Trends in hospitalised injury - AIHW report

Trends in hospitalised injury, Australia: 1999-00 to 2010-11 shows that over the past 12 years the rate of injuries requiring hospitalisation has increased by about 1% a year, with the average length of stay being 4 days, rising with age to 9 days for people over 65 years of age.  

The main cause of injury in 2010-11 was falls (39%) with 170,000 people hospitalised, 55% of whom were over 65. Analysis of different injury types revealed increases in rates of poisoning by pharmaceuticals, falls, intentional self-harm and other unintentional injuries during this time.  Injuries were more common in males than females. 

Employment for people with drug and alcohol problems

The Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) has released a series of papers aimed at reducing the employment barriers for people with drug and alcohol problems:

ANCD Employment Participation Survey presents a summary of the outcomes of a survey of front line workers in the drug and alcohol services sector in regard to employment participation issues confronting their clients. Employment was considered not an unrealistic goal for most clients but barriers included criminal convictions, employer prejudice, low levels of confidence and social skills, and poor mental health.

ANCD Employment Services Roundtable Submission reports on a Roundtable on employment participation held by the ANCD on 14 March, 2013. Attendees included experts on employment services and representatives of the alcohol and other drug, homelessness, and mental health sectors. Five resolutions were made to improve employment opportunities for these people.

Drug Testing is the ANCD's position statement on drug testing as undertaken in various contexts.  It overviews the rationale for using drug tests, the current evidence base for the use of drug testing in each context, and the ethical or legal issues raised.

Pre-employment Criminal Records Checks - this paper points out that there has been a 600% increase in checks over the past 10 years, and although this is warranted in some cases, it can have disproportionate effects on the employment opportunities and lives of people with criminal records.

Good Practice Guide to Performance Management for Nurses and Midwives

This guide provides a framework for best practice performance management for nurses and midwives in the Victorian health system. Using the guide will lead to more effective performance management in the Victorian health system and contribute to a systematic approach to preventing bullying. This guide answers the following questions:

1. What is the role of performance management in preventing bullying at work?

2.  How can I deal with poor workplace performance in an appropriate manner?

3. How should I respond to negative behaviour in the workplace?

4. What should nurses and midwives with different roles do to respond to poor performance and negative behaviour in the workplace? 

Written by Andrea Shaw, this guide was published in April 2013 by Horizon Consulting.

Tracheostomy Management Guidelines

The aim of this guideline is to outline the principles of management for patients with a new or existing tracheostomy for clinicians at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. A link to a video of tracheostomy management is also included.




                                         

Interpreters in Hospitals

This study from the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture examines a range of evidence about the barriers to the engagement of interpreters as experienced by the health sector and its practitioners. Effective communication between health practitioners and their clients is fundamental to ensure the safety and quality of health care, yet evidence show that interpreters are often not engaged creating risks for both.

Read the report Promoting the engagement of interpreters in Victorian health services here.

A Listing and Content of Population Surveys to Measure Aspects of Wellbeing: Australian and International

 This report, published in December 2012, is produced under the auspices of the Australian National Development Index (ANDI) project at the Australian Centre on Quality of Life (ACQOL). The reason for generating this list is to document some of the most easily accessible population surveys concerning the measurement of wellbeing. This information may assist the preliminary qualitative phase of the ANDI project. The contents of these surveys may also be useful in the identification of ‘wellbeing domains’ for the quantitative phase of measurement. (APO 22/8/13)

Impacts on Health of Air Quality in Australia

This report presents the results of an inquiry into the impacts on health of air quality in Australia, and makes several recommendations. On 28 November 2012 the Senate referred the following matter to the Senate Community Affairs Committee for inquiry and report:

The impacts on health of air quality in Australia, including:

(a) particulate matter, its sources and effects;

(b) those populations most at risk and the causes that put those populations at risk;

(c) the standards, monitoring and regulation of air quality at all levels of government;

(d) any other related matters.   (APO 22/8/13)

Australian Diabetes Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab)

The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study (AusDiab) is the first national Australian longitudinal population-based study to examine the prevalence and incidence of diabetes and its complications, as well as high blood pressure, heart disease and kidney disease. Identified as being the only national study of its kind to have been undertaken in a developed nation, the AusDiab study began in 1999-2000, when over 11,000 adults across the country took part in the study. These individuals were invited to take part in two follow-up studies, the first in 2004-2005, and the second in 2011-2012. This report presents the main findings from the AusDiab 12-year follow-up based on data collected from people who participated in both the 1999–2000 baseline survey and at least one of the two follow-up surveys. The final chapter presents total mortality data over a 12-year period for the various diseases and risk factors. The authors are SK Tanamas, DJ Magliano, B Lynch, P Sethi, L Willenberg, KR Polkinghorne, S Chadban, D Dunstan, and JE Shaw (Baker IDI: Heart & Diabetes Institute).  (APO 22/8/13)

Partnering with Patients

In February 2013 the The (US) Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on Value & Science-Driven Health Care held a workshop focusing on identifying and exploring issues, attitudes, and approaches to increasing patient engagement in and demand for the following: shared decision making and better communication about the evidence in support of testing and treatment options; the best value from the health care they receive; and the use of data. Partnering with Patients to Drive Shared Decisions, Better Value, and Care Improvement Workshop Proceedings provides a summary of the 2-day workshop.        Download or read the report here.

Australia's Welfare 2013 - AIHW

Australia's Welfare 2013 is the 11th biennial welfare report from the AIHW.  The report provides an overview of the wellbeing of Australians in terms of healthy living, autonomy and participation and social cohesion.  It includes information on:

• population factors underpinning the demand for welfare services
• particular needs and assistance provided to key groups
• resourcing of welfare services in Australia

The data from the report includes the fact that people outside major cities experience several areas of disadvantage in higher death and disability rates and lower education. Australians overall are better educated than ten years ago, adoptions are at their lowest ever level, more children are abused and neglected and house prices are comparatively much higher than in 2002.

