Blood lead levels for Australians

Lead continues to be a health issue for children in Mt Isa, Queensland and Port Pirie, SA. The National Health and Medical Research Council's Public Statement on Blood Lead Levels for Australians provides helpful information on when lead exposure, reflected in blood lead levels, becomes of concern and recommends ways to reduce the risks of lead exposure.

The Future of Aged Care in Australia

Providing for quality care in later life is a key concern of Australians as they age. National Seniors Australia has commissioned a report from Access Economics on the future of aged care in Australia. The report covers current issues in aged care such as quality of care, infrastructure requirements and alternative models of funding.

Download the report here.

Evaluating Programs- Resource Sheet

The Australian Institute of Family Studies has published a new fact sheet which can help ensure that programs and services are effective and of high quality. The Resource Sheet is aimed at providing program practitioners and providers with a range of resources relating to conducting program or practice evaluation. The resources have primarily been selected for their suitability for use by practitioners with little or no experience of conducting evaluations. While some of these resources have been prepared for use in disciplines outside of the communities and families sector, they have been included here because they are applicable to providers and practitioners across a range of sectors.

Dementia Risk Reduction

Dementia has a significant impact on our health care system and this is set to increase. In Australia and worldwide, the prevalence of dementia is expected to rise rapidly as the population ages. By 2050, there is predicted to be well over 100 million people living with a diagnosis of dementia. However, a number of modifiable risk factors have consistently been shown to be associated with dementia. There is converging evidence that mental stimulation, social engagement, healthy eating, exercise and prevention or treatment of cardiovascular risk factors may reduce the risk of developing dementia.
This paper not only highlights the need to raise awareness that it is possible to reduce the risk of dementia and also the need to educate Australians about the link between cardiovascular risk factors and an increased risk of dementia.

Revised National Mental Health Standards 2010

The Australian Health Ministers' Council (AHMC) endorsed the revised National Mental Health Standards on 16th September 2010. The standards are available to guide quality care provision across Australia's mental health services. The focus of the original standards released in 1996 was primarily to raise the quality of Australia's acute mental health services. The focus of the revised standards has changed significantly with a large proportion of services now provided in the community, an expansion of non-government and private services and an increased focus on primary mental health care, according to the Chair of AHMC, Minister Hill. To support the broader focus directed towards the non-government sector, public and private services and private office based services, guidelines are being developed to support implementation of the National Standards into practice.

IPART Costs and Outcomes Study

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has released a report examining opportunities to improve efficiency and identify best practice in the NSW health system. The "Costs and Outcomes Study" looks at the pressures on the health system including such factors as the increasing costs of medical technology and rising rates of chronic disease. In order to continue to deliver safe quality patient care it is vital that the NSW health system is sustainable and every dollar is used wisely. The report is available on the IPART website http://www.ipart.nsw.gov.au/

Is Life in Australia Getting Better?

The publication 'Measures of Australia's Progress, 2010' is designed to help Australians address the question, 'Is life in Australia getting better?' Measures of Australia's Progress (MAP) provides a selection of statistical evidence in answer to this question. Broad areas covered include health, population, society, economics, and the environment.

Healing Services for Indigenous People

The strategy of promoting and funding a diverse range of Indigenous-centric services, to help "heal" the social and emotional legacy of colonisation, is gaining ground internationally, and has proven effective in Canada. This paper provides an overview of the literature regarding the emergence of a movement to effect therapeutic healing in Indigenous Australia and the diverse range of practices, including traditional healing practices, this term encompasses.

Alcohol awareness study 2010

The Salvation Army’s annual Alcohol Awareness campaign looks this year at why people drink alcohol, have they tried to reduce the amount they are drinking and if they’ve been unsuccessful in that effort, why? New Roy Morgan Research released by The Salvation Army on Monday, 13 September, concludes the consumption and misuse of alcohol remain major elements of the Australian way of life, however it does have some good news. The research also shows that in the past year 26.5% (approximately 4.8 million people) have deliberately cut down on the amount of alcohol they were drinking at the one time. Nearly 28% (approximately 5 million people) deliberately went without alcohol for a week. Read the full report here.

