Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Incidence And Mortality Of Uveal Melanoma In Australia (1982–2014), Aaron B. Beasley, David B. Preen, Samuel Mclenachan, Elin S. Gray, Fred K. Chen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aims:

We aimed to estimate the incidence and mortality of uveal melanoma (UM) in Australia from 1982 to 2014.

Methods:

Deidentified unit data for all cases of ocular melanoma were extracted from the Australian Cancer Database from 1 January 1982 to 31 December 2014. UM cases were extracted and trends in incidence and disease-specific mortality were calculated. Incidence rates were age-standardised against the 2001 Australian Standard Population. Mortality was assessed using Cox regression.

Results:

From 1982 to 2014, there were 5087 cases of ocular melanoma in Australia, of which 4617 were classified as UM. The average age-standardised incidence rate of …

Overview Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health Status, 2020, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health status (the Overview) aims to provide a comprehensive outline of the most recent indicators of the health and current health status of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The initial sections of the Overview provide information about the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, social determinants, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population and measures of population health status including births, mortality and hospitalisation...

Summary Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health Status - Selected Topics 2020, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The Summary of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health status - selected topics 2020 is a useful source of the most recent national information for health workers and those studying in the field. It provides general information regarding the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the following topics:

• social and cultural determinants
• births and deaths
• hospitalisations
• chronic conditions (including CVD, cancer, diabetes and kidney health)
• sexually transmitted infections
• environmental health
• social and emotional wellbeing
• alcohol and other drug use.

The Summary is based on the Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health status 2020 and …

Covid-19 Governance, Legitimacy, And Sustainability: Lessons From The Australian Experience, Michael Lester, Marie Dela Rama, Julie Crews

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

During 2020, Australia managed the global and systemic COVID-19 crisis successfully as measured by health and economic indicators. It marshalled the government’s delivery capacity to control the health crisis and put in place measures to offset the induced economic and social costs. At the same time, the crisis revealed long-standing structural weaknesses in a small, democratic, wealthy, and economically successful country that raised questions about post COVID resilience and sustainability. This paper examines that experience by applying a “co-production” governance model that sees success in “crisis management” as the striking of a balance between government capacity and its legitimacy in …

An Outbreak Of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H7n7) In Australia And The Potential For Novel Influenza A Viruses To Emerge, Andrew T. Bisset, Gerard F. Hoyne

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In 2020, several geographically isolated farms in Victoria, Australia, experienced an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus H7N7 and low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses H5N2 and H7N6. Effective containment and control measures ensured the eradication of these viruses but the event culminated in substantial loss of livestock and significant economic impact. The avian HPAI H7N7 virus generally does not infect humans; however, evidence shows the ocular pathway presents a favourable tissue tropism for human infection. Through antigenic drift, mutations in the H7N7 viral genome may increase virulence and pathogenicity in humans. The Victorian outbreak also detected LPAI …

Prevalence Of Distress, Its Associated Factors And Referral To Support Services In People With Cancer, Deborah Kirk, Istvan (Ishti) Kabdebo, Lisa Whitehead

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aims and objectives:

To (i) characterise prevalence of distress amongst people diagnosed with cancer, (ii) determine factors associated with increasing distress, (iii) describe reported problems for those with clinically significant distress and (iv) investigate the factors associated with referral to support services.

Background:

International studies report a high prevalence of clinically significant distress in people with cancer. Australian studies are notably lacking. Additionally, clinicians still do not fully understand the factors associated with cancer-related distress.

Design:

Period prevalence study.

