Library Clippings

UK campaign to reduce alcohol consumption

2012-02-09T14:02:00.000+11:00

Change4Life’s is a new nationwide campaign from the United Kingdom to warn people that drinking over the lower-risk alcohol guidelines can seriously impact their long-term health is now live. The campaign highlights that regularly drinking around two large glasses of wine or two strong pints of beer a day triple the risk of developing mouth cancer and double the risk of developing high blood pressure.

A new online calculator will be available on the Change4Life website to help people check how much they are drinking and work out whether they need to cut down.

British Journal of Surgery- trauma articles

2012-02-09T13:57:00.000+11:00

The BJS special issue on trauma, highlights established and emerging areas in injury care ranging from epidemiology to epigenetics. It does not attempt to cover the complete trauma chain of survival; rather, the collection reflects areas of current and ongoing interest, explores translational aspects of pathophysiology in trauma care, discusses changes in concepts and paradigms, and gives 'best evidence' even where this is still guided largely by expert opinion and limited data."

The Editorial, Leading Articles and Reviews are all free to read. Read these articles and more online now.

On the Radar

2012-02-09T09:37:00.001+11:00

On the Radar is a summary of some of the recent publications in the areas of safety and quality in health care. Recent content includes:
*Hospital Incident Reporting Systems Do Not Capture Most Patient Harm;
*Toward Improving Patient Safety Through Voluntary Peer-to-Peer Assessment;
*Effects of nurse staffing and nurse education on patient deaths in hospitals with different nurse work environments.

You may need to use your CIAP logon or contact your Library Staff to access the fulltext.

Drinking cultures and social occasions

2012-02-06T15:36:00.000+11:00

Drinking cultures and social occasions : Alcohol harms in the context of major public holidays and cultural events is a study conducted by Turning Point Drug and Alcohol Centre and Eastern Health in Victoria. It provides evidence that acute intoxication increased numbers of injuries due to assaults and traffic accidents on public holidays and other major celebratory events, as well as rises in incidents on the day before.

The authors conclude that a focus on specific events or occasions for public education may present good opportunities to target prevention and intervention, but there are limited resources, particularly during periods of high demand. Key experts identified the importance of communication and collaboration across services for planning, intervention and harm reduction.

Diabetes indicators in Australia

2012-02-06T15:19:00.000+11:00

Diabetes has increased significantly among the Australian population over the past 20 years, however the rate of diabetes-related deaths is falling, according to a report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Diabetes Indicators in Australia. The report shows the prevalence of diabetes in the Australian population increased from 1.5% to 4.1% over the 20 years to 2007-08. However, diabetes-related deaths dropped by 18% between 1997 and 2007 and hospitalisations for lower limb amputations among people with diabetes have also been falling.

The report further shows that the rate of diabetes among Indigenous Australians was more than 3 times that of non-Indigenous Australians, and Indigenous Australians had higher rates of diabetes-related deaths than the general population. The prevalence of diabetes was also slightly higher among those born overseas and people living in regional and remote areas.

The AIHW has also released a new diabetes dashboard, providing easily accessible and navigable facts and figures on diabetes.

Child deaths - suicide intent

2012-02-06T15:10:00.000+11:00

The reasons why children and young people take their own lives are complex. Each death is unique and is influenced by a series of physical, psychological and environmental conditions and associated risk factors. There is evidence, however, that many young people provide an indication of their intent, prior to their suicide – usually to a significant person in their lives.

Child Deaths - Suicide intent is a paper from The Commission for Children and Young People, and it focuses on understanding suicidal intent: how it is communicated and to whom, what it can mean for young people at risk of suicide, and that any threat of suicide needs to be taken seriously.

The Commission’s review of the circumstances of deaths suggests that a number of children and young people had been communicating their suicidal intent in the weeks, months or years prior to their suicides. Some children were as young as 9 years of age when they first indicated they were suicidal.

Monitoring acute coronary syndrome - report

2012-02-03T14:30:00.000+11:00

Monitoring acute coronary syndrome using national hospital data : an information paper on trends and issues is a new report by the AIHW, which reviews the current algorithm for monitoring the incidence of Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in Australia. It presents a detailed analysis of hospitalisations for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and unstable angina.

Safety and quality in health care links

2012-02-03T14:26:00.000+11:00

ISQua is the International Society for Quality in Health Care. The ISQua Newsletter continues to have links to presentations from the 2011 ISQua Conference and the latest is one from Rajesh Aggarwal on the topic of whether medical students should practice on patients.
There is also a link to a blog convened by Karen Luxford on Patient-Centred Care which has some thought-provoking comments.

National Medication Management Plan

2012-02-03T14:22:00.000+11:00

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care have released a National Medication Management Plan for use throughout Australia. This is based on the Medication Management Plan developed by the Safe Medication management Unit of Queensland Health. It is for use in the reconciliation of patient medication to ensure the use of a standardised form.

For further information, including a training presentation, see the ACSQHC website.

Sources of Evidence database

2012-02-03T14:19:00.000+11:00

The Health Evidence Network (HEN) new database Sources of Evidence is now online: The database replaces the previous Sources of Evidence section on the HEN web site, allowing the user easier access to the selected resources. It provides easy access to a systematically updated collection of resources selected for their relevance, depending on factors such as WHO priority areas, current trends and geographical/strategical debates etc. It is not a collection of all materials produced by the organizations, nor is it a library.

Indigenous nutrition and governance resource sheets

2012-02-03T14:16:00.000+11:00

Two new resource sheets have been released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare this week:

Healthy lifestyle programs for physical activity and nutrition
This paper assesses the evidence regarding the effectiveness of physical activity and nutrition programs for Indigenous Australians, and identifies strategies that have been demonstrated to be effective. It also reviews strategies that have the potential to be effective, based on their short-term effect or their effectiveness in non-Indigenous populations.

Improving Indigenous community governance through strengthening Indigenous and government organisational capacity
This paper found that strategies that worked to strengthen Indigenous organisational capacity included long-term partnerships between government and Indigenous people, those that recognised local contexts and took a developmental approach, and those that had clarity of purpose.

UK heart attack deaths halved

2012-02-02T13:56:00.000+11:00

The death rate from heart attacks in England has halved in the last decade, says an Oxford University study.
"Determinants of the decline in mortality from acute myocardial infarction in England between 2002 and 2010 : linked national database study," published in the British Medical Journal, looked at more than 800,000 men and women who suffered heart attacks between 2002 and 2010.

The researchers found that fewer heart attacks occurred in later years and, of those that did occur, fewer were fatal, and concluded that improvements in NHS care and better prevention measures have contributed to the decline. National hospital and mortality data was used to analyse 840,175 men and women in England who had suffered a total of 861,134 heart attacks over eight years. Comparing 2002 with 2010, they found death rates falling by 50% in men (78.7 per 100,000 population to 39.2) and by 53% in women (37.3 per 100,000 to 17.7). A declining mortality rate was also seen in all age groups and for both sexes.

BMJ 2012;344:d8059

'State of the Art' in Airway Management

2012-02-02T13:49:00.000+11:00

This special issue of Anaesthesia, guest edited by J. J. Pandit and T. M Cook, includes a range of articles that demonstrate advances in the art and science of airways management. Both basic science and clinical techniques are discussed, guidelines are analysed and training and education are considered.

