Journal articles on the topic 'Medical care Australia Cross-cultural studies'
To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Medical care Australia Cross-cultural studies.
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 journal articles for your research on the topic 'Medical care Australia Cross-cultural studies.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse journal articles on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
R. Terry, Daniel, and Quynh Lê. "Social capital among migrating doctors: the “Bridge” over troubled water." Journal of Health Organization and Management 28, no. 3 (June 10, 2014): 315–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jhom-09-2012-0178.
Full textAbstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of social capital among International Medical Graduates (IMGs). It will specifically examine bridging social capital and greater intercultural communication which provides IMGs access to the wider community and plays a key role in cross-cultural adaptation and acculturation. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature. Findings – An Australian wide shortage of doctors has led to an increased reliance on the recruitment of IMGs. As IMGs migrate, they may encounter different meanings of illness, models of care and a number of social challenges. Nevertheless, greater cross-cultural adaptation and acculturation occurs through bridging social capital, where intercultural communication, new social networks and identity aids integration. This process produces more opportunities for economic capital growth and upward mobility than bonding social capital. Practical implications – Concerns regarding immigration, appropriate support and on-going examination processes have been expressed by IMGs in a number of studies and policy papers. However, there is very little insight into what contributes cross-cultural adaptation of IMGs. Originality/value – As IMGs migrate to not only a new country, but also a new health system and workplace they arrive with different cultural meanings of illness and models of care. These differences may be in contrast to the dominant western medical model, but often bring positive contributions to patient care in the new environment. In addition, improving bridging social capital provides IMGs access to the wider community and has been demonstrated to play a key role in cross-cultural adaptation and ultimately acculturation.
2
Slavova-Azmanova, Neli S., Jade C. Newton, Claire E. Johnson, Harry Hohnen, Angela Ives, Sandy McKiernan, Violet Platt, Max Bulsara, and Christobel Saunders. "A cross-sectional analysis of out-of-pocket expenses for people living with a cancer in rural and outer metropolitan Western Australia." Australian Health Review 45, no. 2 (2021): 148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah19265.
Full textAbstract:
ObjectiveTo determine the extent of medical and non-medical out-of-pocket expenses (OOPE) among regional/rural and outer metropolitan Western Australian patients diagnosed with cancer, and the factors associated with higher costs. MethodsCross-sectional data were collected from adult patients living in four regional/rural areas and two outer metropolitan regions in Western Australia who had been diagnosed with breast, prostate, colorectal or lung cancer. Consenting participants were mailed demographic and financial questionnaires, and requested to report all OOPE related to their cancer treatment. ResultsThe median total OOPE reported by 308 regional/rural participants and 119 outer metropolitan participants were A$1518 (interquartile range (IQR): A$581–A$3769) and A$2855 (IQR: A$958–A$7142) respectively. Participants most likely to experience higher total OOPE were younger than 65 years of age, male, resided in the outer metropolitan area, worked prior to diagnosis, had private health insurance, were in a relationship, and underwent surgery. Multivariate analysis of regional/rural participants revealed that receiving care at a rural cancer centre was associated with significantly lower non-medical OOPE (estimated mean A$805, 95% confidence interval (CI): A$735–A$875, P=0.038; compared with other rural participants (A$1347, 95% CI: A$743–A$1951, P<0.001)). ConclusionThe cancer patients who participated in this study experienced variation in OOPE, with outer metropolitan participants reporting higher OOPE compared with their regional/rural counterparts. There is a need for cost transparency and access to care close to home, so that patients can make informed choices about where to receive their care. What is known about the topic?In recent years, OOPE for health care in general and cancer in particular have been widely debated by consumers and not-for-profit organisations; the topic has attracted much political attention because it affects both equity and access to care and has wider financial implications for the community. Research studies and reports from both consumer organisations and a Ministerial Advisory Committee found that cancer patients can face exorbitant out-of-pocket costs, and that individuals with private health insurance and those with prostate and breast cancer reported higher costs. In Western Australia, a cancer centre providing comprehensive cancer care was established in the second most populous region to ameliorate the high costs for travel and accommodation that regional cancer patients are known to experience. What does this paper add?This study is unique because it collected detailed cost information from patients and reports on the OOPE of regional/rural and outer metropolitan Western Australian patients receiving care for one of the four most common cancers; it therefore offers novel insight into the experiences of these groups. This study demonstrates that outer metropolitan cancer patients are experiencing much higher OOPE compared with regional/rural cancer patients. Additionally, regional/rural study participants who accessed a Regional Cancer Centre experienced significantly lower non-medical OOPE, compared with regional/rural study participants receiving care elsewhere. What are the implications for practitioners?First, there is a need for improved communication of OOPE to minimise costs to the patient, for example, by facilitating access to local cancer care. Health service providers and insurance companies can improve cost transparency for cancer patients by making this information more readily available, allowing patients to make informed financial choices about where to seek care. Second, the needs of working patients deserve specific attention. These patients face significant work uncertainty and additional distress following a cancer diagnosis.
