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A streamlined patient risk assessment tool has the potential to dramatically reduce the amount of paperwork for nursing staff, leaving them more time for patient care. The tool – called RAIsoft Acute Care System - is a collaboration between The University of Queensland, Scandinavian company RAIsoft and Queensland Health. It has been successfully trialled at Brisbane’s QEII Jubilee Hospital.

While the focus has been on World Sepsis Day this week, Australian researchers are “on the verge” of breakthroughs in the management of sepsis, according to experts. “We need to be able to show the impact of these interventions, but we can’t do that unless we are able to record the patients who truly have sepsis,” says Professor David Paterson, Director at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Clinical Research. He said that recent research published online in the MJA was an important step in improving the “counting” of cases of sepsis and septic shock in Australian hospitals.

Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea have a higher risk of developing gout, even beyond the first years after being diagnosed with the sleep disorder, according to UK researchers. They noted that apnoea was associated with a range of serious comorbidities and it had previously been shown that people with it had a higher risk of developing gout in the first year after diagnosis.

A dying man has had his wish for one last caramel sundae granted by Queensland Ambulance officers. Gold Coast cancer patient Ron McCartney was leaving his home for the last time to go into palliative care at Robina Hospital. His wife Sharon McCartney was by his side and mentioned that Mr McCartney had barely eaten in two days. Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) officers Kate Hanafy and Hanna Hoswell asked him if he could eat anything, what would it be? Mr McCartney replied that he'd love his favourite food — a caramel sundae.