Digital Commons Network^™

Goodbye To All This: The Ordinary Rhythm Of Loss, Alyn Euritt

RadioDoc Review

Sophie Townsend’s Goodbye to All This from BBC World Service is an audio documentary about Townsend’s experience of losing her husband, Russell, to cancer. Beginning with Russell’s diagnosis in the first episode, listeners follow Townsend through his treatment and death, then through the years as she adapts to life without him. The carefully constructed series focuses on Townsend’s personal narrative while situating her within her community. At the same time, the memoir’s precise storytelling and gentle, rhythmic sound design give structure to the podcast’s poignant expression of loss.

Examining The Taxation Profession In Australia – A Framework, Michael Curran, Prem W.S. Yapa

Australasian Accounting, Business and Finance Journal

This paper examines the nature of the taxation profession in Australia and its development over the past three decades and then suggests a framework to analyse important initiatives that have taken place during this period. Using secondary sources and the organizing principles of State, Market and Community (Puxty et al., 1987), we begin with the subject of tax policies and legislation introduced by the state and its impact on the tax profession in Australia. We follow this with a discussion relating to the recognition of Australian tax practice as a profession. The paper then focusses on two key areas of …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Primary Health Care Delivery In Australia, Elizabeth J. Halcomb, Ritin Fernandez, Christine Ashley, Susan Mcinnes, Catherine Stephen, Kaara Calma, Ruth Mursa, Anna Williams, Sharon James

Scopus Harvesting Series

Aims: To validate the ‘safe and effective staffing tool’ and explore the impact of COVID-19 on the quality of Australian primary health care (PHC). Design: A national survey was conducted from October to December 2020. Methods: The online survey was distributed via social media and professional organisations to PHC nurses. Results: Three-hundred fifty-nine PHC nurses participated. A two-factor solution was found with factors named; ‘Perception of quality of care provided’ and ‘Personal satisfaction with care delivered’. Cronbach's alpha demonstrated good internal consistency for the total scale (α =.915) and each subscale (α =.879/α =.864). Nearly three-quarters of participants (71.3%) were …

Great South Coast Economic Migration Project (Gscemp) Evaluation: Community Report, Natascha Klocker, Olivia Dun, Paul Hodge, Eliza Crosbie

Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities - Papers

No abstract provided.

Community Perspectives On The Benefits And Risks Of Technologically Enhanced Communicable Disease Surveillance Systems: A Report On Four Community Juries, Christopher J. Degeling, Stacy M. Carter, Antoine M. Van Oijen, Jeremy Mcanulty, Vitali Sintchenko, Annette J. Braunack-Mayer, Trent Yarwood, Jane Johnson, Gwendolyn L. Gilbert

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Background Outbreaks of infectious disease cause serious and costly health and social problems. Two new technologies – pathogen whole genome sequencing (WGS) and Big Data analytics – promise to improve our capacity to detect and control outbreaks earlier, saving lives and resources. However, routinely using these technologies to capture more detailed and specific personal information could be perceived as intrusive and a threat to privacy. Method Four community juries were convened in two demographically different Sydney municipalities and two regional cities in New South Wales, Australia (western Sydney, Wollongong, Tamworth, eastern Sydney) to elicit the views of well-informed community members …

The Influence Of Cone Age And Urbanisation On The Diversity And Community Composition Of Seed Fungal Endophytes Within Native Australian Banksia Ericifolia L.F. Subsp. Ericifolia, Merize Van Der Merwe

Science, Medicine & Health - Honours Theses

Biodiversity loss worldwide is occurring at an alarming rate due to the continual and increasing influence of anthropogenic disturbances. Understanding how species shift and adapt in these changing urbanised environments while also changing over time is extremely important when considering future ex-situ restoration and renewal practices. Seed fungal endophytes (SFE) comprise a large hidden component of ecosystem diversity and provide plants with a variety of benefits, although major knowledge gaps exist regarding the influence on SFE movement and diversity within both the natural and urbanised environments. Using culturing techniques, morphological analyses and Sanger sequencing, I identified the culturable SFE community …

The Design And Development Of A Community Based Multisensory Room, Pippa Burns, Grant N. Ellmers, Holly Tootell, Susan J. Slowikowski, Carly Pascoe, Andrea R. Garner, S K. Lau, Roselyn M. Dixon, Michael Szafraniec

