Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Jan 2025
Clinical practice in an age of medical misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Medical misinformation (false health or medical-related information) has seen a rapid increase in volume recently, with the global surge in social media usage and further exacerbation by the COVID-19 pandemic. This may put more lives at stake, as misinformation is an often-cited reason that people make dangerous health choices, engage in harmful practices and reject beneficial health treatments. In this article, we explore the drivers and consequences, as well as suggest several strategies at the personal, educational and systemic level, for physicians to guide and communicate with patients who subscribe to medical misinformation.
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Internal medicine journal · Jan 2025
Copying in medical documentation: developing an evidence-based approach.
Electronic medical records (EMRs) provide multiple efficiencies in communication to clinicians. The ability to copy and paste text in an EMR can be useful; however, it also conveys a risk of inaccurate documentation. Studies in international settings have described such overuse of copying to result in 'note bloat', with the dilution of relevant clinical information and potential clinical detriment. ⋯ Erroneous copying may occur in up to 8.3% of ward round notes in a variety of medical services. Automated strategies to help address this issue should be explored.
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Internal medicine journal · Jan 2025
Bacteraemia over 4 years in a Greater Western Sydney Metropolitan Local Health District: a retrospective descriptive study.
Bacteraemia is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Understanding local patterns of bacteraemia including pathogen distribution, infection source, clinical speciality team burden, susceptibility data and mortality rates can inform empiric antibiotic choices, prevention approaches and education strategies. ⋯ This study provides valuable insight into the local epidemiology of bacteraemia, which will allow for targeted prevention, management and educational strategies to improve outcomes.