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Issue

Vol 130 No 1457: 16 June 2017

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Issue Summary

SUMMARY

Rising levels of New Zealand medical student debt

Antonia Verstappen, Phillippa Poole

Concern has been expressed about the impact of student loan debt on the career choices of medical students, however, there is limited information available about what the student loan debt burden on New Zealand medical students is. This study sought to determine the pattern of New Zealand medical student debt over a decade, and explore the relationship between medical student loan debt and demographic factors. Over 92% of medical students in New Zealand have some form of student loan debt, and 28% of these have $90,000 or more in student loan debt. Medical students with larger student loan debts are more likely to rely on a larger number of financial sources to fund their studies, indicating that these students are managing a range of debts and employment as well as their medical study. Future study is needed to understand the relationship between medical student loan debt and future career choices.

SUMMARY

Audit of Trichomonas vaginalis test requesting by community referrers after a change from culture to molecular testing, including a cost analysis

Liselle Bissessor, Janet Wilson, Gary McAuliffe, Arlo Upton

Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) is an important sexually transmitted infection that affects women more than men. Both in New Zealand and internationally, it is more common among people with relative socio-economic deprivation. At Labtests we changed detection methods from culture to a molecular platform. While the molecular platform picks up more infection than culture, it is also a lot more expensive for each test. In order to make the change, we went from testing all vaginal swabs to only those where testing requested or where there were risk factors (age and gender, other sexually transmitted infections). This change has improved efficacy and resource allocation in the laboratory.

SUMMARY

Mapping housing for the disabled in New Zealand

Jacqueline McIntosh, Adele Leah

The close relationship between housing and health has been well documented in New Zealand but is of particular concern for the disabled population. A 2013 survey identified that almost one-quarter (24%) of New Zealanders have a disability, and physical disabilities are projected to increase most dramatically as the population ages. Large numbers of the disabled population are living outside of the major urban centres, and a significant proportion are living in the most deprived areas residing in rental housing that is damp and difficult to keep warm. Poorer health outcomes are predicted for those who remain in their current unmodified homes. New Zealand is ill-prepared for the projected increase in demand for healthy rental housing; and the related consequences of poor health should not be underestimated.

SUMMARY

Clinical management and patient persistence with antibiotic course in suspected group A streptococcal pharyngitis for primary prevention of rheumatic fever: the perspective from a New Zealand emergency department

Jeremy J Mathan, Jozsef Ekart, Clair Mills, Anthony Houlding, Gary Payinda

This is the first study that assesses how well patients adhere to their course of prescribed antibiotics for possible strep throat. We found that most patients (over 70%) were compliant in completing their full course of antibiotics. Just over 80% of patients were prescribed the correct length of antibiotic treatment.

SUMMARY

Age at referral for undescended testes: has anything changed in a decade?

Mohit Bajaj, Vipul Upadhyay

Undescended testes can impact on fertility and also possess an increased chance of developing cancer in the future. Surgery to place the testis into the scrotum is now recommended to occur between 6-18 months of age. In our study, we have demonstrated that the median age at surgery was 12.6 months in patients treated at Starship hospital (2014-2016), a significant improvement compared to previously. This improvement is primarily due to earlier referrals to the surgical service from primary care doctors.

SUMMARY

Haemochromatosis: evaluating the effectiveness of a novel patient self-management approach to venesection as blood donation

Sonam Mishra, Dalice Sim, Peter Flanagan

Regular venesection is an established form of therapy for patients with hereditary haemochromatosis. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a novel self-management approach to venesection as blood donation. Patients were discharged from the venesection clinic at the New Zealand Blood Service and educated to manage their own venesection by regular blood donation and an annual blood test by their general practitioner to check their ferritin level (a measure of iron stores). The self-management approach was successful for the majority of patients as they continued to donate blood and had their ferritin checked after discharge from the venesection clinic.

ALL ARTICLES
SUMMARY

Rising levels of New Zealand medical student debt

Antonia Verstappen, Phillippa Poole

Audit of Trichomonas vaginalis test requesting by community referrers after a change from culture to molecular testing, including a cost analysis

Liselle Bissessor, Janet Wilson, Gary McAuliffe, Arlo Upton

Mapping housing for the disabled in New Zealand

Jacqueline McIntosh, Adele Leah

Progress in public reporting in New Zealand since the Ombudsman’s ruling, and an invitation

C Shuker, G Bohm, R Hamblin, A Simpson, D St George, I Stolarek, J Wilson, AF Merry

Rising medical student debt: should we be alarmed?

