Swiss medical weekly
-
Swiss medical weekly · Jan 2010
Comparative StudyPatient satisfaction and clinical outcome following outpatient radiofrequency catheter ablation of supraventricular tachycardia.
Catheter ablation is an effective and safe treatment for various arrhythmic disorders. Patients are frequently admitted for an overnight stay after the ablation procedure to monitor for possible postprocedural complications or recurrence of the arrhythmia. The aim of this study was to assess patient satisfaction in patients with supraventricular tachycardia following catheter ablation on an outpatient basis. ⋯ Overall patient satisfaction and self-reported clinical outcome are comparable for outpatient and inpatient catheter ablations. Patients undergoing outpatient procedures may return to work earlier. Therefore, outpatient ablation procedures may be considered for selected patients without significant comorbidities.
-
Swiss medical weekly · Jan 2010
Comparative StudyProficiency in cardiopulmonary resuscitation of medical students at graduation: a simulator-based comparison with general practitioners.
There are no data on the preparedness of medical students at the time of their graduation to handle a cardiac arrest. The aim of the present study was to compare the performance in cardiopulmonary resuscitation of medical students at the time of their graduation with that of experienced general practitioners. ⋯ When confronted with a cardiac arrest, medical students at the time of their graduation substantially delayed evidence-based life-saving measures like defibrillation and provided only half of the resuscitation support provided by experienced general practitioners. Future research should focus on how to best prepare medical students to handle medical emergencies.
-
Swiss medical weekly · Jan 2010
Population based screening - the difficulty of how to do more good than harm and how to achieve it.
Screening people without symptoms of disease is an attractive idea. Screening allows early detection of disease or elevated risk of disease, and has the potential for improved treatment and reduction of mortality. The list of future screening opportunities is set to grow because of the refinement of screening techniques, the increasing frequency of degenerative and chronic diseases, and the steadily growing body of evidence on genetic predispositions for various diseases. ⋯ There are several countries that already use established processes and criteria to assess the appropriateness of screening. We argue that the Swiss healthcare system needs a nationwide screening commission mandated to conduct appropriate evidence-based evaluation of the impact of proposed screening interventions, to issue evidence-based recommendations, and to monitor the performance of screening programmes introduced. Without explicit processes there is a danger that beneficial screening programmes could be neglected and that ineffective, and potentially harmful, screening procedures could be introduced.
-
Swiss medical weekly · Jan 2010
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyFunctional multidisciplinary rehabilitation versus outpatient physiotherapy for non specific low back pain: randomized controlled trial.
In recent decades the treatment of non-specific low back pain has turned to active modalities, some of which were based on cognitive-behavioural principles. Non-randomised studies clearly favour functional multidisciplinary rehabilitation over outpatient physiotherapy. However, systematic reviews and meta-analysis provide contradictory evidence regarding the effects on return to work and functional status. The aim of the present randomised study was to compare long-term functional and work status after 3-week functional multidisciplinary rehabilitation or 18 supervised outpatient physiotherapy sessions. ⋯ Functional multidisciplinary rehabilitation was better than outpatient physiotherapy in improving functional and work status. From an economic point of view, these results should be backed up by a cost-effectiveness study.