Intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) can provide improved postoperative pain control compared with traditional methods, while maintaining safety. However, poorly managed PCA cannot be expected to provide good analgesia and may increase the risk of adverse events. Effective use of PCA...

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways, affecting about 10% of children and 5 to 7% of the adult population. Improved asthma control will not only benefit the patient but will also result in reduced financial expenditure in asthma healthcare. This article summarises the tools...

Coronary heart disease (CHD) emerged in North America and Europe as a leading cause of disease and death in the mid 20th century, and is now rapidly increasing in developing nations. By the mid 1980s, American and European academic institutions had issued several sets of guidelines indicating...

Guidelines represent a tool for guiding and, more importantly, helping clinical practice. However, their goals, importance and practical usefulness are debated. Clinical guidelines express expert opinion, mixed with evidence-based practice, but the relative contribution of each are often...

Optimal management of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected children requires a commitment from the healthcare delivery system, healthcare providers, and affected families and caregivers. When adequate resources are available (as in most industrialised nations), an aggressive...

Migraine is a common chronic headache disorder affecting more than 10% of persons in Western populations. The clinical management of migraine is notable for the variability of diagnostic testing, therapeutic interventions and cost. Standards of care and clinical guidelines for migraine have...

The management of breast cancer is a significant public health issue. Early detection of breast cancer through screening mammography, physician clinical examination and breast self-examination can reduce breast cancer mortality by approximately 30%. Most major health organisations agree that...

Hypertension, i.e. high systemic arterial pressure, is quantitatively related to future cardiovascular and renal insufficiency. Furthermore, treatment of hypertension is beneficial. Hypertension is therefore, one of the most important cardiovascular risk factors accounting for preventable...

Clinical practice guidelines have gradually become a normal part of daily life for many clinicians. In order to provide good support for practitioners and patients in their decisions on appropriate care, the practice guidelines should be of high quality, i.e. developed by a credible...

The prevalence of dementia, and in particular Alzheimer's disease, is expected to increase dramatically in the elderly population over the next few decades. Because of the possibilities of pharmacological and psychosocial interventions, which aim to slow down or even prevent progress of the...