The New Zealand medical journal
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Comparative Study
Unplanned overnight hospital admission after strabismus surgery.
To examine the reasons for unplanned overnight hospital admission in paediatric patients undergoing strabismus repair, to identify preventable causes (particularly postoperative nausea and vomiting), and to compare the rate of unplanned overnight stay with a group undergoing inguinal hernia repair. ⋯ The provision of suitable accommodation and careful planning of the type and timing of surgery would be expected to reduce the overnight stay rate after strabismus surgery.
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The National Primary Medical Care survey was undertaken to describe primary health care in New Zealand, including the characteristics of accident and medical (A and M) clinic providers, their practices, the patients they see, the problems presented, and the management offered. ⋯ The main impression is that the medical A and M clinics provide episodic treatment for relatively young patients mainly related to a new, short-term problem, particularly an injury or a respiratory illness. This picture is consistent with previous research and the role of similar clinics overseas. Further work is needed to compare A and M clinics with established general practice in relation to the services that are provided as well as the acceptability and quality of these services.
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Trans fats (trans fatty acids) are commonly used for deep frying in restaurants and in the fast food, snack food, fried food, and baked goods industries, often to extend the shelf life of foods. However they are widely considered to be harmful to health. ⋯ Denmark became the first country, in March 2003, to introduce laws regulating the content of trans fats in food (maximum of 2% of edible fats and oils). What are trans fats, what harm do they cause, and should New Zealand also consider imposing mandatory regulations on their use in food? This article explores the issues.
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Stroke units save lives, reduce dependency, and increase the chance of returning home. A 15-bed Acute Stroke Unit (ASU) was opened on the acute hospital campus to complement an established Stroke Rehabilitation Unit (SRU) on a distant campus. The aim of this study was to address whether patient care was improved with the establishment of the ASU. ⋯ Adding an ASU to complement an existing SRU can give major improvements in PoC across many different facets of stroke care. We believe this is one step closer to both the ideals of an overall coordinated stroke service and better overall care for patients with stroke.