Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Mar 2013
Multicenter Study Clinical TrialImpact of age, gender and indigenous status on access to diagnostic coronary angiography for patients presenting with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndromes in Australia.
Using Australian guidelines for management of acute coronary syndromes, we investigated the proportion of high-risk patients enrolled in the Acute Coronary Syndromes Prospective Audit registry who received a coronary angiogram. A prospective nationwide multicentre registry involving 39 Australian hospitals was used. The study cohort were patients with high-risk clinical features without ST segment elevation (n = 1948) admitted from emergency departments between 1 November 2005 and 31 July 2007. ⋯ Indigenous patients were as likely to access angiography as eligible non-indigenous patients (RR = 1.03, 95% CI 0.85, 1.25). There is underinvestigation of high-risk patients without ST segment elevation in Australian hospitals, particularly for women and older patients. Indigenous patients are younger and have poorer risk profiles, and represent a group that would benefit from greater investment in prevention strategies.
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Internal medicine journal · Mar 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyProspective observational study of dementia and delirium in the acute hospital setting.
Dementia and delirium appear to be common among older patients admitted to acute hospitals, although there are few Australian data regarding these important conditions. ⋯ The prevalence of dementia and delirium among older patients admitted to acute hospitals is high and is likely to increase with population aging. It is suggested that hospital design, staffing and processes should be attuned better to meet these patients' needs.