COVID-19 Vaccines

• The NCIRS (National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance) have provided answers for common questions about COVID-19 vaccines. 

          Read the FAQ's here.

Image source: NCIRS

• Read the WHO (World Health Organisation) draft landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines here. This information is updated twice a week.  

• The COVID-19 vaccine tracker can be found here. 236 vaccines are in development and 38 are now in clinical testing as of December 15, 2020.

COVID-19 vaccines : Frequently asked questions

 The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) has a great website that answers questions that may arise in professional practice as well as in the community. 

                                                            Source: Australian Government, Department of Health

Many out there in the community are concerned about how the vaccines are being tested, why are covid-19 vaccines being developed quickly, how safety is assessed and whether they or their children, will be forced to have the vaccine. Even though information is available many minds need to be put at rest. For great reliable information Go to their COVID-19 frequently asked questions page.

You'll see also that there is a great deal of information on immunisation generally under the "for health professionals" tab. Fact sheets for all vaccines and vaccine safety as an example.

For further information on immunisation generally go to the Department of Health's site Immunisation facts site.

Vaccine hesitancy and how health care workers can help.

 A recent article in the Journal of Community Health, Vaccine-hesitant and vaccine-refusung Parents' reflections of the way parenthood changed their attitudes to vaccination, examines how having children changed the attitudes of Australian parents towards childhood vaccination.

Journal of Community Health (2020) 45:63–72

Vaccine‑Hesitant and Vaccine‑Refusing Parents’ Refections on the Way

Parenthood Changed Their Attitudes to Vaccination

T.Rozbroj, A. Lyons, J. Lucke.

This research contributes towards understanding how having children affects the vaccine attitudes among vaccine-hesitant and vaccine-refusing parents. Greater support for parents with negative vaccination experiences may prevent hesitant attitudes.

                                                                                                            Source: The Scientist.com

The findings suggest that to increase parental trust in childhood vaccination, experiences and interpretation of adverse events after vaccination need to be addressed better. Improvements in communication between health care workers and parents following perceived adverse events, to better explain to parents what happened, why, and what impact it might or might not have on their child's long-term health, may alleviate downstream vaccine distrust. Developing resources to support health care workers in this may be helpful. Additional resources could also be considered, such as a telephone hotline for parents to discuss vaccine concerns with a health care worker.

In Australia, parents are expected to follow the National Immunisation Program. Vaccine-hesitant parents reported becoming concerned about the number and timing of childhood vaccines, and wanted to choose personalised schedules. Of great concern was why their newborn children required the hepatitis B vaccine. Parents understood hepatitis B as a bloodborne virus associated with injecting drug users and penetrative sex, and did not understand why their newborn needed to be vaccinated against it.

Better explanations and information about the timing of vaccinations on the Australian immunisation schedule, particularly of the hepatitis B vaccination, may help parents feel comfortable with adhering to the schedule. Explaining that administering multiple vaccines together has been shown to be safe, and that vaccines do not weaken natural immunity, might also alleviate parents' concerns.

If you'd like a copy of this article contact your library .

New Staff Publications - Congratulations!

Congrats to MNCLHD staff who published the following articles.

Brown, A., R. Sutherland, L. Janssen, N. Hudson, A. Chooi, R. Reynolds, A. Walton, C. Lecathelinais, K. Reilly, N. Nathan and L. Wolfenden (2020). "Enhancing the potential effects of text messages delivered via an m-health intervention to improve packing of healthy school lunchboxes." Public health nutrition: 1-26.

Hoffmann, M., J. Pacey, J. Goodworth, A. Laszcyzk, R. Ford, B. Chick, S. Greenham and J. Westhuyzen (2019). "Analysis of a volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) single phase prostate template as a class solution." Reports of Practical Oncology & Radiotherapy 24(1): 92-96.

Islam, M. S., K. M. Rahman, Y. Sun, M. O. Qureshi, I. Abdi, A. A. Chughtai and H. Seale (2020). "Current knowledge of COVID-19 and infection prevention and control strategies in healthcare settings: A global analysis." Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology 41(10): 1196-1206.

Jacob, J., W. Flannery and C. Mostert (2020). "Novel ENT triad of anosmia, ageusia and hearing impairment in COVID-19." Internal Medicine Journal 50(9): 1155.

John, S., J. Rowley and K. Bartlett (2020). "Assessing patient’s decision-making capacity in the hospital setting: A literature review." Aust J Rural Health 28(2): 141-148.

