Can open cholecystectomy be taught by cadaveric simulation?

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the current standard of treatment for surgical gallbladder removal as it has an overall improved post-operative recovery compared to Open Cholecystectomy (OC). This has resulted in the loss of exposure to surgical trainees and the associated technical skills and decision-making required to convert to OC. The aim of this study is to provide construct validity to the proposition that cadaveric simulation can be used successfully to teach and learn open cholecystectomy.

Exploring the Preferences of the Australian Public for Antibiotic Treatments: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

Objectives: Identify Australian public preferences for antibiotic treatments in the context of antibiotic stewardship.

Methods: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted in Australia to investigate the importance of seven attributes associated with antibiotic treatments and related stewardship practices: contribution to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), treatment duration, side effects, days needed to recover, days before taking antibiotics, treatment failure and out-of-pocket costs. The DCE data were analysed using conditional logit, mixed logit and latent class conditional logit models.

Reducing pressure injuries in children caused by peripheral intravenous cannulae.

Medical devices such as peripheral intravenous cannulae (PIVC) are commonly used in the care of children across all hospital settings. However, the association between PIVC and the development of pressure injuries in this population became a concern on one Australian paediatric ward. A quality improvement project was conducted to reduce the incidence of pressure injuries in children caused by PIVCs.

The appendix-mucosal immunity and tolerance in the gut: consequences for the syndromes of appendicitis and its epidemiology.

The cause of appendicitis is unknown. A review is presented across diverse sources relating to the biology of the appendix and its perturbations. A mechanistic model of the function of the appendix is presented, and its application to the syndromes and consequences of appendicitis is described.

Using a validated tool to assess whole-body cadaveric simulation course on open general and emergency surgery.

Background: The Anatomy of Surgical Exposure (ASE) is a cadaver-based operative surgery simulation course that aims to teach techniques and exposures commonly used in open surgical operations. In this study, we used a validated tool to determine efficacy of assessing skills acquisition in the simulated environment. Our aims were to investigate if the ASE course improves the candidates' surgical performance, and to assess if the validated Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS) template could be a useful tool for assessing technical skills.

Where to from here? Identifying and prioritising future directions for addressing drug-resistant infection in Australia.

Background: The Australian National Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy calls for a collaborative effort to change practices that have contributed to the development of drug-resistance and for implementation of new initiatives to reduce antibiotic use.

Methods: A facilitated workshop was undertaken at the 2019 National Australian Antimicrobial Resistance Forum to explore the complexity of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) implementation in Australia and prioritise future action. Participants engaged in rotating rounds of discussion using a world café format addressing six topics relating to AMS implementation.

Abortion education in Australian medical schools.

This aim of this study was to gain an updated perspective of the teaching and learning experiences of abortion care among Australian medical students. All 2020 Australian final-year medical students were invited to complete a 12-question cross-sectional electronic survey. While it appears that abortion care is taught in most Australian medical schools, in some it is not, and where the topic is presented, structured and standardised teaching is still lacking.

Implementation of a novel antimicrobial stewardship strategy for rural facilities utilising telehealth.

A significant portion of healthcare takes place in small hospitals, and many are located in rural and regional areas. Facilities in these regions frequently do not have adequate resources to implement an onsite antimicrobial stewardship programme and there are limited data relating to their implementation and effectiveness. We present an innovative model of providing a specialist telehealth antimicrobial stewardship service utilising a centralised service (Queensland Statewide Antimicrobial Stewardship Program) to a rural Hospital and Health Service.

Association between guidelines and medical practitioners' perception of best management for patients attending with an apparently uncomplicated acute sore throat: a cross-sectional survey in five countries.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between guidelines and the medical practitioners' perception of optimal care for patients attending with an apparently uncomplicated acute sore throat in five countries (Australia, Germany, Sweden, UK and USA).

Design: International cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Primary healthcare (PHC).

Characteristics and preventability of obstetric intensive care unit admissions in Far North Queensland.

