Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2021
'Code-95' rapid response calls for patients under airborne precautions in the COVID-19-era: a cross-sectional survey of healthcare worker perceptions.
To allow better allocation of staff and resources, rapid response teams attending to acutely deteriorating or aggressive patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection were pre-warned with the announcement of 'Code-95' with calls. ⋯ Most surveyed HCW supported Code-95 announcements pre-warning them of potential COVID-19 exposure when attending a RRC. However, the majority of HCW reported anxiety when attending these calls. Medical and efferent team HCW perceived greater anxiety compared to nursing and afferent team HCW. The Code-95 system to pre-warn rapid response teams may be a useful addition to protecting HCW from infectious diseases, although broader implementation will require greater resourcing, training and support.
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2021
Developing critical thinking skills for delivering optimal care.
Healthcare systems across the world are challenged with problems of misdiagnosis, non-beneficial care, unwarranted practice variation and inefficient or unsafe practice. In countering these shortcomings, clinicians must be able to think critically, interpret and assimilate new knowledge, deal with uncertainty and change behaviour in response to compelling new evidence. ⋯ It is important to define these skills explicitly, explain their rationales, describe methods of instruction and provide examples of optimal application. Educational methods for developing and refining these skills must be embedded within all levels of clinician training and continuing professional development.
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2021
Case ReportsLack of phenotypic additive effect of familial defective apolipoprotein B3531 in familial hypercholesterolaemia.
Familial defective apolipoprotein (apo) B (FDB) and familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) are the two common genetic conditions that cause hypercholesterolaemia. R3531C mutation of the APOB gene is a rare cause of FDB. Individuals with both FDB and FH are rare. ⋯ R3531C mutation, and our results show that this mutation has no effect in LDLR p. Y398X/APOB p. R3531C double heterozygotes.
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2021
Medication use and cognitive impairment among residents of aged care facilities.
Potentially inappropriate polypharmacy is common in residential aged care facilities (RACF). This is of particular concern among people with cognitive impairment who, compared with cognitively intact residents, are potentially more sensitive to the adverse effects of medications. ⋯ Our findings highlight the need for optimising prescribing in RACF residents, with particular attention to medications with anti-cholinergic effects.
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2021
Australia's problem with obtaining consent for psychotropic use in older people.
Frequent use of psychotropic medicines in people with dementia is a significant concern globally, doing this without informed consent is a violation of human rights, ethics and law. Capacity Australia piloted an intervention to address several hypothetical barriers to obtaining consent for psychotropic use in aged care and has developed a suite of resources to improve rights and health literacy for clinicians, patients and community alike.