Publications by authors named "V E Abernethy"
Background: Ethnic differences in post-stroke outcomes have been largely attributed to biological and socioeconomic characteristics resulting in differential risk factor profiles and stroke subtypes, but evidence is mixed.
Aims: This study assessed ethnic differences in stroke outcome and service access in New Zealand (NZ) and explored underlying causes in addition to traditional risk factors.
Methods: This national cohort study used routinely collected health and social data to compare post-stroke outcomes between NZ Europeans, Māori, Pacific Peoples, and Asians, adjusting for differences in baseline characteristics, socioeconomic deprivation, and stroke characteristics.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined the costs and quality of life outcomes for stroke patients admitted to urban versus nonurban hospitals in New Zealand, highlighting a lack of existing evidence on the cost variances based on geographic location.
- The research included data from 1510 stroke patients and found that urban hospital treatments resulted in significantly higher costs and better quality-adjusted life years compared to nonurban hospitals.
- The cost-effectiveness analysis revealed that the cost per quality-adjusted life year was notably higher for treatments in urban hospitals, raising questions about whether the increased spending correlates to proportional health benefits.
Background And Objectives: International evidence shows that patients treated at nonurban hospitals experience poorer access to key stroke interventions. Evidence for whether this results in poorer outcomes is conflicting and generally based on administrative or voluntary registry data. The aim of this study was to use prospective high-quality comprehensive nationwide patient-level data to investigate the association between hospital geography and outcomes of patients with stroke and access to best-practice stroke care in New Zealand.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA man in his early 50s presented with small bowel obstruction, requiring emergency laparoscopic small bowel resection for the metastatic melanoma of the jejunum with no identifiable primary lesion. One week after his first treatment with ipilimumab and nivolumab, he presented with diffuse abdominal pain, constipation, and fatigue. A computerized tomography scan did not identify a cause for his symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Ethnic inequities in stroke care access have been reported internationally but the impact on outcomes remains unclear. In New Zealand, data on ethnic stroke inequities and resultant effects on outcomes are generally limited and conflicting.
Methods: In a prospective, nationwide, multi-centre observational study, we recruited consecutive adult patients with confirmed stroke from 28 hospitals between 1 May and 31 October 2018.