586 results match your criteria: "Blacktown Clinical School & Research Centre[Affiliation]"

What barriers do paediatric nurses encounter when attempting to wean paediatric patients off humidified high flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy? A qualitative study.

J Pediatr Nurs

November 2024

Caring Futures Institute, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia, Australia. Electronic address:

Purpose: This study aimed to explore nurse perceptions of barriers and facilitators to weaning humidified high flow nasal cannula (HHFNC) in Australian paediatric settings.

Design And Methods: A qualitative descriptive two phased study was conducted across Australia. Purposeful sampling and snowballing technique were used to recruit nurses with the study advertised widely on social media nursing groups.

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Objective: The Osteoarthritis Chronic Care Program (OACCP) has been implemented in Australian public hospitals to deliver best evidence osteoarthritis (OA) care. It is important to ensure that the OACCP continues to deliver evidence-based OA care as intended. We aimed to identify barriers and enablers to delivering the OACCP, prioritize the barriers, and generate strategies to address them.

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Development and evaluation of a spaced eLearning intervention for nurses in enhancing urinary catheter management - A co-design study in partnership with research end-users.

Nurse Educ Today

January 2025

School of Nursing, Faculty of Science, Medicine & Health, University of Wollongong, Australia, Australian Centre for Integration of Oral Health (ACIOH), Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Building 41: Room 118, University of Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia. Electronic address:

Background: Nurses play a critical role in supporting patients in self-managing their indwelling urinary catheters and preventing avoidable hospital presentations. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of a co-designed educational approach developed to enhance nurses' ability to provide optimal care for patients with catheters.

Aim: The primary aim of this study was to enhance nurses' knowledge and skills in urinary catheterisation, care, and management.

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Article Synopsis
  • New advanced therapies for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) require enhanced risk management strategies to ensure patient safety during treatment.
  • A comprehensive set of eight statements was developed through literature review and expert consensus, focusing on assessments and vaccinations needed before starting therapies like JAK inhibitors and S1P modulators.
  • Key findings include the necessity for infectious disease screenings, updated vaccination protocols, and specific risk assessments for malignancies and cardiovascular issues to reduce IBD complications associated with these advanced treatments.
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Nature and management of melanoma recurrences following adjuvant anti-PD-1 based therapy.

Eur J Cancer

November 2024

Melanoma Institute Australia, University of Sydney, 45 Rocklands Road, Wollstonecraft, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Department of Medical Oncology, Royal North Shore Hospital, North Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address:

Introduction: Approximately 50 % of resected stage II-IV melanoma patients develop recurrent disease by 5 years despite adjuvant anti-PD-1 therapy. Data to define best management of recurrences is lacking.

Methods: This was a multicentre, international, retrospective cohort study.

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Surveillance after Focal Therapy - a Comprehensive Review.

Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis

October 2024

Department of Urology and Duke Cancer Institute, Duke Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.

Background: to date, no standardized, evidence-based follow-up schemes exist for the monitoring of patients who underwent focal therapy (FT) and expert centers rely mainly on their own experience and/or institutional protocols. We aimed to perform a comprehensive review of the most advantageous follow-up strategies and their rationale after FT for prostate cancer (PCa).

Methods: a narrative review of the literature was conducted to investigate different follow-up protocols of FT for PCa.

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Article Synopsis
  • ALK-positive lung cancers exhibit molecular diversity and pose challenges due to treatment resistance, prompting the need for innovative strategies using ctDNA monitoring.
  • The ALKTERNATE pilot study analyzed alternating treatments of lorlatinib and crizotinib in patients resistant to previous ALK inhibitors, focusing on outcomes like treatment failure time, safety, and patient experiences.
  • Results showed that the alternating therapy was safe and effective for most participants, with an average treatment failure time of 10 months and overall survival of 23 months, indicating the importance of genetic factors in treatment response.
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The current treatment approach to patients with liver cirrhosis relies on the individual management of complications. Consequently, there is an unmet need for an overall therapeutic strategy for primary and secondary prevention of complications. The clinical potential of long-term albumin infusions supported by recent clinical trials has expanded its indications and holds promise to transform the management and secondary prevention of cirrhosis-related complications.

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The clinical utility of multidisciplinary team meetings for patients with complex benign upper gastrointestinal conditions.

Dis Esophagus

November 2024

Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery Unit, Division of Surgery, Anaesthesia and Procedural Medicine, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.

Patients with benign upper gastrointestinal (UGI) conditions such as achalasia, gastroparesis and refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease often suffer from debilitating symptoms. These conditions can be complex and challenging to diagnose and treat, making them well suited for discussion within a multidisciplinary meeting (MDM). There is, however, a paucity of data describing the value of a benign UGI MDM.

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Pericatheter Leak Associated With Earlier Peritoneal Dialysis Initiation Does Not Influence Long-Term Outcomes.

Kidney Int Rep

September 2024

Western Renal Services (Western Sydney and Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health Districts), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Introduction: Internationally, peritoneal dialysis (PD) is increasingly being commenced within 2 weeks of catheter insertion. Studies are warranted to evaluate outcomes of this strategy.

Methods: This study examines outcomes of early-start PD (ESPD) and conventional-start PD (CSPD), commencing at ≤14 days and >14 days after catheter insertion, respectively.