3
Ashing, Kimlin Tam, Lenna Dawkins-Moultin, Marshalee George, Gerard M. Antoine, Marcella Nunez-Smith, and Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable. "Across borders: thoughts and considerations about cultural preservation among immigrant clinicians." International Journal for Quality in Health Care 31, no. 8 (January 11, 2019): G103—G105. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzy256.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract Immigrant clinicians make up 20–28% of the health workforce in many high-income countries, including Australia, Britain, Canada and the USA. Yet, the preserved culture of immigrant clinicians remains largely invisible in the medical literature and discourse. Research on immigrant clinicians primarily attends to medical professional requirements for the adopted country (medical board examination eligibility, fellowship training and licensing). Cultural preservation among immigrant clinicians has not been adequately considered or studied. This paper highlights this notable gap in healthcare delivery and health services research relevant to immigrant clinicians. We propose it is worthwhile to explore possible relationships between immigrant clinicians’ preserved culture and clinical practices and outcomes since immigrant clinicians cross borders with their academic training as well as their culture. The sparse literature regarding immigrant clinicians suggests culture influences health beliefs, attitudes about the meaning of illness and clinical practice decisions. Additionally, immigrant clinicians are more likely to serve rural, low-income populations; communities with high density of ethnic minorities and immigrants; and areas with primary care shortage. Therefore, cultural preservation among immigrant clinicians may have important implications for public health and health disparities. This area of inquiry is important, if not urgent, in health services research.
4
Einsiedel, Lloyd J., Eileen van Iersel, Robert Macnamara, Tim Spelman, Malcolm Heffernan, Linda Bray, Hamilton Morris, Brenda Porter, and Anthony Davis. "Self-discharge by adult Aboriginal patients at Alice Springs Hospital, Central Australia: insights from a prospective cohort study." Australian Health Review 37, no. 2 (2013): 239. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah11087.
Full textAbstract:
Objective. To determine rates and risk factors for self-discharge by Aboriginal medical inpatients at Alice Springs Hospital. Methods. Prospective cohort study. Interviews were conducted in primary language by Aboriginal Liaison Officers, from July 2006 to August 2007. Topics included understanding of diagnosis, satisfaction with services and perceptions of staff and environment. Risk factors for self-discharge were then determined prospectively. Results. During the study period 202 (14.7%) of 1380 patients admitted to general medical units at Alice Springs Hospital, were interviewed. Self-discharge rates for all admissions were significantly lower during the study period than they had been previously (pre-study, mean 22.9 ± standard error 0.3%; study, 17.0 ± 0.2%) (P < 0.001). Most interviewees (73.4%) did not know their reason for admission (73.4%) or estimated length of stay (82.3%). Forty interviewees (19.8%) self-discharged. Mean monthly self-discharge rates differed between the three medical units (Unit A, 13.9 ± 0.3%; Unit B, 17.3 ± 1.37%; Unit C, 20.0 ± 0.4%) (P = 0.005). Multivariable predictors of self-discharge included male sex (hazard ratio (HR) 2.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1, 5.2), a past history of self-discharge (HR 3.2; 95%CI 1.5, 6), planned transfer to a tertiary referral centre (HR 3.8; 95%CI 1.3–7.4) and a desire to drink alcohol (HR 4.5; 95%CI 1.8–10.2). Conclusions. Physician, institutional and patient factors all contribute to self-discharge. Improving cultural safety may be the key to lowering self-discharge rates. What is known about the topic? Rates of self-discharge by Aboriginal adults in Central Australia are the highest reported worldwide. Previous studies have been retrospective and focussed on patient demographics without addressing the environmental and cultural contexts in which self-discharge occurs. What does this paper add? In this acute care setting, we found a pervasive failure to communicate effectively with Aboriginal patients. Consequently, most patients were unaware