Kelly, A., S. J. Bartlett, M. P. de Wit, D. E. Beaton, T. Dawson, V. Evans, M. Gill, G. Hassett, L. March, M. Scholte-Voshaar, J. A. Singh, A. Tong, P. Tugwell, P. Wong and K. Tymms (2019). "Addressing Challenges in Developing a Core Domain Set in Adherence Interventions in Rheumatology: A Report from the OMERACT-Adherence Group." Journal of Rheumatology 46(9): 1202-1206.

Lwin, N. and A. Bannan (2020). "A retrospective observational study on enterococcal bacteraemia and endocarditis at a regional hospital in New South Wales, Australia." Infection, Disease and Health 25(4): 245-252.

Nowak, A. K., W. J. Lesterhuis, P. S. Kok, C. Brown, B. G. Hughes, D. J. Karikios, T. John, S. C. Kao, C. Leslie, A. M. Cook, N. Pavlakis, K. Briscoe, K. J. O'Byrne, C. S. Karapetis, W. S. Lam, A. Langford, S. Yip and M. R. Stockler (2020). "Durvalumab with first-line chemotherapy in previously untreated malignant pleural mesothelioma (DREAM): a multicentre, single-arm, phase 2 trial with a safety run-in." Lancet Oncology 21(9): 1213-1223.

Pak, A., O. A. Adegboye, A. I. Adekunle, K. M. Rahman, E. S. McBryde and D. P. Eisen (2020). "Economic Consequences of the COVID-19 Outbreak: the Need for Epidemic Preparedness." Frontiers in Public Health 8(241).

Pan, B., N. Aherne, T. Shakespeare, M. Grossmann and P. Wong (2020). "Bone health assessment by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan in men commencing adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer." Internal Medicine Journal 50 (SUPPL 2): 8.

Rashid, P. (2020). "Struggling trainee, underperformance and the role of the surgical supervisor." ANZ Journal of Surgery 90(6): 949.

Seale, H., C. E. F. Dyer, I. Abdi, K. M. Rahman, Y. Sun, M. O. Qureshi, A. Dowell-Day, J. Sward and M. S. Islam (2020). "Improving the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions during COVID-19: examining the factors that influence engagement and the impact on individuals." BMC Infectious Diseases 20(1): 607.

Sutherland, M., G. Moloney, M. Norton, A. Bowling and I. Walker (2020). "Utilizing a Hospital-based Setting to Increase Organ Donor Registrations." Transplantation 104(6): 1210-1214.

Wong, D. J. N., S. Popham, A. M. Wilson, L. M. Barneto, H. A. Lindsay, L. Farmer, D. Saunders, S. Wallace, D. Campbell, P. S. Myles, S. K. Harris, and S. R. Moonesinghe…David Gillespie. 2019. 'Postoperative critical care and high-acuity care provision in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand', Br J Anaesth, 122: 460-69.

Contact the Library for copies of these articles.

Fewer presentations to metropolitan emergency departments during the COVID‐19 pandemic

"The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has forced many countries to take extraordinary measures to prevent spread of disease. In New South Wales, public health orders introduced during 18–26 March 2020 required the closure of major industries and prohibited non‐essential gatherings of more than 100 people or allowing less than 4 m2 space per person. On 29 March, further public health orders prohibited people leaving home other than for work, study, shopping, medical care, or exercise.


Changes in patterns of presentations to emergency departments (EDs) have been reported during COVID‐19 lockdowns overseas, including reduced numbers of patients with certain high acuity conditions, such as acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stroke. Understanding the situation in Australia is important for public health policy during this and future pandemics."

Read the full article here in The Medical Journal of Australia

                                                            Photo by Graham Ruttan on Unsplash

Australia's Health 2020: in brief - my focus on suicide.

With October being Mental Health Month I decided to look at Australia's health 2020 available on the Australian Government's site - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). When I waved my cursor over reports and data Australia's Health 2020: data insights, caught my eye with 2020 being the year we all say that we'll never forget. Being a Librarian I thought I must order the hard copy book for the library so that we can have all this data on hand for future reference. 

Australia's health 2020: in brief - a short, visual report summarising key findings and concepts looked like a good read for now. It's available in PDF so an easy. 

I wanted to look at mental health related statistics and this is what smacked me in the face.

Source: Australia Institute of Health and Welfare

Suicide was the leading cause of death among 15-44 year old Australians in 2016-18. People with mental illness need to know that they are not alone with self reporting data showing that 1 in 5 Australian have had a mental or behavioural condition in 2017-18. Help is out there!

Suicide rates among Indigenous Australians were almost double that of non-indigenous peoples with 23.7 per 100,000 people compared with 12.3 per 100,000 people. 

