Clinical Matters Newsletter February 2023 28 Feb 2023

Welcome to the February 2023 Edition of Clinical Matters! 

In this issue...

Do you suspect Temporal Arteritis? Please refer to the Fast Track Giant Cell Arteritis Clinic

Did you know about the Fast Track Giant Cell Arteritis Clinic, run by the BOP rheumatology team? The clinic provides rapid access for the assessment and management of patients with suspected GCA. The patient will be assessed by a rheumatologist within 1-4 days. This will include a bedside vascular ultrasound for GCA. The rheumatologist will refer the patient for temporal artery biopsy if necessary.
 
To begin the referral process, please telephone the duty rheumatologist right away via the BOP switchboard (07 579 8044) for preliminary discussion. If there are no rheumatologists available for discussion, call the Waikato on-call rheumatologist. Once the referral has been agreed with the rheumatologist, fill out the BPAC eReferral (“Rheumatology - Fast Track Giant Cell Arteritis Clinic”)

Auckland Lymphatic Disorders Patient Information Day

Midland HealthPathways Update

New pathways for GPs on HealthPathways
The following pathways are now live on our HealthPathways site for you to use:

• Haematospermia
• Prostate Cancer - Screening and Diagnosis

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.