of their diagnosis or length of stay. Self-discharge was a common practice; nearly half of all previously admitted patients had self-discharged in the past. We demonstrate that physician, hospital and patient factors all contribute to this practice. Prospectively determined risk factors included the treating medical team, the need for transfer outside Central Australia, and patient factors such as male gender and alcohol dependence. Self-discharge rates fell significantly with Aboriginal Liaison involvement. What are the implications for practitioners? Cross-cultural communication skills must be markedly improved among medical staff caring for this marginalised population. Critical to reducing rates of self-discharge are improvements in institutional cultural safety by involving Aboriginal Liaison Officers and family members. However, persistently high self-discharge rates suggest a need to redirect medical services to a more culturally appropriate community-based model of care.
5
Isautier, Jennifer MJ, Tessa Copp, Julie Ayre, Erin Cvejic, Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz, Carys Batcup, Carissa Bonner, et al. "People’s Experiences and Satisfaction With Telehealth During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia: Cross-Sectional Survey Study." Journal of Medical Internet Research 22, no. 12 (December 10, 2020): e24531. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/24531.
Full textAbstract:
Background In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has rapidly been adopted to deliver health care services around the world. To date, studies have not compared people’s experiences with telehealth services during the pandemic in Australia to their experiences with traditional in-person visits. Objective This study aimed to compare participants’ perceptions of telehealth consults to their perceptions of traditional in-person visits and investigate whether people believe that telehealth services would be useful after the pandemic. Methods A national, cross-sectional, community survey was conducted between June 5 and June 12, 2020 in Australia. In total, 1369 participants who were aged ≥18 years and lived in Australia were recruited via targeted advertisements on social media (ie, Facebook and Instagram). Participants responded to survey questions about their telehealth experience, which included a free-text response option. A generalized linear model was used to estimate the adjusted relative risks of having a poorer telehealth experience than a traditional in-person visit experience. Content analysis was performed to determine the reasons why telehealth experiences were worse than traditional in-person visit experiences. Results Of the 596 telehealth users, the majority of respondents (n=369, 61.9%) stated that their telehealth experience was “just as good as” or “better than” their traditional in-person medical appointment experience. On average, respondents perceived that telehealth would be moderately useful to very useful for medical appointments after the COVID-19 pandemic ends (mean 3.67, SD 1.1). Being male (P=.007), having a history of both depression and anxiety (P=.016), and lower patient activation scores (ie, individuals’ willingness to take on the role of managing their health/health care) (P=.036) were significantly associated with a poor telehealth experience. In total, 6 overarching themes were identified from free-text responses for why participants’ telehealth experiences were poorer than their traditional in-person medical appointment experiences, as follows: communication is not as effective, limitations with technology, issues with obtaining prescriptions and pathology results, reduced confidence in their doctor, additional burden for complex care, and inability to be physically examined. Conclusions Based on our sample’s responses, telehealth appointment experiences were comparable to traditional in-person medical appointment experiences. Telehealth may be worthwhile as a mode of health care delivery while the pandemic continues, and it may continue to be worthwhile after the pandemic.
6
Askew, Deborah A., Philip J. Schluter, Marie-Louise Dick, Patricia M. Régo, Catherine Turner, and David Wilkinson. "Bullying in the Australian medical workforce: cross-sectional data from an Australian e-Cohort study." Australian Health Review 36, no. 2 (2012): 197. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah11048.