Methods:

Distress screening data were analysed for 1,071 people accessing the Cancer Council Western Australia information and support line between 01/01/2016–31/12/2018. …

Injury Deaths In Australian Sport And Recreation: Identifying And Assessing Priorities For Prevention, Lauren V. Fortington, Andrew S. Mcintosh, Caroline F. Finch

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction

Sport and recreation is beneficial for health and wellbeing but comes with a probability of loss, including occasional fatal injuries. Following high-profile injury deaths in Australia, concerns are raised regarding the safety of sport participation. To understand the scale and scope of injury deaths, and identify potential prevention opportunities, the aim of this investigation was to describe the number and nature of fatal injuries in Australian sport and recreation.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study of injury deaths reported between 1 July 2000 to 31 December 2019 using data from the National Coronial Information System, Australia. Unintentional deaths …

A Survey To Evaluate The Association Of Covid-19 Restrictions On Perceived Mood And Coping In Australian Community Level Athletes, Caitlin Fox-Harding, Sarah A. Harris, Shane L. Rogers, Shayne Vial, Philipp Beranek, Mitchell Turner, Travis Cruickshank

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Australian community level athletes faced unprecedented changes to their training andcompetition options as the global COVID-19 pandemic took a stronghold. This disruptionwas predicted to have a negative impact on emotional well-being as communitiesbraced through periods of social isolation and physical distancing requirements. Thisstudy provides an Australian perspective on the emotional well-being of communitylevel athletes and the extent to which they coped during the COVID-19 pandemic.Emotional well-being and coping were measured using the Brief Emotional ExperienceScale and the 28-item Brief Cope Scale. Both instruments were administered alongwith other questions pertaining to participant demographics and training status via anonline survey between April …

Complete Genome Assemblies Of Three Highly Prevalent, Toxigenic Clostridioides Difficile Strains Causing Health Care-Associated Infections In Australia, Keeley O'Grady, Thomas V. Riley, Daniel R. Knight

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of life-threatening health care-related gastrointestinal illness worldwide. Phylogenetically appropriate closed reference genomes are essential for studies of C. difficile transmission and evolution. Here, we provide high-quality complete hybrid genome assemblies for the three most prevalent C. difficile strains causing CDI in Australia.

Early Childhood Caries, Primary Caregiver Oral Health Knowledge And Behaviours And Associated Sociological Factors In Australia: A Systematic Scoping Review, Lesley Andrew, Ruth M. Wallace Mrs, Nicole Wickens, Jilen Patel

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Early childhood caries disproportionately affects vulnerable groups and remains a leading cause of preventable hospital admissions for Western Australian children. The Western Australia State Oral Health Plan seeks to improve child oral health through universal and targeted health promotion initiatives with primary caregivers. These initiatives require evidence of primary caregiver oral health knowledge and behaviours and baseline data on early childhood caries. The objective of this systematic scoping review was to understand current oral health knowledge and practices of primary caregivers of children aged 0–4 years, identify influential socioecological determinants, and identify data on early childhood caries in the …

Sharing Is Caring: A Study Of Food-Sharing Practices In Australian Early Childhood Education And Care Services, Ruth Wallace, Karen Lombardi, Charlotte De Backer, Leesa Costello, Amanda Devine

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Food connects people, and can significantly impact the physical, social and emotional development of young children. Food sharing and family-style mealtimes can support healthy eating practices and psychological well-being among young children, and carersother than family members, such as Early Childhood Education and Care staff, play an important role in the provision of these practices. Despite increasing numbers of Australian children attending Early Childhood Education and Care services, there is often reluctance among staff to promote such mealtime practices, to the detriment of children's social and emotional development. The aim of this paper was to focus on the potential role …

Effectiveness Of A Structured, Framework-Based Approach To Implementation: The Researching Effective Approaches To Cleaning In Hospitals (Reach) Trial, Lisa Hall, Nicole M. White, Michelle Allen, Alison Farrington, Brett G. Mitchell, Katie Page, Kate Halton, Thomas V. Riley, Christian A. Gericke, Nicholas Graves, Anne Gardner

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

BACKGROUND: Implementing sustainable practice change in hospital cleaning has proven to be an ongoing challenge in reducing healthcare associated infections. The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable framework-based approach to implement and quantitatively evaluate the implementation of evidence-based practice change in hospital cleaning. DESIGN/METHODS: The Researching Effective Approaches to Cleaning in Hospitals (REACH) trial was a pragmatic, stepped-wedge randomised trial of an environmental cleaning bundle implemented in 11 Australian hospitals from 2016 to 2017. Using a structured multi-step approach, we adapted the integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARIHS) framework to support rigorous and …

