a mixed-methods approach (n = 9) suggests chatbot-mediated learning of cardiac auscultation is accessible and possesses unique advantages, including immediate feedback, helping in the management of cognitive overload and facilitating deliberate practice.
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Internal medicine journal · Dec 2022
Telemedicine to Timor-Leste: implementing an international cardiac telehealth service during population dislocation, floods and COVID-19.
The East Timor Hearts Fund has provided cardiac services in Timor-Leste since 2010, conducting three clinics yearly. ⋯ Our pilot telehealth clinics indicate that capacity-building telemedicine can be rapidly implemented in an emergency setting internationally. Clinic design benefits from careful identification and resolution of challenges to optimise flow. Cardiac patients in Timor-Leste have a significant burden of disease amenable to intervention.
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Internal medicine journal · Dec 2022
Low mortality in vaccinated immunocompromised haematology patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in patients with haematological neoplasms has been associated with increased mortality; however, many studies in this patient group were reported early in the pandemic. The authors evaluated outcomes of COVID-19 infection in patients with haematological conditions following widespread vaccination, newer viral variants and increasingly effective antiviral therapies. A 4% mortality rate was found and contemporary risk factors for hospitalisation including older age, nonvaccination or partial COVID-19 vaccination status and infection with non-Omicron strain were identified.