Suicidal thoughts? While data are limited, the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing shows that at some point in their lives, 1 in 8 (13%) Australians aged 16–85 had serious thoughts about taking their own life, 1 in 25 (4.0%) made a suicide plan and1 in 33 (3.3%) had attempted suicide. This is equivalent to over 2.1 million Australians having thought about taking their own life, over 600,000 making a suicide plan and over 500,000 making a suicide attempt during their lifetime. 

If you or someone you know needs advice or support, these services can help:

Lifeline 13 11 14

Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800

MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

October is Mental Health Month in NSW

 Every year in October we are reminded to think about our mental health and wellbeing. Whether we have experienced mental illness or not it gives us the opportunity to understand the importance of good mental health in our everyday lives and encourages us to reach out for help when we need it. 

Source: http://mentalhealthmonth.wayahead.org.au/

The theme for mental health month this year is "TUNE IN".

Tuning In means being present, being aware of what’s happening within you, and in the world around you.  

Tune In to your senses – what can you sense right now? What can you feel? 

Tune In to your communities – what’s happening that you can be part of, or that you can help others be part of? 

Tune In to stigma – how do attitudes and understandings of mental health and wellbeing impact people’s ability to live the lives they want? 

Taking a moment to Tune In can help still and focus your mind, it can help you understand what’s going on for you and others. Tuning in can help you find a new perspective, and it can help you reflect and be present. 

Tuning In has been shown to help build self-awareness, help make effective choices, reduce the impact of worry, and build positive connections. Tuning In to communities and the impact of mental health stigma can help ensure that people who need support have safe places to talk about their experiences and reach out. 

Tune In to Mental Health Month and help create a world we can all Tune In to. Find out more here.

Especially in these uncertain times NSW Health staff can access qualified trained mental health professionals confidentially through COVID Connection. COVID Connection is an independent and professional wellbeing advice line for health workers. The service offers culturally appropriate support for Aboriginal health workers. 

New MNCLHD Staff Publications

 Congratulations to the following staff members (highlighted) who published recently!

Source: towardsdatascience.com

Campbell, Patricia, Jessica Moss, Maria Mulder, Leesa Roach, Nicole Wilson, Alycia Jacob, and Helen Miles. 2020. 'The effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine in the symptom management of pruritus in patients with end-stage kidney disease: A systematic review', Renal Society of Australasia Journal, 16: 58-68.

 

Conway, A., P. Collins, K. Chang, S. Mafeld, J. Sutherland, and J. Fingleton. 2019. 'Sequence analysis of capnography waveform abnormalities during nurse-administered procedural sedation and analgesia in the cardiac catheterization laboratory', Sci Rep, 9: 10214.

 

Conway, A., P. Collins, K. Chang, S. Mafeld, J. Sutherland, J. Fingleton, and M. Parotto. 2020. 'Pre-apneic capnography waveform abnormalities during procedural sedation and analgesia', J Clin Monit Comput, 34: 1061-68.

 

Davidson, E. L., and R. L. Ollerton. 2020. 'Partner behaviours improving breastfeeding outcomes: An integrative review', Women Birth, 33: e15-e23.

 

Hui, N., S. Fraser, and P. K. K. Wong. 2020. 'Patients discharged from a fracture liaison service still require follow-up and bone health advice', Arch Osteoporos, 15: 118.

 

Lennard, K., A. Bannan, P. Grant, and J. Post. 2020. 'Potential benefit of combination antifungal therapy in Aspergillus endocarditis', BMJ Case Rep, 13.

 

Lwin, N., and A. Bannan. 2020. 'A retrospective observational study on enterococcal bacteraemia and endocarditis at a regional hospital in New South Wales, Australia', Infect Dis Health.

 

Scott, A., N. Weber, C. Tiley, K. Taylor, J. Taper, S. Harrison, K. L. Chan, R. Stark, C. Lee, K. Morris, P. J. Ho, A. Dodds, S. Ramanathan, R. Ramakrishna, A. M. Watson, B. Auguston, F. Kwok, H. Quach, P. Warburton, P. Rowlings, and P. Mollee. 2018. ''Real-world' Australian experience of pomalidomide for relapsed and refractory myeloma', Leuk Lymphoma, 59: 1514-16.

 

Southey, M., A. Kathirgamalingam, B. Crawford, R. Kaul, J. McNamara, F. John-Leader, J. Heslop, and S. W. Pit. 2020. 'Patterns of ecstasy use amongst live music event attendees and their opinions on pill testing: a cross sectional study', Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy, 15: 55.

Stathis, A., and J. Gan. 2020. 'Traumatic arteriovenous fistula: a 25-year delay in presentation', J Surg Case Rep, 2020: rjaa042.

 

Sutherland, M., G. Moloney, M. Norton, A. Bowling, and I. Walker. 2020. 'Utilizing a Hospital-based Setting to Increase Organ Donor Registrations', Transplantation, 104: 1210-14.