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: Part B

This case study describes the design and development of a multisensory environment for use by a local community, in response to local needs. Multisensory environments allow users to control the sensory inputs they experience from the environment. This autonomy may be especially impactful for those living with autism or dementia. The evidence base supporting the design, development and implementation of multisensory environments has been limited to date. This case study explores the evolution of the interdisciplinary team from a request for collaboration to the creation of a functioning multisensory room. It describes the experiences of the group of researchers finding …

Shifts In Space And Self: Moving From Community To University, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Erica Southgate, Ann Jardine, Shamus Smith, Janine Delahunty

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

University enrolments have grown at an unprecedented rate over the last decade and this participation is only set to increase (Kemp & Norton, 2014; Universities Australia, 2015). However, rates of completion during the same period have remained relatively static, and the numbers of students who depart university remains significant, consistently hovering between 15-18 per cent of the total Australian student population (Higher Education Standards Panel, 2018). Disproportionate numbers of these early leavers are from rural and remote areas, so exploring how regional and remote learners consider their post-schooling futures can provide some insight into the fundamental issues behind this attrition. …

Cross-Sectional Study Of Area-Level Disadvantage And Glycaemic-Related Risk In Community Health Service Users In The Southern.Iml Research (Simlr) Cohort, Roger Cross, Andrew D. Bonney, Darren J. Mayne, Kathryn M. Weston

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objectives. The aim of the present study was to determine the association between area-level socioeconomic disadvantage and glycaemic-related risk in health service users in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region of New South Wales, Australia. Methods. HbA1c values recorded between 2010 and 2012 for non-pregnant individuals aged 18 years were extracted from the Southern.IML Research (SIMLR) database. Individuals were assigned quintiles of the Socioeconomic Indices for Australia (SEIFA) Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage (IRSD) according to their Statistical Area 1 of residence. Glycaemic risk categories were defined as HbA1c 5.0-5.99% (lowest risk), 6.0-7.49% (intermediate risk) and 7.5% (highest risk). Logistic regression models were …

Evidence For Sample Selection Effect And Hawthorne Effect In Behavioural Hiv Prevention Trial Among Young Women In A Rural South African Community, Molly Rosenberg, Audrey Pettifor, Rhian Twine, James Hughes, F Gomez-Olive, Ryan Wagner, Afolabi Sulaimon, Stephen Tollman, Amanda Selin, Catherine L. Mac Phail, Kathleen Kahn

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives We examined the potential influence of both sample selection effects and Hawthorne effects in the behavioural HIV Prevention Trial Network 068 study, designed to examine whether cash transfers conditional on school attendance reduce HIV acquisition in young South African women. We explored whether school enrolment among study participants differed from the underlying population, and whether differences existed at baseline (sample selection effect) or arose during study participation (Hawthorne effect). Methods We constructed a cohort of 3889 young women aged 11-20 years using data from the Agincourt Health and socio-Demographic Surveillance System. We compared school enrolment in 2011 (trial start) …

Overcoming Barriers To Use Of Child Car Seats In An Urban Aboriginal Community—Formative Evaluation Of A Program For Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, Lisa Keay, Kate Hunter, Martyn Ralph, Bobby Porykali, Marilyn Lyford, Kathleen F. Clapham, Winston Lo, Rebecca Ivers

Australian Health Services Research Institute

Background

Little is known about the barriers to use of child car seats in Australian Aboriginal communities, or the acceptability of programs to increase appropriate car seat use. This formative evaluation sought to consult and partner with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) to develop and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a program intended to improve optimal use of child car seats.

Methods

Focus groups were conducted with parents and carers of Aboriginal children to identify the barriers and facilitating factors for child car seat use, and staff of two ACCHS were interviewed to inform program development. Following the …

Should Women Aged 70-74 Be Invited To Participate In Screening Mammography? A Report On Two Australian Community Juries, Christopher J. Degeling, Alexandra Barratt, Sanchia Aranda, Robin J. Bell, Jenny Doust, Nehmat Houssami, Jolyn Hersch, Ruben Sakowsky, Vikki A. Entwistle, Stacy M. Carter

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective To elicit informed views from Australian women aged 70-74 regarding the acceptability of ceasing to invite women their age to participate in government-funded mammography screening (BreastScreen). Design Two community juries held in 2017. Setting Greater Sydney, a metropolis of 4.5 million people in New South Wales, Australia. Participants 34 women aged 70-74 with no personal history of breast cancer, recruited by random digit dialling and previously randomly recruited list-based samples. Main outcomes and measures Jury verdict and rationale in response to structured questions. We transcribed audio-recorded jury proceedings and identified central reasons for the jury's decision. Results The women's …

