Internal medicine journal
-
Internal medicine journal · Sep 2020
How COVID-19 has pushed us into a medical education revolution.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on society and higher education in Australia. In just a few weeks, entire courses have been re-structured and are now delivered online. The need to adapt rapidly has prompted many innovative changes that will ultimately have long-term benefits for medical education in Australia and New Zealand.
-
Internal medicine journal · Sep 2020
Multicenter StudyTocilizumab therapy in rheumatoid arthritis with interstitial lung disease: a multicentre retrospective study.
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is the most severe extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although it is responsible of 10-20% of all RA mortality, no controlled studies are available for the treatment of RA-ILD and its therapeutic approach is still debated. ⋯ The management of RA-ILD patients remains a critical unmet need. TCZ demonstrated a good safety profile in patients with RA-ILD and a potential effect on the stabilisation of lung involvement.
-
Internal medicine journal · Sep 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialEffectiveness of patient-oriented education and medication management intervention in people with decompensated cirrhosis.
People with chronic disease often have poor comprehension of their disease and medications, which can negatively affect health outcomes. In a randomised-controlled trial, we found that patients with decompensated cirrhosis who received a pharmacist-led, patient-oriented education and medication management intervention (n = 57) had greater knowledge of cirrhosis and key self-care tasks compared with usual care (n = 59). Intervention patients also experienced improved quality of life. Dedicated resources are needed to support implementation of evidence-based measures at local centres to improve outcomes.
-
Internal medicine journal · Sep 2020
Where are our patients? Retrospective cohort study of acute medical unit admissions during and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Admissions to hospital have declined markedly during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. This may be due to patients not presenting with acute illness or managing their chronic illness at home. ⋯ This may lead to worse outcomes for those not presenting, as well as those presenting late. We recommend a public health campaign to encourage Australians to present to hospital if unwell.