 

Sutherland, R., A. Brown, N. Nathan, L. Janssen, R. Reynolds, A. Walton, N. Hudson, A. Chooi, S. Yoong, J. Wiggers, A. Bailey, N. Evans, K. Gillham, C. Oldmeadow, A. Searles, P. Reeves, C. Rissel, M. Davies, K. Reilly, B. Cohen, T. McCallum, and L. Wolfenden. 2019. 'Protocol for an effectiveness- implementation hybrid trial to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an m-health intervention to decrease the consumption of discretionary foods packed in school lunchboxes: the 'SWAP IT' trial', BMC Public Health, 19: 1510.

 

Tong, J. Y., H. P. Dunn, and C. Hopley. 2020. 'Yamane technique modification for intrascleral haptic extrusion', Clin Exp Ophthalmol, 48: 847-48.

 

Tracy, M., L. Ryan, H. Samarasekara, M. Leroi, A. Polkinghorne, and J. Branley. 2020. 'Removal of sinks and bathing changes to control multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in a neonatal intensive care unit: a retrospective investigation', J Hosp Infect, 104: 508-10.

 

Whiteford, G. E. 2019. 'Sylvia docker memorial lecture: Together we go further-Service co-design, knowledge co-production and radical solidarity', Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 66: 682-89.

World Physiotherapy Day - September 8

World Physiotherapy Day is celebrated every year on September 8—it's a global event to recognise the important and trusted role physiotherapists play in the community to improve the health of their patients.

The theme for World Physiotherapy Day 2020 is "rehabilitation after severe respiratory illness" and the role that physiotherapy and physical activity can have in helping people through recovery.

Source: World Confederation for Physical Therapy

COVID-19 is something which will be at the forefront of our minds for months and possibly years to come. The physiotherapy profession is uniquely placed to step up and contribute to the challenge of helping our most vulnerable people regain independence and quality of life in ways we have never seen before. 

Thanks to all of the MNCLHD Physiotherapists out there. 

We appreciate your work!

New Staff Publications

 Congratulations to the following MNCLHD authors on the publication of their articles!

Davidson, E. L. and R. L. Ollerton (2020). "Partner behaviours improving breastfeeding outcomes: An integrative review." Women & Birth: Journal of the Australian College of Midwives 33(1): e15-e23. 

Lawal, A. K., G. Groot, D. Goodridge, S. Scott and L. Kinsman (2019). "Development of a program theory for clinical pathways in hospitals: protocol for a realist review." Systematic Reviews 8(1): 136.

Lwin, N. and A. Bannan (2020). "A retrospective observational study on enterococcal bacteraemia and endocarditis at a regional hospital in New South Wales, Australia." Infection, Disease and Health.

Millhouse, M. G., M. J. Davies and A. S. Tankel (2019). "Characteristics of short-term re-presentations to a regional emergency department." Emergency Medicine Australasia 31(6): 961-966.

Richardson, A. J., M. R. Cox, A. J. Shakeshaft, B. Hodge, G. Morgan, T. Pang, M. Zeng, K. Scanlon, R. Austin, A. Dawadi, C. Burgess, E. Rawstron, S. Dalton and J. F. Leveque (2019). "Quality improvement in surgery: introduction of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program into New South Wales." ANZ Journal of Surgery 89(5): 471-475.

Southey, M., A. Kathirgamalingam, B. Crawford, R. Kaul, J. McNamara, F. John-Leader, J. Heslop and S. W. Pit (2020). "Patterns of ecstasy use amongst live music event attendees and their opinions on pill testing: a cross sectional study." Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 15(1): 55.

Te Velde, B. L., J. Westhuyzen, N. Awad, M. Wood and T. P. Shakespeare (2019). "Late toxicities of prostate cancer radiotherapy with and without hydrogel SpaceAOR insertion." Journal of Medical Imaging & Radiation Oncology 63(6): 836-841.

Unwin, M., E. Crisp, J. Stankovich, D. McCann and L. Kinsman (2020). "Socioeconomic disadvantage as a driver of non-urgent emergency department presentations: A retrospective data analysis." PLoS ONE [Electronic Resource] 15(4): e0231429.

Contact your library for a copy of any of these articles.

Women's Health Week 7-11 September 2020

"With the stress COVID-19 has placed on everyone's lives, it’s now more important than ever to look after your overall health and wellbeing. This September, Women’s Health Week will be a great reminder to take time out to check in on your health and to keep making positive changes that can last a lifetime." Access EAP.

For more information and free resources visit the Jean Hailes' Women's Health Week Website. It's time to put your health first.