The option to read these articles for free ends March 25, 2012.
Anaesthesia volume 66, Issue Supplement S2. Pages 1-118, December 2011.

Chronic Pain: Empathy for Patients

2012-01-25T12:03:00.000+11:00

Doctors and other health professionals have been urged to have greater awareness of their own potential to inadvertently contribute to the stigmatisation of their chronic pain patients through negative empathy. Stigmatization of Patients with Chronic Pain: The Extinction of Empathy is a paper published recently in the journal Pain Medicine. It warns health professionals they could be unintentionally contributing to the negative community stereotypes of chronic pain sufferers and can be challenged when confronted with a clinical problem, such as chronic pain, that they cannot readily understand.

Pain Medicine is the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine and of the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists and of the International Spine Intervention Society. Contact your library to access the fulltext of this article.

Pain Medicine; Volume 12, Issue 11, November 2011, Pages: 1637–1643, Milton Cohen, John Quintner, David Buchanan, Mandy Nielsen and Lynette Guy

Brain trauma guidelines

2012-01-25T11:50:00.000+11:00

The Brain Trauma Foundation has made freely available their Guidelines on traumatic brain injury and coma, as well as checklists and videos on concussion. The goal of the BTF is to better educate coaches, nurses, athletes, parents and all citizens about the importance of recognizing concussions and taking the appropriate steps to ensure people receive appropriate care. Research has proven that all brain damage does not occur at the moment of impact but rather evolves over the ensuing hours and days after the initial injury, due to brain swelling and inadequate oxygen and blood flow to the injured brain.

Australian Health Review free articles

2012-01-25T11:46:00.000+11:00

The Australian Health Review, which is the journal of the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association, is offering open access to the following articles:

Worker representation and participation guide

2012-01-25T11:38:00.000+11:00

The Worker Representation and Participation Guide published by Safe Work Australia, provides information on the representation and participation of workers in health and safety matters at the workplace, as well as guidance on resolving health and safety issues. It supports one of the objects of the Work Health and Safety Act (the WHS Act), which is to provide for fair and effective workplace representation, consultation, co-operation and issue resolution in relation to work health and safety.

Pain management in rheumatoid arthritis

2012-01-25T11:35:00.000+11:00

This month's Cochrane Reviews include 2 on pain management in rheumatoid arthritis:

Muscle relaxants for pain management in rheumatoid arthritis

Neuromodulators for pain management in rheumatoid arthritis

Australian National Cancer Statistics 2010

2012-01-25T11:32:00.000+11:00

The Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology has extracted key data from the AIHW publication Cancer in Australia: an overview, 2010 and presented a summary of the key points.

Cancer has a greater overall impact on the health of Australians than any other disease group. On average, one in two Australians will develop cancer and one in five will die from it before the age of 85. This article provides an overview of statistics on cancer in Australia, focusing on incidence, mortality, survival, and participation in national cancer screening programs.

Problem gambling and health

2012-01-24T12:55:00.000+11:00

The Australian Greens political party has published Problem Gambling and Health, which outlines the debate around gambling reform in Australia and looks at some proposed reforms through health policy. The paper aims to present some concrete options for gambling reform as well as avenues for further investigation. The authors argue that continuing reforms, with a focus on public health, should complement but not supplant existing plans to regulate poker machines and other forms of gambling.

"The evidence is clear that problem gambling has important individual medical as well as population health aspects. If therapies exist that can be harnessed to limit the harm where population-level measures fail, they should be investigated as a matter of priority. For these reasons, the Greens feel the debate should also include areas for further research, more funding and most importantly a national approach for identifying the best programs that can bring help to where it is needed most."

Cochrane plain language summaries

2012-01-24T12:48:00.000+11:00

The Cochrane Summaries website aims to deliver "credible, accessible, and impartial information for patients and carers to improve understanding and promote shared decision making." Each Cochrane summary page displays the full plain language summary and provides links to the abstract, the full review on TheCochraneLibrary.com, other reviews by the same review group and to podcasts, journal clubs, Practical Evidence About Real Life Situations (PEARLS), and news items where these are available. It's a good place to start for an overview of a broad topic, and for referring to patients.

National Safety & Quality Health Service Standards

2012-01-24T12:39:00.002+11:00

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has released a new edition of their National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards.

The Standards provide a nationally consistent and uniform set of measures of safety and quality for application across a wide variety of health care services. They propose evidence-based improvement strategies to deal with gaps between current and best practice outcomes that affect a large number of patients.

Work-related injuries in Australia 2009-10

2012-01-24T12:34:00.000+11:00

In 2009-10, 567 500 employees were injured while working but only 38 per cent of them received workers' compensation. Work-related injuries in Australia: Who did and didn't receive workers' compensation in 2009-10 is a report from Safe Work Australia which analyses the results of the Australian Bureau of Statistics Work-related Injuries Survey (Catalogue No. 6324.0) in relation to workers' compensation claims.

Some key findings of the report are that only 32% of casuals received workers’ compensation, and young workers were less likely to receive compensation compared with their older counterparts. 9% of employees were not aware of their rights to workers’ compensation or thought they were not eligible for it. The survey also found that 27% of employees who took five or more days off work due to their injury did not apply for workers’ compensation with many using sick leave instead.

New online Australian health publication

2012-01-17T12:32:00.000+11:00

The Health Reporter, an online publication dedicated to covering Australia’s health system, was launched this week. One of the founders, journalist Michael Riley, says the publication "was born of the belief by its owners that Australia’s health system is important and large enough to have its own daily online news site producing original news content and opinion". He sees their readership as being people from the health industry, policy makers, influencers, health innovators and those working in and around the health system.

New infection control implementation guides

2012-01-17T12:19:00.000+11:00

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has developed three implementation guides for Australian hospitals and organisations to support the implementation of surveillance for Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB), Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI).

Each of the guides detail interpretation of the definitions, flowcharts, inclusions and exclusion for each of the surveillance topics, as well a list of examples to assist with decisions on those more difficult cases. "The guides are not intended to replace or inform clinical management of infections or patient management but to standardise how key infection data is collected and reported. All comments and feedback will be reviewed and responded to as part of the consultation process."

Implementation guide SAB Consultation Edition November 2011
Implementation guide CDI Consultation Edition November 2011
Implementation guide CLABSI Consultation Edition November 2011

Cancer service providers - website

2012-01-17T12:12:00.000+11:00

The Cancer Institute NSW has launched a new website, Canrefer, where patients and health professionals can search for a cancer or palliative care service providers in NSW. The search can be done by tumour type (eg breast) or service type (eg chemotherapy). You can also search by postcode, where maps and contact details are provided for services within a 200 km radius of the postcode provided.

Cardiometabolic care in youth with psychosis

2012-01-12T14:05:00.000+11:00

The media showed interest yesterday in the story of a team at the Bondi Early Psychosis Programme, who have developed a model of metabolic screening and a treatment algorithm to provide clinicians with recommendations for targeted interventions for young people experiencing their first episode of psychosis. Their concern was with weight gain and metabolic problems associated with antipsychotic agents, and how clinicians can help prevent these problems before they happen.

The Sydney Morning Herald and ABC Radio's AM program, both ran stories about Julio De La Torre, who gained 20 kg in six months of treatment, and interviewed Jackie Curtis, the clinical leader at the Bondi centre.

