LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ANZJSurg.com
Selected letters will be published on ANZJSurg.com before they appear in the print journal
Dear Editor, Re: Introduction of new techniques in burn care in Australia and New Zealand: a survey We read with interest the article by Kim et al.1 regarding new burn care techniques in Australia and New Zealand, and would like to highlight the important and complementary role of new technologies. Telehealth involves transmission of digital images and video, and specialist assessment of acute burn injuries by video link and direct inspection has been shown to correlate closely. It may differ significantly from the referring physician, emphasizing the importance of specialist input.2 Regional burn care units are particularly suited due to the large geographical areas in Australasia. Burn telehealth may lead to savings due to the avoidance of air transport costs; however, the number of sites with video conferencing equipment is restricted by expense. The rapid rise and advanced computer capabilities of smartphones may provide a solution, and a recent study in the U.S. military highlights their potential.3 Smartphones must ensure data protection, and the new Australian app PicSafe Medi permits remote storage of data, maintaining confidentiality. Opportunities linked to smartphone use are not limited to highincome countries (HIC). Africa is the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world, and Samsung estimates 7% are smartphones.4 Greater outreach to Australasia’s Pacific and Asian neighbours may be possible, with smartphone videoconferencing feasible across the globe. There is increasing demand for healthcare information online; however, the majority of smartphone burn apps do not specify how long first aid is required for. A significant number of patients do not receive adequate first aid at the first point of health care contact,5 and more apps educating on early burn management may be effective for both the public and healthcare professionals. In conjunction with evolving techniques, we strongly advocate the use of new technology in burn care to educate on prevention, improve first aid and permit greater access to specialist services.
References 1. Kim KLP, Martin HCO, Holland AJA. Introduction of new techniques in burn care in Australia and New Zealand: a survey. ANZ J. Surg. 2013; 83: 802–3. 2. Saffle JR, Edelman L, Theurer L, Morris SE, Cochran A. Telemedicine evaluation of acute burns is accurate and cost-effective. J. Trauma 2009; 67: 358–65.
ANZ J Surg 84 (2014) 296–299
3. Luxton DD, Mishkind MC, Crumpton RM, Ayers TD, Mysliwiec V. Usability and feasibility of smartphone video capabilities for telehealth care in the U.S. military. Telemed. J. E. Health 2012; 18: 409–12. 4. Reuters News. Samsung Sees Smartphones Leading Africa Growth. Cape Town, South Africa. 2012. [updated 22 March 2012; Cited 3 Dec 2013]. Available from URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/22/us -samsung-africa-idUSBRE82L0RU20120322 5. Rea S, Kuthubutheen J, Fowler B, Wood F. Burn first aid in Western Australia – Do healthcare workers have the knowledge? Burns 2005; 31: 1029–34.
Jonathan A. Dunne,* MBChB, MRCS (Eng) Jeremy M. Rawlins,† MBChB, MPhil, FRCS (Plast) *Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, St George’s Hospital, London, UK and †Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia doi: 10.1111/ans.12509
Dear Editor, Academic publishing by senior academics in urology in NSW and Victoria Anecdotally, it is thought that academic publishing output from urologists in NSW is low compared with Victoria. The publishing output from urologists who were in clinical practice, were full members of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand and had academic titles of associate professor or professor, were examined. Only urologists from NSW and Victoria were evaluated given only six urologists met inclusion criteria from remaining Australian states combined. A Pubmed search over 5 years between July 2008 and June 2013, retrieved publication records that were then manually checked to confirm author attribution. In NSW and Victoria, 10 and 12 urologists met inclusion criteria, respectively. Overall, total numbers of manuscripts, mean manuscripts per urologist and mean manuscripts per urologist per annum in NSW and Victoria were 129, 12.9, 2.6 and 286, 26.1, 4.8, respectively. Table 1 demonstrates confirms that small numbers of urologists are responsible for the majority of publications as first or senior author. Although not formally evaluated, when authors were neither first nor senior author, authorship often appeared related to providing specimens for basic science experiments. No attempt was made to differentiate between salaried or honorary academics. Ideally, evaluating lower levels of academic seniority or where there was no academic appointment would have been of interest. © 2014 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Selected letters will be published on ANZJSurg.com before they appear in the print journal
