T.B. CLINIC SYSTEM

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 111, 23 April 1936, Page 10

T.B. CLINIC SYSTEM

Doctors Are Appreciating Method REPORT TO WAIPAWA From Our Own Correspondent. WAIPUKURAU, April 22. Much interest was shown by members of the Waipawa Hospital Board in a report received from their consulting T.B. officer, Dr. Hugh Short, at to-day’s meeting of the board. The Waipawa and Palmerston North Hospital Boards are both T.B. sanatoria boards, and each board has a T.B. officer to report on the incidence, treatment, etc., of T.B. in the various .hospital districts visited.

Dr. Short’s report to-day covered visits made to the hospital districts of Hawke’s Bay, Poverty Bay, Bay of Plenty, Waihi, Thames and Hamilton, including Rotorua in connection with the establishment of T.B. clinics in these various centres.

“This round of visits has demonstrated very clearly that the clinic idea has been taken up, and that the benefit to each district is appreciated not only by the respective medical superintendents, but also by the medical practitioners in those districts. The latter are already availing themselves freely of the advantages of consultation with their private patients, in accordance with the policy of your board in this matter, and I am convinced of the wisdom of gaining their co-operation in the manner that policy permits,” stated Dr. Short. VALUABLE RESULTS. “Discussions were held with each medical superintendent in matters relating to the clinic, and X-rays were examined and interpreted. Every chance was availed of in promoting the interests of the clinic with the medical practitioners, and at least one talk with a former medical superintendent produced valuable results in co-relating the two aspects —that of the superintendent with that of the local practitioner.

“A resume of all the consultations held, brings out some interesting points and indicates the lines along which the clinics —for the time being, at all events —chiefly require to be developed.

“Each district has its quota of cases of advanced disease. Everyone of these cases represented a medical problem which, at an earlier stage in its history, was capable of receiving valuable assistance by earlier treatment, and many, no doubt, would have had their disease permanently arrested. Facilities, of course, for early diagnosis and treatment were not available. The encouraging of medical practitioners to submit their cases of doubtful diagnosis to a chest investigation should steadily reduce the number of cases finally entering hospital for treatment in an advanced stage. SUPERVISION OF CONTACTS. “Tho supervision of contacts of ‘open’ cases of tuberculosis is an aspect of the clinic service which definitely requires to be developed. The number examined on this round was small, and the importance of collecting these exposed children was stressed wherever, so far, it has been overlooked.

“The discharges from the sanatoria, also, might be searched out with the greatest vigour, for it is essential that these patients should be kept under supervision for some years after their discharge. “In addition to those cases already recommended for sanatorium treatment there is a group under investigation as to diagnosis. A certain percentage of this group will, in all probability, prove to be cases of early lung infection, and this group, therefore, represents one of the most valuable fields of research in the whole scheme.

“I am of the opinion that a great impetus would be given to the whole scheme, if a universal system of records was established, and if these records, including X-rays, were transmitted to the medical authorities concerned whenever a patient was admitted to, or discharged from hospital or sanatorium, or when he or she moved from one district to another.

“Inquiries as to this system of records have been repeatedly made by medical superintendents who are fully alive to its value. In order to place this matter on a sound footing, it seems to be desirable that the medical special ists in pulmonary tuberculosis interested should be called together at an early date, to decide upon the system of re-cord-taking most appropriate for our needs. As soon as a suitable system—meeting sanatorium ns well as clinic requirements—has been agreed upon, it would no doubt be best for the forms to be printed in bulk, and issued to the respective clinics and sanatoria according to the amount of work arising in each, centre and institution.” The board decided to have the sanatorium medical superintendent, Dr. P. C. Anderson, consult with Dr. Short, on the question of records.