Vol 135 No 1549: 4 February 2022

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Issue Summary

Article

SUMMARY

Factors predicting forgone healthcare among Asian adolescents in New Zealand: unmasking variations in aggregate data

Roshini Peiris-John, Lynda Bavin, Kristy Kang, Lovely Dizon, Sonia Lewycka, Shanthi Ameratunga, Terryann Clark, Theresa (Terry) Fleming

Factors like poverty, discrimination and poor access to healthcare make it difficult for teens to access care. One in five Asian secondary school students surveyed in 2019 did not access healthcare when they needed it. Asian students who experience discrimination by healthcare professionals and unfair treatment by teachers are more likely to forgo healthcare. There were differences in not being able to get healthcare between East Asians and South Asians. Asian teens need to be able to talk about health issues with their families to understand how to access healthcare, because it can be complicated, expensive, discriminatory and scary to negotiate alone.

Article

SUMMARY

Nutrition support in oncology care in Aotearoa New Zealand: current practice, and where to from here?

Rana Peniamina, Rachael McLean

We surveyed healthcare practitioners (eg, doctors, nurses, dietitians) and support workers involved in cancer care about nutrition-related information and support for people during and after cancer treatment. Most participants thought nutrition was important for cancer recovery, patient wellbeing and preventing cancer recurrence, and believed nutrition information and support should be offered to cancer patients. However, nutrition information and support were not widely available in cancer care. Insufficient funding and lack of time/staff capacity were the main barriers to providing nutrition information/support (including access to dietitian appointments). High-quality and culturally appropriate nutrition information and support needs to be more widely available and consistent nationwide.

Article

SUMMARY

Deaf community views on paediatric cochlear implantation

Briana Putnam, Sara Pivac Alexander, Kathleen McMenamin, David Welch

There are two models used in the literature to describe those who are d/Deaf: the medical and the cultural. The medical model describes deafness as an unwanted disability that needs to be treated through the use of medical devices like cochlear implants (CIs). The cultural model describes the word “Deaf” (written with a capital) as a culture and membership of the Deaf community as a privilege. It also places emphasis on the importance of sign language in Deaf culture. Historically, the Deaf community has been opposed to cochlear implantation in children, but little is known about current attitudes, or those of the Deaf community in New Zealand. This research asked deaf, hard-of-hearing (HoH) and culturally Deaf people in New Zealand about their views on paediatric cochlear implants via an online questionnaire. Culturally Deaf respondents were compared to those who were not. Findings were mixed, suggesting that there are still reservations about the benefits of CIs for children born deaf. Key areas identified were consideration of a bilingual/bicultural approach to CI habilitation in children and the need to fully inform parents of all their options. The study also highlights the multitude of cultural and non-cultural factors that need to be considered in both the decision-making and habilitation processes for treatment of a deaf child. An understanding of the different perspectives between the Deaf community and health professions in New Zealand is important in considering what is best for the deaf child.

Article

SUMMARY

Review of taste and taste disturbance in COVID-19 patients | OPEN ACCESS

Guangzhao Guan, Alison Mary Rich, Ajith Polonowit, Li Mei

Taste buds may be potential targets of COVID-19 virus. The mechanisms of taste change in COVID-19 patients may be due to direct but temporary taste cell and nerve injury, inflammatory responses and the damage of ACE2.

Article

SUMMARY

Neurodevelopmental follow-up of preterm infants: current practice for infants at a tertiary neonatal centre

Meghan Ealish Sandle, Maria Saito Benz, Laura Port, Max Berry

Premature infants have an increased risk of developing later developmental problems. We looked at a group of very premature infants and found that most received specialised development follow-up and assessment within the first two years of life. Over two thirds of these infants did not have any developmental difficulties identified in this time. Using early screening tests may be helpful to identify the infants most at risk and reduce the burden of follow-up.

Article

SUMMARY

Choosing Wisely: the lack of validity of ultrasound scans in the investigation of shoulder instability

Callum Oorschot, Khalid Mohammed, Michael Austen, Emma O’Loughlin

Choosing Wisely is an international initiative with the intention to help clinicians choose care that is “supported by evidence, not duplicative of other tests or procedures already received, free from harm and truly necessary.” The NZOA and ACC have collaborated to propose a Choosing Wisely statement, advising that ultrasound scans of the shoulder are not useful as a screening test for patients under the age of 30, with shoulder instability unless there is clinical suspicion of a rotator cuff tear. Review of a specialist shoulder surgeon practice revealed that approximately a third of patients referred, already had a shoulder ultrasound, and that it was not useful for decision making in those patients. Review of ACC expenditure reveals that currently, the ACC is spending over 1 million dollars a year on this investigation in this group and the patients may pay an additional surcharge. This study supports our opinion that ultrasound scans are not useful in evaluating patients under the age of 30 with shoulder instability.

Editorial