Investing in children's development: The importance of early relationships

Recent research into brain development in young children has highlighted the importance of secure and supportive relationships for children’s healthy development. This paper outlines why it is so important for families, workers and communities to support children’s early development through warm, nurturing care, particularly for children living in families and communities that are under stress because of poverty, violence and discrimination. Read the full text here.

Revised U.K. guidelines for the management of cutaneous melanoma 2010

These guidelines for the management of cutaneous melanoma present evidence-based guidance for treatment, with identification of the strength of evidence available at the time of preparation of the guidelines, and a brief overview of epidemiology, diagnosis, investigation and follow up. Available to download here.
Wiley Online Library has also made free online the Guidelines for management of atopic dermatitis.

National Palliative Care Performance Indicators

National palliative care performance indicators: results of the 2008 performance indicator data collection presents the findings of the fourth national collection of data from Australia's palliative care sector. The information collected provides information on the extent to which palliative care agencies have met the four national performance indicators that were developed based on the goals and objectives of the National Palliative Care Strategy. The report also presents information on changes to performance (as measured by these performance indicators) that have occurred between the 2008 survey and previous surveys. (AIHW catalogue number (HWI 106))

Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes in Australian Children 2000-2008

Type 1 diabetes is a serious, life-long disease which causes a major health, social and economic burden for individuals with the disease, their families and the community. There were over 8,000 new cases of Type 1 diabetes diagnosed in Australian children between 2000-2008, an average of two new cases every day. But, while the rate of new cases increased significantly over the first part of the decade (2000-2004), there has been little change since 2005. Incidence of Type 1 diabetes in Australian children 2000-2008 presents the latest available national data on new cases of Type 1 diabetes for children from Australia'a National Diabetes Register. (AIHW catalogue number (CVD 51))

When Musculoskeletal Conditions and Mental Disorders Occur Together

The disability and chronic pain due to many musculoskeletal conditions may underlie the development or exacerbation of a variety of mental disorders. This Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report maps the extent of their relationship in the Australian population.

Cost effectiveness of complementary medicines

The National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) commissioned Access Economics to undertake a cost effectiveness analyses of a number of complementary medicine interventions.A Reference Group selected five interventions, based on criteria including burden of disease and quality of evidence. These were:

■ acupuncture for chronic low back pain
■ St John’s wort for depression
■ fish oils for prevention of heart disease
■ fish oils for rheumatoid arthritis
■ Phytodolor for osteoarthritis

The study found that the first 4 of these were extremely cost-effective, with huge potential savings to the nation's medical costs. Read the whole report here.

There has since been much media interest in the report. Frances Gilham on the ABC's Drum Unleashed says the report was fairly and accurately compiled, but headline grabbing has distorted its findings. "Does it show that complementary medicines definitely save the Australian Government millions of dollars if used alongside, or instead of mainstream treatments? Not really. What was not widely reported in the media was that not all the complementary medicines looked at were in fact, cost-effective."

Rural health inequalities

Measuring the metropolitan-rural inequity is a report recently published by the National Rural Health Alliance. Given the recent exposure this inequality has received due to the complications of our recent Federal election, this is most timely. It details some of the rural-metropolitan inequities the Alliance sees as justifying special regional investments by the new Gillard Government, such as differences in life expectancy, access to health professionals, health status and risk factors, cancer survival rates, education and educational outcomes, and communications.

The NRHA's website is also a good place to look for all things related to rural health. They publish the Australian Journal of Rural Health, have useful factsheets and other publications, media releases, conference listings, links to databases and other sites, and all the latest news.