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Background: Heart failure (HF) is a complex syndrome associated with high morbidity and mortality and increased healthcare utilisation. Patient education is key to improving health outcomes, achieved by promoting self-management to optimise medical management. Newer digital tools like text messaging and smartphone applications provide novel patient education approaches.

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Development and psychometric evaluation of the catheter assessment, management and performance (CAMP) scale for nurses.

Nurse Educ Pract

October 2024

School of Nursing, Faculty of Science, Medicine & Health, University of Wollongong, Australia; Australian Centre for Integration of Oral Health (ACIOH), Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Locked Bag 7103, Liverpool NSW 2170, Australia. Electronic address:

Aim: To develop and test the psychometric properties of a self-administered scale to assess the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour of nurses to support the self-management of patients living with indwelling urinary catheters.

Background: Nurses are pivotal in supporting patients with urinary catheter self-management to prevent potentially avoidable hospital presentations. However, no validated scale is available to assess nurses' attitudes and readiness for this task.

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Introduction: Obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI) is associated with serious morbidity and reduced quality of life. The role of anorectal manometry (ARM) to guide treatment is unclear. We aimed to define the role of ARM and symptom assessment after OASI in predicting anal incontinence at long-term follow-up.

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Introduction: The recently developed Freiburg Index of Post-TIPS Survival (FIPS) allows improved risk classification of patients with decompensated cirrhosis allocated to transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) implantation. This study investigated the prognostic value of the FIPS in patients hospitalized with acute decompensation of cirrhosis (AD), outside the setting of TIPS implantation.

Methods: A total of 1133 patients with AD were included in a retrospective, multi-centre study.

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Background: The combination of intravenous hydrocortisone and enteral fludrocortisone may reduce mortality in patients with septic shock. The optimal dose and reliability of absorption of fludrocortisone in critically ill patients are unclear.

Methods: In a multi-centre, open label, phase II randomized clinical trial, intravenous hydrocortisone alone or in combination with one of three doses of enteral fludrocortisone (50 µg, 100 µg or 200 µg daily) for 7 days was compared in patients with septic shock.

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This phase 1 trial assessed the safety and immunogenicity of an investigational tetanus/diphtheria/acellular pertussis vaccine combined with CpG 1018 adjuvant 1500 μg (Tdap-1018 1500 μg) or 3000 μg (Tdap-1018 3000 μg) in adults and adolescents. In this randomized, active-controlled, multicenter, dose-escalation trial, healthy participants aged 10 to 22 years received 1 dose of Tdap-1018 1500 μg, Tdap-1018 3000 μg, or Boostrix. Geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) and booster response rates (BRRs) for antibodies against pertussis (pertussis toxin, filamentous hemagglutinin, pertactin), tetanus, and diphtheria antigens, and neutralizing antibodies against pertussis toxin were assessed 4 weeks after vaccination.

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Left atrial function in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis: addressing prognostic insights beyond atrial fibrillation prediction.

Eur Heart J Imaging Methods Pract

April 2024

Postgraduate Program of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Professor Alfredo Balena, 190, Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, MG 30130 100, Brazil.

Aims: Rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS) frequently leads to impaired left atrial (LA) function because of pressure overload, highlighting the underlying atrial pathology. Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) offers early detection of LA dysfunction, potentially improving risk assessment in patients with MS. This study aims to evaluate the predictive value of LA function assessed by 2D-STE for clinical outcomes in patients with MS.

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Mechanistic Insights and Knowledge Gaps in the Effects of Radiation Therapy on Cardiac Arrhythmias.

Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys

January 2025

Cardiology Department, Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia; Westmead Applied Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia; Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address:

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is an innovative modality for the treatment of refractory ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). Phase 1/2 clinical trials have demonstrated the remarkable efficacy of SBRT at reducing VA burden (by >85%) in patients with good short-term safety. SBRT as an option for VA treatment delivered in an ambulatory nonsedated patient in a single fraction during an outpatient session of 15 to 30 minutes, without added risks of anesthetic or surgery, is clinically relevant.

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Article Synopsis
  • Enoxaparin, a medication used to treat blood clots, is dosed based on actual body weight, but its effectiveness can vary in obese patients due to distribution differences related to body composition.
  • The study evaluated dosing strategies and monitored Antifactor Xa (AFXa) levels in obese patients receiving enoxaparin, reviewing data from 762 patients over a year.
  • Results showed no significant link between dosing and AFXa levels, and the rates of treatment failure (2.2%) and bleeding (5%) were comparable to general expectations, indicating that obesity did not independently impact treatment outcomes.
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A Rare Case of Left Atrial Mural Endocarditis.

Heart Lung Circ

October 2024

Department of Cardiology, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, Australia; Westmead Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; South West Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address:

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Effect of Obesity on the Use of Antiarrhythmics in Adults With Atrial Fibrillation: A Narrative Review.

Clin Cardiol

August 2024

Centre for Chronic & Complex Care Research, Blacktown Hospital, Western Sydney Local Health District, Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and obesity coexist in approximately 37.6 million and 650 million people globally, respectively. The anatomical and physiological changes in individuals with obesity may influence the pharmacokinetic properties of drugs.

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Objective: To identify factors associated with neonatal respiratory distress (NRD) in early Gestational diabetes mellitus (eGDM).

Design: Nested case-control analysis of the TOBOGM trial.

Setting: Seventeen hospitals: Australia, Sweden, Austria and India.

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