Full textAbstract:
Objective. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of perceived workplace bullying in the Australian medical workforce, and investigate the relationship between workplace bullying and job satisfaction, health status, and current and planned medical workforce participation. Methods. An electronic cross-sectional survey of doctors currently in the paid workforce, conducted between April 2008 and October 2009, was nested within a longitudinal cohort study investigating factors affecting the recruitment and retention of the Australian medical workforce. To address the specific aims of this study, a subset of questions in the survey investigated the prevalence of self-reported bullying; physical and mental health; workforce participation patterns; job satisfaction; and job stressors. Results. Seven hundred and forty-seven participants responded to the bullying question and were included in this analysis. Twenty-five percent of participants reported being bullied in the last 12 months. There were no differences in the reported rates of bullying across age groups, sex and country of medical qualification. Bullied doctors were least satisfied with their jobs (P < 0.001), had taken more sick leave in the last 12 months (P < 0.001), and were more likely to be planning to decrease the number of hours worked in medicine in the next 12 months (P = 0.01) or ceasing direct patient care in the next 5 years (independent of their age or the number of hours currently worked in patient care) (P = 0.006). Conclusions. Our findings suggest that Australian doctors, independent of age or sex, have experienced workplace bullying, and although no conclusions can be made about causal pathways, there were strong associations between this exposure and poorer health and wellbeing, and on remaining in the medical workforce. What is known about the topic? Bullying and harassment have a significant impact on mental health, job satisfaction, and intention to leave the workforce. Workplace bullying in healthcare organisations affects the individuals involved, the organisations and the patients. The prevalence of workplace bullying throughout the medical workforce in Australia or elsewhere has not been investigated, with previous studies focussing on subsets of doctors, particularly junior doctors. What does this paper add? This paper found that 25% of doctors participating in this study reported experiencing persistent behaviours in the last 12 months that had undermined their professional confidence or self-esteem. There were no differences in the prevalence of bullying observed between sexes, age groups, country of medical qualifications, or employment sector. Victims of bullying had poorer mental health, had taken more sick leave in the last 12 months, were less satisfied with their current jobs and with being doctors, were more affected by job stressors and were more likely to be considering ceasing direct patient care than non-bullied doctors. What are the implications for practitioners? Practitioners need to be alert for potential bullying and harassment within healthcare organisations and be prepared to act decisively to minimise its impact on staff health, satisfaction and retention, and patient quality of care.
7
Agarwal, Anupriya, Deme J. Karikios, Martin R. Stockler, and Rachael L. Morton. "Discussion of costs and financial burden in clinical practice: A survey of medical oncologists in Australia." PLOS ONE 17, no. 10 (October 21, 2022): e0273620. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273620.
Full textAbstract:
Background A diagnosis of cancer is associated with significant physical, psychological and financial burden. Including costs of cancer is an important component of shared decision making. Doctors bear a responsibility towards educating patients about the financial aspects of care. Multiple organisations have advocated for price transparency and implementing Informed Financial Consent in the clinic. However, few studies have evaluated the perspectives of oncologists on the current state of this discussion. Aims The aim of this study is to determine the views and perspectives of medical oncologists regarding communication of costs and financial burden in patients with cancer. Methods We conducted a prospective cross-sectional online survey via REDCap. The survey was distributed to medical oncologists and advanced trainees currently registered with Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA). Data was collected using the online survey comprising socio-demographic characteristics, discussion of costs and financial burden, and facilitators and barriers to these discussions. Results 547 members of MOGA were invited to participate in the study, and 106 of 547 MOGA members (19%) completed the survey. Most oncologists (66%) felt that it was their responsibility to discuss costs of care, however a majority of oncologists (59.3%) reported discussing costs with less than half of their patients. Only 25% of oncologists discussed financial concerns with more than half of their patients, and most oncologists were unfamiliar with cancer-related financial burden. Most Oncologists with greater clinical experience and those working in private practice were more likely to discuss costs with a majority of their patients. Conclusions Certain characteristics of medical oncologists and their practices were associated with reported prevalence of discussing costs of care and financial burden with their patients. In the context of rising costs of cancer care, interventions targeting modifiable factors such as raising oncologist awareness of costs of care and financial burden, screening for financial toxicity and availability of costs information in an easily accessible manner, may help increase the frequency of patient-doctor discussions about costs of care, contributing to informed decision-making and higher-quality cancer care.