A useful companion publication, Australia's welfare 2013 - in brief is also freely available for download.  

Broncheostastis in Australia

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has launched a website which provides information on bronchiostasis in Australia.  Included is the most recent evidence on the symptoms and causes, epidemiology and hospital statistics for this lung disease.

Reducing ambulance turnaround time at hospitals

This report from the NSW Auditor General's Office concludes that ambulances wait longer in hospital emergency departments today than they have in previous years. This is often because of ambulances being delayed due to beds not being available in the emergency department and paramedics wait with their patient on the ambulance stretcher. The Ministry of Health reports that since 2005-06 emergency department presentations have grown at almost three times the population rate, and ambulance arrivals have grown more, at over four times the population rate.

This audit assessed whether there are effective strategies in place to reduce the time spent by ambulance crews at emergency departments.  The authors found that each day the Ambulance Service loses an average of 18 ambulances on the road due to hospital delays greater than 30 minutes, potentially costing $13.6 million annually to replace. NSW Health has never met its target to offload 90 per cent of ambulance patients in 30 minutes, but results vary between hospitals.  In 2011-12 just over a quarter of NSW hospitals met the off-stretcher target while others who did not have improved their performance. Therefore strategies put in place by some hospitals to reduce delays are working.

International Federation on Ageing blog

The International Federation on Ageing has launched a  blog which aims to disseminate, analyze, and discuss the latest issues in the world of ageing by making several contributions per week.  "While there are plenty of other resources that have a similar focus, this blog will distinguish itself by providing a fresh perspective on issues ranging from elder abuse, to gerontechnology, to the depiction of older adults in popular culture. We seek to accomplish this by providing dynamic written content and by examining issues through new, often unexplored lenses."  See www.ifa-fiv.org/news/blog/ 

The IFA is an international non-government organisation which has been operating since 1973 "generating positive change for older people throughout the world by stimulating, collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information on rights, policies, and practices that improve the quality of life of people as they age."

Mental health services in Australia

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's mental health services in Australia website has just been updated to include the latest information on:

• Services provided by general practitioners
• Medicare-subsidised mental health-related services
• Specialist homelessness services
• Mental health-related prescriptions
• Admitted patient mental health-related care
• Expenditure on mental health

AIHW estimates that over $6 billion per annum is spent on mental health-related services in Australia. Services include residential and community services, hospital based services (both in-patient and outpatient), consultation with specialists and General practitioners.    

COPD practice guidelines

The National Guidelines Clearinghouse in the US has produced a guideline synthesis, Diagnosis and Management of Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), comparing and synthesising the following two guidelines:

• American College of Physicians, American College of Chest Physicians, American Thoracic Society, and European Respiratory Society (ACP/ACCP/ATS/ERS). Diagnosis and management of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a clinical practice guideline update from the American College of Physicians, American College of Chest Physicians, American Thoracic Society, and European Respiratory Society. Ann Intern Med 2011 Aug 2;155(3):179-191. [62 references]

• Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). Global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Vancouver (WA): Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD); 2013. 80 p. [547 references]

Cases Database

BioMed Central has developed a new resource CasesDatabase, a continuously-updated, freely-accessible database of medical case reports from 250 journals published by Springer, BMJ, PubMed Central and others.  There are almost 30,000 peer reviewed case reports listed and you can search by keyword, or perform a more advanced search. This aggregation of case reports facilitates comparison and provides clinicians, researchers, regulators and patients a simple resource to explore content, and identify emerging trends.

The Health of Australia's prisoners

A new report from the AIHW shows that Australia's prisoners have significant health issues, with high rates of mental health problems, communicable diseases, alcohol misuse, smoking and illicit drug use.  The Health of Australia's Prisoners 2012 shows that 46% of prison dischargees reported having ever been told they have a mental health issue (including alcohol and drug use issues), and 21% of those entering prison were taking mental health related medication. Over half (54%) of dischargees reported drinking alcohol at risky levels prior  to their current imprisonment but only 12% of dischargees reported having accessed an alcohol treatment program while in prison. Seven out of 10 (70%) prison entrants reported using drugs illicitly during the previous 12 months. These rates of alcohol and other drug misuse are all substantially higher than in the general community.

Health of Australia's males

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has recently published two new reports on men's health.

The health of Australia's males: from birth to youngadulthood (0-24 years) focuses on health conditions and risk factors that are age-specific (such as congenital anomalies) and those where large sex differences are observed (such as injury). In 2011, 3.7 million males (more than one-third of the Australian male population) were aged 0-24. While males aged 0-24 are more likely to be hospitalised or die from injury than females of the same age, they are similarly likely to be overweight or obese and less likely to smoke tobacco daily.  Almost 1 in 4 (23%) males aged 16-24 had experienced symptoms of a mental disorder, and 4 in every 1,000 males aged 18-24 had been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. In spite of this, rates of help seeking among young males are low (13%).

The health of Australia's males: 25 years and over continues and completes the life course by focusing on males aged 25 and over.  Males aged 25 and over in 2011 can expect, on average, to live to 80 or over. One in 10 males aged 50-59 (11%) and 60-69 (10%) are, on a daily basis, at risk of injury resulting from excessive alcohol. In 2010 coronary heart disease was the leading cause of death in this group, followed by lung cancer.  Married males have lower mortality rates compared with their never married counterparts-8.1 compared with 12.8 deaths per 1,000 population.