National guide to a preventive health assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

The 2nd edition of the National guide to a preventive health assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (‘National Guide’) has just been published. This edition has been reviewed and updated and includes:

• the National Guide, which contains evidence statements, recommendations, risk calculation tables and an outline of the development of the guide
• the evidence base: the collection of evidence underpinning the guide and recommendations (electronic only) (see the Methodology section ‘Searching the evidence base and drafting recommendations’)
• a child and adult life cycle summary wall chart listing activities recommended at each age group. 

The Red Book

The RACGP has launched the Guidelines for preventive activities in general practice (red book) in a user friendly and interactive format. The red Book is a synthesis of evidence-based guidelines from  Australian and international sources and provides recommendations for everyday use in general practice. 

Snapshots of Life

From the National Institute of Health Director's Blog, comes this interesting post on a new competition featuring spectacular images that scientists have created during the course of their research. The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) launched its BioArt contest so that these images rarely viewed outside a laboratory but worthy of "artistic merit and brimming with educational value" can be showed to a wider audience. 

Access all areas: new solutions for GP shortages in rural Australia

A new report titled Access all areas: new solutions for GP shortages in rural Australia written by Stephen Duckett and Peter Breadon has just been released by the Grattan Institute. Access All Areas, tells a mixed story about Australians' access to general practitioners (GPs). The report looks at how an investment of around $30 million a year would go a long way to solving Australia's worst shortages. The funds would support a greater role for pharmacists, especially in providing repeat prescriptions and vaccinations, and the introduction of a new health worker, the physician assistant, to expand care in remote areas.

Indigenous health podcasts

The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists has developed an indigenous health podcast series as an introduction to working with Indigenous patients.

The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Indigenous health podcast series has been developed to provide an introduction into working with indigenous patients. The topics are all between 5 and 10 minutes and currently cover:

• Asking about indigenous status
• Communication
• Consent
• Culture
• Culture shock (IMGS)
• Diffusing anger
• Pain management
• Pre-operative visit
• Traditional parenting. 

Health expenditure Australia 2011-12

More than $140 billion was spent on health in Australia in 2011-12, according to a report released on September 25, 2013 by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The report, Health expenditure Australia 2011-12, shows health spending was estimated to be $140.2 billion in 2011-12-up from $132.6 billion in 2010-11 and from $82.9 billion 10 years earlier in 2001-02 (after adjusting for inflation).
Almost 70% of total health expenditure during 2011-12 was funded by governments, with the Australian Government contributing 42.4%, and state and territory governments contributing 27.3%. The remaining 30.3% was funded by individuals, private health insurers, and other non-government sources.

7 Classics every doctor should read

This is an article by Richard Gunderman in The Atlantic last week, subtitled "A reminder to think beyond textbooks and journals; to always be a student of the human condition".  Gunderman argues that with science and clinical skills being all important in medical training, humane skills have fallen by the wayside.  Physicians need to be not only knowledgeable, but compassionate and insightful, treating their patients as human beings.  Gunderman suggests seven classics which can enrich doctors' understanding of the human condition.  

Chronic Pain – a major issue in rural Australia

The National Rural Health Alliance has published a 2 page fact sheet on chronic pain.One in five Australians suffer from chronic pain, and it is the most common reason that people seek medical help. It is also Australia's 3rd most costly health condition and more prevalent in rural areas.
Chronic Pain – a major issue in rural Australia- fact sheet.
(you may need to click 'reload' a number of times)

Quality Improvement Made Simple

The Health Foundation (UK) Has released a second edition of its guide "Quality improvement made simple: What everyone should know about healthcare quality improvement". Free to download here.here.

Oxygen therapy in acute myocardial infarction – good or bad?

Most patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) receive oxygen therapy as part of their emergency treatment, initiated by paramedics during transfer and before their first contact with a physician. Many therapies and interventions are not based on proven benefit, but on anecdotal evidence, expert opinion and tradition. This is especially true for oxygen therapy, which is usually not questioned and has been used for over 100 years.  However, is it really harmless?
Read this Cochrane editorial:
Oxygen therapy in acute myocardial infarction –good or bad?  by Pascal Meier, Shah Ebrahim, Catherine M. Otto & Juan P. Casas 

Mentoring programs for Indigenous youth at risk

This resource sheet examines evidence for the effectiveness of mentoring programs in helping to set Indigenous young people at risk of engaging in antisocial and risky behaviour on healthier life pathways. Young Indigenous Australians in some communities face multiple and complex challenges that can put them at high risk of disengaging from their communities, schools and positive life courses.

