Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Jul 2022
Use of a Victorian statewide surveillance program to evaluate the burden of healthcare-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia and Clostridioides difficile infection in patients with cancer.
Patients with cancer are at high risk for infection, but the epidemiology of healthcare-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (HA-SAB) and Clostridioides difficile infection (HA-CDI) in Australian cancer patients has not previously been reported. ⋯ Our findings demonstrate a higher burden of HA-SAB and HA-CDI in a cancer cohort when compared with state data and highlight the need for cancer-specific targets and benchmarks to meaningfully support quality improvement.
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Internal medicine journal · Jul 2022
Pharmacogenomic testing: perception of clinical utility, enablers and barriers to adoption in Australian hospitals.
Despite healthcare professionals (HCP) endorsing the clinical utility of pharmacogenomics testing, use in clinical practice is limited. ⋯ Pharmacogenomic testing was considered important to guide drug selection and dosing decisions. However, limited knowledge, low confidence and an absence of guidelines impede the use of pharmacogenomic testing. Establishment of local resources including multidisciplinary models-of-care was suggested to facilitate implementation of pharmacogenomics.
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Internal medicine journal · Jul 2022
Upfront tandem autologous non-myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplant in high-risk multiple myeloma: a long-term single-centre experience.
The role of upfront non-myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation (NMA alloSCT) in high-risk multiple myeloma (HR-MM) is unclear. We evaluated outcomes of NMA alloSCT following autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) compared with ASCT alone for newly diagnosed HR-MM. Two-year progression-free survival was improved in the ASCT-NMA alloSCT group (44% vs 16%; P = 0.035), with a trend for improved overall survival (P = 0.118). These results suggest that ASCT-NMA alloSCT can be considered as upfront therapy in HR-MM.
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Internal medicine journal · Jul 2022
Customized Targeted Massively Parallel Sequencing Enables More Precisely Diagnosis of Patients with Epilepsy.
Advancement in genetic technology has led to the identification of an increasing number of genes in epilepsy. This will provide a lot of information in clinical practice and improve the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. ⋯ NGS-based testing panels contribute to the diagnosis of epilepsy and might change the clinical management by preventing unnecessary and potentially harmful diagnostic procedures and management in patients. Thus, our results highlight the benefit of genetic testing in children suffering with epilepsy.
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Internal medicine journal · Jul 2022
Development of inflammatory bowel disease patient education and medical information sheets: serving an unmet need.
Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic gastrointestinal condition that necessitates life-long healthcare engagement and management. Empowering patients with knowledge is fundamental to enhance health literacy, improve health outcomes and facilitate complex decision-making regarding medication and potential surgery. A working group was formed to develop concise, comprehensive patient information sheets to meet this unmet need in the Australian setting.