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The Ministry of Health has launched Kupe, a website aimed at helping men decide if a prostate check is right for them.
Prostate Cancer Awareness and Improvement Programme Chair Professor John Nacey says prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men.
“But it affects men differently. Finding it early can save lives, but not all prostate cancer needs to be treated,” he says.
“Because of this, men need to understand the downstream risks and benefits of treatment before having a prostate cancer check so that they can make an informed decision.”
Kupe aims to address the large inequity currently in testing rates across ethnic groups and inconsistencies across GPs in terms of if men at their practice are checked for prostate cancer.
The Ministry funded Homecare Medical to create the site and run education and marketing campaigns to support its use.
The project will also provide a plug-in for GP patient management systems to walk GPs through the 2015 guidance for prostate cancer management and referrals. The Best Practice Advocacy Centre is creating the GP tool which will be available from the middle of this year.
Pharmacist prescribers Linda Bryant and Leanne Te Karu discuss positive polypharmacy for heart failure. Current evidence shows the intensive implementation of four medications offers the greatest benefit to most patients with heart failure, with significant reductions in cardiovascular mortality, heart failure hospitalisations and all-cause mortality
