AMJ

Australia’s federal government has proposed an AUD $7 patient co-payment for a general practice (GP) consultation. The financial impact on states and territories of this proposed co-payment and its effect on patient flows, are not known. The estimates in this study suggest that the proposed co-payment will cause an increase in Western Australian (WA) government health expenditure. 

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Non-attendance at medical appointments is associated with increased patient morbidity and is a significant drain on health service resources. This study, conducted at a general practice super clinic in Australia, revealed that Indigenous Australians are three times more likely to miss a scheduled medical appointment than non-Indigenous Australians. Further, Aboriginal women may be at the highest risk of missing appointments. The study’s results could have important policy implications.

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Genomic medicine continues to evolve rapidly, with more information being gathered and shared than ever before. Gene sequencing and the provision of genetic information is becoming increasingly affordable, more prevalent in hospitals and clinics, and visible in the public eye. The physiotherapy profession, along with many other medical groups, needs to act now to determine how the future of the profession can adapt to the new wave of personalised, genomic medicine.

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Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a type of nosocomial pneumonia, which increases mortality rates among critically ill patients. This review gives an overview of the incidence, pathogenesis, risk factors, aetiology, treatment, and prevention of VAP. Greater awareness of VAP can help to create appropriate infection control measures to curb its occurrence among critically ill patients.

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Treatment initiation for active Helicobacter pylori infection in South Auckland, New Zealand has been well below international guidelines. As many as one-third of H. pylori-positive patients receive no treatment. Direct patient notification is a simple and economical strategy that has improved the timely treatment of active H. pylori infection in a representative South Auckland population.

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NK/T-cell lymphoma is a rare tumour, whose coexistence with a benign pathology-like inverted papilloma has rarely been reported. The clinical presentation of this case is unusual because the patient had two different yet co-existing nasopharyngeal pathologies, one benign and the other malignant. This report emphasises the need for awareness about such coexisting pathologies and proper communication between clinicians and pathologists.

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This case report describes paraneoplastic polyarthritis in association with a metastatic neuroendocrine tumour of the adrenal gland, which is an unusual presentation. Paraneoplastic polyarthritis must be considered if the polyarthritis cannot be explained by common aetiologies. The unusual presentation of this case also raises awareness about the atypical presentations of neuroendocrine tumours.

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Principles of general and autonomic pharmacology

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