The Changing Landscape of Intravenous Thrombolysis for Acute Ischaemic Stroke.

Intravenous thrombolysis remains the most accessible and effective reperfusion therapy available to patients with acute ischaemic stroke. Treatment with intravenous thrombolysis improves the odds of favourable functional outcome with the unacceptably low risk of haemorrhagic complications. Even in the current era of endovascular thrombectomy, intravenous thrombolysis remains the backbone of acute stroke treatment due to its accessibility and relative ease of administration.

Usability survey of an inpatient electronic clinical communication platform at a large New Zealand tertiary hospital.

Background: Internationally, there is significant published literature indicating low levels of clinical satisfaction with the digital electronic clinical record. Many New Zealand hospitals are currently undergoing a process of digitisation. The aim of the current study was to determine the usability of the inpatient clinical documentation and communication platform known as Cortex approximately one year after full deployment at Christchurch Hospital.

The landscape of research during post-graduate medical training in New Zealand.

Formalised research opportunities offered to junior doctors in Australasia, and specifically New Zealand, are few and far in between. This is especially evident for interns in the first 2 years after graduation. Academic internships are positioned not only to fill this gap but also provide interns with long-lasting skills beyond the confines of academia.

Is it time to relieve junior doctors from "relief rotations"?

Relief junior doctors provide cover for absent colleagues on leave. One of the main advantages of the relief system is the availability of covered leave for junior doctors. However, it also has several drawbacks, including the lack of time-accreditation by Training Colleges.

From left to right: an unusual presentation of Tolosa-Hunt syndrome with bilateral eye involvement.

Here we discuss a presentation of Tolosa-Hunt syndrome (THS) in a 44-year-old female with new right-eye ptosis, ophthalmoplegia and headache. Four days prior, she had almost identical ptosis and ophthalmoplegia in her left eye, which resolved. Cavernous sinus inflammation and symptom improvement with glucocorticoid treatment indicated THS with bilateral eye involvement, a presentation which may be undervalued by the current THS classification.

The Case for Junior Doctor Academic Internships: A Narrative Review of the Published Literature.

Introduction: There is a growing concern with the dwindling academic workforce especially in medicine. Academic internships refer to a hybrid internship during which an intern spends a period of time (typically 3-6 months) in academic/research endeavours. These may serve as initial research experience for junior doctors.

Variations in the patterns of prevalence and therapy in Australasian Parkinson's disease patients of different ethnicities.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly after Alzheimer's disease. It is expected that PD cumulative incidence will increase in the future, as there are far more people surviving into late age than there ever used to be. While most commonly idiopathic, rare forms of PD can be familial/genetic.

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation as Drivers for Early Engagement in Research by Medical Students.

Background: A student's motivation is a key factor in their success in undertaking an education endeavour. However, how this relates to involvement in research by medical students is unclear.

Methods: An electronic questionnaire was sent to all medical students at our institution.

Factors Predictive of Medical Student Involvement in Research: Results from a New Zealand Institution.

Background: Previous studies have elucidated several benefits of engagement in research by medical students. The aim of the current study was to assess if any factors influenced the student's actual involvement (not mere interest) in scholarly activities during medical school.

Methods: All medical students at the University of Otago were invited via e-mail to complete an online questionnaire.

Clinician-scientist training in New Zealand: historical notes and current trends.

Clinician-scientist training most commonly refers to the concomitant undertaking of dual (medical and PhD) degrees by a medical student. While such training is relatively well-established in the US, Canada and many countries in Europe including the UK, uptake in Australasia has been slower and less successful. This brief piece explores this aspect, with some focus on the history of the intercalated programmes in New Zealand.

Understanding of medical students about predatory journals: A comparative study from KSA and New Zealand.

Objective: This study examines the extent of understanding of medical students from KSA and New Zealand (NZ) about predatory journals.

Methods: From March to July 2019, self-administered questionnaires were sent to fourth- and fifth-year students of two medical schools in KSA and NZ. Between-group comparisons were carried out using the two-sided Student's test and the Chi-square test.

Research attitudes, barriers, and prior experience: Experience from interns working in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore research productivity and attitudes by Saudi interns.

Materials And Methods: Interns from two hospitals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia were invited to participate in an online survey.

Results: Fifty-seven interns responded to the survey.

Do medical interns publish findings of compulsory audit or research projects? Five-year experience from a single centre in New Zealand.

Introduction: There is a paucity of literature on research output of Australasian interns. We have previously shown great interest among interns rotating in our department to publish or present their findings from an audit or research project (ARP). The aim of this study was to examine the output of the intern ARP.

Exploring eye movements of Parkinson's disease patients performing the Judgement of line orientation test.

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) patients are reported to score significantly lower on the Judgement of Line Orientation (JLO) test compared with controls. The traditional method of scoring JLO ignores potentially interesting information on the mechanism of errors made.

Aim: The aim of the current study was to analyse the performance of PD patients on the JLO while monitoring eye movements.

Career outcomes of students of an intercalated MBChB/PhD: experience from New Zealand.

Background: Medium- and long-term outcomes of an intercalated medical/PhD degree are less well-characterised for non-North American programmes than North American ones. We report on the career choices and academic accomplishments of MBChB/PhD students at one university 17 years after the programme's introduction.

Methods: A list of all past and current intercalating students at the University of Otago was obtained.

Would you do it again? A qualitative study of student and supervisor perceptions of an intercalated MBChB/PhD programme.

Background: Several studies have warned about the diminishing physician-scientist breed. Limited studies, however, have attempted to assess what factors (if any) enhanced or hindered the experience of trainee physician-scientists and their supervisors. Using Vroom's expectancy theory as a conceptual framework, we explored the highlights, motivations and barriers of an intercalated MBChB/PhD programme as experienced by students of the programme and their supervisors.

Urinalysis orders and yield among General Medicine patients: a single-centre's experience in New Zealand.

Background: Urinalysis performed by dipstick testing is an aid to diagnosing urinary tract infections (UTI), and a tool in selecting patients who require urine culture and antibiotic treatment. Previous studies have demonstrated that UTI, especially in the elderly, are over-diagnosed and over-treated. We sought to study the pattern and yield of urinalysis and urine culture at our service in a tertiary institution.