Anticoagulant usage for primary stroke prevention: a general practitioner survey in local areas of metropolitan Sydney.

We assessed the hypothesis that having a non-English-speaking background (NESB), being very elderly, living alone, and having cognitive impairment were contributing factors to anticoagulant under-utilisation for atrial fibrillation in our local community. A questionnaire was mailed to 532 general practitioners (GPs) in three areas of metropolitan Sydney, Australia. The questionnaire included five case scenarios, regarding either an English-speaking background (ESB) patient, or an NESB patient, each characterised by potential barrier(s) for anticoagulant usage: being (1) elderly; (2) elderly with mild dementia; (3) elderly with mild dementia and living alone; (4) elderly with severe dementia; and (5) very elderly.

Evaluation of a medication education program for elderly hospital in-patients.

To improve elderly patients' understanding and safe usage of their medications. English-speaking hospital inpatients aged > or =65 years were recruited. They were self-medicating at home with at least 1 regular medication and had a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of at least 20 out of 30.

Safety and low molecular weight heparin in older people in a hospital with ambulatory care.

Unlabelled: To examine major bleeding and mortality rates of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) and unfractionated heparin (UFH) for patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) and/or deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a retrospective review of the medical records for 286 patients who presented at a local hospital with PE and/or DVT during the period November 2002-August 2003 was performed.

Data Collected: presence of co-morbidities, concurrent medications, presence, site and severity of bleeding, outcome. Of all the patients, 50.

Management of pulmonary embolism in the home.

Aim: To describe the characteristics, outcomes and treatment complications of patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) who were treated at home and as outpatients in an ambulatory care program.

Methods: Retrospective descriptive study of patients with PE who were treated in the ambulatory care unit during 2003. Ambulatory care unit data and medical record information were reviewed.