Assisted Reproductive Technology in Australia and New Zealand 2008

In 2008, there were 61,929 assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment cycles undertaken in Australia and New Zealand. Of these cycles, 17.2% resulted in a live delivery (the birth of at least one liveborn baby). In total, 11,528 liveborn babies were born following ART treatment undertaken in 2008. The most important trend in ART treatment has been the increase of single embryo transfer, from 40.5% in 2004 to 67.8% in 2008. This trend has resulted in significant reduction of multiple delivery rate, from 16.4% in 2004 to 8.4% in 2008. This report has been produced by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW catalogue number (PER 49))

Radio this weekend: The philosophy of schizophrenia and bike helmet laws

Tune into ABC Radio National's All in the Mind at 1 pm on Saturday 18th or Monday 20th September, to hear Schizophrenia: Personal confrontations and a philosophical investigation with Philosopher, poet, writer and schizophrenia sufferer, Dr Paul Fearne, in a fascinating discussion on the philosophical aspects of this condition. The transcript is already available at the website, and after Monday you should be able to also download a podcast.

Also on Radio National this weekend, Background Briefing on Sunday at 9 am provides an in-depth look at the controversy of The Bicycle Helmet Laws - pros and cons, who is for and who is against and why. This follows on our post of 25 August, reporting on a University of Sydney study on the effects of the laws in Australia.

What's the best way to find the information you need on CIAP?

CIAP (Clinical Information Access Program) trainers will be visiting through the NCAHS area in September holding informative CIAP overview sessions.

Sessions will be held in:

TWEED - Monday 27th September - Contact Library 07 5506 7724

LISMORE - Tuesday 28th September - Contact Library 02 6620 2447

GRAFTON - Wednesday 29th September - Contact Library 02 6640 2482

COFFS - Thursday 30th September - Contact Library 02 6656 7161

For more information and bookings please contact the Library staff

Come by and see what CIAP has to offer!

PLEASE NOTE: Training will be held in November in Port Macquarie and Kempsey, Contact Library Staff on 02 6580 1136 for further information.

Bowel Cancer: early detection is vital

Bowel cancer is our second biggest cancer killer, but if it's detected early your survival odds are good. So what's the best way to catch it early?
It is possible that other factors, such as age and medical history, are better predictors of bowel cancer risk than any of the symptoms normally associated with bowel cancer. This item in the ABC Health and Wellbeing 'Pulse' talks about screening, symptoms and colonoscopy. It also links to some other great information sources such as:
Bowel cancer screening - The Health Report - 26/07/2010
Bowel Cancer Australia
Australian Bowel Cancer Screening Program
Fact file: Bowel cancer

Hospital Separations Due to Injury and Poisoning, Australia 2005-06

The report, by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, "Hospital separations due to injury and poisoning, Australia 2005-06" provides statistics on hospitalised cases of injury in Australia in 2005 - 2006. In that year: more than 370,000 cases of hospitalised injury occurred in the community. These comprised 5.5% of episodes in hospital due to all causes. Accidental falls (36%), transport crashes (14%), assault (6%) and intential self harm (6%) were the main causes of injury. AIHW catalogue number (INJCAT131)

'Medical Care and Quality of LIfe': Spiritual Care for Patients with Advanced Cancer

Spiritual care is seldom part of end of life care for patients in the United States, despite the fact that it has been incorporated into American palliative care guidelines. This week, Michael Bouwman talks with Dr Tracy Balboni, who says the reason for this is a lack of education and training. She has found that even practitioners who are aware of the spiritual components of illness, and wish to provide spiritual care, find it difficult to sensitively acknowledge the spiritual needs of their patients. Dr Balboni says that as well as understanding the importance of spiritual factors, practitioners need to be trained in taking spiritual histories, assessing for spiritual needs and working as part of a multi-disciplinary team that meets these needs. Dr Balboni stresses that spiritual care has been shown to improve quality of life for dying patients, and can be particularly helpful for patients who are unable to find acceptance and peace at the end of life, or believe that their religion requires them to continue to opt for aggressive treatments.
To download, read or listen to the podcast click here.