Mentoring can have powerful and lasting positive impacts on behavioural, academic and vocational outcomes for at-risk-youth.

Full publication available at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/closingthegap/

Patient Topics free to use

UpToDate provides nearly 1,500 easy-to-understand Patient Education topics, which you can email, print or review. On offer are two types of Patient Education topics:
The Basics

• Best for patients who want a general overview

• Short (1-3 page) articles written in plain English language, at a Grade 5-6 reading level

• Answers the 4 or 5 most important questions a person might have about a medical condition

• Best for patients who want more in-depth information

Beyond the Basics

• Longer (5-10 page) articles written at a Grade 11-12 reading level

• Include detailed information and some medical terms

• Include links to related professional topics

Available to both patients and clinicians FREE at www.uptodate.com/home/uptodate-benefits-patients

Diabetes Australia - snapshots and interactive map

Diabetes Australia has release two useful new tools on its National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) website:

Diabetes "key facts and figures" summarise the growth in the prevalence of all types of diabetes in Australia. Over a million Australians are now registered with the scheme and here you can find statistics for each type of diabetes by age group.
 
The interactive geospatial map is a new tool which highlights the continuing growth of the epidemic, showing which communities in Australia are most affected. It combines Australian Census population data with the latest NDSS data to reflect actual diabetes prevalence at a national, state, electorate, local government area and postcode level for all types of diabetes.  

Women's health in WHO Bulletin

The September issue of the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation has the theme of ‘Women’s health beyond reproduction:A new agenda’. It includes articles on topics such as cancer, global mortality trends in older women, risk factors for noncommunicable chronic diseases, physical functioning, diabetes and health prevention.

Health reform in Australia - update

Are we there yet?  A journey of health reform in Australia is an article by Christine Bennett in a recent issue of the Medical Journal of Australia.  Five years on from the establishment of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, the author reviews the context for reform and the actions taken to date, and highlights remaining areas of concern and priority.  Bennett concludes that overall the Australian government’s response has been very positive, but challenges remain in regards to financial sustainability, value-based purchasing, national leadership, social determinants of health and getting the right care in the right place at the right time. 

Medical Journal of Australia (2013), 199(4), 251-255

Prostate cancer survey

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia has published the results of a recent survey which found that young Australian men are aware that prostate cancer is the most important health issue facing men, but know little about the disease or what testing actually involves.

The survey, reported in Prostate Cancer: the next generation, marks the first time in eleven years that Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) has surveyed a younger group -1200 Australian men aged 18 to 50 years - as opposed to the 40-74 age group in previous years.  58% of participants believed prostate cancer to be the most single important health issue facing men. Although 49% believed men should be tested from age 40 onwards, 63% of this year's younger cohort said they know little about the procedures involved in prostate cancer testing.

Asthma reports from the AIHW

Asthma hospitalisations in Australia 2010-11 provides an overview of hospitalisation patterns over time and across population groups. Asthma hospitalisation rates decreased since 1998 by 33% for children and 45% for adults. The rate of hospitalisation for asthma among indigenous Australians was twice that of other Australians, and also higher for people living in areas with lower socioeconomic status.  

The AIHW also recently published Monitoring asthma in pregnancy: a discussion paper  which outlines a proposed approach to a nationally consistent collection of asthma-management data in pregnant women including a review of their asthma condition during the first trimester, and a 4- to 6-weekly review of their asthma throughout their pregnancy.

Allied Health Workforce 2012

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has just released a new report, Allied Health Workforce 2012, outlining the workforce characteristics of 11 categories of allied health practitioners for 2011 and 2012.  In 2012, more than 4 in 5 registered practitioners were actively employed in their profession (from
76.2% for psychologists to 92.3% for podiatrists). For most professions there were more women than men employed, and the average working week for employed practitioners ranged from 31.8 hours for Chinese medicine practitioners to 40.5 hours for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners.