You can read the abstract of the article published in Early Intervention in Psychiatry, which outlines the group's early intervention strategy, here. To obtain the full text of the article, please contact your health library.
Jackie Curtis, Hannah D. Newall, Katherine Samaras. "The heart of the matter: cardiometabolic care in youth with psychosis". Early Intervention in Psychiatry. Article first published online: 6 JAN 2012. DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-7893.2011.00315.x

Risks of taking aspirin

2012-01-12T13:29:00.000+11:00

An article published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine analyses randomised controlled trials of the safety and impact of aspirin on vascular and nonvascular outcomes in primary prevention. ABC radio's AM program yesterday included an interview with one of the authors of the study, Kausik Ray, who outlined the increased risk of internal bleeding connected with aspirin.

The original article is available in full text through CIAP, but please contact your health library if you have trouble accessing it:
Seghassai, S.R.K. et al. "Effect of aspirin on vascular and nonvascular outcomes : meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials." Arch Intern Med. Published online January 9, 2012. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.628

National strategies to address dementia

2012-01-10T09:38:00.003+11:00

By by 2050 the number of people predicted to be living with dementia worldwide will be over 100 million. This paper by Alzheimer's Australia provides an overview of a range of approaches that a selection of countries have taken to address dementia. The economic and social impact of dementia on health care systems and on family carers makes it the major health challenge of this century.

Frequent Emergency Attenders

2012-01-10T09:09:00.005+11:00

The journal, Australian Health Review lists the most read articles in 2010/ 2011. One of the articles looks at understanding the reasons for frequent re-attendances in Emergency Departments and how this can assist in developing solutions to hospital overcrowding. The factors associated with frequently re-attending patients include older age, type of condition, unplanned return visit and season.
A number of other interesting articles relate to nurse practitioners, teleheath, end of life care and effective discharge planning. Contact your health library if you cannot access the full text version of the articles.

WHOLIS- WHO Bibliographic Database

2012-01-10T08:48:00.002+11:00

WHOLIS is a database of all World Health Organisation (WHO) information products, with online versions. For example, if you keyword search 'evidence' and limit to 2011, you get 15 results including topics such as pre-eclampsia, induction of labour, what works in health care and engineering a learning healthcare system.

Depression, Anxiety, Psychosis in BJP this month

2012-01-04T09:32:00.005+11:00

The British Journal of Psychiatry has a number of interesting articles in the January 2012; Vol. 200, No. 1 issue:

Bipolar depression and treatment with antidepressants;
Efficacy, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of self-help interventions for anxiety disorders: systematic review; and
Preventing progression to first-episode psychosis in early initial prodromal states.

Staff can access the journal via CIAP, or check with their Hospital Library for other options.

Acute coronary syndrome

2012-01-04T09:20:00.002+11:00

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) refers to the spectrum of acute coronary artery diseases spanning acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and unstable angina (UA). They are sudden, severe and life-threatening events. This report reviews the current algorithm for monitoring the incidence of ACS in Australia, presenting a detailed analysis of hospitalisations for AMI and UA. It also presents a range of alternative algorithms for the estimation of ACS incidence. The report "Monitoring acute coronary syndrome using national hospital data: An information paper on trends and issues" was released by AIHW in late december 2011.

Comparative Performance Monitoring

2012-01-04T09:16:00.001+11:00

This report, Comparative Performance Monitoring Report 13th Edition, is designed to help gauge the success of different approaches undertaken by the various workers’ compensation and work health and safety authorities to reduce the incidence of work-related injury and disease.

Australian Mesothelioma Registry

2012-01-04T09:12:00.001+11:00

The new Australian Mesothelioma Registry (AMR) is now fully operational and is receiving notification of all new cases of mesothelioma in Australia. The AMR is funded by Safe Work Australia and managed under contract by the Cancer Institute of New South Wales, in association with the Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health (MonCOEH).
To find out more about the Australian Mesothelioma Registry, visit http://www.mesothelioma-australia.com. Safe Work Australia has also released Mesothelioma in Australia Incidence 1982 to 2007 Mortality 1997 to 2007.

Bullying in Schools: An Overview

2012-01-04T09:00:00.002+11:00

This Bulletin from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the United States examines the connection between different types and frequencies of bullying, truancy, and student achievement, and whether students' engagement in school mediates these factors.

The Bulletin is free to download.

Christmas stories

2011-12-22T13:03:00.001+11:00

Merry Christmas to all the supporters of our blog. We will be having a little break now to enjoy the festive season with our families and friends but will be back with more health news, reports and online research tools in 2012.

Here are a few interesting stories to leave you with:
Feeling under the weather? You've got Christmas Tree Syndrome, is an item in Britain's Telegraph reporting on an article in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, about how Christmas trees might be making you sick, due to mould.

Christmas tips to reduce stress - on the Victorian Government's Better Health Channel. Lots of ideas on staying calm and dealing with relationships, meals, shopping, budgeting, and more.

Try the BMJ's Christmas picture quiz. This journal always has fun articles in their Christmas issue - have a look as well at What the Three Wise Men have to say about diagnosis and, for the new year perhaps, Neo-evolution : is Homo sapiens ready?

Australia's mothers and babies, 2009

2011-12-22T12:34:00.000+11:00

The Australian Institute of Health & Welfare has just released Australia's mothers and babies 2009, a report which shows that Australian women continue to wait longer to have children. The average age of women who gave birth in Australia has increased steadily from 29.0 years in 2000 to reach 30.0 years in 2009. Approximately 41.6% of women were having their first baby and the average age for first time mothers was 27.

In 2009, 294,540 women gave birth to 299,220 babies in Australia. The increase in births continued, with 2,295 more births (0.8%) than reported in 2008. Smoking while pregnant was reported by 14.5% of all mothers, by 37.0% of teenage mothers and almost half (49.6%) of Indigenous mothers. In 2009, 863 women had a homebirth, representing 0.3% of all women who gave birth.

Cost of poor dental health - report

2011-12-22T12:28:00.000+11:00

The Brotherhood of St Laurence has released a report analysing the costs of poor dental health on the economy and those least able to afford dental care. Millions of people are financially locked out of Australia's expensive dental health system, undermining their capacity to gain and keep employment and at an annual cost to the economy of more than $1.3 billion.

End the Decay: The cost of poor dental health and what should be done about it, analysed existing data to estimate the disease burden of untreated dental conditions - and the resulting economic burden. The report's authors, Professor Jeff Richardson from Monash University and Bronwyn Richardson from Campbell Research and Consulting, found that the direct and indirect costs to the economy are significant.

Health Statistics NSW

2011-12-20T11:47:00.004+11:00

Health Statistics NSW is an interactive, web-based application that allows users to access data and tailor reports about the health of the New South Wales population for their own use. Health Statistics NSW is a NSW Government initiative and provides information on:

the health status and demography of the NSW community

health inequalities and the determinants of health

the burden of disease and current health challenges

trends in health and comparisons between age groups and geographic locations.

