Jo Scott-Jones and Dave Maplesden discuss Waikato DHB deferred acute referrals, National Bowel Screening FOT Positive referrals, Empagliflozin side effects and more.

Jo Scott-Jones and Dave Maplesden discuss asking about alcohol, IQCODE informant questionnaire for dementia, ovarian cancer and more.

Jo Scott-Jones and Dave Maplesden discuss the bleeding risk tool in atrial fibrillation, current medication issues, the End of Life Choice Act and more.

Each month medical director Dr Jo Scott-Jones hosts a clinical Zoom meeting, joined by guests. Here are some clinical snippets from February's session.

NZePS provides a secure messaging channel for prescribing and dispensing systems to exchange prescription information electronically. It enables a prescription to be generated by the prescriber, transmitted to the NZePS health information exchange broker, and downloaded electronically at a community pharmacy.

A standing order is a written instruction issued by a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner or dentist. It authorises a specified person or class of people (e.g. registered nurses) who do not have prescribing rights to administer and/or supply specified medicines and some controlled drugs.

PHARMAC requires special authority numbers for some medications to be renewed after a period of time (every 12 months for antipsychotic depot injections risperidone, olanzapine, paliperidone and every 24 months for methylphenidate and dexamphetamine.)

The PEP Talk in July 2020 on polypharmacy challenged us to identify actions we would take to help reduce the burden of medications on our populations.

ACC, the Ministry of Health, the Health Quality & Safety Commission and Foetal Anti-Convulsant Syndrome New Zealand (FACS NZ) are encouraging health professionals to discuss the benefits and risks of taking antiepileptic medicine during pregnancy with their female patients who are sexually active. Much of the harm can occur in early stages of pregnancy, before women are even aware they're pregnant.