Click the below image for supporting promotional materials.

Is Your Steptember Team Ready?

Yes it's that time again!

Last year MNCLHD had 113 and 413 participants in the Steptember challenge that raised over $15K for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.

https://www.steptember.org.au/home

You need to rally up your team of 4, nominate a captain and go to to www.steptember.org.au and register NOW using our unique free registration code sent in an MNCLHD-ALLsite e-mail on 22/7/2020.  Enter Mid North Coast LHD as our organisation name when prompted.

Mental health and relationships during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In partnership with the Australian National University (ANU), the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) worked to add a range of questions to the Life in Australia panel survey to explore the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, housing, alcohol consumption and service use. The most recent report referenced below focuses on mental health and relationships.

The authors found that there is a very strong relationship between changes in outcomes and psychological distress, even when allowing for pre-COVID mental health outcomes. A particularly strong relationship between changes in stress, loneliness, relationships and mental health outcomes was found. We have been very fortunate in Australia with low rates of COVID-19 infections and mortality rates. However there have been large negative effects on outcomes with young Australians notably in need of support.

The Australian Medical Association recognises the anxiety and stress that financial, employment and family issues cause during this time and have provided resources and online support links on their website. Remember to consult your GP if you need specific personalised mental health advice.

https://healthdirect.gov.au

Link through to the full article here:

Mental Health and Relationships during the COVID-19 Pandemic
ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods
Professor Nicholas Biddle; Associate Professor Ben Edwards; Professor Matthew Gray; and
Kate Sollis.
July 2020

Abstract
The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between mental health outcomes and
relationship quality during the COVID-19 period. We find that after a significant worsening in
mental health outcomes between February 2017 and April 2020, there was strong evidence
for improvements between April and May and weaker evidence for a further improvement
between May and the end of June/start of July. However, for those Australians under the age
of 45, psychological distress is still at a higher level than it was prior to the spread of COVID-
19. We find that a number of people have reported negative changes to their subjective
circumstances. Only 22.5 per cent of the population are estimated to have not experienced
any of the negative changes during the COVID-19 period from our dataset compared to 51.6
per cent who reported no improvements in the same measures. The majority of respondents
reported no change in relationship quality, and for those who did report a change, there was
a net improvement. We find a very strong relationship between self-reported changes in
outcomes and psychological distress, with a particularly strong relationship between changes
in stress, loneliness and relationships and mental health outcomes.

New MNCLHD Staff Publications

Congratulations to all staff (highlighted) involved in the publication of the following articles.

Source: youthtoday.org

Diab, J., A. Bannan and T. Pollitt (2020). "Necrotising fasciitis." BMJ 369: m1428.

John, S., D. Schmidt and J. Rowley (2020). "Decision-making capacity assessment for confused patients in a regional hospital: A before and after study." Australian Journal of Rural Health 28(2): 132-140.

Lieng, H., A. Kneebone, A. J. Hayden, D. R. H. Christie, B. J. Davis, T. N. Eade, L. Emmett, T. Holt, G. Hruby, D. Pryor, M. Sidhom, M. Skala, J. Yaxley and T. P. Shakespeare (2019). "Radiotherapy for node-positive prostate cancer: 2019 Recommendations of the Australian and New Zealand Radiation Oncology Genito-Urinary group." Radiotherapy & Oncology 140: 68-75.

Shakespeare, T. P., E. Eggert, M. Wood, J. Westhuyzen, K. Turnbull, N. Rutherford and N. Aherne (2019). "PSMA-PET guided dose-escalated volumetric arc therapy (VMAT) for newly diagnosed lymph node positive prostate cancer: Efficacy and toxicity outcomes at two years." Radiotherapy & Oncology 141: 188-191.

Toby, J., T. Shakespeare, N. Aherne, C. Brown, L. Guo, M. Hoffmann, G. Hruby, A. Kneebone and T. Eade (2019). "Validation of the prognostic ability of the five-tiered ISUP grade groups for prostate cancer treated with definitive dose-escalated external beam radiation treatment in a contemporary Australian population." Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology 63 (Supplement 1): 96.

Wen, S., L. Manuel, M. Doolan, J. Westhuyzen, T. P. Shakespeare and N. J. Aherne (2020). "Effect of clinical and treatment factors on survival outcomes of triple negative breast cancer patients." Breast Cancer: Targets and Therapy 12: 27-35.

MNCLHD Staff Publications Database – Maintained & updated by PMBH Health Services Library.

Please contact the PMBH Library if you are a member of MNCLHD and your publication has been missed.

Medicines for COVID-19

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care is working hard to help clinicians and health service organisations to have access to evidence-based information on medicines for the  potential treatment of COVID-19.