Validation And Reliability Of The Alzheimer’S Disease-Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation Food Frequency Questionnaire, Samantha L. Gardener, Philippa Lyons-Wall, Ralph Martins, Stephanie Rainey-Smith

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Accuracy in measuring intake of dietary constituents is an important issue in studies reporting the associations between diet and chronic diseases. We modified a Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to include foods of interest in the field of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research. The aim of the current study was to determine the reliability and validity of the AD-CSIROFFQ in 148 cognitively normal older adults. The AD-CSIROFFQ was completed before and after completion of a four-day weighed food record. Of the 508 food and beverage items reported, 309 had sufficient consumption levels for analysis of …

Clarifying Workforce Flexibility From A Division Of Labor Perspective: A Mixed Methods Study Of An Emergency Department Team, Sarah Wise, Christine Duffield, Margaret Fry, Michael Roche

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: The need for greater flexibility is often used to justify reforms that redistribute tasks through the workforce. However, "flexibility" is never defined or empirically examined. This study explores the nature of flexibility in a team of emergency doctors, nurse practitioners (NPs), and registered nurses (RNs), with the aim of clarifying the concept of workforce flexibility. Taking a holistic perspective on the team's division of labor, it measures task distribution to establish the extent of multiskilling and role overlap, and explores the behaviors and organizational conditions that drive flexibly.

Methods: The explanatory sequential mixed methods study was set in the …

Summary Of Cardiovascular Health Among Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This Summary describes different types of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and how common they are among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It highlights the differences in how groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – such as women and men, or older and younger people – experience CVD. It describes some improvements in the cardiovascular health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It also gives examples of the many good things that are being done on the ground to prevent illness and improve CVD care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Summary Of Kidney Health Among Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

No abstract provided.

A Bitter Pill To Swallow: Registered Nurses And Medicines Regulation In Remote Australia, Katie R. Pennington, Kim D. Clark, Sabina Knight

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

INTRODUCTION: Access to essential medicines is a human right and an objective of the National Medicines Policy in Australia. Health workforce distribution characteristics in remote Australia implies registered nurses (RNs) may find themselves responsible for a broader range of activities in the medication management cycle than they would be elsewhere in the nation. The regulation of health professionals and their training requirements provides essential but complex protections for the public. These protections include the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for health practitioners and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Other levels of control or regulation are also exerted over health …

Australian Consumers Are Willing To Pay For The Health Star Rating Front-Of-Pack Nutrition Label, Sheri L. Cooper, Lucy M. Butcher, Simone D. Scagnelli, Johnny Lo, Maria M. Ryan, Amanda Devine, Therese A. O’Sullivan

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation has supported the recommendations set out in the 2019 Health Star Rating System Five Year Review Report. Specifically, the forum supported, in principle, Recommendation 9, to mandate the Health Star Rating if clear uptake targets were not achieved while the system is voluntary. Given that mandatory labelling is being considered, it is important to investigate how much consumers value the Health Star Rating in order to understand potential consumer uptake and inform industry. The aim of this study was to assess …

First Age- And Gender-Matched Case-Control Study In Australia Examining The Possible Association Between Toxoplasma Gondii Infection And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The Busselton Health Study, Aus Molan, Kazunori Nosaka, Michael Hunter, Jinxia Zhang, Xiaoni Meng, Manshu Song, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

An emerging field of research is starting to examine the association of infectious pathogens with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). An understudied parasite of interest is Toxoplasma gondii. Globally, very few studies have been conducted to investigate this association. Additionally, very little data exists on the prevalence of T. gondii in the general Australian population. Our group sought to determine the prevalence, association, and risk factors between T. gondii infection and T2DM from a representative Australian human population. Through a cross-sectional, age-A nd gender-matched case-control study, 150 subjects with T2DM together with 150 control subjects from the Busselton Health Study …

