Weight, Diet and Physical Activity

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health has published a full open access issue in early 2018. The issue is divided into sections:

•  Weight, Diet and Physical Activity
• Alcohol
• Infectious and Communicable Disease    
• Water
• Cancer

2018. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 42(1), 3-113  

Waiting times in the emergency department for people with acute mental and behavioural conditions

Access block and ED overcrowding have implications for patient safety, and are associated with poor health outcomes and excess mortality and morbidity. Patient access to hospital beds should occur within a reasonable timeframe, that is, in no more than eight hours. When a patient waits in the ED for eight hours or more following assessment and treatment, they are known to be experiencing access block.
On 4 December 2017 a POMAB Snapshot Survey was undertaken to estimate the point-prevalence of mental health access block in Australian and New Zealand public EDs accredited for specialist training by ACEM.   The purpose of this brief report is to present findings from ACEM’s research exploring mental health presentations in hospital emergency departments (EDs).

Waiting times in the emergency department for people with acute mental and behavioural conditions. ACEM 2018

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and youth justice

This study, in a representative sample of young people in detention in Western Australia, has documented a high prevalence of FASD and severe neurodevelopmental impairment, the majority of which had not been previously identified. These findings highlight the vulnerability of young people, particularly Aboriginal youth, within the justice system and their significant need for improved diagnosis to identify their strengths and difficulties, and to guide and improve their rehabilitation.

Bower C, Watkins RE, Mutch RC, et al. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and youth justice: a prevalence study among young people sentenced to detention in Western Australia. BMJ Open 2018;8(2) [open access]

Falls among community-dwelling older people

Falls are common among older people and a leading cause of injury-related hospitalisation. The immediate post-hospitalisation period is a risky time for further falls. This paper explores discharge strategies from the perspectives of older people hospitalised for a fall and liaison nurses assisting people to return home.
Thematic analysis revealed three key themes: ‘falls are not a priority’, ‘information not given, or 
given and not retained’ and ‘reduction in confidence and independence’.

Meyer Claudia, Renehan Emma, Batchelor Frances, Said Catherine, Haines Terry, Elliott Rohan, Goeman Dianne (2017) ‘Falls not a priority’: insights on discharging older people, admitted to hospital for a fall, back to the community. Australian Journal of Primary Health 24, 66-73. [open access] 

Simulation-based education to improve communication skills

Good communication between healthcare professionals and between healthcare professionals and patients is important in delivering high-quality care. Effective communication between healthcare professionals and patients improves patients’ outcomes. Communication failure among healthcare professionals is reported to be the major contributing factor in >50% of ‘never-events’ involving patients.
The evidence found in this study suggests a model for SBE aimed at teaching communication skills that is informed by the current evidence and takes into account the need to collect higher-level outcome data.

Blackmore A, Kasfiki EV, Purva M., Simulation-based education to improve communication skills: a systematic review and identification of current best practice. BMJ Simulation and Technology Enhanced Learning Published Online First: 13 October 2017. doi: 10.1136/bmjstel-2017-000220   

The Wellbeing of Young Australians

The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) has released their third Report Card, updating previous editions released in 2013 and 2008. It uses the latest available data, from a range of sources, across a range of indicators. The Report Card is based on The Nest; an evidence-based policy framework outlining priorities for investment in six areas which must be properly met for a young person to have wellbeing:

• Loved and Safe
• Healthy
• Material Basics
• Learning
• Participating
• Positive Sense of Identity and Culture

Report Card: The Wellbeing of Young Australians (2018)   

Online Hospital Complications Calculator

The Grattan Institute has developed an online calculator that enables hospital patients and their families to discover how likely it is that complications will arise from a wide range of treatments. Using detailed hospital statistics compiled over three years, as well as information about the patient, the calculator instantaneously determines the chances of them suffering a complication: anything from the inconvenient to the dangerous.

The Grattan Institute has also found that a patient’s risk of developing a complication also varies dramatically depending on which hospital they go to. Using detailed hospital statistics compiled over three years, as well as information about the patient, the calculator instantaneously determines the chances of them suffering a complication: anything from the dangerous to the merely inconvenient.  

Hospital complications calculator

Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia, 2018

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released its first comprehensive report on family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia. The report brings together information from more than 20 different major data sources to build a picture of what is known about family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia. It also highlights data gaps and offers suggestions to help fill these gaps.
The report, Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia, 2018, covers family violence (physical violence, sexual violence and emotional abuse between family members, as well as current or former partners), domestic violence (a subcategory of family violence, involving current or former partners), and sexual violence (a range of nonconsensual sexual behaviours, perpetrated by partners, former partners, acquaintances or strangers).
Download report: Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia, 2018

8 Popular Nursing Apps

Smartphone apps have become a great way to stay abreast of research, access databases of terminology or treatments, practice your skills and access tools to improve your nursing practice. HealthTimes has created a list of the most popular with information on each. 

Pain Management in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

A recent article in Clinical Kidney Journal updates the management of pain in patients with chronic kidney disease with and without requirement for renal replacement therapy with the focus on optimizing pain control while minimizing therapy-induced complications.

Phuong Chi Pham, Kathy Khaing, Theodore M. Sievers, Phuong Mai Pham, Jeffrey M. Miller, Son V. Pham, Phuong Anh Pham, Phuong Thu Pham; 2017 update on pain management in patients with chronic kidney disease, Clinical Kidney Journal, Volume 10, Issue 5, 1 October 2017, Pages 688–697 [open access]