Blood lead levels for Australians

Lead continues to be a health issue for children in Mt Isa, Queensland and Port Pirie, SA. The National Health and Medical Research Council's Public Statement on Blood Lead Levels for Australians provides helpful information on when lead exposure, reflected in blood lead levels, becomes of concern and recommends ways to reduce the risks of lead exposure.

The Future of Aged Care in Australia

Providing for quality care in later life is a key concern of Australians as they age. National Seniors Australia has commissioned a report from Access Economics on the future of aged care in Australia. The report covers current issues in aged care such as quality of care, infrastructure requirements and alternative models of funding.

Download the report here.

Evaluating Programs- Resource Sheet

The Australian Institute of Family Studies has published a new fact sheet which can help ensure that programs and services are effective and of high quality. The Resource Sheet is aimed at providing program practitioners and providers with a range of resources relating to conducting program or practice evaluation. The resources have primarily been selected for their suitability for use by practitioners with little or no experience of conducting evaluations. While some of these resources have been prepared for use in disciplines outside of the communities and families sector, they have been included here because they are applicable to providers and practitioners across a range of sectors.

Dementia Risk Reduction

Dementia has a significant impact on our health care system and this is set to increase. In Australia and worldwide, the prevalence of dementia is expected to rise rapidly as the population ages. By 2050, there is predicted to be well over 100 million people living with a diagnosis of dementia. However, a number of modifiable risk factors have consistently been shown to be associated with dementia. There is converging evidence that mental stimulation, social engagement, healthy eating, exercise and prevention or treatment of cardiovascular risk factors may reduce the risk of developing dementia.
This paper not only highlights the need to raise awareness that it is possible to reduce the risk of dementia and also the need to educate Australians about the link between cardiovascular risk factors and an increased risk of dementia.

Revised National Mental Health Standards 2010

The Australian Health Ministers' Council (AHMC) endorsed the revised National Mental Health Standards on 16th September 2010. The standards are available to guide quality care provision across Australia's mental health services. The focus of the original standards released in 1996 was primarily to raise the quality of Australia's acute mental health services. The focus of the revised standards has changed significantly with a large proportion of services now provided in the community, an expansion of non-government and private services and an increased focus on primary mental health care, according to the Chair of AHMC, Minister Hill. To support the broader focus directed towards the non-government sector, public and private services and private office based services, guidelines are being developed to support implementation of the National Standards into practice.

IPART Costs and Outcomes Study

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has released a report examining opportunities to improve efficiency and identify best practice in the NSW health system. The "Costs and Outcomes Study" looks at the pressures on the health system including such factors as the increasing costs of medical technology and rising rates of chronic disease. In order to continue to deliver safe quality patient care it is vital that the NSW health system is sustainable and every dollar is used wisely. The report is available on the IPART website http://www.ipart.nsw.gov.au/

Is Life in Australia Getting Better?

The publication 'Measures of Australia's Progress, 2010' is designed to help Australians address the question, 'Is life in Australia getting better?' Measures of Australia's Progress (MAP) provides a selection of statistical evidence in answer to this question. Broad areas covered include health, population, society, economics, and the environment.

Healing Services for Indigenous People

The strategy of promoting and funding a diverse range of Indigenous-centric services, to help "heal" the social and emotional legacy of colonisation, is gaining ground internationally, and has proven effective in Canada. This paper provides an overview of the literature regarding the emergence of a movement to effect therapeutic healing in Indigenous Australia and the diverse range of practices, including traditional healing practices, this term encompasses.

Alcohol awareness study 2010

The Salvation Army’s annual Alcohol Awareness campaign looks this year at why people drink alcohol, have they tried to reduce the amount they are drinking and if they’ve been unsuccessful in that effort, why? New Roy Morgan Research released by The Salvation Army on Monday, 13 September, concludes the consumption and misuse of alcohol remain major elements of the Australian way of life, however it does have some good news. The research also shows that in the past year 26.5% (approximately 4.8 million people) have deliberately cut down on the amount of alcohol they were drinking at the one time. Nearly 28% (approximately 5 million people) deliberately went without alcohol for a week. Read the full report here.

Investing in children's development: The importance of early relationships

Recent research into brain development in young children has highlighted the importance of secure and supportive relationships for children’s healthy development. This paper outlines why it is so important for families, workers and communities to support children’s early development through warm, nurturing care, particularly for children living in families and communities that are under stress because of poverty, violence and discrimination. Read the full text here.

Revised U.K. guidelines for the management of cutaneous melanoma 2010

These guidelines for the management of cutaneous melanoma present evidence-based guidance for treatment, with identification of the strength of evidence available at the time of preparation of the guidelines, and a brief overview of epidemiology, diagnosis, investigation and follow up. Available to download here.
Wiley Online Library has also made free online the Guidelines for management of atopic dermatitis.

National Palliative Care Performance Indicators

National palliative care performance indicators: results of the 2008 performance indicator data collection presents the findings of the fourth national collection of data from Australia's palliative care sector. The information collected provides information on the extent to which palliative care agencies have met the four national performance indicators that were developed based on the goals and objectives of the National Palliative Care Strategy. The report also presents information on changes to performance (as measured by these performance indicators) that have occurred between the 2008 survey and previous surveys. (AIHW catalogue number (HWI 106))

Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes in Australian Children 2000-2008

Type 1 diabetes is a serious, life-long disease which causes a major health, social and economic burden for individuals with the disease, their families and the community. There were over 8,000 new cases of Type 1 diabetes diagnosed in Australian children between 2000-2008, an average of two new cases every day. But, while the rate of new cases increased significantly over the first part of the decade (2000-2004), there has been little change since 2005. Incidence of Type 1 diabetes in Australian children 2000-2008 presents the latest available national data on new cases of Type 1 diabetes for children from Australia'a National Diabetes Register. (AIHW catalogue number (CVD 51))

When Musculoskeletal Conditions and Mental Disorders Occur Together

The disability and chronic pain due to many musculoskeletal conditions may underlie the development or exacerbation of a variety of mental disorders. This Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report maps the extent of their relationship in the Australian population.

Cost effectiveness of complementary medicines

The National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) commissioned Access Economics to undertake a cost effectiveness analyses of a number of complementary medicine interventions.A Reference Group selected five interventions, based on criteria including burden of disease and quality of evidence. These were:

■ acupuncture for chronic low back pain
■ St John’s wort for depression
■ fish oils for prevention of heart disease
■ fish oils for rheumatoid arthritis
■ Phytodolor for osteoarthritis

The study found that the first 4 of these were extremely cost-effective, with huge potential savings to the nation's medical costs. Read the whole report here.

There has since been much media interest in the report. Frances Gilham on the ABC's Drum Unleashed says the report was fairly and accurately compiled, but headline grabbing has distorted its findings. "Does it show that complementary medicines definitely save the Australian Government millions of dollars if used alongside, or instead of mainstream treatments? Not really. What was not widely reported in the media was that not all the complementary medicines looked at were in fact, cost-effective."