Women's obstetric health in latest MJA

The September issue of the Medical Journal of Australia features a series of articles on women's obstetric health, including:

• "The medical management of missed miscarriage: outcomes from a prospective, single-centre, Australian cohort".  Scot G Petersen et al. MJA 2013; 199(5): 341-6
• "Unexplained variation in hospital caesarean section rates". Yuen Yi (Cathy) Lee et al.  MJA 2013; 199(5): 348-53
• "Changes in alcohol consumption in pregnant Australian women between 2007 and 2011". Cate M Cameron et al. MJA 2013; 199(5): 355-7. 

Contact your hospital library if you need help linking to the full text of the articles.

Intellectual Disability e-learning site

The new Intellectual Disability Mental Health e-learning website promotes better mental health care for people with an intellectual disability by providing free training for health and disability professionals around Australia.  It is a collaborative site, funded by the NSW Department of Family and Community Services, the NSW Ministry of Health and the Health Education and Training Institute.

People with an intellectual disability are at an increased risk of developing a mental disorder, compared to the general population. In the past, mental health professionals have often not had access to specific training to respond to this vulnerable group. This site has a focus on the fundamental skills and knowledge needed for clinical training.  Modules for carers and consumers are in development and will be added to the site.

Australian Guidelines for Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder and PTSD

When an individual's psychological distress following exposure to a traumatic event persists, and is severe enough to interfere with important areas of psychosocial functioning, it is possible that they are suffering a posttraumatic mental health disorder such as PTSD.  The Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health has released The Australian Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, which aims to support high quality treatment of people with PTSD by providing a framework of best practice. While there has been growing consensus about the treatment of ASD and PTSD in recent years, approaches are varied and there is still a gap between evidence-based practice and routine clinical care. 

Accompanying the guidelines are a summary booklet of recommendations, booklets for adults and teenagers affected by trauma, a storybook for children and a practitioner guide for mental health professionals. 

Allied health resources for palliative care

CareSearch, the palliative care knowledge network funded by the Department of Health & Ageing, has just launched its new Allied Health Hub.  Here allied health professionals can find links to evidence based resources, standards, policies, research, forums and much more, all relevant to their palliative patients.  CareSearch also features a Nurses Hub, a GP Hub and a Residential and Aged Care Hub, all aimed at these specific professional groups and topics in palliative care, and delivering evidence based information.

BMJ Open Data

It is becoming more publicised that hidden clinical trial data can undermine a doctor's ability to prescribe with confidence. A whole range of widely used drugs across all fields of medicine have been represented as safer and more effective than they are, endangering people’s lives and wasting public money.

As of January 2013, the British Medical Journal no longer publishes any trial of drugs or devices where the authors do not commit to making the relevant anonymous patient level data available, upon reasonable request.

The new BMJ Open Data page documents some of BMJ's past coverage of adverse outcomes associated with hidden clinical trial date and highlights the continuing extent of the problem as shown in the hidden data special issue, published in 2012.

Bladder and Bowel

The Bladder & Bowel Website provides information on bladder and bowel health to people with bladder control and bowel problems, their family and friends, carers, health professionals, service providers and researchers.This includes information to assist with the prevention and management of bladder and bowel problems.
Access the Department of Health and Aging website: www.bladderbowel.gov.au

Autism - management of autism in children and young people

NICE´s guideline on the management and assessment of children and young people with autism recommends a range of treatments and interventions to help ensure management addresses individual needs. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK believes that health and social care professionals should tailor the management and assessment of children and young people with autism to their individual needs.

Teaching Interns to Speak Up

An article in the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety discusses the need for healthcare workers to learn when and how to speak up.  One group this can be particularly relevant (and difficult) for is junior doctors. This article describes an educational program for interns that successfully improved their knowledge and attitudes regarding speaking up. The program was undertaken by 110 interns at University Hospital Galway in Ireland in 2012 and 2013.

"Excuse Me:" Teaching Interns to Speak Up" Authors: O'Connor, Paul; Byrne, Dara; O'Dea, Angela; McVeigh, Terri P.; Kerin, Michael J. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, Volume 39, Number 9, September 2013 , pp. 426-431(6)Read the abstract here, and contact your Library to gain access to full text.

Autoimmune rheumatic diseases

Two articles in this weeks Lancet journal relate to autoimmune disease:

1.  Systemic lupus erythematosus and other autoimmune rheumatic diseases: challenges to reatment

2.  Immunopathogenic mechanisms of systemic autoimmune disease   

Lancet. Volume 382, Issue 9894,  August 31–September 6, 2013 (contact your library if you cannot access the full text using the above links).