Multiple causes of death in Australia

Multiple causes of death in Australia: an analysis of all natural and selected chronic disease causes of death 1997-2007 is the first comprehensive application of multiple causes of death statistics to natural causes of death and specific chronic diseases of public health importance in Australia. Published by the AIHW, it may be useful for guiding and improving policy for reducing deaths from these chronic diseases and for targeting future investment in health prevention.  The use of multiple cause data in this report complements routine descriptions of mortality that use only the underlying cause.  Broader insight into the disease processes occurring at the end of life is outlined.

National Health Services Directory

The National Health Services Directory (NHSD) is a handy new resource which builds on and  consolidates some existing regional healthcare directories to provide online detailed information on available health related services. The NHSD accesses reliable information across Australia, and will assist people to choose and connect with the most appropriate health services for their needs. It includes both public and private health sector providers from all Australian states and territories and is supported by all Australian governments.

NSW Suicide Prevention Strategy progress report

The first progress report of the NSW Suicide Prevention Strategy for 2010-15 has been published by the Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Office of the NSW Ministry of Health.  
It highlights progress against the Strategic Directions of the NSW Suicide Prevention strategy 2010-2015 and provides a snapshot of some of the practical initiatives that have been undertaken at a State level to support suicide prevention in NSW since the NSW Suicide Prevention Strategy 2010-2015 Implementation Plan was released.

Chronic disease determinants - updates from AIHW

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has updated its webpages on chronic disease determinants. Determinants are defined as "factors that can influence how likely we are to stay well, or become ill or injured. Determinants can have a positive or negative impact on chronic disease." 

Updates include:
     - Key indicators
     - The overweight and obesity snapshot
     - The interactive body mass index calculator
     - A guide to body weight data sources
     - Guides to alcohol and tobacco data sources.

Guide to dementia for Aboriginal people

"Look after your brain: a guide to dementia for Aboriginal people" has been published by the NSW Department of Family and Community Services.  It's a booklet specifically designed for and by Indigenous people "to confront the issues of dementia with knowledge and dignity."

  

Respecting and caring for the Elders and older people in Aboriginal communities has always been an important part of their culture. The booklet describes the symptoms of dementia, explains the different types, looks at the causes and how to care for someone with dementia. It also lists places to go to for help.

Children's Body Mass Index

The inverse relationship between socio-economic status, lower ranked occupations and lower education and obesity and weight gain in adults has been well demonstrated. However, prospective studies of children have been limited.

Children’s body mass index: Cohort, age and socio-economic influences, is a chapter in the larger report, Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.  Written by Melissa Wake and Brigit Maguire from the Australian Institute of Family Studies, it illustrates correlations between childhood obesity, education and socio-economic backgrounds within Australia.  "Approximately a third of the children who were overweight/obese when they were 4–5 years were in the normal weight category when they were 8–9 years. Unfortunately, this was more than offset by the greater absolute numbers of children moving up from the normal weight category into the overweight or obese categories." The authors recommend prevention and intervention strategies in preschool and early school years.

Rural and remote allied health professionals

"The influence of motivation in recruitment and retention of rural and remote allied health professionals: a literature review" was published recently in Remote Health.  The authors reviewed thirty-five articles, including twenty-six from Australia, and assessed positive and negative motivating factors intrinsic to the work. They analysed the findings using Herzberg's extrinsic and intrinsic classification.   Poor access to professional development, professional isolation and insufficient supervision were the most frequently reported disincentives, while rural lifestyle and diverse caseloads were the most frequently mentioned positive extrinsic incentives.  "Organizations that implement strategies to enhance both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation incentives are more likely to successfully address their AHP workforce shortage."


Campbell N, McAllister L, Eley D. (2012). Rural and Remote Health. 12:1900

Measuring health workforce turnover and retention

Health workforce shortages are a major problem nationally and globally and encompass a broad range of health professions. Of all the turnover and retention metrics used, those which are likely to be most useful for measuring Australian rural and remote health workforce turnover and retention is not well understood. This paper in Australian Health Review identifies, critically appraises and illustrates the use of five key workforce turnover and retention metrics, recommending their use as a ‘package’.
Click here to read the full article published early online.

Chronic Disease Management (cdmNet)

A new online service, known as Chronic Disease Management-Net (cdmNet), has been developed to enable patients, their GPs and allied healthcare professionals to manage chronic disease through sharing medical histories, test results, up-dates on patients’ conditions, send referrals and set appointment reminders. More than 10,000 chronic care patients, 1000 GPs and 3000 allied health practitioners have trialed the national service and indicated higher quality care, enhanced productivity of the GP practice and expanded participation of allied health and other care providers.
The project was launched by Victorian Minister for Health Mr David Davis, in conjunction with Precedence Health Care (PHC).

