Timely testing of patients for HIV, increasing use of CD4 count testing services, and starting cART earlier are essential to reduce mortality and improve treatment outcomes.
A postal survey was conducted to investigate difficult airway management, training and equipment availability among Fellows of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists in Queensland. The survey aimed to determine practise patterns for predicted difficult airways and investigate equipment availability.
Participants were asked to nominate an induction method, intubation method and airway adjunct for each of the five difficult airway scenarios. The cases consisted of one elective and four emergency scenarios. Availability of difficult airway devices in their institution was also assessed, as well as demographics of practice and airway-related maintenance of professional standards participation.
There were 454 surveys distributed and 250 returned (response rate 55%). Direct laryngoscopy and flexible fibreoptic intubation were the most commonly selected techniques for all five cases. Difficult intubation trolleys were available to 98% of responders. Certain types of equipment (such as fibreoptic bronchoscopes and cricothyroidotomy kits) were available less frequently in private institutions. We recommend a standardisation of difficult airway management equipment and an on-going training program to provide support for anaesthetists in all locations.
Neurodevelopmental disorders are a heterogeneous group of conditions with overlapping symptomatology and fluctuating developmental trajectories that transcend current diagnostic categorisation. There is a need for validated screening instruments which dimensionally assess symptomatology from a holistic, transdiagnostic perspective. The primary aim is to co-design a Neurodevelopment Assessment Scale (NAS), a user-friendly transdiagnostic assessment inventory that systematically screens for all signs and symptoms commonly encountered in neurodevelopmental disorders. Our first objective is to undertake development of this tool, utilising co-design principles in partnership with stakeholders, including both those with lived experience of neurodevelopmental disorders and service providers. Our second objective is to evaluate the face validity, as well as the perceived utility, user-friendliness, suitability, and acceptability (i.e., ‘social validity’), of the NAS from the perspective of parents/caregivers and adults with neurodevelopmental disorders, clinicians, and service providers. Our third objective is to ascertain the psychometric properties of the NAS, including content validity and convergent validity. The NAS will provide an efficient transdiagnostic tool for evaluating all relevant signs, symptoms, and the dimensional constructs that underpin neurodevelopmental presentations. It is anticipated that this will maximise outcomes by enabling the delivery of personalised care tailored to an individual’s unique profile in a holistic and efficient manner.
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