8
McMaster, Mitchell, Elaine Fielding, David Lim, Wendy Moyle, and Elizabeth Beattie. "A cross-sectional examination of the prevalence of psychotropic medications for people living with dementia in Australian long-term care facilities: issues of concern." International Psychogeriatrics 30, no. 7 (December 4, 2017): 1019–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1041610217002447.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACTBackground:Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are a common problem in long-term care facilities (LTC). Clinical guidelines dictate that first-line treatments for BPSD are psychosocial and behavioral interventions; if these are unsuccessful, psychotropic medications may be trialed at low doses and their effects can be monitored.Methods:There have previously been no studies with nationally representative samples to investigate psychotropic administration in LTCs in Australia. This study determines the prevalence of psychotropic administration in a representative stratified random sample of 446 residents living with dementia from 53 Australian LTCs. Questionnaire and medical chart data in this study is drawn from a larger cross-sectional, mixed methods study on quality of life in Australian LTCs.Results:It was found that 257 (58%) residents were prescribed psychotropic medications including: antipsychotics (n = 160, 36%), benzodiazepines (n = 136, 31%), antidepressants (n = 117, 26%), and anti-dementia medications (n = 9, 2%). BPSD were found to be very common in the sample, with 82% (n = 364) of participants experiencing at least one BPSD. The most prevalent BPSD were depression (n = 286, 70%) and agitation (n = 299, 67%).Conclusions:Although detailed background information was not collected on individual cases, the prevalence found is indicative of systematic industry-wide, over-prescription of psychotropic medications as a first-line treatment for BPSD. This study highlights a clear need for further research and interventions in this area.
9
Hills, Danny J. "Associations between Australian clinical medical practitioner exposure to workplace aggression and workforce participation intentions." Australian Health Review 40, no. 1 (2016): 36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah14246.
Full textAbstract:
Objective The aim of the present study was to determine the association between clinician exposure to workplace aggression from any source in the previous 12 months and workforce participation intentions. Methods A cross-sectional survey, in the third wave of the Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) study, was conducted between March 2010 and June 2011. Respondents were a representative sample of 9449 Australian general practitioners (GPs) and GP registrars (n = 3515), specialists (n = 3875), hospital non-specialists (n = 1171) and specialists in training (n = 888). Associations between aggression exposure and workforce participation intentions were determined using logistic regression modelling. Results In adjusted models, aggression exposure was positively associated with a greater likelihood of intending to reduce clinical workload in the next 5 years (odds ratio (OR) = 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.29) and intending to leave patient care within 5 years (OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.07–1.35). When also accounting for well being factors, aggression exposure remained positively associated with intending to leave patient care within 5 years (OR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.00–1.27). Conclusions Exposure to workplace aggression presents a risk to the retention of medical practitioners in clinical practice and a potential risk to community access to quality medical care. More concerted efforts in preventing and minimising workplace aggression in clinical medical practice are required. What is known about the topic? Very few studies have addressed the impact of workplace aggression on workforce participation intentions of medical practitioners. What does this paper add? This paper provides evidence that exposure to workplace aggression from any source is associated with intentions to reduce clinical workload or leave patient care. What are the implications for practitioners? There is a need to prevent or minimise the risk of exposure to workplace aggression from any source because the impacts may extend beyond the known psychological or physical effects to practitioner decisions about ongoing participation in the provision of clinical services.
10
Pfaff, Jon J., Jon J. Pfaff, and Osvaldo P. Almeida. "A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Factors that Influence the Detection of Depression in Older Primary Care Patients." Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 39, no. 4 (April 2005): 262–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/j.1440-1614.2005.01563.x.