Source: psa.org.au

Resources are available on their website and are linked below.

While there is no cure, a summary of antiretroviral and other therapies being looked into for the potential treatment of COVID-19.

Information about the safe and quality use of medications that may be utilised in the management of COVID-19 is presented in a series of position statements that will be invaluable to practitioners on the ground.

For further information a list of links to COVID-19 guidance from Australia and the global community is also available.

All this a more is available on the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care website.

Caring for People with Cognitive Impairment During COVID-19

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) have developed new resources to support health service organisations to provide safe care for patients with cognitive impairment during COVID-19. Remember that the environment around cognitively has changed due to COVID-19 so they may find hospital even more frightening than ever before. The increased use of personal protective equipment by staff and find the principles of social distancing difficult to understand and follow.

healthdirect.gov.au

The resources are a fact sheet for clinicians and a poster. These provide important reminders of key actions in the National Safety and Quality Health Services (NSQHS) Standards that remain essential at this time. These include:

• Goals of care discussions with the patient, support person or, if required, the substitute decision maker
• The involvement of carers
• Delirium prevention strategies, and
• The use of antipsychotics only as a last resort.

As a harm reduction measure clinicians should continue to use the strategies of their hospital or health service organisation to keep their patients with cognitive impairment safe.

For reliable information on Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection prevention and control and medicines go to the ACSQHC website.

New Mid-North Coast Staff Publications

New Staff Publications  January - March 2020

Congratulations to the below highlighted Mid-North Coast staff on the publication of their articles.

Callander, D., T. Cook, P. Read, M. E. Hellard, C. K. Fairley, J. M. Kaldor, E. Vlahakis, A. Pollack, C. Bourne, D. B. Russell, R. J. Guy and B. Donovan (2019). "Sexually transmissible infections among transgender men and women attending Australian sexual health clinics." Medical Journal of Australia 211(9): 406-411.

Carroll, V., M. Bramble, A. Wong, D. Schwebel and R. Rossiter (2019). "Cost-effectiveness of a Parkinson's nurse specialist position in rural and regional Australia: A pilot retrospective analysis." Journal of Parkinson's Disease 9 (1): 260.

Malfitano, A. P. S., G. Whiteford and M. Molineux (2019). "Transcending the individual: The promise and potential of collectivist approaches in occupational therapy." Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy: 1-13.

Marks, S. and M. Olenski (2019). "Q fever in the first trimester: A case report from northern rural New South Wales." Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease 4 (2) (no pagination)(90).

Oliffe, M., E. Thompson, J. Johnston, D. Freeman, H. Bagga and P. K. K. Wong (2019). "Assessing the readability and patient comprehension of rheumatology medicine information sheets: a cross-sectional Health Literacy Study." BMJ Open 9(2): e024582.

Parnell, T., G. Whiteford and C. Wilding (2019). "Differentiating occupational decision-making and occupational choice." Journal of Occupational Science 26(3): 442-448.

Peadon, R., J. Hurley and M. Hutchinson (2020). "Hierarchy and medical error: Speaking up when witnessing an error." Safety Science 125: 104648.

Pereira, R. B., G. Whiteford, N. Hyett, G. Weekes, A. Di Tommaso and J. Naismith (2020). "Capabilities, Opportunities, Resources and Environments (CORE): Using the CORE approach for inclusive, occupation-centred practice." Australian occupational therapy journal. 19.

Thompson, D., C. Thompson, N. Nassar and A. Katelaris (2019). "Additional qualifications of trainees in specialist training programs in Australia." BMC Medical Education 19(1): 247.

Walder, K., M. Molineux, M. Bissett and G. Whiteford (2019). "Occupational adaptation - analyzing the maturity and understanding of the concept through concept analysis." Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy: 1-15.

Whiteford, G., K. Jones, G. Weekes, N. Ndlovu, C. Long, D. Perkes and S. Brindle (2019). "Combatting occupational deprivation and advancing occupational justice in institutional settings: Using a practice-based enquiry approach for service transformation." British Journal of Occupational Therapy 83(1): 52-61.

Whiteford, G. E. (2019). "Sylvia docker memorial lecture: Together we go further—Service co-design, knowledge co-production and radical solidarity." Australian Occupational Therapy Journal 66(6): 682-689.

Zecchin, R., D. Candelaria, C. Ferry, L. A. Ladak, D. McIvor, K. Wilcox, A. Bennett, S. Bowen, B. Carr, S. Randall and R. Gallagher (2019). "Development of Quality Indicators for Cardiac Rehabilitation in Australia: A Modified Delphi Method and Pilot Test." Heart, Lung & Circulation 28(11): 1622-1630.

