An Opportunity Missed is an Opportunity Lost

Osteoporosis--an opportunity to prevent being missed.

Tuberculosis--a missed opportunity?

The recent publicity surrounding tuberculosis (TB) in both the medical and the lay press, particularly in reference to a number of outbreaks of the disease in British schools, is a timely reminder of a 'forgotten' disease that has never really gone away. Following a marked decrease in notification rates in developed counties in the 1960s and 1970s, TB control and treatment programmes were downg...

Impact statistics of Tracy and an opportunity missed

When cyclone Tracy struck Darwin in 1974 it caused extensive damage to housing. A survey conducted by the authors included measurement of a damage index for about 1500 timber framed elevated houses of similar size and construction. This large sample provided a unique opportunity for quantifying the spatial variation of the wind-field impact of a typical tropical cyclone. In addition it was obse...

Osteoporosis treatment: a missed opportunity.

Osteoporosis affects 1.2 million Australians and, in 2012, fractures due to osteoporosis and osteopenia in Australians aged over 50 years cost $2.75 billion. Even minor minimal trauma fractures are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Despite increasing therapeutic options for managing osteoporosis, fewer than 20% of patients with a minimal trauma fracture are treated or investiga...

The partogram: a missed opportunity.

To the Editor: The maternal mortality rate (MMR) in South Africa was 400/100 000 births in 20051 and at Johannesburg Hospital was 476/100 000 in 2008. Delay in referral and management during labour in the unit is an important cause of mortality and morbidity.2 Inadequate use of the partogram is a major avoidable factor in maternal deaths in South Africa and has previously been studied at Johann...