Full textAbstract:
Objective: To determine the characteristics of depressed older patients whose mental health status is detected by their general practitioner (GP). Method: Cross-sectional analytical design of 218 patients scoring above the cut-off (≥ 16) of the Center for Epidemiological Studies – Depression Scale (CES-D), from a sample of 916 consecutive patients aged 60 years or over attending one of 54 randomly selected GPs in Western Australia. Prior to their medical consultation, patients completed a self-report questionnaire, which included questions about depressive symptomatology (CES-D). Following the consultation, general practitioners recorded the patient's presenting complaint(s), medication information, and mental health details on a patient summary sheet. Results: Among these 218 patients, 39.9% (87/218) were correctly classified as depressed by their GP. Detection of depressive symptomatology was associated with patients who acknowledged taking sleeping tablets (OR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.3–5.4), had CES-D scores indicative of major depression (≥ 22) (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.4–5.6) and were thought to be at risk for suicide (OR = 35.1, 95% CI = 4.5–274.2). Conclusions: While GPs are most apt to detect depression among older patients with prominent mental health symptoms, many patients in this age group silently experience significant depressive symptomatology and miss the opportunity for effective treatment. The routine use of screening tools in primary care is recommended to enhance the detection rate of depression in older adults.
11
Seth, Nimish, Alexa Seal, Peter Ruchin, and Joe McGirr. "The Accuracy of Self-Perception of Obesity in a Rural Australian Population: A Cross-Sectional Study." Journal of Primary Care & Community Health 13 (January 2022): 215013192211152. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/21501319221115256.
Full textAbstract:
Introduction: Obesity is a major public health concern. Accurate perception of body weight may be critical to the successful adoption of weight loss behavior. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of self-perception of BMI class. Methods: Patients admitted to the acute medical service in one regional hospital completed a questionnaire and classified their weight as: “underweight,” “normal,” “overweight,” or “obese.” Reponses were compared to clinically measured BMIs, based on the WHO Classification. Patients were also questioned about health-related behavior. Data were analyzed via Pearson’s Chi-squared test. Results: Almost 70% of the participating patient population (n = 90) incorrectly perceived their weight category, with 62% underestimating their weight. Only 34% of patients who were overweight and 14% of patients with obesity correctly identified their weight status. Two-thirds of patients who were overweight and one-fifth of patients with obesity considered themselves to be “normal” or “underweight.” Patients with obesity were 6.5-fold more likely to misperceive their weight status. Amongst patients with overweight/obesity, those who misperceived their weight were significantly less likely to have plans to lose weight. Almost 60% had not made any recent health behavior changes. This is one of the first regional Australian studies demonstrating that hospitalized patients significantly misperceive their weight. Conclusion: Patients with overweight/obesity had significantly higher rates of weight misperception and the majority had no intention to lose weight or to undertake any health behavior modification. Given the association between weight perception and weight reduction behavior, it introduces barriers to addressing weight loss and reducing the increasing prevalence of obesity in rural Australia. It highlights that doctors have an important role in addressing weight misperception.
12
McArthur, Katherine, Darcy Jorgensen, Mike Climstein, and James Furness. "Epidemiology of Acute Injuries in Surfing: Type, Location, Mechanism, Severity, and Incidence: A Systematic Review." Sports 8, no. 2 (February 20, 2020): 25. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/sports8020025.
Full textAbstract:
Prospective and retrospective studies have examined traumatic injuries within competitive and recreational surfers worldwide using online surveys and health care facility (HCF; e.g., hospital, emergency department, medical record) data. However, few studies have provided a synthesis of all available literature. The purpose of this study was to obtain, critique and synthesise all literature specific to acute surfing injuries, and evaluate differences in injury type, mechanism and location between HCF and survey data. A systematic literature review design was used to identify relevant articles from three major databases. Peer-reviewed epidemiological studies of musculoskeletal surfing injuries were included. A modified AXIS tool was used for critical appraisal, and objective data was extracted and synthesized by lead researchers. Overall frequencies for injury location, type and mechanism were calculated from raw injury data. A total of 19 cross-sectional articles of fair to good quality (Modified AXIS 54.2–83.3%) were included in this study; 17 were National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) level III-2 (retrospective) and two were level II (prospective). Articles examined competitive, recreational and combined populations. Injury data from Australia, Brazil, UK, USA, Portugal, Japan, Norway, and worldwide were represented. Skin (46.0%; HCF 50.1%, survey 43.8%) and being struck by own surfboard (38.6%; HCF 73.4%, survey 36.7%) were the most common injury type and mechanism. Head, face and neck injuries were most common in HCF (43.1%) versus lower limb injuries (36.4%) in survey data. Incidence proportion was highest in aerialists (0.48). Incidence rate (number of injuries per 1000 h) ranged from 0.74 in Australian surfers (Melbourne) to 6.6 in international contest surfers from medical record data. This review highlights the prevalence of skin, board-related, head, face and neck, and lower limb surfing injuries across available literature. Proposed use of protective equipment and foam-based surfboards in dangerous or crowded surf locations may reduce injury risk.