Bowel Cancer Awareness Month

June is Bowel Cancer awareness month.

Source: bowelcanceraustralia.org

103 Australians die every week as a result of bowl cancer, that's 5375 people every year, but bowel cancer is one of the most treatable cancers if diagnosed early. The risk of bowel cancer does increase with age but it does affect both men and women, young and old. Over 15,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year - 300 per week!

You can support Bowel Cancer awareness month by purchasing a virtual ribbon that you can buy for yourself or send to a friend. You might also want to dedicate the ribbon to someone you know who has or had bowel cancer. Go to Bowel Cancer Australia's website to learn more about Bowel Cancer including prevention, early detection and treatment, as well as finding sources of support.

Update of COVID 19 Pandemic

BMJ Best Practice - Update

Globally, 179,112 cases and 7426 deaths have been reported as of 17 March 2020.

Many countries are moving from the containment phase to delay and mitigation phases in order to reduce the peak impact of the virus and slow its spread, as well as reduce the anticipated surge in healthcare use. This includes travel bans and restrictions, and social distancing strategies such as restrictions on public gatherings; closures of schools and universities; closures of cafes, bars, restaurants, and other businesses; and encouraging people to work from home and not to leave the house. Some cities and countries are currently in 'lockdown'.

The World Health Organization (WHO) formally declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on 11 March 2020. "WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a press briefing. "We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. Describing the situation as a pandemic does not change WHO’s assessment of the threat posed by this virus. It doesn’t change what WHO is doing, and it doesn’t change what countries should do," he said. This is the first pandemic to be caused by a coronavirus. It is expected that the number of cases, deaths, and affected countries will increase in the weeks ahead.

                                                                                                    Source: bestpractice.bmj.com

The situation is evolving rapidly with global case counts and deaths increasing each day. 

The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic and rates the global risk assessment as very high.

Community transmission is occurring in many countries, but it is uncertain how easily the virus spreads between people. Clinical trials and investigations to learn more about the virus, its origin, and how it affects humans are ongoing.

Definition

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a potentially severe acute respiratory infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was identified as the cause of an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019.[1]Ren LL, Wang YM, Wu ZQ, et al. Identification of a novel coronavirus causing severe pneumonia in human: a descriptive study. Chin Med J (Engl). 2020 Jan 30 [Epub ahead of print]. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32004165?tool=bestpractice.com 32004165 Fulltext The clinical presentation is that of a respiratory infection with a symptom severity ranging from a mild common cold-like illness, to a severe viral pneumonia leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome that is potentially fatal. (Source: BMJ Best Practice).

MNCLHD staff should use CIAP (BMJ Best Practice is on the Quick Links)or contact their librarian at PMBH or CHHC for a full-text PDF of this update.  The site includes guidelines and patient information.

Elsevier’s free health and medical research on Novel Coronavirus

In Elsevier's Novel Coronavirus Information Center you will find expert information for the research and health community on Novel Coronavirus (also referred to as COVID-19 and its temporary title 2019-nCoV).

Their aim for this website is to open resources to help public health authorities, researchers and clinicians contain and manage this disease. Their resources cover scientific and medical journals and textbooks, educational products, and a variety of other resources, like travel precautions from the CDC and media posts of interest to the community. They have also created a interactive global map of experts based on Scopus data.

All resources are free to access and include guidelines for clinicians and patients.

"MERS Coronavirus Particles" by National Institutes of Health (NIH) is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Every year over 1,510 women in Australia will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

In the last 30 years, other cancers have been able to find fabulous improvements in awareness, funding and survival rates. The same hope is held for women with ovarian cancer. Some progress has been made but there is still a long way to go.

For the position of ovarian cancer and it's sufferers to improve, major changes are needed in awareness, treatment and funding. It's Ovarian Cancer's time to be in the spotlight. Ovarian Cancer Australia are asking ALL Australians to stand with them and take action.

                                                           Source: https://ovariancancer.net.au/

Find information on the Ovarian Cancer Australia website on the signs and symptoms as well as risk factors for ovarian cancer. 

Find out how you can get involved by giving, helping to fundraise, volunteering an more here. If you need help find that out too.

Start investigating today to spread the word.

Novel Coronavirus - Information and Answers

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are found world wide in humans and animals. These viruses cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe disease such as Sever Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

A Novel Coronavirus (CoV) is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans.

                                                                   Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

• What is known and unknown about this virus?
• What you need to do if you have been exposed to a person who has been confirmed as having the virus?
• Do you need to take any action following a recent return from China?
• How can you best look after yourself, your family and your community?
  