Index of Victorian Women’s Health and Wellbeing

A new online gateway to evidence-based health and wellbeing data on Victorian women and girls has been developed. The breadth of gendered data within The Index extends beyond the traditional biomedical model of health. Instead, The Index incorporates over 70 indicators of health and wellbeing relevant to a social model of health. Access the site here.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Services Report, 2008-09: OATSIH Services Reporting - Key Results

The main findings from the 2008-09 OATSIH Services Reporting data collection show that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander: primary health care services provided 2.1 million episodes of health care to around 375,000 clients. The report indicates Substance use specific services provided treatment and assistance to address substance use issues to about 23,200 clients. In addition, Bringing Them Home and Link Up counselling services provided counselling to about 8,400 clients. (From AIHW) AIHW catalogue number (IHW31)

2010 Pandemic Vaccination Survey

A survey conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) was conducted in January and February of 2010. The report, "2010 Pandemic Vaccination Survey: summary results", provides estimates of swine flu vaccination uptake by Australians. It included motivations for, and barriers to, vaccination. The survey showed that the swine flu vaccine uptake as of February was estimated at 18.1% (or about 3.9 million people). Reasons for vaccination included: seriousness of the swine flu (24.7%), doctor's advice (16.8%), employment related reasons (13.7%) and being in an at risk group (10.9%). AIHW catalogue number (PHE 128)

Cochrane Journal Club

The Cochrane Journal Club is a handy way to find relevant papers for discussion at journal club meetings. It's a free, monthly publication that introduces a recent Cochrane review, together with relevant background information, a podcast explaining the key points of the review, discussion questions to help you to explore the review methods and findings in more detail, and downloadable PowerPoint slides containing key figures and tables. The contact details of the review authors are also provided for follow-up questions.

Aimed at trainees, researchers and clinicians alike, every Cochrane Journal Club article is specially selected from the hundreds of new and updated reviews published in each issue of The Cochrane Library representing diverse clinical topics. The most recent topic is "Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy adults".

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander website

A new and very interesting new website is the Hunter & New England Health Service Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Services website. This has an impressive range of material on Indigenous communities within the health service, with links to key indigenous health documents, resources, and aboriginal health services, as well as specialist subject pages. Useful resources and a good template for those contemplating developing similar web resources.

Forwarded from GWAHS Libraries Blog.

Stroke Management Guidelines

The NHMRC has just approved an updated Clinial Guidelines for Stroke Management from the National Stroke Foundation. They provide a series of evidence-based recommendations to promote improved treatment for stroke and TIA.

You can download the whole document, or just the recommendations. There is also a handy fact sheet which lists 10 things you should know about the guidelines.

Patient Safety discussion

Patient safety is of utmost importance in the health sector and last week's Health Report (on ABC's Radio National) featured an interview with French researcher, Professor Rene Amalberti.

Professor Amalberti is the Senior Advisor on Patient Safety for the National Health Care Accreditation Agency in France. He has recently made a study of the risks of deep sea fishing and concluded that resilience is needed in unpredictable conditions. He compares this to the health scene: "We have a very unstable system with patients coming and you need to upset the patients, they have a wide variety of pathologies, you have a huge number of systems and people working together and this unstable condition makes the system not fully predictable. So you need a lot of resilience like fishermen have." He also makes the point that there is always going to be a little bit of risk due to the realities of work conditions.

Industrial Deafness report

Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) is a significant health and economic problem in Australia. Between July 2002 and June 2007 there were about 16 500 successful workers’ compensation claims for industrial deafness involving permanent impairment due to noise.

Safe Work Australia has published a report, Occupational Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Australia : Overcoming barriers to effective noise control and hearing loss prevention.
"Ultimately, solving the ONIHL problem requires behaviour change among managers and others who make decisions about the adoption of noise controls."

Indigenous Community Housing 2008-09

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released an internet only report "Indigenous community housing 2008-09". The report includeds national date collected by the AIHW presented on a range of Indigenous housing indicators including overcrowding, dwelling condition, affordability, connection to services and recurrent and capital expenditure. There is also information on Indigenous community housing organisations such as whether they have a housing management plan and the proportion of employees undertaking training. (AIHW catalogue no. HOU 299)