Happy Christmas from your health librarians!

Sally, Cathie and Adele would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous new year.  We are taking a couple of weeks' break now and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for making our Blog so successful for another year.  We would really appreciate your feedback about these pages, and suggestions for posts are always very welcome.

Good health to you these holidays.

Christmas BMJ issue - always entertaining

Highly recommended reading at this time of year is BMJ's Christmas issue.  This year is no exception with some great tongue-in-cheek research studies on such topics as the survival time of chocolates in hospital wards, whether it is better to be right than happy, and the hypothesis that James Bond's drinks may have been shaken due to alcohol tremor.  Perhaps more serious is "Following celebrities' medical advice: meta-narrative analysis", which assesses how celebrities can be a useful force for health promotion in newspapers and magazines, but they can also provide poor information which is too readily taken up by some people.

BMJ, 21 Dec 2013 (Vol 347, Issue 7938).  Many articles are open access and others can be accessed via CIAP for NSW Health employees.

10 most popular health research publications

Another top ten list, this time from Australian Policy Online, they have listed the Top ten health research publications 2013.  Based on the number of page visits to the APO's health research site, the most popular research publication this year was "Making it work: a workforce guide for disability service providers", published in June by the Social Policy Research Centre. Reports on early childhood disease prevention, collaborative care in mental health and the costs of alcohol misuse are also included, with links to all publications.

10 fascinating health articles for 2013

The Monthly magazine has chosen their ten favourite health stories from publications around the world over the past year and provided links to each one.  Included in 10 fascinating articles on health, 2013 are stories on the vitamin myth, the importance of germs, the DSM, treatment for cholesterol and the history of childbirth deaths.

Latest issue of AIHW Access available

Access is a newsletter published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, profiling the Institute's work and its people. The December 2013 issue is now available and topics include:

• Australia's Welfare 2013 - Aussies living and working longer, but some are doing it tough
• Accidents and lifestyle choices-the biggest health challenges facing Australia's males
• Stroke death rates drop 70% but thousands still affected
• Program screens over 3.6 million women for cervical cancer
• Dental care hitting Aussies' hip pockets
• Youngest offenders at high risk of returning to youth justice system
• Australian prisoners face many health challenges-but it's not all bad news
• Falls and transport accidents main causes of hospitalised injury
• Profiling homelessness services in Australia
• New information available on seclusion in mental health facilities

Program on the Global Demography of Aging - working papers

The purpose of the Working Paper Series on global demography and ageing is to share research prior to journal publication and stimulate debate and critical comments. Working papers also give an opportunity to authors to publish longer and more detailed material than can appear in a journal.  All papers go through a review process at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies. 

PGDA’s research focuses on six main themes:

• Measurement of the global patterns of disease, mortality, and morbidity in aging populations
• Social determinants of population health and aging
• Economics of health care provision for the elderly
• Economics of aging (macroeconomics, behavioral and experimental)
• Migration and aging
• Aging and HIV/AIDS

Endorsed ANZCA guidelines

The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) has endorsed a selection of guidelines developed by other organisations. The include anaphylaxis, central line insertion, OSSIE Guide to Clinical Handover and patient blood management guidelines.

Use of pharmacologic interventions for breast cancer risk reduction

The American Society of Clinical Oncology has updated the guideline Use of pharmacologic interventions for breast cancer risk reduction: American Society of Clinical Oncology clinical practice guideline. It is freely available to download.

Indigenous Health Reports

A number of reports have been published by 'Closing the Gap Clearinghouse', a clearinghouse for research and evaluation evidence on what works to overcome Indigenous disadvantage.
These include:

What works? A review of actions addressing the social and economic determinants of Indigenous health

Improving the accessibility of health services in urban and regional settings for Indigenous people

Housing strategies that improve Indigenous health outcomes

Click here to download these and other related reports.

Improving the early life outcomes of Indigenous children

This paper outlines the wide gaps in early life outcomes for Indigenous people compared with non-Indigenous people, such as higher rates of poor health conditions, hospital admissions and poor nutrition among Indigenous children. It then discusses how localised early childhood development works to overcome these disadvantages through a range of interventions that are tailored to address the local determinants of early childhood development. 

Improving the early life outcomes of Indigenous children: implementing early childhood development at the local level.

Issues paper no. 6 produced for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse. AIHW. Sarah Wise, December 2013

Is Fracking Good for Your Health? An Analysis of the Impacts of Unconventional Gas on Health and Climate

This report assesses existing research to address the question of whether unconventional gas should be endorsed as a major future energy source, based on its impacts on human health and the climate.It’s becoming increasingly clear that Australia needs to change the way it uses energy and many of those changes will be taking place over the next decade. Our current reliance on coal is unsustainable, while Australia’s considerable reserves of unconventional gas - tight, shale and coal seam gas (CSG) - are raising controversy after being flagged as part of a major expansion of the gas industry.
There is considerable lack of information and uncertainty around the health impacts of unconventional gas extraction. However, the potential health impacts associated with fracking chemicals used for extracting unconventional gas are serious. They include cancer, skin and eye irritation, respiratory problems, damage to the nervous system, cells and blood, endocrine disruption and reproductive problems. The effects of climate change are likely to exacerbate certain health risks and the vulnerability of certain groups including the elderly, rural and indigenous communities, as well as future generations. This report finds that unconventional gas should not be endorsed from an environmental and human health perspective and states that the current case against further expansion of the industry is overwhelming. Taking into account the evidence that exists for the health and climate impacts of unconventional gas, this does not represent the best option for Australia’s energy future, either as a stepping-stone or a final destination. (APO 27 November 2013)

