The New Zealand medical journal
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To investigate staff perceptions of the burden of alcohol-related presentations on emergency departments (ED) in New Zealand and the impact on staff of alcohol-related ED presentations. ⋯ This small exploratory study found that alcohol-related presentations have a negative impact on ED staff workload and safety, and may compromise treatment of all patients. More research is needed to corroborate these findings and to investigate policies to reduce the impacts of alcohol-related presentations in the ED.
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To survey new patients, presenting to three drug clinics, on the patterns, usage and costs of prescription pharmaceuticals. ⋯ Morphine and methadone remain the predominant street opioid PDs in this region. Street prices have reduced, perhaps reflecting greater drug availability in accordance with increased national prescribing of opioids. There is continuing diversion of PDs to the street which is an ongoing Public Health issue requiring coordinated responses, including improved prescribing training, pain guidelines, drug clinic policy and actions by Medsafe, Police and regulatory bodies to contain this problem.
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When people in industry or government burnout, the resulting inefficiencies and logjams may frustrate and even harm the citizenry. However, the stakes are higher in health care. ⋯ In our respective roles as former Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC), and chairman of the Medical Council, we have seen the harm caused by burnout in the medical profession. In this article, we seek to describe the problem and suggest some strategies to address it.
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We carried out a serological and clinical survey to determine the prevalence and clinical presentation of yaws on two twin islands in Polynesia: Wallis and Futuna. A total of 264 serum samples were tested for specific Treponema pallidum haemagglutinations assay and non-specific rapid plasma reagin: 52 were positive for one or both tests; only one young adult had skin lesion consistent with yaws; and there were no observed cases of secondary or tertiary yaws. Our results contrast with findings in neighbouring islands, such as Vanuatu, where yaws has been reported to resurge. This difference might be explained by better availability and accessibility of healthcare on Wallis and Futuna, thus allowing widespread use of antibiotics for other bacterial diseases.