Case management: What it is and how it can best be implemented

2011-12-20T11:31:00.005+11:00

Case management is a well-established way of integrating services around the complex needs of people with long-term conditions. "Case Management: What it is and how it can best be implemented" examines how delivery of integrated care for people with long-term conditions can be improved. The authors explore the questions:
What is case management?
What are the core components of a case management programme?
What are the benefits of case management when it is implemented effectively?
What factors need to be in place for successful case management?
One of the authors, Nick Goodwin of the Kings Fund, has also made available a slide presentation of the highlights of the publication.

2010 Australian national infant feeding survey: indicator results

2011-12-20T11:25:00.002+11:00

The 2010 Australian National Infant Feeding Survey is the first specialised national survey of infant feeding practices in Australia. The survey also collected information on attitudes towards, and enablers for and barriers against breastfeeding. This report by AIHW provides baseline data on key infant feeding indicators, including: most babies (96%) were initially breastfed, but only 39% were exclusively breastfed for less than 4 months, and 15% for less than 6 months; overall 35% of infants were introduced to solid foods by 4 months of age and 92% by the recommended age of 6 months; around 7% of infants drank cow's milk by 6 months, with most not starting until the recommended age of 12 months.

List of 56 best interventions will help to reduce maternal and child deaths

2011-12-20T11:19:00.002+11:00

A study has identified 56 essential interventions which are most likely to improve the health and safety of mothers, infants, and young children and help countries to meet Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. The list of evidence based interventions includes screening and treating pregnant women for anaemia and hypertension, preventing and managing post-partum haemorrhage, immediate thermal care for newborns, and antibiotics for the treatment of pneumonia in children.
Every year 358 000 women die during pregnancy and childbirth and 7.6 million children die before the age of 5, says the study. More than half of maternal deaths are caused by excessive bleeding (35%) and hypertension (18%). Half of newborn babies die during the first 24 hours of life and 75% during the first week of life, mainly from preterm birth, severe infections, and asphyxia.The list will help policy makers set priorities and decide where to put their funds and resources, say the World Health Organization, the Aga Khan University, and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, which supported the three year study.

Read or download "Essential Interventions, Commodities and Guidelines for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health".

Glen's story - hospital associated infections

2011-12-20T11:01:00.002+11:00

The Victorian Infection Control Professionals Association (VICPA) has produced a video to show how hospital associated infections can have a serious impact on a person’s health outcomes.
In Australia each year, it is estimated there are 200,000 hospital-associated infections and many of these infections are preventable. The VICPA video, Glen’s story, aims to support healthcare professionals in their infection prevention and control initiatives. The video was produced with the assistance and support of a family who share their experience and the impact that acquiring a hospital associated infection has had on their lives.

Health Systems Evidence

2011-12-20T09:49:00.003+11:00

Health Systems Evidence, an initiative of McMaster University, "is a continuously updated repository of syntheses of research evidence about governance, financial and delivery arrangements within health systems, and about implementation strategies that can support change in health systems. Over time Health Systems Evidence will also contain a continuously updated repository of economic evaluations in these same domains, descriptions of health system reforms, and descriptions of health systems."
It is a free access point for evidence to support policymakers, stakeholders and researchers interested in how to strengthen or reform health systems.
It is free to register to gain access to the site.

The Parental Brain

2011-12-20T09:45:00.002+11:00

This special issue of the Journal of Neuroendocrinology is all about parenthood and the changes in the brain that facilitate successful rearing of the next generation. This special issue also provides insight into what we are now beginning to understand about the coinciding changes that occur in the 'parental brain'. It features a collection of original research articles and reviews submitted following the Parental Brain Conference, held in Edinburgh on 1-4 September 2010.
Click here to read all the articls for free.

Facilitating the use of research evidence

2011-12-15T11:05:00.003+11:00

This free virtual issue of the Millbank Quarterly includes twenty-two articles and two commentaries that have been published in the Quarterly between 2001 and 2011. All of the articles in this issue pertain to facilitating the use of research evidence. The overall theme in the articles on this topic is that the practical use of health services research (broadly defined) is something that can be facilitated.

Interventions for preventing obesity in children

2011-12-15T09:59:00.001+11:00

This review primarily aims to update the previous Cochrane review of childhood obesity prevention research and determine the effectiveness of evaluated interventions intended to prevent obesity in children, assessed by change in Body Mass Index (BMI). Secondary aims were to examine the characteristics of the programs and strategies to answer the questions "What works for whom, why and for what cost?"

Online Resource for Clinical Effectiveness Reviews

2011-12-15T09:36:00.005+11:00

NLM's National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), in partnership with England's national Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, the Cochrane Collaboration, the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and other agencies in the US and abroad, now makes available more than 18,000 clinical effectiveness reviews via PubMed Health. PubMed Health organizes these clinical effectiveness research results, including full texts as well as summary information, for consumers and clinicians.

Closing the Gap Clearinghouse

2011-12-14T12:08:00.000+11:00

A new resource sheet for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse (set up to publish evidence-based research on overcoming disadvantage for Indigenous Australians by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare), is Effective practices for service delivery coordination in Indigenous communities This resource explores what is known about service delivery coordination activities in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia. It examines the principles that underpin service delivery coordination efforts to improve the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians.

There are now several resource sheets and papers on the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse site.

Aged care reform information sheets

2011-12-14T11:58:00.000+11:00

The National Aged Care Alliance has published a number of information sheets designed to inform health professionals and the public about changes recommended by the Productivity Commission. Titles of the sheets are:

Aged Care and Access to the Gateway
Aged Care Services - Access and Consumer Protections
The Aged Care Workforce
Dementia and Aged Care Reform
Entitlement to Aged Care Services and Greater Choice
Health Reform and Aged Care
Paying for Aged Care
Quality Aged Care Services
Special Needs Groups - Access and Consumer Protections

Australian dietary guidelines - NHMRC draft

2011-12-14T11:39:00.000+11:00

Drafts of the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating have been released by the NHMRC for public comment. The Guidelines provide information for health professionals and the general population to reduce the risk of diet-related disease, encouraging healthy dietary patterns to promote and maintain the nutrition-related health and wellbeing of the Australian population.

The revised Australian Dietary Guidelines have been updated with recent scientific evidence about the relationships between food, dietary patterns and health outcomes. They are based on foods and food groups, rather than nutrients as in the 2003 edition. The evidence base has strengthened for:

The association between the consumption of sugar sweetened drinks and the risk of excessive weight gain
The health benefits of breastfeeding
The association between the consumption of milk and decreased risk of heart disease and some cancers
The association between the consumption of fruit and decreased risk of heart disease
The association between the consumption of non-starchy vegetables and decreased risk of some cancers
The association between the consumption of wholegrain cereals and decreased risk of heart disease and excessive weight gain.

Submissions are invited on the guidelines until Wednesday, 29 February, 2012. Supporting resources and submission instructions can be found here.

On be(com)ing a good doctor

2011-12-08T10:00:00.003+11:00

Students are often resistent to thinking in new and different ways about the problems patients bring to them, but need to learn how, if medical care is to be genuinely caring, according to
Annette Braunack-Mayer who has written a very interesting article in Australian Review of Public Affairs. She addresses the question of "how do we train medical students to become morally sensitive doctors?"
Read the full article here.