Mental Health and the National Disability Insurance Scheme: Position Paper

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) represents a major opportunity to deliver much-needed services and support for people with a range of disabilities. The Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA) supports the NDIS, especially given the bi-partisan commitment to increasing funding to support people with significant ongoing disabilities over the next few years. It is absolutely appropriate that the scheme includes people with a psychosocial disability related to mental illness. However, the MHCA has strong concerns about the implications of the scheme for mental health consumers, carers and service providers. These concerns relate to the design of the NDIS, the status of existing services, and the likely impact on future mental health programs. This position paper outlines the current challenges and provides some suggestions on how to resolve them. (APO 15 November 2013)

Osteoporosis Costing all Australians: a New Burden of Disease Analysis – 2012 to 2022

This report, by Osteoporosis Australia, finds that little progress is being made in preventing and managing osteoporosis in Australia. It updates previous burden of disease analysis undertaken in 2001 and 2007, and shows little progress is being made in preventing and managing osteoporosis in Australia. With an ageing population, it is now critical that real steps are taken to address this silent and often underdiagnosed disease affecting women and men that is costing governments, the community and comes at a great personal cost to the individuals affected. The new information in this report on the current and future costs of osteoporosis in Australia will aid government policy makers, funding bodies, clinicians, researchers and health care organisations in assessing the importance of reducing osteoporosis and osteoporosis – related fractures, promoting bone health and in identifying future resource needs. It includes Key Findings and A Call to Action. (Authors: Jennifer J. Watts, Julie Abimanyi-Ochom, Kerrie M. Sanders)

Health System Expenditure on Cancer and Other Neoplasms in Australia 2008-09

Health system expenditure on cancer and other neoplasms inAustralia, 2008-09 presents an overview of cancer expenditure focusing on the six cancers with the highest health system expenditure in each of four life stages 0-14, 15-24, 25-64 and 65 years and over. Findings include:

 - Cancer and other neoplasms ranked sixth in terms of estimated health system expenditure on chronic diseases, accounting for 6.9% of total health system expenditure on all chronic diseases;

 - Expenditure on national population screening programs totalled $332 million;

 - From 2000-01 to 2008-09, total health system expenditure on cancer increased by 56% from $2,894 million to $4,526 million. 

Supporting Healthy Communities Through Sports and Recreation Programs

Healthy communities are communities in which people have the physical and mental health and wellbeing needed to conduct their daily lives. The purpose of this paper, released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on 13 December 2013, is to review the available evidence of a range of sports and recreation programs in relation to their effects on supporting and building healthy communities. 

There is some evidence in the form of critical descriptions of programs and systematic reviews on the benefits to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities from participation in sport and recreational programs. These include some improvements in school retention, attitudes towards learning, social and cognitive skills, physical and mental health and wellbeing; increased social inclusion and cohesion; increased validation of and connection to culture; and some evidence of crime reduction.

Salt Reduction Program Reduces Heart Deaths

The United Kingdom program of voluntary salt reduction, in collaboration with the food industry, has reduced 24-hour urinary sodium levels by 15% and prevented an estimated 9,000 cardiovascular deaths each year since the program began in 2003-2004, according to this comprehensive analysis.

The article provides an analysis of the program with the aim of providing a simple step-by-step guide for development and implementation of a national salt reduction program that other countries have already followed.

UK population salt reduction: an experiment in public health. The Lancet, Volume 382, Supplement 3, Page S43, 29 November 2013 (register on the Lancet site to get free access to the article).

Cancer Forum focuses on Geriatric Oncology

The November 2013 issue of Cancer Forum has focused on geriatric oncology and the current state of the science. Both MNCLHD and NNSWLHD have free access to all the articles via their Library e-journal site.
Some of the articles included, cover such topics as polypharmacy, cognition, primary care and nutritional issues.
Cancer Forum November 2013 | Volume 37 | Number 3   

Australasian Clinical Indicator Report 2005 – 2012

The Australasian Clinical Indicator Report 2005 – 2012 (14th edition), published by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS), presents a detailed statistical analysis of clinical indicators for HCOs in the Australasian region. Over  342 public and 329 private HCOs reported, representing  almost 35,000 data submissions providing excellent statistical knowledge for an overview on how Australian health care is performing. It is one of the most comprehensive reports on the status of national clinical performance of 670 healthcare organisations over the last eight years.

Go to the ACHS website to freely download the report.

What does your pee say about your health?

The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio has drawn up a diagram showing all the possible shades of urine colour and what each one means;

• Colourless urine indicates a person is drinking too much water

• Healthy urine is considered pale straw coloured or transparent yellow

• Amber or honey coloured urine indicates an urgent need for water

• Brown ale coloured urine is a sign of liver disease or severe dehydration

• Red urine could have blood in it and this is a symptom of bladder cancer, kidney disease, prostate problems and infections, the doctors say       

Click here to open the diagram.

Amino Acid Explorer

This tool, provided by the  National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), allows users to explore the characteristics of amino acids by comparing their structural and chemical properties, predicting protein sequence changes caused by mutations, viewing common substitutions, and browsing the functions of given residues.

Client-based Analyses for Reporting on Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services

Developing client based analysis for reporting on alcohol and other drug treatment services outlines the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) intended analysis techniques to:- estimate the number and rate of clients receiving alcohol and other drug treatment - explore patterns of drug use and pathways through treatment - explore the characteristics of different client groups, for example, those who return to treatment over many years with multiple drugs of concern or treatment types. Some analyses described either require, or would be improved by, future data development activities for this collection. Public consultation is open until 28 February 2014. (AIHW released 9th December 2013)