Dear Editor, Re: Introduction of new techniques in burn care in Australia and New Zealand: a survey We read with interest the article by Kim et al.1 regarding new burn care techniques in Australia and New Zealand, and would like to highlight the important and complementary role of new technologies. Telehealth involves transmission of digital images and video, and specialist assessment of acute burn injuries by video link and direct inspection has been shown to correlate closely. It may differ significantly from the referring physician, emphasizing the importance of specialist input.2 Regional burn care units are particularly suited due to the large geographical areas in Australasia. Burn telehealth may lead to savings due to the avoidance of air transport costs; however, the number of sites with video conferencing equipment is restricted by expense. The rapid rise and advanced computer capabilities of smartphones may provide a solution, and a recent study in the U.S. military highlights their potential.3 Smartphones must ensure data protection, and the new Australian app PicSafe Medi permits remote storage of data, maintaining confidentiality. Opportunities linked to smartphone use are not limited to highincome countries (HIC). Africa is the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world, and Samsung estimates 7% are smartphones.4 Greater outreach to Australasia’s Pacific and Asian neighbours may be possible, with smartphone videoconferencing feasible across the globe. There is increasing demand for healthcare information online; however, the majority of smartphone burn apps do not specify how long first aid is required for. A significant number of patients do not receive adequate first aid at the first point of health care contact,5 and more apps educating on early burn management may be effective for both the public and healthcare professionals. In conjunction with evolving techniques, we strongly advocate the use of new technology in burn care to educate on prevention, improve first aid and permit greater access to specialist services.
References 1. Kim KLP, Martin HCO, Holland AJA. Introduction of new techniques in burn care in Australia and New Zealand: a survey. ANZ J. Surg. 2013; 83: 802–3. 2. Saffle JR, Edelman L, Theurer L, Morris SE, Cochran A. Telemedicine evaluation of acute burns is accurate and cost-effective. J. Trauma 2009; 67: 358–65.
ANZ J Surg 84 (2014) 296–299
3. Luxton DD, Mishkind MC, Crumpton RM, Ayers TD, Mysliwiec V. Usability and feasibility of smartphone video capabilities for telehealth care in the U.S. military. Telemed. J. E. Health 2012; 18: 409–12. 4. Reuters News. Samsung Sees Smartphones Leading Africa Growth. Cape Town, South Africa. 2012. [updated 22 March 2012; Cited 3 Dec 2013]. Available from URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/22/us -samsung-africa-idUSBRE82L0RU20120322 5. Rea S, Kuthubutheen J, Fowler B, Wood F. Burn first aid in Western Australia – Do healthcare workers have the knowledge? Burns 2005; 31: 1029–34.
Jonathan A. Dunne,* MBChB, MRCS (Eng) Jeremy M. Rawlins,† MBChB, MPhil, FRCS (Plast) *Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, St George’s Hospital, London, UK and †Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia doi: 10.1111/ans.12509
Dear Editor, Academic publishing by senior academics in urology in NSW and Victoria Anecdotally, it is thought that academic publishing output from urologists in NSW is low compared with Victoria. The publishing output from urologists who were in clinical practice, were full members of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand and had academic titles of associate professor or professor, were examined. Only urologists from NSW and Victoria were evaluated given only six urologists met inclusion criteria from remaining Australian states combined. A Pubmed search over 5 years between July 2008 and June 2013, retrieved publication records that were then manually checked to confirm author attribution. In NSW and Victoria, 10 and 12 urologists met inclusion criteria, respectively. Overall, total numbers of manuscripts, mean manuscripts per urologist and mean manuscripts per urologist per annum in NSW and Victoria were 129, 12.9, 2.6 and 286, 26.1, 4.8, respectively. Table 1 demonstrates confirms that small numbers of urologists are responsible for the majority of publications as first or senior author. Although not formally evaluated, when authors were neither first nor senior author, authorship often appeared related to providing specimens for basic science experiments. No attempt was made to differentiate between salaried or honorary academics. Ideally, evaluating lower levels of academic seniority or where there was no academic appointment would have been of interest. © 2014 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