Youth Mentoring

2011-12-08T09:52:00.003+11:00

This report by Melanie Thomson and Lauren Costello of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, looks at national and international evidence on the value for investment of youth mentoring and identifies evidence regarding the social and economic benefits for youth of quality one-to-one relationship based mentoring. Youth mentoring is, according to the Australian Youth Mentoring Network, defined as ‘a structured and trusting relationship that brings young people together with caring individuals who offer guidance, support and encouragement’. The goal of youth mentoring is to enhance social engagement and thereby minimise negative behaviours through growth in social and developmental behaviours. .

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control TV

2011-12-08T09:29:00.004+11:00

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has produced a number of short online videos on such topics as;

Childhood Tuberculosis

Influenza Epidemics

Antimicrobial Resistance

Click here to go to the website.

Australian Women’s Health Network

2011-12-08T09:23:00.003+11:00

Read the latest AWHN newsletter and updates on women's health policy and women's health services here.

Australian guideline for treatment of problem gambling

2011-12-07T15:37:00.000+11:00

The Problem Gambling Research and Treatment Centre (PGRTC) at Monash University has developed the first guideline to address problem gambling in Australia - Guideline for screening, assessment and treatment in problem gambling. It has been developed in response to the need for problem gambling services, practitioners and policymakers to have evidence-based guidance in the design and delivery of treatments for people with gambling problems. The growing availability of a research base in problem gambling has helped make this possible.

An abridged outline of this guideline has been published by MJA. MJA Online First, 22 November 2011 : doi: 10.5694/mja11.11088

Domestic violence in Australia: an overview of the issues 2011

2011-12-07T15:19:00.000+11:00

This background note by Liesl Mitchell of the Parliamentary Library is a guide to research and resources on domestic violence in Australia. It includes an overview of research on the prevalence of domestic violence, attitudes and risk factors, at risk groups and communities and the costs of domestic violence to communities and to the economy. It also covers policy approaches designed to prevent domestic violence, a survey of current Australian Government programs and initiatives and a review of future directions in domestic violence prevention. Appendix A contains extensive links to sources of further information on domestic violence in Australia.

Shared Care in Mental Illness

2011-12-07T15:16:00.000+11:00

"Shared care in mental illness : a rapid review to inform implementation" is recent article by Brian J. Kelly and others. The authors present a review of the evidence on shared care models of ambulatory mental health services. It was found that shared care models resulted in improved social function, self management skills, service acceptability, reduced hospitalisation, greater access to specialist care and better engagement with and acceptability of mental health services in some clinical settings. Effective shared care models incorporated linkages across various service levels, clinical monitoring within agreed treatment protocols, improved continuity and comprehensiveness of services.

International Journal of Mental Health Systems 2011, 5:31 doi:10.1186/1752-4458-5-31

BreastScreen Australia monitoring report

2011-12-07T15:04:00.000+11:00

AIHW has also released the BreastScreen Australia Monitoring Report 2008-2009. More than 1.3 million women aged 50-69 participated in BreastScreen Australia in 2008-2009, equivalent to around 55% of the target age group. Deaths from breast cancer are at an historic low at 47 deaths per 100,000 women aged 50-69 in 2007.

In 2007, there were 6,297 new cases of breast cancer and 1,085 deaths. In 2009, 11% of women screened for the first time were recalled for further investigation, whereas for women attending subsequent screens, 4% were recalled. For every 10,000 women screened for the first time, 80 had an invasive breast cancer detected, whereas for every 10,000 women attending subsequent screens, 45 had an invasive breast cancer detected.

Oral health and dental care in Australia

2011-12-07T14:58:00.000+11:00

Oral health and dental care in Australia : key facts and figures 2011, has been released this week by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Some of the findings include the fact that:

In 2010, approximately 21% of adults aged 65 and over were edentulous (without natural teeth). Of these people, nearly half (47%) wore dentures.
In 2010, around 15% of adults reported experiencing toothache in the previous 12 months, and 25% reported feeling uncomfortable about their dental appearance.
In 2010, 64% of persons aged 5 and over visited a dentist in the previous year, ranging from 78% in children aged 5–14, to 57% in adults aged 25–44.
The majority (54%) of persons aged 5 and over had some level of private dental cover, with those living in Major cities (59%) having higher rates of insurance than those in Inner regional (47%) and Outer regional areas (46%).
In 2009–10 the total expenditure on dental services was $7,690 million, a 13% increase from the previous year.

The capacity for the dental labour force to supply dental visits is expected to range between 33.0 and 40.1 million visits by 2020, compared to a projected demand for between 33.6 and 44.1 million visits.

Cancer in Adolescents and Young Adults in Australia

2011-12-01T16:27:00.000+11:00

Cancer in adolescents and young adults in Australia presents the latest available incidence, survival and mortality statistics on cancer in young Australians aged 15 to 29. The incidence of cancer in this age group has become steady since the mid-1990s while cancer mortality has fallen between 1983 and 2007. Survival from cancer in adolescents and young adults has been relatively high and has improved with time, although cancer outcomes vary across population groups. Melanoma was the most common cancer diagnosed and brain cancer was the leading cause of cancer death.

Cancers in adolescents and young adults are uncommon but can cause a substantial disease burden. This is the first report to present a comprehensive picture of national statistics on cancer in young Australians and it provides an evidence base to underpin improvements in cancer outcomes.

International Profiles of Health Care Systems

2011-12-01T16:20:00.001+11:00

This publication presents overviews of the health care systems of Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Each overview covers health insurance, public and private financing, health system organisation, quality of care, health disparities, efficiency and integration, use of health information technology, use of evidence-based practice, cost containment, and recent reforms and innovations.

Electronic Health Records: An International Perspective on "Meaningful Use"

2011-12-01T16:17:00.001+11:00

This paper was published by the Commonwealth Fund in the US and describes the extent of meaningful use of EHRs in three countries with very high levels of health information technology adoption—Denmark, New Zealand, and Sweden. The United states is endeavouring to The U.S. has now embarked on a major effort to achieve "meaningful use" of health information technology by clinicians and hospitals and is hoping to take some lessons from these international examples.

Australia's Welfare 2011

2011-12-01T16:07:00.000+11:00

Australia's welfare 2011 is the 10th biennial welfare report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. It presents the latest national statistics on welfare services and factors influencing wellbeing in Australia. Topics include: children and young people; disability and disability services; ageing and aged care; informal carers; homelessness; housing assistance; community services workforce; welfare expenditure. Australia's shifting geographic profile, changing workforce and education patterns, and developing trends in family structure means that welfare needs are complex and diverse.

Australia's welfare 2011 in brief presents selected highlights from the above report.

Speaking Out About Reducing Alcohol-Related Harm on Children and Young People

2011-11-29T11:51:00.005+11:00

This report was prepared for the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Western Australia. The interviews and online survey canvassed young people’s views on a broad range of topics. These included knowledge of standard drinks and the national alcohol guidelines, the main influences on their decisions about drinking alcohol, their concerns about harms that arise from alcohol consumption and their views and ideas on strategies to reduce these harms.

Groups were comprised of young people with a range of alcohol consumption patterns and varied socio-economic backgrounds. Interviews were also undertaken with Aboriginal young people, young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and those considered at increased likelihood of engaging in highrisk alcohol consumption. Some issues specific to different groups have been noted and are identified in the report. However, due to the low numbers of young people involved, caution should be used in extrapolating the comments to the broader population of young people.

