Bootcamp 2022 report

General college news

The fourth urgent care Bootcamp was a fantastic success, with our members able to reconnect, re-energise, and rekindle passions for urgent care practice. Over 90 delegates attended the Bootcamp on Saturday and were treated to exciting, fast-paced, thought-provoking talks. Over 70 guests attended the Fellowship ceremony and dinner and celebrated our recent Fellows. Many stayed for the Sunday panel discussions which really helped us focus on what needs to be done at a system level to allow urgent care to provide the right care, to the right people, in the right places, at the right time.
For the full report

Competence Standards and Guidance for the Pharmacy Profession in Aotearoa New Zealand

General news

The Pharmacy Council is seeking feedback on the draft Competence Standards for the Pharmacy Profession and supporting Guidance Notes. Practitioners in all three scopes of practice must meet these competence standards. Council is responsible for setting standards of clinical competence, cultural competence, and ethical conduct for pharmacists.   It is timely that the standards are…

Workforce survey – Abortion Services

General news

Workforce survey Manatū Hauora has developed a survey for health practitioners including medical practitioners, nurses, midwives, as well as social workers or counsellors who may provide counselling.  The survey will cover questions like what you know about abortion if you currently provide abortion care (and if you want to provide more than you currently do),…

Review of Procedural Sedation Guideline at Pegasus 24 Hour Surgery

MLP-research

Author: Dr Alison Curran
Type: MLP-research
Date: July 2022
Abstract:
Procedural sedation in the urgent care setting may be used to perform minor procedures, thereby enabling a patient to receive treatment sooner and in many cases avoiding a hospital admission1. There are safety concerns around using procedural sedation, therefore the use of clinical guidelines and credentialing is strongly recommended to reduce the risk of adverse events2,3,4,5,6. This project aims to review and make recommendations on the Procedural Sedation guideline at Pegasus 24 Hour Surgery, based on up-to-date literature and inclusion of the ‘Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists’ (ANZCA) guidance2,7.

Novavax Medsafe alert

General news

Today (Thursday 8 September) Medsafe published a safety alert in relation to the COVID-19 Novavax (Nuvaxovid) vaccine: Myocarditis and pericarditis have been reported with Nuvaxovid (Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine) There have been a small number of cases of myocarditis and pericarditis reported internationally following vaccination with Nuvaxovid. The medicine sponsor now considers that myocarditis and pericarditis…

Who should we be offering pharmacological Thrombo-prophylaxis to following below knee lower limb immobilisation?

MLP-research

Author: Dr Matthew Reay
Type: MLP-research
Date: June 2022
Abstract:
Lower limb immobilisation increases the risk of Venous Thrombo-Embolism (VTE). The aim of this medical literature project is to firstly examine the risk factors most associated with an increased risk of VTE and the accuracy of risk stratification scores in predicting who will benefit from thrombo-prophylaxis. There are a number of risk stratifications scores available, all with varying accuracy. The TRiP (cast score) shows the most promise with 2 prospective trials (CASTING and TILLIRI) currently running, with results yet to be published.
The ideal risk stratification score, will have low rates of both under (sensitivity) and over treatment (specificity).

Diverticulitis: the role of antibiotics in urgent care

MLP-research

Author: Dr Eleri Clissold
Type: MLP-research
Date: April 2022
Abstract:
Our understanding of this common and painful disease is evolving. What was thought to be a predominantly infective process is postulated to be inflammatory and self-limiting in the majority of cases. Over several decades multiple high quality studies have emerged questioning the role of antibiotics in the management of acute diverticulitis without perforation, sepsis or other complications. No study has demonstrated the superiority of any antibiotic strategy in any one of multiple outcomes assessed. This literature search seeks to examine the evidence in-depth and place it in context for urgent care practitioners.