The Medical journal of Australia
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To estimate the prevalence of polypharmacy among Australians aged 70 years or more, 2006-2017. ⋯ The prevalence of polypharmacy among older Australians is relatively high, affecting almost one million older people, and the number is increasing as the population ages. Our estimates are probably low, as we could not take over-the-counter or complementary medicines or private prescriptions into account. Polypharmacy can be appropriate, but there is substantial evidence for its potential harm and the importance of rationalising unnecessary medicines, particularly in older people.
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To determine the validity, sensitivity, specificity and acceptability of the culturally adapted nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (aPHQ-9) as a screening tool for depression in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. ⋯ Indigenous Australians found the aPHQ-9 acceptable as a screening tool for depression. Applying a cut-point of 10 points, the performance characteristics of the aPHQ were good.
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To describe the frequencies of acute kidney injury (AKI) and of associated diagnoses in Indigenous people in a remote Western Australian region. ⋯ The age distribution of AKI events among Indigenous Australians in the Kimberley was skewed to younger groups than in the national data on AKI. Infectious conditions were common in patients, underscoring the significance of environmental determinants of health. Primary care services can play an important role in preventing community-acquired AKI; applying pathology-based criteria could improve the detection of AKI.