Background: The rarity of maternal deaths in developed countries has increased interest in auditing cases of severe maternal morbidity or maternal 'near miss'. The assessment and preventability of cases of maternal 'near misses' are important in improving the provision of maternity care.

Aims: To describe the epidemiology and determine aspects of preventability in care among women admitted to an obstetric intensive care unit (ICU) in Far North Queensland.

Appendix redux: a stone unturned.

Recent advances in understanding of the biology of appendicitis are reviewed. Immunological aspects are discussed in the setting of a changing microbiome. Implications for practice are summarized.

Community perspectives on the benefits and risks of technologically enhanced communicable disease surveillance systems: a report on four community juries.

Background: Outbreaks of infectious disease cause serious and costly health and social problems. Two new technologies - pathogen whole genome sequencing (WGS) and Big Data analytics - promise to improve our capacity to detect and control outbreaks earlier, saving lives and resources. However, routinely using these technologies to capture more detailed and specific personal information could be perceived as intrusive and a threat to privacy.

Scleroderma in Cairns: an epidemiological study.

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) refers to an autoimmune fibrosing disorder with high disease burden and mortality. The prevalence of 23/100 000 in South Australia (SA) is among the highest documented, but anecdotally it is higher still in Cairns.

Aims: To ascertain the prevalence of SSc in Cairns and surrounding regions, and to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with SSc in Cairns with those in SA.

Defining short and long sleep duration for future paediatric research: A systematic literature review.

Short and long sleep patterns in children have been associated with a range of poor health outcomes. However, there is no consensus regarding the definitions of these abnormal sleep parameters in childhood for use in paediatric research. Given that there is a clear lack of definitions for sleep duration throughout paediatric sleep literature, this review aimed to establish recommendations for standard cut-offs of short and long sleep for children aged 1-16 years to enable homogeneity in future studies of paediatric sleep duration.

Factors influencing breast cancer outcomes in Australia: A systematic review.

Purpose: This systematic review evaluates factors influencing breast cancer outcomes for women treated in Australia, facilitating the exploration of disparities in breast cancer outcomes for certain groups of women in Australia.

Method: A systematic literature search was performed using MEDLINE and Scopus focusing on breast cancer in Australia with outcome measures being breast cancer survival and recurrence with no restrictions on date. Risk of bias was assessed using Cairns Assessment Scale for Observational studies of Risk factors (CASOR).

Survey of local fauna from endemic areas of Northern Queensland, Australia for the presence of .

Background: Buruli ulcer (BU), regionally known as the Daintree ulcer or Bairnsdale ulcer is caused by the environmental pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU). This disease is characterized by extensive and painless necrosis of skin and soft tissue with the formation of large ulcers and has been reported in >33 countries worldwide. This organism is geographically restricted and in Australia, the disease has been reported primarily in coastal Victoria and the Mossman-Daintree areas of northern Queensland.

A survey on Mycobacterium ulcerans in Mosquitoes and March flies captured from endemic areas of Northern Queensland, Australia.

Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer (BU). This nontuberculous mycobacterial infection has been reported in 34 countries worldwide. In Australia, the majority of cases of BU have been recorded in coastal Victoria and the Mossman-Daintree areas of north Queensland.

The scientific evidence for a potential link between confusion and urinary tract infection in the elderly is still confusing - a systematic literature review.

Background: Non-specific symptoms, such as confusion, are often suspected to be caused by urinary tract infection (UTI) and continues to be the most common reason for suspecting a UTI despite many other potential causes. This leads to significant overdiagnosis of UTI, inappropriate antibiotic use and potential harmful outcomes. This problem is particularly prevalent in nursing home settings.

Tofacitinib, an Oral Janus Kinase Inhibitor: Pooled Efficacy and Safety Analyses in an Australian Rheumatoid Arthritis Population.

Introduction: In Australia, there is an unmet need for improved treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor for the treatment of RA. To provide an overview of key study outcomes for tofacitinib in Australian patients, we analyzed the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in the Australian subpopulation of global RA phase III and long-term extension (LTE) studies.