Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Jun 2020
Observational StudyScreening for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangements in non-small-cell lung cancer in New Zealand.
Lung cancer is a major cause of death in New Zealand. In recent years, targeted therapies have improved outcomes. ⋯ Lung cancer outcomes in New Zealand may be improved by providing national guidelines and funding policy for ALK testing and access to subsidised ALK TKI therapy.
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Mechanical ventilation as a resource is limited and may lead to poor outcomes in at-risk populations. Critical care supports may not be preferred by those at risk of deterioration in the COVID-19 setting. Patient-centred communication and shared decision-making should continue to remain central to clinical practice.
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Internal medicine journal · Jun 2020
Charlson comorbidity index scores and in-hospital prognosis of patients with severe acute respiratory infections.
Respiratory infections are one of the leading causes of mortality, and comorbid conditions play a significant role in the severity and fatality of these infections. ⋯ The comorbidity scores used to assess mortality risk in hospitalised patients with SARI displayed poor results, but HIV infection was considered a marker of severity. However, other factors should be considered in order to compose a score system that allows us to specifically assess the risk of mortality in patients with SARI.
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Internal medicine journal · Jun 2020
Appropriateness of ultrasound imaging for thyroid pathology, the standard of radiology reporting on thyroid nodules and the detection rates of thyroid malignancy: a tertiary centre retrospective audit.
The incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing worldwide without a simultaneous rise in mortality. It is thought that the incidence of non-clinically significant thyroid cancers are on the rise as a result of more sensitive diagnostic imaging. ⋯ Routine use of US thyroid imaging outside expert recommendation is common. There is lack of standardised reporting when assessing thyroid nodules on US. Limiting the initial use of US in cases of palpable neck lumps and the use of systematic reporting according to the 2017 guidelines published by the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System may reduce unnecessary investigations for thyroid nodules in the future.
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Internal medicine journal · Jun 2020
A major new alliance in Australian healthcare: the Australian consensus framework for ethical collaboration in the healthcare sector.
The 'Australian Consensus Framework for Ethical Collaboration in the Healthcare Sector' (ACF) is an Australian initiative aimed at countering dysfunction and growing mistrust in the health sector through the development of a cross-sectoral consensus framework. The development of this framework arose from Australia's involvement in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperative (APEC) and has since become the largest of its kind internationally, with over 70 signatories representing professional bodies, industry organisations, hospital and health services associations, regulators and patient and advocacy groups. In this article, we describe and critique the framework and outline its implementation.