Category: Endocrine

Upfront: Discussing weight loss in general practice from ‘best practice’ December 2009 New Zealands are getting fatter. That’s a fact. When a problem is getting worse, it is time to reassess the methods we are using to solve it. Is general practice addressing obesity and weight loss in the right way?
Breast screening - achieving equity from ‘best practice’ November 2009 Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in New Zealand women. The national target for breast screening is for 70% of all eligible women to have been screened within a two year screening interval. To date, this target has not been met for any ethnic group, and there are significant differences in screening rates between Māori and Pacific women, and other women. The key role of general practice is to ensure that all eligible women, especially Māori and Pacific women, are encouraged to enrol in the breast screening programme.
best tests: Changes to laboratory reporting of HbA1c October 2009 A short article covering changes in HbA1c test reporting from percentages to molar units (mmol/mol).
Report: CRP ESR & Thyroid function testing October 2009 Sample data report on laboratory testing of CRP, ESR, TSH and FT4
Monitoring of thyroid replacement therapy September 2009 This audit is designed to: Identify ways in which your monitoring of thyroid replacement therapy can be improved, Stimulate reflection on your monitoring of patients on thyroid replacement therapy, Benchmark your identification of patients on thyroid replacement therapy, Compare your monitoring for patients on thyroid replacement with monitoring recommendations. For a printer friendly black and white version click here.
Initiating Insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes June 2009 Clinical audit pack for patients with type 2 diabetes on anti-diabetic medications. For a printer friendly black and white version click here.
The use of insulin in type 2 diabetes from ‘best practice’ April 2009 There is evidence that early use of insulin in people with type 2 diabetes is beneficial. At present insulin is under used in this group, but it should be part of the normal progression of disease management. When insulin is initiated it requires a team approach and close follow-up. The simplest starting regimen is the addition of intermediate acting insulin to existing oral medication.
Metabolic syndrome: useful or not? from ‘best practice’ December 2008 Debate about the clinical usefulness of a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome has been ongoing since it was first described. It is suggested that the only value of the syndrome may be that it is useful simply as a basis for guiding risk assessment and promoting lifestyle interventions.
The management of anaphylaxis in primary care from ‘best practice’ December 2008 Anaphylaxis is a potentially fatal hypersensitivity reaction, characterised by rapid onset of life-threatening respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms. Adrenaline is the core treatment for acute reaction. Long term management of anaphylaxis includes education about avoiding triggers and risk reduction.