A Study Of The Food Environment At Australian Family Day Care, Ruth Wallace, Brennen Mills

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Overweight and obesity in childhood is a significant public health issue. Family day care (FDC) offers a setting where good eating habits can be nurtured in young children, yet often the food environment is unhealthy. This study aims to determine FDC educators’ knowledge and confidence about nutrition and the barriers and enablers to supporting healthy food environments. Australian FDC educators were recruited to a mixed methods study using self-administered e-surveys and qualitative in-depth interviews. The survey data (n = 188) revealed good knowledge about sugary foods, but poor knowledge of protein-rich foods. Nutrition knowledge was not associated with confidence …

Nurse Practitioner Leadership And Research Activity [Slides], Mary Ryder, Elisabeth Jacob, Joyce Hendricks

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Conclusion:

• Nurse Practitioners in both Ireland and Australia identify themselves as leaders of the nursing profession.
• NP work practices are primarily focused on provision of direct patient care.
• Research activity is lacking among NPs.
• Leadership ability influences research outcomes for NPs in both Ireland and Australia.

Perceptions And Experiences Of Emergency Department Staff During The Implementation Of The Four-Hour Rule/National Emergency Access Target Policy In Australia: A Qualitative Social Dynamic Perspective, Roberto Forero, Shizar Nahidi, Josephine De Costa, Daniel Fatovich, Gerry Fitzgerald, Sam Toloo, Sally Mccarthy, David Mountain, Nick Gibson, Mohammed Mohsin, Wing Nicola Man

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: The Four-Hour Rule or National Emergency Access Target policy (4HR/NEAT) was implemented by Australian State and Federal Governments between 2009 and 2014 to address increased demand, overcrowding and access block (boarding) in Emergency Departments (EDs). This qualitative study aimed to assess the impact of 4HR/NEAT on ED staff attitudes and perceptions. This article is part of a series of manuscripts reporting the results of this project. Methods: The methodology has been published in this journal. As discussed in the methods paper, we interviewed 119 participants from 16 EDs across New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), Western Australia (WA) and …

Nurse Practitioners Perceptions On Leadership And Research [Slides], Mary Ryder, Elisabeth Jacob, Joyce Hendricks

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Conclusion:

• Participants identified themselves as clinical leaders focused on direct patient care
• The NP role was misunderstood
• Support from nursing academics and management was identified as a research opportunity
• Confidence in research abilities was a barrier to research
• The NP role was similar in Ireland and Australia

Implementation Of Continuous Quality Improvement In Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care In Australia: A Scoping Systematic Review, Karen Gardner, Beverly Sibthorpe, Mier Chan, Ginny Sargent, Michelle Dowden, Daniel Mcaullay

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

BACKGROUND: Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) programs have been taken up widely by Indigenous primary health care (PHC) services in Australia and there has been national policy commitment to support this. However, international evidence shows that implementing CQI is challenging, impacts are variable and little is known about the factors that impede or enhance effectiveness. A scoping review was undertaken to explore uptake and implementation in Indigenous PHC, including barriers and enablers to embedding CQI in routine practice. We provide guidance on how research and evaluation might be intensified to support implementation.

METHODS: Searches were conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL and the …

What Are The Characteristics Of Vitamin D Metabolism In Opioid Dependence? An Exploratory Longitudinal Study In Australian Primary Care, Albert Stuart Reece, Gary Hulse

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

OBJECTIVE: Compare vitamin D levels in opioid dependence and control population and adjust for relevant confounding effects. Nuclear hormone receptors (including the vitamin D receptor) have been shown to be key transducers and regulators of intracellular metabolism and comprise an important site of pathophysiological immune and metabolic dysregulation potentially contributing towards pro-ageing changes observed in opioid-dependent patients (ODPs).

DESIGN: Longitudinal prospective comparing ODPs with general medical controls (GMCs).

SETTING: Primary care.