The Effects And Impact Of Second-Hand Cannabis Smoke Exposure On Nurses Working In The Community, Miguel Iglesias, Joy Pertile, Luke J. Molloy, Alex Chan

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: Part B

This article explores the work, health and safety risks that may be associated with the exposure of nurses to second-hand cannabis smoke while working in the community. Emerging evidence suggests the benefits of cannabis in the treatment of several chronic and terminal illnesses. This has led to some countries, like Australia, decriminalising or legalising the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. Smoked cannabis is one of several routes of administration. However, cannabis smoke may have an impact on those in close proximity to the consuming patient. As a result, community healthcare workers, including nurses, may passively inhale cannabis substances while …

Completion Rates And Psychosocial Intervention Effectiveness In An Australian Substance Use Therapeutic Community, Michael Harley, Sabrina Pit, Trent Rees, Susan J. Thomas

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: Part B

Background: Program attrition is a major problem in substance use treatment. It is not clear which client and treatment variables are related to successful completion. This study aimed to identify client variables associated with Therapeutic Community (TC) completion. A secondary aim was to investigate changes in entry and exit scores on psychosocial outcome measures. Methods: Retrospective quantitative analysis of data collected from 193 Australian TC residents, over 3.5 years. Variables measured included: demographics; Depression, Anxiety, Stress Score (DASS-21) and World Health Organisation Quality of Life 8 questions (WHOQOL-8). Results: Completion rates were 30.6%. High Money WHOQOL-8 scores, suggestive of minimal …

Can Your Community Cope With Rising Tides?, Timothy Ramm, Christopher White, Christopher Watson, Sonia Graham

Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities - Papers

As Texas and the Caribbean recover from the North Atlantic hurricane season, it is time for coastal communities to reflect on what makes a resilient community in the face of more frequent storm events, rising sea levels and changing coastal flooding patterns. How would you be affected? Would we fare any better in Australia?

Big Food And Corporate Social Responsibility: Deception Or Public Good?, Zoe Nicole Richards

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Ultra-processed foods and SSB products are produced and sold by ‘Big Food’. Big Food is a term used by many public health experts to describe large multinational ultra-processed foods and beverage companies, specifically fast food restaurants, soft drink companies, and large packaged food manufactures that annual sales rank within the world’s top 100 food and beverage companies. Big Food companies assert that corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies (e.g. sponsoring junior sport, environmental programs) are a way for corporations to give back to the community and contribute to social good. However, public health experts question the motives of Big Food companies …

Preserving Cinemas, Constructing Community: Intersections Of Policy, Place-Making, Memory And Belonging In Rural Nsw Community Cinema Restoration Projects, Karen Crowe

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

This thesis adopts a constructionist approach to meaning-making, adapted by feminists and poststructuralist geographers to conceptualise the relationships between people and place identities. I use these theoretical tools to discuss four small NSW towns where single-screen cinemas constructed in the mid-first half of the 20th Century have been the subject of grassroots campaigns and State government policies supporting their preservation and restoration as community cinemas between 1977-2005. Campaign, place-making and policy discourses surrounding these projects suggest that the value of these cinemas now lies in their significance for an ongoing sense of community in their towns. For some, cinema preservation …

The Role Of Community Sports Clubs In Adolescent Mental Health: The Perspectives Of Adolescent Males' Parents, Diarmuid Hurley, Christian F. Swann, Mark S. Allen, Anthony D. Okely, Stewart A. Vella

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Adolescent males are at relatively high risk of developing mental health disorders and show low rates of help seeking when mental health disorders arise. Parents are the primary source of support for adolescents and therefore have an important role in mental health promotion and prevention of mental health disorders. The aim of this study was to examine the perceptions of adolescent males' parents on the potential role of community sport clubs in adolescent mental health promotion. Forty-six parents of adolescent males took part in 10 focus groups to investigate parents' mental health knowledge, beliefs and attitudes, perceptions of the role …

Healing At Home: Developing A Model For Ambulatory Alcohol "Detox" In An Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service, Jonathan Brett, Angela Dawson, Rowena G. Ivers, Leanne Lawrence, Sarah Barclay, Kate M. Conigrave