Electronic documents in a print world: grey literature and the internet

Australian Policy Online, a great site for the latest on research and resources, has linked to an article by Amanda Lawrence on grey literature and issues on accessing this information. "Research reports – or grey literature as they are also known – are now an essential part of many disciplines, including science and technology, health, environmental science and many areas of public policy. While access to these reports has become easier in many respects, online publishing presents many challenges as well, particularly for collecting organisations faced with the task of adapting their systems. The management of grey literature raises many issues that are still not resolved today.which provides some background to these ongoing challenges in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe."

Read the full report here.

Insulin pump use in Australia

AIHW has released a new report, Insulin pump use in Australia. The report explores the number, characteristics and experiences of insulin pump users, using information from the National Diabetes Services Scheme and the first national survey of insulin pump users, conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. In 2011, the proportion of Australians with Type 1 diabetes using an insulin pump was approximately 10%, representing an increase over previous years. Pump use was more common among females and people under 25 years, and for most pump users the benefits of pump use outweighed the problems.

Psychiatry on UpToDate

If you have access to the  UpToDate Database, you  may be interested to know that Psychiatry has been added as a new specialty area.  Content includes psychotic disorders, depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders and more.
Many staff at NSWHealth can access this database via an icon on their desktop or check with your Library.

End-of-Life Care During the Last Days and Hours

This link to clinical best practice guidelines of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), was reviewed in the Evidence-Based Nursing journal in July. The End-of-Life Care During the Last Days and Hours guideline focuses on recommendations for adults, aged 18 years and older, who have reached the part of the illness trajectory that includes the last days and hours of life.

RNAO also offers guidelines on Nurse Fatigue, Self-Management in Chronic Conditions and Healthy Adolescent Development.

Clinical ethics website

The Clinical Ethics Resource is a joint project for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine and the Centre for Health Governance, Law and Ethics the University of Sydney, supported by NSW Health.  The website provides an extensive range of resources and best practice guidelines to assist health professionals with the ethical and legal issues they regularly experience. 

You can search by topic to access guidelines, legislation, case law and position statements/policies of government authorities and professional bodies. There are also references to some of the key articles and commentaries on particular topics, and the resources come from all around Australia and the world.
The website is part of a larger study into the practice of clinical ethics in New South Wales aiming to identify resources necessary to develop the clinical ethics capacity within the New South Wales health system.

Health literacy in seniors with chronic illness

Improving Health Literacy in Seniors with Chronic Illness, from the Menzies Centre for Health Policy, examines the rising burden of chronic disease in Australia which has put the health system under pressure.  The ageing population requires social support for chronic illness as well as addressing their physical problems and one health policy response has been to call for stronger patient engagement, which means patients understanding more about their condition and having the confidence to manage their illness at home and make informed decisions. 

Interviews with patients and carers during this study revealed a sense of bewilderment and uncertainty. After serious episodes, often requiring repeated hospitalisation, they had been left largely to their own resources to cope with the challenges. The report concluded that health literacy is more than a one-off educational exercise and that more long-term strategies needed to be employed.

Men have worse health than women - statistical report

Men continue to fare worse than women in education, health and crime, according to a new report released  by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The report - Gender Indicators, Australia (cat. no. 4125.0) - analyses ABS and non-ABS data to look at the differences between men and women, and how the differences are changing over time.

The report shows that males were more than three times as likely as females to die from suicide, nearly three times more likely to die in a car accident, and one and a half times more likely to die from cancer. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for males and females – however the rate is higher for males and the gap between males and females has increased since 2001.

Health Impact of the London Olympics

The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has published an article, London - what health impact? by Sim.  The author looks at the various attempts to predict and to quantify the health impact of the Olympic Games and of other large scale sporting events in different cities. He finds it "challenging to find evidence of achievement of a positive health legacy", though this is an important aim of the London Olympics.  The author suggests while much of the responsibility for the health legacy lies with traditional local government departments, such as planning, leisure and environmental services, the public health delivery system has a huge role to play in protecting and promoting population health before, during and after the Games.
J Epidemiol Community Health, 66:667 e669. doi:10.1136/jech-2012-201411.  This is an open access document, but please contact your library if you have problems with access.

Dialysis and kidney transplantation report

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has just released Dialysis and Kidney Transplantation in Australia: 1991-2010.  End-stage kidney disease is a serious and costly health problem in Australia that usually requires kidney replacement therapy (dialysis or kidney transplantation) for patients to survive. At the end of 2009 there were more than 18,000 people receiving kidney replacement therapy. The majority received dialysis treatment, which accounted for more than 1.1 million hospitalisations in the 2009-10 financial year. During 2009 more than 2,300 patients started kidney replacement therapy and 772 kidney transplant operations were performed.