Trends in Young People's Wellbeing and the Effects of the School-to-Work Transition

2011-11-29T11:25:00.005+11:00

This briefing paper explores the link between wellbeing and the stages of transition of participants from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) from 1995 to 2006. The paper also examines trends in the physical, emotional and psychological health of young people. The report finds that, although young people are generally disability-free, there are some concerning trends in their wellbeing over time. Notable changes in life satisfaction ratings of young people are also observed during the transition process and coincide with different milestones at different stages.

(Free registration to LSAY is required to access this paper)

Guide to the Model Work Health and Safety Regulations

2011-11-29T10:27:00.005+11:00

This paper, by Safe Work Australia, provides an overview of the structure of the Model Work Health and Safety Regulations, cross references to relevant additional Regulations, and references to provisions of the Model Work Health and Safety Act. This Guide will help readers identify what duties or rights are contained in each Part of the Regulations. Where defined terms are provided by the Regulations, a non-exhaustive list of these has been included. Click on this link to access the Model Work Health and Safety Regulations.

Therapeutic Residential Care in Australia : Taking Stock and Looking Forward

2011-11-29T10:16:00.006+11:00

Therapeutic residential care is becoming an increasingly relevant out-of-home care option for children and young people with multiple and complex needs. It is a new and developing approach in Australia, one aimed not simply at containment of the “hard cases” - as is often the case in traditional residential care—but rather at actively facilitating healing and recovery from the effects of abuse, neglect and separation from family. In this Issues Paper, therapeutic residential care is described and contrasted with other models of out-of-home care. The theory and evidence supporting the use of this form of care are examined and used to develop a set of key elements, which, it is argued, should guide the provision of therapeutic residential care in Australia.

This growing interest in how best to offer a healing, therapeutic environment within the context of residential care led to a proposal to hold a national workshop, which was endorsed by the Community and Disability Services Ministers’ Advisory Council (CDSMAC) in late 2009. The National Therapeutic Residential Care Workshop was subsequently held in Melbourne in September 2010. The workshop brought practitioners and service providers together with researchers and government policy-makers. This paper, by the Australian Institute of Family Studies, draws on the proceedings of that workshop, Australian and international literature, and information about current models offered by jurisdictions within Australia to provide a picture of the increasing investment in therapeutic residential care and the key elements that characterise this model of care.

People Living With Psychotic Illness : a SANE response

2011-11-29T09:33:00.006+11:00

A study of thousands of people with psychotic illness provides evidence of the need to provide more support and better-coordinated community mental health services in Australia. The important new study People Living with Psychotic Illness released by the Department of Health and Ageing is the largest ever carried out in Australia on the impact of conditions such as schizophrenia.

This paper from SANE Australia summarises the key findings of the Department's report, and outlines the action needed in response to them. SANE Australia has identified several areas for action including:
• Wider education across the community to identify people who may be in need of assessment;• More access to psychosocial rehabilitation/recovery programs to continue education and find employment;• Focused assistance to help people manage and reduce symptoms and continued research to improve effectiveness of treatments;• Regular focus on physical health including targeted quit smoking resources; • Simplify the system so people can connect with the support they need;• More education and support to GPs treating people with psychotic illness;• More public housing including supported accommodation.

People Living With Psychotic Illness 2010

2011-11-29T09:14:00.006+11:00

This report, from the Australian Department of Health and Ageing, is part of the National Mental Health Strategy. It is the second national survey of psychotic illness which was conducted in 2010 to provide updated estimates of the number of people being treated for psychosis and to determine who these people are, the health services they receive and the impact of these illnesses.The survey provides information on adults aged 18-64 years with psychotic illness in contact with public specialised mental health services, as well as those receiving mental health services from non-government organisations. See also: People living with psychosis: A SANE response

7 Billion+ - new UNSW population site

2011-11-24T14:33:00.000+11:00

The world’s population is growing extremely quickly with another billion people added in a little over a decade. In this special website, 7 billion +, the University of New South Wales presents guidance and food for thought from some of its many independent academic experts, with a focus on Australia. Topics covered are:

Health systems
Water
Food security
Ageing population
Energy
Economy
Climate

Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite writes in the health systems section, "Keep going at this rate, and there will be an earth inevitably so depleted and unhealthy that it will support none of us. And after two million years of human existence, ... Exit, Homo sapiens: a drastic solution to the population problem." He also warns that in Australia we will need one million aged care workers by 2025 to support our ageing population.

Comorbidity booklets from NDARC

2011-11-24T14:13:00.000+11:00

The National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre has launched a series of new resources for those living with both substance use and mental health issues. The five booklets – Anxiety and Substance Use, Mood and Substance Use, Personality and Substance Use, Psychosis and Substance Use, and Trauma and Substance Use – are targeted at consumers of mental health and alcohol and other drug services Australia-wide.

Click here to order copies.

Pharmaceuticals in the environment

2011-11-24T14:07:00.000+11:00

This week's Health Report on ABC's Radio National had an in-depth report on the hazards of pharmaceuticals entering our waterways via waste water. Reporter Corinne Podger interviewed Dr Stuart Khan who heads the Trace Chemical Contaminants research team at the University of NSW, David Cunliffe, principal water quality advisor with the South Australian Department of Health, Professor Alistair Boxall from York University and Dr Richard Cuthbert from Britain's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. All expressed great concern about where prescription drugs end up if flushed down the sink or when leaving our bodies.

Apparently 300 million prescriptions are filled each year in Australia, and many are quite toxic. One study found alarming levels of antibiotics in vultures, and another found male fish taking on female characteristics after ingesting oestrogen from contraceptive pills. More studies are needed on the effects on drinking water and on humans and other plants and animals and there are calls for better prescribing and better disposal of unwanted drugs.

Listen to the podcast or read the transcript here.

New diabetes clinical care guidelines

2011-11-23T13:14:00.000+11:00

The National Evidence-Based Clinical Care Guidelines for Type 1 Diabetes for Children, Adolescents and Adults has been developed by the Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group and the Australian Diabetes Society.

This guideline is an update of the NHMRC approved Clinical practice guidelines: Type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents (2005). The scope of the guideline has been extended to address the needs of adults and the transition period from adolescence to adulthood, including pregnancy. This is the first Australian evidence-based guideline for type 1 diabetes that addresses clinical care across the whole lifespan.

Allergic rhinitis (hay fever) in Australia

2011-11-17T11:53:00.002+11:00

Hay fever effects a vast number of Australians each year and over $220 million was spent last year in prevention methods. About 3.1 million Australians, or 15% of the population, suffer from hay fever, making it one of the most common chronic respiratory conditions in Australia, according to a report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

ANZ Journal of Surgery toolkit

2011-11-17T11:44:00.004+11:00

ANZ Journal of Surgery is dedicated to the promotion of outstanding surgical practice and research of contemporary and international interest in Australia and New Zealand. Freely available on their website is a Toolkit linking you to definitions, classification data, and suturing and knot tying. They also give free access to some articles.

Myocardial Infarction Topic Resource

2011-11-17T11:39:00.003+11:00

The Myocardial Infarction Topic Resource Center was created to help clinicians keep up to date with the latest news and advances in the diagnosis and treatment of myocardial infarction. The site includes links to a number of review articles and patient resources.

