South Western Sydney Local Health District

Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio and Neurological Outcome in Ischemic Stroke at 4.5 to 24 Hours: A Post Hoc Analysis of TRACE-III Trial

Whether neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), as a marker of increased inflammatory response, modifies the efficacy and safety of tenecteplase is uncertain in patients 4.5–24 h after stroke onset. We investigated this in the Tenecteplase Reperfusion Therapy in Acute Ischemic Cere...

Patient perspectives on cardioprotective medication during breast cancer treatment

Cardiotoxicity remains a key concern of HER2-directed therapies, with no proven prevention strategies. The success of cardioprotective interventions will depend not only on efficacy, but on patient acceptability, an underexplored determinant of trial participation and clinical im...

Body Weight in Relation to the Effectiveness of Intravenous Alteplase in Acute Ischemic Stroke: The ENCHANTED Trial

BACKGROUND: The prognostic significance of body weight in patients receiving thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke remains uncertain. This study aimed to determine whether body weight modifies the comparative effects of low- versus standard-dose intravenous alteplase and to eval...

Impacts of a Statewide Prescription Drug Monitoring Program—Healthcare Practitioner Perspectives

ABSTRACT This study examined the perceived impacts of New South Wales' (NSW) statewide prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP; “SafeScript NSW”) from the perspective of prescribers and pharmacists, using a qualitative descriptive design. Fourteen prescribers and pharmacists w...

ACPSEM guideline regarding the adoption of the IAEA TRS-398 Code of Practice Revision 1

Abstract The IAEA Technical Report Series 398 Code of Practice for the determination of absorbed dose in external beam radiotherapy was endorsed at the Engineers and Physical Scientists in Medicine (EPSM) conference in 2001 and has been widely adopted in Australia and New Zealand...

Measurement of cervical cancer quality indicators using a population-based linked dataset in New South Wales, Australia

The aims of this study were to assess feasibility of measuring cervical cancer quality indicators (QIs) using a population-based linked dataset, assess the quality of care in the treatment of cervical cancer at a population level and to evaluate whether any sociodemographic varia...

Effectiveness of social skills interventions in young people aged 12 to 25 years with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background While there are numerous social skills interventions (SSI) designed for pre-schoolers, the evidence supporting their effectiveness for adolescents and young adults remains limited. This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the avail...

HITH4HIPs: a feasibility trial of hospital in the home after hip fracture

In Australia, as in many other jurisdictions, people with low-trauma hip fractures often stay in hospital for extended periods, even when medically stable, increasing risk of hospital-related complications and increasing healthcare costs. In this context, we sought to determine t...

Factors Associated with Extreme Waiting Times for Child Developmental Diagnostic Assessments: A Mixed-Methods Service Evaluation in Sydney

Background: Previous Australian child developmental assessment service (CDAS) cohorts have identified a small proportion of children experiencing extreme waiting times (≥730 days) for standardised developmental assessments. However, factors associated with these extreme waits rem...

Issues in the clinical assessment and management of people living with motor neurone disease (MND): a survey of Australian healthcare professionals

Objective: To inform the development of the Australian MND Guideline, this study aimed to identify challenges Australian healthcare professionals (HCPs) face in the clinical assessment and management of people living with MND (plwMND) including where practice varies from evidence...