Clinical Matters Newsletter - November 2020 24 Nov 2020
Welcome to the November 2020 Edition of Clinical Matters!
In this issue...
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Tips on Effectively Communicating Health Information to Patients - Introduction to Health Literacy Online Course
An online course at https://tewharikiatoi.ac.nz/enrol/index.php?id=1696 provides information on how to communicate health information in a way that your patients and their whānau will understand - and reduce misunderstandings around treatment and improve patient outcomes.
If you don't have a Te Whāriki ā Toi account, please contact Online Learning at online.learning@bopdhb.govt.nz and they will set up an account for you.
Please note that your organisation needs an Online Learning Memorandum of Understanding with BOPDHB. If you are not sure whether your organisation has one, just get in touch with the Online Learning team at the email address above.
Kia Kōrero - Let's Talk Advance Care Planning - Free Workshop
A free workshop is available for Advance Care Planning Training. Please click here for more information.
Email interest to: advancecare.planning@bopdhb.govt.nz or Call/Text Lee 022 402 9066.
New Outsource Provider for Colonoscopies in Cambridge
In an effort to increase access to colonoscopies, BOPDHB has added an outsource provider in Cambridge, the Cambridge Specialist Centre. This is planned to start in late November this year.
Click here for further information.
The New Mobile-Friendly HealthPathways is now Live
Keeping you informed
Launched 19 November 2020: The mobile-friendly site for HealthPathways is now the default user experience. We have moved to the mobile-friendly version of HealthPathways to ensure you can continue to access valuable pathway information no matter what device you are using.
The new version incorporates all the same clinical guidance in a local context, but does so with a clean, contemporary design and added features. The responsive design means the context will adjust depending on the device being used (desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device).
Click here for more information.
World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) 18-24th November
The theme for this year's WAAW is "United to preserve antimicrobials". Details of this global initiative from the World Health Organisation are available here (and yes, the week runs from Wednesday to the following Tuesday, that is not a typo!)
WAAW is a timely reminder that antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is an interprofessional, multidisciplinary responsibility, including patient/consumer education. AMS is a collective set of strategies to improve the appropriate use of antimicrobials and minimise antimicrobial-related harms including resistance and adverse effects. WAAW is an opportunity to reflect on your use of antibiotics and consider practice updates and reviews to apply the principles of AMS.
Make it meaningful: A New Zealand initiative encourages all prescribers to document a meaningful (specific) indication for antimicrobial use within prescription, e.g. trimethoprim + sulfamethoxazole, 960 mg (two tablets), twice daily, for ten days, for pyelonephritis. Adding the indication justifies the reason for using an antibiotic and selecting this particular antibiotic and duration of treatment. For resources and further information about this collaborative DHB initiative, click here
Pressure Injury Prevention and Management Week 23-29th November
This week is pressure injury prevention and management awareness week. We would like to take the opportunity to raise awareness of and remind staff of the importance of pressure injury prevention and management.
We would also like to acknowledge and thank those staff across the region who have engaged and supported Bay of Plenty District Health Board's aim to reduce the incidence and severity of pressure injuries, and to improve the reporting of pressure injuries.
Recognising the value of education that enables healthcare workers to proactively prevent and manage pressure injuries; the BOP DHB has developed an eight-lesson pressure injury prevention and management course available to healthcare staff in the Bay of Plenty at Te Whāriki ā Toi https://tewharikiatoi.ac.nz
The Time to Invest Pressure Injury Prevention and Management is Now!
Educating patients about pressure injury prevention and management gives them an important opportunity to participate in their own care. Patients are usually in the best position to decide how care should be delivered and when to do so.
Firstly, patients need to know what pressure injuries are and how they can prevent them. Involving patients in pressure injury prevention is not always going to be easy nor in some instances appropriate. Clinical judgement will help healthcare workers to decide when patients (and their family-whānau) are ready to talk about pressure injury prevention and management.
Patient information pamphlets to aid conversations about preventing pressure injuries can be found on the ACC ordering platform: http://acc connect.youtopiatechnologies.com/.
Patient information (printed) is available in English, Hindi, Maori, Samoan, Simplified Chinese, Tongan. (Online) - English, Arabic, Burmese, Hindi, Korean, Maori, Punjabi, Samoan, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog, Tokelauan, Tongan, Traditional Chinese, Tuvaluan.
Claire.Cherrill@bopdbh.govt.nz (BOP Pressure Injury Prevention and Management Initiative – Project Lead).
Poster from: @sonia_sparkles
COVID-19 Primary Care Quick Reference Guide
Key points/updates for clinicians:
- It is critical to encourage all patients presenting with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 to be tested
- There is no new advice on the 'Essential Groups for Testing' (see Table 1), or on 'Testing in asymptomatic people' (Table 2)
- The case definition and clinical criteria remain unchanged (see Appendix 1)
- All COVID-19 assessment and tests should be free of charge to the patient
Guidance for primary and secondary care essential groups for testing
Click here for the Primary care quick reference guide
Click here for the Guidance for primary-secondary care essential groups testing
Key messages:
- It is critical to encourage all patients presenting with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 to be tested, irrespective of region - this advice remains unchanged
- There is no new advice on the 'Essentials Groups for testing' (see Table 1), or on 'Testing in asymptomatic people' (Table 2)
- DHBs may operate 'pop-up' testing facilities in your community, for additional testing of asymptomatic people
- The assessment and swabbing for those covered by this guidance is at no charge to the individuals
Midland HealthPathways Update
New pathways for GPs on HealthPathways
The following pathways are now live on our HealthPathways site for you to use:
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Seronegative Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis
And remember there is up-to-date information on all matters Covid-19 for primary care on Health Pathways, including national as well as local information.
HealthPathways is a collection of management guidelines specifically tailored to primary care. Our GP Liaison team is in the process of 'localising' these pathways to the Bay of Plenty, i.e, making them relevant to GPs and other primary care providers specifically in the Bay of Plenty. You'll find valuable pointers on history, examination, treatment and of course when and how to refer patients on to other services. These pathways will, over time, be replacing the Bay Navigator pathways.