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Indigenous Peoples who have been colonized typically face a greater burden of injury, disease, and social disruption associated with alcohol use (Kirmayer, Brass, & Tait, 2000). However, they often also encounter many barriers to accessing treatment for alcohol use disorders (Gray, Stearne, Wilson, & Doyle, 2010). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (here described as Aboriginal Australians) experience 3-8 times the prevalence of alcohol-related illness, injury, and death than the general population (Calabria, Doran, Vos, Shakeshaft, & Hall, 2010). But their barriers to treatment access for alcohol dependence include transport difficulties, fear of discrimination, and lack of culturally secure services …

Community Mobilization For Hiv Testing Uptake: Results From A Community Randomized Trial Of A Theory-Based Intervention In Rural South Africa, Sheri Lippman, Torsten Neilands, Catherine L. Mac Phail, Dean Peacock, Suzanne Maman, Dumisani Rebombo, Rhian Twine, Amanda Selin, Hannah Leslie, Kathleen Kahn, Audrey Pettifor

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: HIV testing uptake in South Africa is below optimal levels. Community mobilization (CM) may increase and sustain demand for HIV testing, however, little rigorous evidence exists regarding the effect of CM interventions on HIV testing and the mechanisms of action.

Methods: We implemented a theory-driven CM intervention in 11 of 22 randomly-selected villages in rural Mpumalanga Province. Cross-sectional surveys including a community mobilization measure were conducted before (n = 1181) and after (n = 1175) a 2-year intervention (2012–2014). We assessed community-level intervention effects on reported HIV testing using multilevel logistic models. We used structural equation models to explore …

All Care, But Whose Responsibility? Community Juries Reason About Expert And Patient Responsibilities In Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening For Prostate Cancer, Chris Degeling, Stacy M. Carter, Lucie Rychetnik

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

General practitioners have implicitly been given responsibility for guiding men's decisions about prostate-specific antigen-based screening for prostate cancer, but patients' expectations of the bounds of this responsibility remain unclear. We sought to explore how well-informed members of the public allocate responsibilities in prostate-specific antigen screening decision-making. In 2014, we convened two Community juries in Sydney, Australia, to address questions related to the content and timing of information provision and respective roles of patients and general practitioners in screening decisions. Participants in the first jury were of mixed gender and of all ages (n = 15); the participants in the second …

Cjcheck Stage 1: Development And Testing Of A Checklist For Reporting Community Juries - Delphi Process And Analysis Of Studies Published In 1996-2015, Rae Thomas, Rebecca Sims, Christopher J. Degeling, Jackie M. Street, Stacy M. Carter, Lucie Rychetnik, Jenny Whitty, Andrew Wilson, Paul Ward, Paul Glasziou

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Opportunities for community members to actively participate in policy development are increasing. Community/citizen's juries (CJs) are a deliberative democratic process aimed to illicit informed community perspectives on difficult topics. But how comprehensive these processes are reported in peer‐reviewed literature is unknown. Adequate reporting of methodology enables others to judge process quality, compare outcomes, facilitate critical reflection and potentially repeat a process. We aimed to identify important elements for reporting CJs, to develop an initial checklist and to review published health and health policy CJs to examine reporting standards. Design Using the literature and expertise from CJ researchers and policy …

A Virtual Community Of Practice For General Practice Training: A Preimplementation Survey, Stephen Barnett, Sandra C. Jones, Sue Bennett, Donald C. Iverson, Laura Robinson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Professional isolation is an important factor in low rural health workforce retention.

Objective: The aim of this study was to gain insights to inform the development of an implementation plan for a virtual community of practice (VCoP) for general practice (GP) training in regional Australia. The study also aimed to assess the applicability of the findings of an existing framework in developing this plan. This included ascertaining the main drivers of usage, or usefulness, of the VCoP for users and establishing the different priorities between user groups.

Methods: A survey study, based on the seven-step health VCoP framework, was …

The Community Strength Model: A Proposal To Invest In Existing Aboriginal Intellectual Capital, Michelle J. Eady

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Indigenous communities have strengths and wisdom beyond Westernized culture’s recognition and understanding. However, there continues to be significant difference in literacy and life skills between Indigenous and non-Indigenous adults. In this article, I reflect on a project that investigated how technology could best support adult literacy learners in an Australian Indigenous community. The project provided insights into how local people perceive the concept of literacy and the significant role it plays in critical thinking and quality decision making. The aim of my research was to create a set of principles to support adult literacy learners, which could be interpreted and …

Illawarra Aboriginal Community Profile: A Snapshot Of An Urban Aboriginal Community, Kathleen F. Clapham, Scott F. Winch, Valerie Harwood, Peter James Kelly, Paul A. Chandler, Kate Senior, Darcelle Wu

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This community profile report provides information about the Aboriginal population of the Illawarra Region. It is intended to begin a discussion about how research can contribute to the social health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people. The report highlights disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians that are apparent not only in the health statistics but also in almost every key socioeconomic indicator.