13
Cashmore, Aaron W., Devon Indig, Stephen E. Hampton, Desley G. Hegney, and Bin Jalaludin. "Workplace abuse among correctional health professionals in New South Wales, Australia." Australian Health Review 36, no. 2 (2012): 184. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah11043.
Full textAbstract:
Objective. Studies have found that health workers are at elevated risk of being abused while at work. Little is known, however, about workplace abuse among correctional health professionals. We implemented a cross-sectional study to investigate the prevalence, sources and consequences of workplace abuse among correctional health professionals in New South Wales, Australia. Methods. All employees of Justice Health (a statutory health corporation) were invited to complete a self-administered survey, which was delivered via the internet. Among nurses, medical doctors and allied health professionals, 299 usable surveys were returned; a response rate of 42%. Results. In the preceding 3 months, 76% of participants had personally experienced some form of abuse in their workplace, all but one of whom recalled verbal abuse. Only 16% reported physical abuse. Seventy per cent reported feeling safe in their workplace. Patients were identified as the main perpetrators of abuse, followed by fellow health staff. Participants felt that incidents of workplace abuse increased their potential to make errors while providing care to patients and reduced their productivity while at work. Conclusions. Compared with health workers who practise in a community setting, the risk of physical abuse among correctional health professionals appears to be low. What is known about the topic? Health professionals are at a high risk of workplace abuse. Studies have demonstrated that the risk of abuse varies by health profession and the practice environment. There is a paucity of research exploring workplace abuse among correctional health professionals. What does this paper add? A cross-sectional survey found that a relatively small proportion of correctional health professionals in New South Wales had been subjected to physical abuse in their workplace in the preceding 3 months. Verbal abuse, however, was reported by a majority of participants. Although patients were the most commonly reported source of abuse, a worrying level of health worker on health worker abuse (also known as horizontal abuse) was found. What are the implications for practitioners? Preventive strategies should address the temporal, environmental and structural determinants of workplace abuse in correctional and forensic facilities. More research is needed to identify the factors associated with horizontal abuse among correctional health professionals. This would allow the establishment of tailored preventive programs.
14
Kay, Margaret, Geoffrey Mitchell, Alexandra Clavarino, and Erica Frank. "Developing a framework for understanding doctors' health access: a qualitative study of Australian GPs." Australian Journal of Primary Health 18, no. 2 (2012): 158. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py11003.
Full textAbstract:
Health access behaviours of doctors need to be understood if the profession is to adequately respond to concerns raised about doctors’ health. There has been limited investigation of these issues and most qualitative studies have focussed on doctors who have been seriously unwell. This research project was designed to explore doctors’ attitudes to health access and the barriers they experience using six independently facilitated focus groups (37 general practitioners) in Brisbane, Australia. Themes that emerged using inductive thematic analysis were grouped into three key categories. The findings challenge current representations of doctors’ health within the medical literature. Doctors in this study reported positive attitudes towards their own health care. Health access, however, was difficult because of the barriers they encountered. These barriers are described in detail revealing the rationale used by doctors seeking care. A framework of patient, provider and profession barrier domains is developed to enable a comparison between the health access barriers of the doctor and those experienced by the general community. The complexity is highlighted as the socio-cultural factors woven through these barrier domains are recognised. The potential for this framework to provide a structure for future interventions to enhance doctors’ health access is discussed.
