The Best Practice Advocacy Centre New Zealand (bpac^nz) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation focused on delivering medical education resources to health care professionals throughout New Zealand.

bpac^nz was established in 2003 and has a sole shareholder, the South Link Education Trust.

bpac^nz is predominantly funded by contracts with government agencies and other national health organisations.

We employ a range of clinicians, medical writers, data analysts, researchers, design, web and administrative staff (see: “Our People”).

This website is dedicated to the resources produced by the bpac^nz Publications Team.

bpac^nz has two main divisions – the Publications Team and the In Practice Team.

The Publications team are responsible for producing educational resources for health care professionals, including clinical guidance articles, editorials, personalised prescribing reports and CME activities such as clinical audits, quizzes and peer group discussions. This website is dedicated to the resources produced by the Publications Team.

The In Practice Team are responsible for the administration of the recertification programme for doctors registered in a general scope of practice. Their website can be found here: www.inpractice.org.nz

Other separate bpac^nz activities include locum.org.nz by RataGP and bpac^nz Rx

BPAC Inc (BPAC Clinical Solutions) is a sister organisation to bpac^nz. Among other activities, BPAC Inc is responsible for developing and delivering bestpractice Decision Support software for general practices. Their website can be found here: www.bpacsolutions.co.nz

The New Zealand Formulary, South Link Health and the South Link Health Group are other organisations affiliated with bpac^nz.

We describe our articles as evidence-based, practical guidance for health care professionals working in New Zealand.

We base our information on New Zealand guidelines, where available. We then look to guidelines from Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and Europe, Cochrane systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomised controlled trials and where necessary, primary research. This information is then collated, revised and presented in the context of the New Zealand health care system, with expert opinion and guidance.

Articles go through a robust drafting and revision process and receive clinical sign-off before publishing.

Almost all articles and other resources on this website are written in-house by our medical writers, clinical advisors and editorial team (see: “Our people”). If an article has been contributed by an external author, this will be indicated at the beginning of the article.

Acknowledgements at the end of an article refer to people who have assisted in reviewing the clinical content of an article; these are not the article authors and do not have any responsibility for the final content of the article.

We welcome requests from New Zealand-based government and healthcare organisations for the creation of articles for our website that are relevant to our readership. We also offer other writing services such as literature review, document revision, creation of original resources, proof-reading, editing and graphic design. Please contact us ([email protected]) to discuss your requirements and for a quote for services.

We are unable to produce articles on request for individuals, unless funding is provided. We do, however, welcome suggestions for topics from our readers: email [email protected]

We do not accept unsolicited freelance articles or commercial material. Occasionally, we may accept a submitted article with prior agreement. We are unable to offer any payment for submitted articles.

Clinicians who wish to contribute to our publications may do so by offering their services as an expert reviewer. If you are interested in this, please email [email protected] and let us know your speciality area.

The suggested citation for an article is:

bpac^nz. A rising tide of type 2 diabetes in younger people: what can primary care do? bpac^nz, May, 2018. Available from: www.bpac.org.nz/2018/diabetes.aspx (Accessed Jun, 2018).

The author is: bpac^nz

We do not ascribe individual authorship to our articles as they are jointly written and edited by the publications team. If an article has been contributed by an external author, this is indicated at the start of the article.

At the end of the article you can click on “Make a comment”. You must be logged in to your “My bpac” account to enter a comment. If you do not have a My bpac account, you can create one here: www.bpac.org.nz/signup

Alternatively, you can email any comments or questions about articles to: [email protected]

If you have a question that pertains to a specific article, we encourage you to make a comment on the website
(see: “ What if I have a question about an article?”).

If you would prefer to ask your question in private or if you have a clinical question or comment not directly related to an article, you can email this to: [email protected]

We will let you know if we might publish your letter, and ask you if it is ok to include your name – you may remain anonymous if you wish.

You can print no more than one copy of any material or content appearing on, or available through, our website including articles, and only for your personal use or for research or private study.

You may hyperlink to our website but you must not create any hotlink, inline link, or direct link to our website or embed any page of our website on another website without our prior written permission. If you would like to create a hotlink to our website, please contact us.

Other than printing one copy of any material or content for your personal use or for research or private study, you may not reproduce, redistribute, disseminate, transmit or communicate to the public any material or content from the bpac^nz website.

Creating a free “My bpac” account allows users to receive email alerts when new resources are published, make comments on articles, personalise the content they see, store favourite articles, manage their electronic mailing list details and complete CME quizzes. In addition, primary care prescribers can access personalised reports on dispensed pharmaceuticals.

To sign up to “My bpac”, go to: www.bpac.org.nz/signup

When you register your details to create a “My bpac” account you are automatically added to our email list unless you opt out. We will email you to let you know when a new resource has been published on our website or to inform you about related bpac^nz activities. We aim to limit emails to twice per month, although on some occasions we may contact you more frequently.

To sign up to receive email alerts, go to: www.bpac.org.nz/signup

To opt out of receiving emails after you have signed up, either amend your account details (see: “How do I change my contact details? ”) or click on “unsubscribe” at the bottom of an email you have received from us.

You can change your email address, preferences and other details via “My bpac”, in your account dashboard: click on the menu on the top right of the screen and click on the “Mybpac dashboard” link at the top of the list. The panel on the right will display your details: click on “amend account details” to make any changes.

If you do not have an account, you can sign up at: www.bpac.org.nz/signup

If you are having any problems changing your details, email: [email protected]

We are now producing Best Practice Journal in digital format, available here.

We are currently investigating options for providing printed copies of BPJ. We will contact subscribers with any developments in this area. If you have previously received copies of BPJ, you are already on our mailing list. New subscribers can pre-register their postal details to join any future mailing list when they sign up to a “My bpac” account.

If you need to update your postal address, you can do this via your “My bpac” dashboard (see: “ How do I change my contact details?”).

Primary care prescribers are eligible to receive personalised prescribing reports from bpac^nz. This includes general practitioners, nurse practitioners, nurse prescribers and pharmacist prescribers who write prescriptions for patients that are dispensed from a community pharmacy. We also provide reports for DHB and PHO pharmacy facilitators.

Personalised prescribing reports are derived from data from the Ministry of Health’s National Pharmaceutical Claims Collections. These data represent subsidised pharmaceuticals dispensed by community pharmacies. Reports contain information based on dispensed pharmaceuticals prescribed by an individual, as well as their practice’s patient population, i.e. pharmaceuticals dispensed by any provider for patients enrolled in the practice.

An email with a link to the report is sent when a new report is published. Personalised reports can also be accessed via “My bpac”. Click on the menu on the top right of the screen and click on the “Mybpac dashboard” link at the top of the list; click on the blue reports box to access your data.

To sign-up to “My bpac”, go to: www.bpac.org.nz/signup

bpac^nz is no longer funded to provide patient information pamphlets. Due to popular demand, the “What your lipid test means for you” pamphlet is available to download and print from our website: www.bpac.org.nz/Supplement/2012/December/lipid-testing.aspx

Links to other patient information sources can be found here: www.bpac.org.nz/links/patient-information.aspx

The bpac^nz Primary Care Update series is a comprehensive suite of multimedia of resources, covering the diagnosis and management of common conditions seen in primary care. This is a subscription-based product. For more information, click here.

Best Practice Bulletin is a twice-monthly round-up of news items for primary care, including a "Paper of the week". Bulletins are emailed to subscribers and available on our website here. If you would like to sign-up to our mailing list, click here. If you have any information you would like us to add to our next bulletin, please email: [email protected]