However the report is not just about ill-health and disadvantage. The Illawarra region has numerous well-established Aboriginal-controlled organisations which provide important leadership and social health and wellbeing services for Aboriginal people, many of which have survived within the region …

Improving The Uptake Of Pre-Travel Health Advice Amongst Migrant Australians: Exploring The Attitudes Of Primary Care Providers And Migrant Community Groups, Holly Seale, Rajneesh Kaur, Abela Mahimbo, C Raina Macintyre, Nicholas Arnold Zwar, Mitchell Smith, Heather Worth, Anita Heywood

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background: Migrant travellers who return to their country of origin to visit family and friends (VFR) are less likely to seek travel-related medical care and are less likely to adhere to recommended medications and travel precautions. Through this study, we aimed to get an understanding of the views of stakeholders from community migrant centres and primary care providers on barriers for migrants, particularly from non-English speaking backgrounds, in accessing travel health advice and the strategies that could be used to engage them. Methods: A qualitative study involving 20 semi-structured interviews was undertaken in Sydney, Australia between January 2013 and September …

A Semantic Web Vision For An Intelligent Community Transport Service Brokering System, S K. Lau, Reza R. Zamani, Willy Susilo

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Advances in semantic web research in recent years offer an opportunity for heterogeneous objects to exchange data and information in an interoperable way to make data and services machine-accessible and machine-processable. This paper describes a semantic web vision for an intelligent community transport service brokering system. The use of ontological approach to develop a semantic web brokering system opens up the data set for agent-based planning in reservation and scheduling. As ontologies are the building blocks of the semantic web and small simple ontologies are often constructed individually by different users, ontology integration approach is proposed to achieve data interoperability …

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (Moca) Is Sensitive To Head Injury And Cognitive Impairment In A Residential Alcohol And Other Drug Therapeutic Community, Ely Marceau, Jo Lunn, Jamie Berry, Peter Kelly, Nadia Solowij

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Introduction: Retaining clients in residential alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment is difficult and cognitive impairment has been identified as a significant predictor of treatment dropout. The application of extensive screening for cognitive impairment is cost-prohibitive for most AOD treatment services. The current study aimed to explore cognitive functioning and impairment-associated factors in a typical sample of residential AOD clients using a free brief screening tool that could be utilised by front-line AOD services. Methods: Residents of an AOD therapeutic community (n = 128) and a non-substance using control group (n = 37) were administered a brief cognitive screening measure, …

Learning To Walk The Community Of Practice Tightrope, Denise A. Edgar, Rosie Watson, Sherro Towle, Joanne Mcloughlin, Amanda Paloff, Sonia Markocic, Joanne T. Joyce-Mccoach, Vida V. Bliokas, Janine M. Bothe

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: The Community of Practice Research was established as a new local health district service initiative. The community comprises novice and experienced multidisciplinary health researchers. Aims: This paper reflects our experience of being Community of Practice Research members and aims to explore the practice development principles aligned to the purpose, progress and outcomes of this community. Conclusions: The journey is compared to walking a tightrope from the beginning to the end. Success in moving forward is attributed to positive leadership and group dynamics enabling a supportive environment. This environment allowed for different types of learning: new research skills and new …

Why We Belong - Exploring Membership Of Healthcare Professionals In An Intensive Care Virtual Community Via Online Focus Groups: Rationale And Protocol, Kaye D. Rolls, Margaret Hansen, Debra Jackson, Doug Elliott

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: Part B

Background: Many current challenges of evidence-based practice are related to ineffective social networks among health care professionals. Opportunities exist for multidisciplinary virtual communities to transcend professional and organizational boundaries and facilitate important knowledge transfer. Although health care professionals have been using the Internet to form virtual communities for many years, little is known regarding "why" they join, as most research has focused on the perspective of "posters," who form a minority of members. Objective: Our aim was to develop a comprehensive understanding of why health care professionals belong to a virtual community (VC). Methods: A qualitative approach will be used …