  To find these answers and much more go to the NSW Government Ministry of Health website
  Novel coronavirus - Frequently asked questions also provided is a basic Chinese version for those that require it. Read about the history of CoV since it was identified in China in late 2019 here.

More information is available from the World Health Organization and information and resources for health professionals from NSW Health is available here.

MNCLHD Staff Publications

Congratulations to the highlighted MNCLHD staff on their recent publications. Please contact the Library if you would like to read any of these publications.

New Staff Publications December 2019 -January 2020

Ball, R., R. Vaschak, A. Bailey, G. Whiteford, T. L. Burrows, K. Duncanson and C. E. Collins (2019). "Study Protocol of the Parents in Child Nutrition Informing Community (PICNIC) Peer Education Cohort Study to Improve Child Feeding and Dietary Intake of Children Aged Six Months to Three Years Old." Children (Basel) 7(1).

Davis, I. D., A. J. Martin, M. R. Stockler, S. Begbie, K. N. Chi, S. Chowdhury, X. Coskinas, M. Frydenberg, W. E. Hague, L. G. Horvath, A. M. Joshua, N. J. Lawrence, G. Marx, J. McCaffrey, R. McDermott, M. McJannett, S. A. North, F. Parnis, W. Parulekar, D. W. Pook, M. N. Reaume, S. K. Sandhu, A. Tan, T. H. Tan, A. Thomson, E. Tu, F. Vera-Badillo, S. G. Williams, S. Yip, A. Y. Zhang, R. R. Zielinski, C. J. Sweeney, E. T. Investigators, A. the, U. New Zealand and G. Prostate Cancer Trials (2019). "Enzalutamide with Standard First-Line Therapy in Metastatic Prostate Cancer." New England Journal of Medicine 381(2): 121-131.

Dwyer, M., G. Peterson, S. Gall, L. Kinsman, K. Francis, K. Ford, H. Castley, A. Kitsos, T. Hilliard and J. English (2019). "Regional differences in access to acute ischaemic stroke care and patient outcomes." Intern Med J.

Dwyer, M., S. Rehman, T. Ottavi, J. Stankovich, S. Gall, G. Peterson, K. Ford and L. Kinsman (2019). "Urban-rural differences in the care and outcomes of acute stroke patients: Systematic review." Journal of the Neurological Sciences 397: 63-74.

Hallenstein, L. and C. Sorensen (2019). "The ins and outs of a regional cancer genetics service; Review of referral handling and triage processes." Twin Research and Human Genetics 22 (5): 392.

Mersiades, A. J., A. Tognela, P. S. Haber, M. Stockler, N. Lintzeris, J. Simes, I. McGregor, I. Olver, D. J. Allsop, C. Gedye, A. C. Kirby, R. L. Morton, P. Fox, S. Clarke, K. Briscoe, M. Aghmesheh, N. Wong, A. Walsh, C. Hahn and P. Grimison (2018). "Oral cannabinoid-rich THC/CBD cannabis extract for secondary prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a study protocol for a pilot and definitive randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial (CannabisCINV)." BMJ Open 8(9): e020745.

Mesman, J., K. Walsh, L. Kinsman, K. Ford and D. Bywaters (2019). "Blending Video-Reflexive Ethnography With Solution-Focused Approach: A Strengths-Based Approach to Practice Improvement in Health Care." International Journal of Qualitative Methods 18: 1609406919875277.

Moloney, G., M. Sutherland, M. Norton, A. Bowling and I. Walker (2019). "Increasing registrations on the Australian Organ Donor Register." Medical Journal of Australia 210(3): 143-143.e141.

Sutherland, R., A. Brown, N. Nathan, L. Janssen, R. Reynolds, A. Walton, N. Hudson, A. Chooi, S. Yoong, J. Wiggers, A. Bailey, N. Evans, K. Gillham, C. Oldmeadow, A. Searles, P. Reeves, C. Rissel, M. Davies, K. Reilly, B. Cohen, T. McCallum and L. Wolfenden (2019). "Protocol for an effectiveness- implementation hybrid trial to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an m-health intervention to decrease the consumption of discretionary foods packed in school lunchboxes: the 'SWAP IT' trial." BMC Public Health 19(1): 1510.

Valiukas, S., M. Pickering, T. Hall, N. Seneviratne, A. Aitken, F. John-Leader and S. W. Pit (2019). "Sexting and Mental Health Among Young Australians Attending a Musical Festival: A Cross Sext-ional Study." Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking 22(8): 521-528.

Wong, P. K. K. and P. Hanrahan (2018). "Management of vaccination in rheumatic disease." Best Practice & Research in Clinical Rheumatology 32(6): 720-734.

MNCLHD Staff Publications Database – Maintained & updated by HMCN Health Services Library.