By Hiran Thabrew, David Chinn and Karin Isherwood
October 26, 2023
Mental health is a dynamic spectrum that ranges from a state of wellbeing, through mental distress, to mental disorder or illness. Consultations with young people (rangatahi) may be challenging due to the various presentations of mental health issues and the range of services and treatment options they may require.
Read more... Navigating youth mental health
By He Ako Hiringa
September 12, 2023
In this webinar, Dr Sharon Gardiner and associate professor Matire Harwood discuss the importance of antimicrobial stewardship in New Zealand.
Read more... Antimicrobial stewardship: It’s time for collective action
By He Ako Hiringa
August 17, 2023

Starting patients on new medications, gout and antimicrobial stewardship are explored in this podcast series from He Ako Hiringa. You can listen to them on this page, or download them on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to your phone or computer.
Read more... Legendary Conversations — a podcast series on health care
By He Ako Hiringa
July 26, 2023
The path to culturally safe practice is full of opportunity; however it can be hard to incorporate new ways of working (and thinking) in such busy times.
Read more... Ideas on culturally safe consultations
By Lauren Smith
July 17, 2023
Tackling inappropriate use of antibiotics is vital to preserving the effectiveness of these important drugs. In this country, for example, amoxicillin + clavulanic acid remains the second most-used antibiotic, despite very limited indications for its use.
Inappropriate use of antibiotics may stem partly from meeting patient expectations for treatment. The following case study highlights how both prescribers and non-prescribers can help to ensure antibiotics are used appropriately.
Read more... Managing patients’ antibiotic expectations
By Helen Cant and Gayle Robins
February 22, 2023
Nurses have an important role in asthma care, whether as prescribers, or as asthma educators in primary care, hospital clinics or with the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation. This article looks at the latest guidelines for asthma management and discusses strategies for reducing the disproportionate asthma burden in Māori and Pacific peoples.
Read more... Asthma: Thinking SMART, using AIR and making a difference
By Christina Severinsen, Felicity Ware, Mary Breheny and Sarah Aitken
December 20, 2022
Wāhi Kōrero is a unique research project where patients share their stories of care that did not meet their needs, via an online story-sharing platform. In the first part of this project, young mothers share challenging accounts of their experiences with Well Child nurses.
Read more... `Kōrero I wish I could’ve had with the Well Child nurse’
By He Ako Hiringa
December 9, 2022
Antimicrobial resistance — when pathogens develop resistance to drugs used to fight them — is a serious threat to health care in New Zealand and around the world. Antimicrobial stewardship — ie careful and appropriate use of antimicrobial drugs (including antibiotics) — is vital to preserving the effectiveness of these medicines.
This article explains the key role of primary care in antimicrobial stewardship. There is a clear role for prescribers, but nonprescribers such as primary health care nurses also have an important part to play in supporting the appropriate use of antimicrobials.
Read more... How primary care can improve antimicrobial stewardship
By He Ako Hiringa
September 12, 2022
Most patients taking the biological medicine adalimumab are transitioning to a "biosimilar" version of the drug called Amgevita. This article explains why this is happening, and how nurses in primary care can help smooth the transition.
Read more... Biological medicines: Transitioning to Amgevita — a biosimilar of adalimumab
By He Ako Hiringa
May 27, 2022
Biological medicines are being increasingly used to treat a range of conditions in New Zealand. Nurses need to understand what they are, how they are used and possible side effects in the patients they care for.
Read more... Introduction to biological medicines
By David Codyre
March 8, 2022
Constant media saturation over the past two years has painted a catastrophic picture of COVID-19. While this has helped drive up immunisation rates, it is having unintended consequences.
Read more... COVID anxiety — helping patients cope
By Dee Mangin
February 24, 2022
New Zealand can draw on the experiences of health systems around the world that have been caring for COVID-19 patients in the community much longer than us.
Read more... HOW TO TREAT: COVID-19 in primary care
By Linda Bryant
December 1, 2021
Gout is a chronic and debilitating long-term condition that disproportionately affects Māori and Pacific people. It needs to be addressed with holistic care, and patient, ongoing relationships with whānau.
Read more... Beyond medicines for gout
By Heather Woods
November 1, 2021
Nurses in primary care play an important role in managing foot care, especially for elderly, diabetic and disabled patients.
Read more... The importance of nurse-led foot care