Internal medicine journal
-
Internal medicine journal · Aug 2008
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyRural Organization of Australian Stroke Teams: Emergency Department project.
Many junior doctors have poor stroke assessment skills. Although major efforts have gone in to changing the attitudes of clinicians to stroke through the development of guidelines and implementation strategies, the most important step may be to make sure that medical schools include appropriate teaching of this important topic in their curricula. The Rural Organization of Australian Stroke Teams Emergency Department (ROASTED) project sought to determine the effectiveness of a practical intervention to improve the assessment and education of stroke knowledge among our junior emergency department doctors. ⋯ This project showed that junior doctors have an inadequate knowledge of stroke and that among our junior emergency department doctors there is a need for the ROASTED intervention and other innovative educational measures.
-
Internal medicine journal · Aug 2008
Comparative StudyDelirium among elderly general medical patients in a New Zealand hospital.
Overseas studies suggest that delirium is a common and serious health problem of hospitalized elderly. There is very little information in New Zealand. ⋯ Delirium is a common health problem in elderly patients, associated with multiple adverse outcomes. This study highlighted the prognostic importance of diagnosing delirium. Recommendations included improved health professional education, development of guidelines including rational use of neuroleptic medication and measures to improve follow up for these patients.
-
Serotonin-selective re-uptake inhibitors are prescribed widely because they are regarded as having less severe side-effects compared with tricyclics and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. With this popularity, increasing attention has been drawn to their adverse effects. Development of extrapyramidal symptoms has been reported in some patients while taking fluoxetine, a commonly used serotonin-selective re-uptake inhibitor. Here, we report a case of persistent dystonia, thought to be associated with short-term fluoxetine use, which required treatment with botulinum toxin type A.