National Ageing Research Institute

2011-11-17T11:34:00.002+11:00

A new webpage listing tools and resources developed by NARI (alone or in collaboration with other organisations) has been added to NARI (National Ageing Research Institute) website. This section includes links directly to the tool/resource and links to the Research section of the NARI website that provides details of project staff, project partners, funding source, project summary and report.

Women's Health

2011-11-17T11:27:00.003+11:00

Women’s Health Study reveals resilient rural women are still short-changed in health. A special report on rural-urban differences from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH), based at the Universities of Newcastle and Queensland, highlights the resilience of rural women during drought. Rural women have poorer health in general and worse access to health services than those in cities- and the health care they get is inadequate. The risk and prevalence of diabetes and hypertension are much higher for women (of all ages) with increasing distance from major cities. Rural women were more likely to die from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and ischaemic heart disease than women in urban areas. The report shows that women in rural areas have higher levels of risk factors for heart disease. Obesity, which is strongly associated with increased risk of diabetes and hypertension, is much higher for country women of all ages. Read more here.

Two new drug and alcohol reports

2011-11-16T15:50:00.000+11:00

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has this week released these reports:
Drugs in Australia 2010: tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, provides a comprehensive summary of Australians' consumption of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and use of treatment services. It also includes information about drug-related health issues, and drugs in the context of crime and law enforcement.

In 2010, 15% of Australians aged 14 years or over were daily smokers, and 24% were ex-smokers. 59% had never smoked. Daily smoking rates have fallen by more than a third over the past two decades, from 24% in 1991. 78% of Australians over 12 had consumed alcohol over the previous year in 2010, including 46% who drank at least weekly. Most people drank at levels that did not put them at risk of harm, but 28% of males and 11% of females drank alcohol at levels that put them at risk of alcohol-related harm over their lifetime. In addition, 23% of males and 9% of females consumed alcohol in quantities that put them at risk of alcohol-related injury from a single drinking occasion at least weekly. An estimated 13.1% of people aged 14 years or older had driven a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol in 2010.

Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia 2009-10: report on the National Minimum Data Set reveals that around 170,000 treatment episodes for alcohol and other drug use were provided in Australia in 2009-10. Almost half were for treatment related to alcohol use-the highest proportion observed since the collection began in 2001. As with previous years, counselling was the most common type of treatment offered. One in ten episodes involved more than one type of treatment.

Dementia guide for occupational therapists

2011-11-16T15:36:00.000+11:00

Osborne Park Hospital in WA has published a resource called Dementia: Osborne Park Hospital Guide for Occupational Therapists in Clinical Practice, and it is available freely online. It is an evidence-based guide developed by clinicians for clinicians. “To our knowledge there was, and is, no comparable resource available in Australia or in other parts of the world, and as such is both innovative and will lead to excellence in occupational therapy services through the consistent use of current evidence-based interventions.” says Heather Freegard, Project Coordinator, WA Dementia Training and Study Centre, Curtin University.

The contents include : definitions and natural course of dementia, occupational therapy guidelines and standards for dementia care, occupational therapy strategies for aspects of dementia care (Driving, ADL, wandering etc), and a section on the caring role of families.

New mental health app for young men

2011-11-11T12:05:00.000+11:00

The Work Out app, designed specifically for young men was launched for trial last week by the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler. Developed independently by the Inspire Foundation and the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Research Institute, it aims to encourage help-seeking by young men for their mental health.

“About one in four young people aged between 16 and 24 experience a mental disorder, yet more than 80 per cent of young men do not seek the help they need, often because of stigma or they feel that asking for help is a sign of weakness,” Mr Butler said. “They are more likely to try and ‘tough it out’ or may turn to alcohol and illicit drugs to mask the symptoms of depression or other mental illnesses.” The idea is that young men can access help via this app in a non-intimidating way. It guides people through a mental health survey, gives advice for improving their wellbeing and shares tips and advice from various role models.

Lung cancer report

2011-11-11T11:50:00.002+11:00

The rate of new cases of lung cancer among women has risen while the rates for men have fallen, according to a new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Cancer Australia. Lung cancer in Australia in 2011 : an overview is the first comprehensive summary of national statistics on lung cancer in Australia. "The report shows the number of new lung cancers increased markedly in both sexes between 1982 and 2007," said AIHW spokesperson Chris Sturrock. "But when the age structure and size of the population are taken into account, lung cancer incidence fell by 32% in men but rose by 72% in women."

The differing directions in lung cancer incidence rates in men and women may be attributed to the fact that smoking rates in men decreased from the 1960s but for women, the rates did not decrease until the 1970s. Data in this report provide a comprehensive picture of lung cancer in Australia including how lung cancer rates differ by geographical area, socioeconomic status, indigenous status and country of birth.

Assisted reproductivity technology report

2011-11-11T11:42:00.000+11:00

In 2009, there were 70,541 assisted reproductive technology treatment cycles undertaken in Australian and New Zealand. Of these cycles, 17.2% resulted in a live delivery and in total, 13,114 liveborn babies were born following ART treatment in 2009. The most important trend in ART treatment has been the increase of single embryo transfer, from 48.3% in 2005 to 69.7% in 2009. This trend has resulted in significant reduction of multiple delivery rate from 14.1% in 2005 to 8.2% in 2009. Read all the details in the AIHW's recently released report, Assisted reproductive technology in Australia and New Zealand 2009.

Do not damage and disturb: on child protection failures and the pressure on out of home care in Australia

2011-11-08T10:27:00.001+11:00

This monograph written by Jeremy Sammut from the Centre for Independent Studies, argues that the rising size, cost, and complexity of the out-of-home care system in Australia is directly linked to child protection failures. Children are entering care later and more damaged, and are spending longer in care due to the misguided emphasis placed on family preservation by child welfare agencies.

Facilitating the use of research evidence

2011-11-08T09:39:00.002+11:00

The Millbank Quarterly: A Multidisciplinary Journal of Population Health and Health Policy has released a free virtual issue on facilitating the use of research evidence. This virtual issue includes, in chronological order, free access to twenty-two articles that have published in the Quarterly between 2001 and 2011.

Increase in use of methamphetamine: Findings from the DUMA program

2011-11-08T09:30:00.003+11:00

The latest Drug Use Monitoring in Australia data shows that the continuing decline in methamphetamine use since 2004 has ended, with rates of use among police detainees increasing in both 2010 and 2011. Self-report data also indicates that methamphetamine is considered by users to be higher in quality and easier to obtain in 2011 compared with earlier years.

Read the report from the Australian Institute of Criminology’s Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program here.

Infection rates available on the MyHospitals website

2011-11-08T09:26:00.004+11:00

Rates of hospital-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) infections have been made available, for the first time, on MyHospitals, a website managed by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). To access the data you need to follow the Safety and Quality link once you have found the relevant hospital.
MyHospitals is an Australian Government initiative to inform the community about hospitals, by making it easier for people to access information about how individual hospitals are performing. The website is available at http://www.myhospitals.gov.au/.

Trends in palliative care in Australian hospitals

2011-11-08T09:03:00.002+11:00

Trends in palliative care in Australian hospitals , a new AIHW report, provides an overview of the nature and extent of palliative care separations in public and private hospitals across Australia for the 10-year period from 1999-00 to 2008-09. These separations may have occurred in a dedicated palliative care ward, a hospice or in other admitted patient beds in a hospital. The report indicates that there has been a substantial increase in the number of palliative care separations in admitted patient settings over time.