Tom M Wilkinson

Data sharing statements for clinical trials: a requirement of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors

Darren B. Taichman, Peush Sahni, Anja Pinborg, Larry Peiperl, Christine Laine, Astrid James, Sung-Tae Hong, Abraham Haileamlak, Laragh Gollogly, Fiona Godlee, Frank A. Frizelle, Fernando Florenzano, Jeffrey M. Drazen, Howard Bauchner, Christopher Baethge, Joyce Backus

Enlistment of Medical Officers in Australia

Clinical management and patient persistence with antibiotic course in suspected group A streptococcal pharyngitis for primary prevention of rheumatic fever: the perspective from a New Zealand emergency department

Jeremy J Mathan, Jozsef Ekart, Clair Mills, Anthony Houlding, Gary Payinda

Treatment of oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Age at referral for undescended testes: has anything changed in a decade?

Mohit Bajaj, Vipul Upadhyay

Haemochromatosis: evaluating the effectiveness of a novel patient self-management approach to venesection as blood donation

Sonam Mishra, Dalice Sim, Peter Flanagan

SUMMARY

Rising levels of New Zealand medical student debt

Antonia Verstappen, Phillippa Poole

Concern has been expressed about the impact of student loan debt on the career choices of medical students, however, there is limited information available about what the student loan debt burden on New Zealand medical students is. This study sought to determine the pattern of New Zealand medical student debt over a decade, and explore the relationship between medical student loan debt and demographic factors. Over 92% of medical students in New Zealand have some form of student loan debt, and 28% of these have $90,000 or more in student loan debt. Medical students with larger student loan debts are more likely to rely on a larger number of financial sources to fund their studies, indicating that these students are managing a range of debts and employment as well as their medical study. Future study is needed to understand the relationship between medical student loan debt and future career choices.

SUMMARY

Audit of Trichomonas vaginalis test requesting by community referrers after a change from culture to molecular testing, including a cost analysis

Liselle Bissessor, Janet Wilson, Gary McAuliffe, Arlo Upton

Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) is an important sexually transmitted infection that affects women more than men. Both in New Zealand and internationally, it is more common among people with relative socio-economic deprivation. At Labtests we changed detection methods from culture to a molecular platform. While the molecular platform picks up more infection than culture, it is also a lot more expensive for each test. In order to make the change, we went from testing all vaginal swabs to only those where testing requested or where there were risk factors (age and gender, other sexually transmitted infections). This change has improved efficacy and resource allocation in the laboratory.

SUMMARY

Mapping housing for the disabled in New Zealand

Jacqueline McIntosh, Adele Leah

The close relationship between housing and health has been well documented in New Zealand but is of particular concern for the disabled population. A 2013 survey identified that almost one-quarter (24%) of New Zealanders have a disability, and physical disabilities are projected to increase most dramatically as the population ages. Large numbers of the disabled population are living outside of the major urban centres, and a significant proportion are living in the most deprived areas residing in rental housing that is damp and difficult to keep warm. Poorer health outcomes are predicted for those who remain in their current unmodified homes. New Zealand is ill-prepared for the projected increase in demand for healthy rental housing; and the related consequences of poor health should not be underestimated.

SUMMARY

Clinical management and patient persistence with antibiotic course in suspected group A streptococcal pharyngitis for primary prevention of rheumatic fever: the perspective from a New Zealand emergency department

Jeremy J Mathan, Jozsef Ekart, Clair Mills, Anthony Houlding, Gary Payinda

This is the first study that assesses how well patients adhere to their course of prescribed antibiotics for possible strep throat. We found that most patients (over 70%) were compliant in completing their full course of antibiotics. Just over 80% of patients were prescribed the correct length of antibiotic treatment.

SUMMARY

Age at referral for undescended testes: has anything changed in a decade?

Mohit Bajaj, Vipul Upadhyay

Undescended testes can impact on fertility and also possess an increased chance of developing cancer in the future. Surgery to place the testis into the scrotum is now recommended to occur between 6-18 months of age. In our study, we have demonstrated that the median age at surgery was 12.6 months in patients treated at Starship hospital (2014-2016), a significant improvement compared to previously. This improvement is primarily due to earlier referrals to the surgical service from primary care doctors.

SUMMARY

Haemochromatosis: evaluating the effectiveness of a novel patient self-management approach to venesection as blood donation

Sonam Mishra, Dalice Sim, Peter Flanagan

Regular venesection is an established form of therapy for patients with hereditary haemochromatosis. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a novel self-management approach to venesection as blood donation. Patients were discharged from the venesection clinic at the New Zealand Blood Service and educated to manage their own venesection by regular blood donation and an annual blood test by their general practitioner to check their ferritin level (a measure of iron stores). The self-management approach was successful for the majority of patients as they continued to donate blood and had their ferritin checked after discharge from the venesection clinic.

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