PARTICIPANTS: Prospective review comparing 1168 ODP (72.5% men) and 415 GMC (51.6% men, p

INTERVENTIONS: Nil. Observational study only.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES: Serum vitamin D levels and relevant …

Low-Level Cadmium Exposure And Cardiovascular Outcomes In Elderly Australian Women: A Cohort Study, Kane Deering, Anna C. Callan, Richard Prince, Wai Lim, Peter Thompson, Joshua Lewis, Andrea Hinwood, Amanda Devine

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Cadmium has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in observational studies, however there has been a limited focus on this relationship in women.

Objectives

This study investigated the association of urinary cadmium (UCd) concentrations with CVD outcomes and all-cause mortality in elderly Western Australian (WA) women.

Methods

UCd excretion was measured at baseline in 1359 women, mean age 75.2 ± 2.7 years and 14.5 years of atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD) hospitalisations and deaths, including both the principle cause of death and all associated causes of death. Health outcome data were retrieved from the Western Australian Data …

Nurse-Led Primary Health Care For Homeless Men: A Multimethods Descriptive Study, Michael A. Roche, Christine M. Duffield, Judith Smith, Dana A. Kelly, Robyn Cook, Jen M. Bichel-Findlay, Carla Saunders, David J. Carter

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aim: To explore the primary healthcare needs and health service use of homeless men in inner Sydney. Background: People experiencing homelessness have greater health needs than the general population and place high demands on tertiary care, which is expensive and may not be the optimum service for their needs. Accessible, approachable and affordable primary healthcare services could improve the health of homeless persons and potentially decrease costs to the healthcare system. Methods: A multimethod design using a cross-sectional survey (n = 40) and administrative data (n = 2 707 daily summaries) collected from a nurse-led primary healthcare clinic for homeless …

Vulnerable, Single And Living In Poverty: Women’S Challenges To Accessing Food In The Australian Capital Territory, Tanya Lawlis, Amanda Devine, Penney Upton

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective: To explore challenges to food access faced by vulnerable women living in the Australian Capital Territory and surrounds.

Method: Qualitative study comprising semi‐structured interviews supplemented with quantitative demographic data.

Results:Forty‐one women, mean age of 43 years, living in government and community housing who had an income of

Conclusion: Access to safe, nutritious and healthy food is difficult for women living in poverty. Acknowledgement of challenges that contribute to women’s food insecurity by all stakeholders is essential to address the problem and build sustainable actions and solutions.

Implications for public health: Collaboration from all stakeholders within our food system …

The 12-Year Prevalence And Trends Of Childhood Disabilities In Australia: Findings From The Survey Of Disability, Aging And Carers, Diana Arabiat, Lisa Whitehead, Mohammad Al Jabery

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aim:

This paper contributes to knowledge on the prevalence and nature of disabilities in Australian children over a 12‐year period (2003–2015). Understanding the current state of childhood disability is imperative for predicting future needs for long‐term care and early intervention services for this population.

Methods:

We used data on children 0–14 years from the 2003, 2009, 2012, and 2015 survey of Disability, Aging and Carers, which is an ongoing national survey covering both rural and urban areas of all States and Territories of Australia.

Results:

Using the test for trends in population, no significant increases were noted in the prevalence …

Geographic Disparities In Previously Diagnosed Health Conditions In Colorectal Cancer Patients Are Largely Explained By Age And Area Level Disadvantage, Belinda C Goodwin, Sonja March, Michael J Ireland, Fiona Crawford-Williams, Shu-Kay Ng, Peter D Baade, Suzanne K. Chambers, Joanne F Aitken, Jeff Dunn

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Geographical disparity in colorectal cancer (CRC) survival rates may be partly due to aging populations and disadvantage in more remote locations; factors that also impact the incidence and outcomes of other chronic health conditions. The current study investigates whether geographic disparity exists amongst previously diagnosed health conditions in CRC patients above and beyond age and area-level disadvantage and whether this disparity is linked to geographic disparity in CRC survival.

Methods: Data regarding previously diagnosed health conditions were collected via computer-assisted telephone interviews with a cross-sectional sample of n = 1,966 Australian CRC patients between 2003 and 2004. Ten-year survival …