Irish journal of medical science
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Medication errors are a preventable cause of patient injury. In May 2003, as a result of a joint initiative by the Royal College of Anaesthetists, the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, the Intercollegiate Faculty of Accident and Emergency Medicine and the Intensive Care Society, a new colour code chart for syringe labelling was introduced. The introduction of the new system has not been uniform in the Irish Republic with no national guidelines or time scale in place. ⋯ Future action should focus on practical, common sense interventions including techniques such as those that reduce reliance on memory, standardization, the use of protocols and checklists, and the elimination of look-alike products.
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We present the case of a 14-year-old with a 3-month history of back pain, who on presentation, was demonstrated to have neurological signs. ⋯ Back pain in childhood is a significant and often sinister symptom, which requires careful evaluation.
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Compliance with medical therapy may be compromised because of the affordability of medications. Inadequate physician knowledge of drug costs may unwittingly contribute to this problem. ⋯ Interventions are needed to educate doctors about drug costs and provide them with reliable, easily accessible cost information in real-world practice.
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Neurological complications of scrub typhus are reported to be rare. Peripheral nervous system involvement has been reported in only one case. We present two cases of Guillan-Barré syndrome (GBS) associated with scrub typhus. In both cases, the findings of an elevated indirect immunofluorescent antibody titer for Orientia tsutsugamushi and nerve conduction study showing sensory-motor polyneuropathy, have led us to believe that scrub typhus could be one of the antecedent illnesses associated with GBS.