Attitudes towards people with mental disorders

2011-11-03T13:33:00.000+11:00

An article in the most recent issue of the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, Stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental disorders: Findings from an Australian National Survey of Mental Health Literacy and Stigma reports on a national survey focusing on stigmatising attitudes towards people with mental illness. It was found that schizophrenia was most commonly associated with dangerousness, unpredictability and a preference for not employing someone with the condition. On the other hand, social phobia was frequently perceived as being due to personal weakness. Thus, anti-stigma interventions are likely to be more successful if they focus on individual mental health conditions rather than mental illness in general.

[Reavley NJ, Jorm AF (2011). Aust & NZ J of Psych, doi:10.3109/00048674. 2011.621061]. Contact your health library if you would like the full text and have trouble obtaining it.

Exercise and bones

2011-11-03T12:23:00.000+11:00

Listening to ABC Radio National's Health Report this week I discovered that my daily walks were not helping my low bone density. Exercise and Bones involved an interview with Robin Daly, Professor of Exercise and Ageing at Deakin University in Melbourne. He presented the findings of research he's been involved with to show that "if we can increase bone mass by about 10% [in children] we can delay the development of osteoporosis by 13 years and potentially reduce fracture risk by 50%."

Daly stressed the importance of building weight-bearing exercise regimens into schools which significantly increase their bone density and set them up for later life. In adults, weight bearing exercise and resistance training maintain bone density. But walking isn't enough because our bones are already used to that type of impact and need to be "surprised" into doing more stressful things, such as multidirectional movement, jumping or hopping.

Obesity and injury report

2011-11-03T12:03:00.000+11:00

Obesity and injury are major health burdens on society and the need has arisen to establish the relationship between the two. "Obesity and injury in Australia: a review of the literature" is a new AIHW report which overviews the existing literature to investigate obesity–injury relationships.

Most evidence suggests that obesity increases the risk of injury, especially from falls, trips or stumbles, and resulting musculoskeletal injury. This may be somewhat offset by the possible protective effects of fat mass as cushioning and of increased bone density in weight-bearing joints. Sleep apnoea increases road injury risk and is strongly associated with obesity. In children the relationship is complex and evidence limited, but the risk of falls is higher for obese children, probably increasing rates of face, tooth and musculoskeletal injuries. Obesity is also a risk factor during pregnancy, with increased rates of injury to mother and baby.

The average length of stay in hospital is significantly longer for obese injured patients, and they have greater requirements for respiratory support relative to the non-obese. Also, obese injured patients are more likely to suffer complications of care during the period in hospital following injury.

Think differently on health equity: report

2011-11-02T10:27:00.002+11:00

According to a new report by the Global Action on Health Equity Network (HealthGAEN), co-founded by researchers at the Australian National University, “Health inequity is still a major problem in the Asia Pacific region. There is no biological reason for the 23 year difference in life expectancy between countries in Asia Pacific or the 12 year difference in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian males. As Asia Pacific is home to over 60 per cent of the world’s population, improving the conditions for health and health equity here would vastly improve global health equity, ”ANU Associate Professor and chair of HealthGAEN Sharon Friel said. The report brings together a range of evidence on what can and must be done to improve health inequity.

Health expenditure Australia 2009–10

2011-11-02T10:20:00.002+11:00

Over $120 billion was spent on health goods and services in Australia in 2009–10, according to a report released by the AIHW. The report, Health expenditure Australia 2009–10, shows that total health expenditure was $121.4 billion in 2009-10—up by $7.9 billion since 2008–09.
This report looks at the period from 1999–00 to 2009–10 and includes important information about the costs of health care in Australia, in terms of both the total number of dollars spent and the proportion of Australia’s national income that is spent on health. It also looks at the types of health goods and services that attracted funding and where that funding came from. The report also examines Australia’s health spending from an international perspective—how it compares with the region and with other developed economies.

Quality Improvement and new technology

2011-10-27T13:51:00.000+11:00

According to a recent article, healthcare providers have proven eager adopters of health care "apps," the software applications used on mobile devices to perform specific tasks, such as charting data points or aggregating information. A recent survey reported in Health Infomatics found that of the 4,000 US physicians they looked at, nearly 80 percent used smartphones capable of running apps—a far greater proportion than among the general public.

Health Care Quality Improvement: There's an App for That is an article by Martha Hostetta in the Quality Matters newsletter published by the Commonwealth Fund in the US. Various apps useful to health workers are described. "Disease management apps, in particular, can improve communication between patients and providers and promote adherence to recommended care. Still, for apps to achieve their potential to improve health care quality, they will need to be factored into reimbursement models and meet clear clinical needs."

Older people with chronic diseases study

2011-10-27T13:30:00.000+11:00

"Community based service providers' perspectives on frequent and/or avoidable admission of older people with chronic disease in rural NSW: a qualitative study" is an article now available online in BMC Health Services Research. Among the co-authors are our own local public health executives, Vahid Saberi and Paul Corben. They wished to establish some reasons why older people with chronic conditions were so often admitted to hospital.

The study involved intensive interviews with community health care providers to discover barriers which limited access to their services by older people with chronic disease. Both external barriers (such as patients' lack of awareness of services, poverty, or actual lack of services) and internal barriers (such as the patients' fear or unwillingness to accept their health status) were identified. The authors concluded that the reasons which prevent this group from accessing community health services, and thus being admitted to hospital, were complex. "Improving accessibility of services ... includes consideration of patients’ social, emotional and psychological ability and willingness to use services as well as those services being available and easily accessed."

The hospital dementia services project: a study description

2011-10-25T15:30:00.003+11:00

The Hospital Dementia Services Project is an innovative mixed-methods study to investigate how health and aged care system factors influence care outcomes for hospital patients with dementia. The project focuses on patients aged 50 or over who had an overnight stay in a public hospital in New South Wales during 2006-07.

Funded by the NHMRC, the project aims to inform health practitioners, health and aged care policy makers and planners, and consumers of how system factors influence care outcomes for patients with dementia. Read the AIHW publication on this project here.

Births, Australia, 2010

2011-10-25T15:22:00.004+11:00

A new Australian Bureau of Statistics publication Births, Australia 2010 has been released this week. It contains statistics on live births and fertility for Australia, states and territories, and sub-state regions, based on calendar year of registration data. Information on characteristics of the child include place of usual residence, sex, Indigenous status, and age, martial status and country of birth of parents.

Testing Treatments: better research for better healthcare

2011-10-25T14:00:00.004+11:00

The new edition of Testing Treatments, while building on the success of the first edition published 5 years ago, incorporates extensive revision and updating. There is expanded coverage of the benefits and harms of screening in a separate chapter (Chapter 4) entitled 'Earlier is not necessarily better.' And in 'Regulating tests of treatments: help or hindrance?' (Chapter 9) the authors describe how research can become over-policed to the detriment of patients. In an important chapter (Chapter 12) it is asked: ‘So what makes for better healthcare?’ and shows how the lines of evidence can be drawn together in ways that can make a real difference to all of us. The last chapter gives a blueprint for a better future and an action plan (Chapter 13).

As with the first edition of the book, the full text of the new edition is available for free download.