Clinical medicine (London, England)
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Doctors increasingly rely on medical apps running on smart phones or tablet computers to support their work. However, these apps vary hugely in the quality of their data input screens, internal data processing, the methods used to handle sensitive patient data and how they communicate their output to the user. Inspired by Donabedian's approach to assessing quality and the principles of good user interface design, the Royal College of Physicians' Health Informatics Unit has developed and piloted an 18-item checklist to help clinicians assess the structure, functions and impact of medical apps. Use of this checklist should help clinicians to feel more confident about using medical apps themselves, about recommending them to their staff or prescribing them for patients.
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Neutropenic sepsis is a life-threatening condition with mortality rates reported to range between 2 and 21% in adults. It can occur following chemotherapy treatment, due to disease (such as haematological conditions affecting the bone marrow) and in patients on disease-modifying agents (such as patients receiving methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis). ⋯ Practice at Weston General Hospital has been audited at three time points since 2008 (in 2008, 2011 and 2013-14) during which there have been several service developments relevant to the management of neutropenic sepsis, including the introduction of an AOS in June 2013. The percentage of patients in which intravenous antibiotic 1-hour door-to-needle time was achieved has improved from 14% (2008) to 31% (2011) to 79% (2013-14) and neutropenic sepsis mortality has decreased from 39% (2008) to 14% (2011) to 0% (2013-14).
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A 55-year-old man presented with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. He received rescue angioplasty with one drug eluting stent. He developed marked breathlessness and haemoptysis two days later. ⋯ Pneumonitis and pulmonary haemorrhage is rarely reported with acute myocardial infarction, but poses serious challenge to the patient and the clinician. Diagnosis may be delayed as breathlessness can occur due to myriad causes after myocardial infarction. Interrupting dual anti-platelet therapy after angioplasty could lead to devastating stent thrombosis.
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The Future Hospital Commission has highlighted the need for increased general medical skills in the medical workforce in order to meet the increasing demands on the NHS in terms of patients with increasing age, frailty and complex comorbidities. However there continues to be a lack of clarity around the concept of generalism and general internal medicine (GIM), with differing views on the physician's role in GIM. This survey sought to explore further the roles in which current physicians perceive they are practising GIM as well as views on training in GIM. The survey highlights three key points: (i) that consultant perception and practice of GIM continues to vary dependent on physician specialty; (ii) that the practice of GIM is not limited to the front door but includes the management of patients under the care of a specialty team with general medical needs, be that in an inpatient, outpatient or acute care setting; and (iii) that training in GIM needs to reflect this variation in roles and practice.
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We present the case of a young primigravida, conceived with in vitro fertilisation, referred with unilateral neck swelling and pleuritic chest pain. Our case highlights the potential complexity of the management of the complications of assisted conception techniques. The discussion explores important considerations in the management of such patients.