Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Oct 2024
ReviewThe burden of rheumatologic disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
The objective of this article is to summarise the current knowledge regarding the prevalence of six rheumatological conditions in indigenous Australians - rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), osteoporosis (OSP), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), gout and musculoskeletal (MSK) pain. Online medical literature databases were searched for 'indigenous', 'Aboriginal' and 'Torres Strait Islander', as well as the names of the six conditions. Other included search terms were 'crystal', 'urate', 'arthritis' and 'arthropathy'. ⋯ Further studies in conjunction with local indigenous communities are needed to accurately determine the burden of rheumatological disease in the indigenous population. This will assist with resource and workforce planning to deliver culturally appropriate interventions. Strategies for future clinical work and research include the development and dissemination of culturally safe rheumatology resources, rheumatology training of Aboriginal Health Workers and wider integration of rheumatology clinics into community-controlled Aboriginal Health Services.
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Internal medicine journal · Oct 2024
Multicenter Study Observational StudyRecent temporal trends, characteristics and outcomes of patients with non-COVID-19 community-acquired pneumonia at two tertiary hospitals in Australia: an observational study.
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) leads to considerable morbidity and mortality globally. However, data on CAP burden in Australia, especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, are limited. ⋯ There has been an increasing trend of hospitalisations for non-COVID-19 CAP during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a concomitant trend towards shorter LOS and no significant shift in other clinical outcomes.
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Internal medicine journal · Oct 2024
Observational StudyThe natural history of Gaucher disease type 1 in 31 patients over a median of 15 years: a retrospective study.
The natural history of untreated patients with type 1 Gaucher disease (GD1) is not well documented, and there is controversy over when and how to treat such patients, especially if they are only mildly symptomatic. Treatment of GD1 is inconvenient, very costly, and may result in undesirable side effects. We documented the clinical history of 31 untreated patients with GD1 followed in our clinic for 4-26 (median 15) years. ⋯ Our results demonstrate that many patients with GD1, provided with close follow-up by a specialist centre, can be followed for many years without requiring treatment and with no or minimal worsening of their GD1 manifestations.
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Internal medicine journal · Oct 2024
Push or pull? Digital notification platform implementation reduces dysglycaemia.
Pushing selected information to clinicians, as opposed to the traditional method of clinicians pulling information from an electronic medical record, has the potential to improve care. A digital notification platform was designed by clinicians and implemented in a tertiary hospital to flag dysglycaemia. There were 112 patients included in the study, and the post-implementation group demonstrated lower rates of dysglycaemia (2.5% vs 1.1%, P = 0.038). These findings raise considerations for information delivery methods for multiple domains in contemporary healthcare.