Clin Med
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Osteoarthritis represents a massive and rapidly increasing burden on our society and the NHS. Current treatments are limited in efficacy and have significant toxicities. A conference was organised in conjunction with the British Society of Rheumatology with the aim of updating frontline clinicians and researchers on the size and causes of this problem, with a focus on modern management.
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This concise guidance, prepared for physicians, summarises the British Occupational Health Research Foundation guideline for the prevention, identification and management of occupational asthma. Approximately one in six people of working age who develop asthma have work-related asthma, where work has either caused or aggravated their disease. ⋯ Following a validated diagnosis of occupational asthma, physicians should recommend early avoidance of further exposure, because this offers the best chance of complete recovery. If appropriate and timely interventions are not taken, the prognosis of occupational asthma is poor, with only approximately one-third of workers achieving full symptomatic recovery.
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Comparative Study
Simple prescribing errors and allergy documentation in medical hospital admissions in Australia and New Zealand.
This study aimed to quantify and compare the prevalence of simple prescribing errors made by clinicians in the first 24 hours of a general medical patient's hospital admission. Four public or private acute care hospitals across Australia and New Zealand each audited 200 patients' drug charts. Patient demographics, pharmacist review and pre-defined prescribing errors were recorded. ⋯ Patients reviewed by a pharmacist were less likely to have inadequate documentation of allergies (13.5% vs 29.4%, p < 0.001). Simple prescribing errors are common, although their nature differs from site to site. Clinical pharmacists target patients with the most complex health situations, and their involvement leads to improved documentation.
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The National Plan for Liver Services in 2009 called for a review of current liver services across the UK to identify areas of good and poor provision. We present the results of a national questionnaire survey of liver services, which focussed on staffing and training, access to key facilities and clinical management of liver disease. ⋯ Wide variation in the clinical management of serious liver diseases supports the need for managed clinical networks. These results will help to guide the development of standards of care for liver services across the UK.
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Numbers of National Clinical Assessment Service referrals concerning practitioners' performance are much higher for the over-50s, especially in GPs. In 20% of cases there are concerns with diagnosis that are unlikely to be recognised by revalidation. ⋯ We need to assess pratictioners' competencies in diagnosis throughout their careers. Plans to extend working life may require changes to the clinical responsibilities of older doctors.