15
Deverell, Lil, Denny Meyer, Bee Theng Lau, Abdullah Al Mahmud, Suku Sukunesan, Jahar Bhowmik, Almon Chai, et al. "Optimising technology to measure functional vision, mobility and service outcomes for people with low vision or blindness: protocol for a prospective cohort study in Australia and Malaysia." BMJ Open 7, no. 12 (December 2017): e018140. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018140.
Full textAbstract:
IntroductionOrientation and mobility (O&M) specialists assess the functional vision and O&M skills of people with mobility problems, usually relating to low vision or blindness. There are numerous O&M assessment checklists but no measures that reduce qualitative assessment data to a single comparable score suitable for assessing any O&M client, of any age or ability, in any location. Functional measures are needed internationally to align O&M assessment practices, guide referrals, profile O&M clients, plan appropriate services and evaluate outcomes from O&M programmes (eg, long cane training), assistive technology (eg, hazard sensors) and medical interventions (eg, retinal implants). This study aims to validate two new measures of functional performance vision-related outcomes in orientation and mobility (VROOM) and orientation and mobility outcomes (OMO) in the context of ordinary O&M assessments in Australia, with cultural comparisons in Malaysia, also developing phone apps and online training to streamline professional assessment practices.Methods and analysisThis multiphase observational study will employ embedded mixed methods with a qualitative/quantitative priority: corating functional vision and O&M during social inquiry. Australian O&M agencies (n=15) provide the sampling frame. O&M specialists will use quota sampling to generate cross-sectional assessment data (n=400) before investigating selected cohorts in outcome studies. Cultural relevance of the VROOM and OMO tools will be investigated in Malaysia, where the tools will inform the design of assistive devices and evaluate prototypes. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Rasch modelling, cluster analysis and analysis of variance will be undertaken along with descriptive analysis of measurement data. Qualitative findings will be used to interpret VROOM and OMO scores, filter statistically significant results, warrant their generalisability and identify additional relevant constructs that could also be measured.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been granted by the Human Research Ethics Committee at Swinburne University (SHR Project 2016/316). Dissemination of results will be via agency reports, journal articles and conference presentations.
16
Gall, Alana, Stuart Leske, Jon Adams, Veronica Matthews, Kate Anderson, Sheleigh Lawler, and Gail Garvey. "Traditional and Complementary Medicine Use Among Indigenous Cancer Patients in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States: A Systematic Review." Integrative Cancer Therapies 17, no. 3 (May 21, 2018): 568–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1534735418775821.
Full textAbstract:
Background: Cancer ‘patients’ are increasingly using traditional indigenous and complementary medicines (T&CM) alongside conventional medical treatments to both cure and cope with their cancer diagnoses. To date T&CM use among Indigenous cancer patients from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States has not been systematically reviewed. Methods: We systematically searched bibliographic databases to identify original research published between January 2000 and October 2017 regarding T&CM use by Indigenous cancer patients in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. Data from records meeting eligibility criteria were extracted and appraised for quality by 2 independent reviewers. Results: Twenty-one journal articles from 18 studies across all 4 countries met our inclusion criteria. T&CM use ranged from 19% to 57.7% (differing across countries). T&CM was mostly used concurrently with conventional cancer treatments to meet their spiritual, emotional, social, and cultural needs; however, bush, traditional, and herbal medicines were used in a minority of cases as an alternative. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of T&CM use to Indigenous cancer patients across these 4 countries; we identified multiple perceived spiritual, emotional and cultural benefits to its use. The patient’s perception of their health professional’s attitudes toward T&CM in some cases hindered or encouraged the patient’s disclosure. Additional research is required to further explore the use and disclosure of T&CM among Indigenous cancer patients to help inform and ensure effective, safe, coordinated care for Indigenous cancer patients that relies on shared open decision making and communication across patients, communities, and providers.
17
Nguyen, Janet, Lorraine Smith, Jennifer Hunter, and Joanna E. Harnett. "Conventional and Complementary Medicine Health Care Practitioners’ Perspectives on Interprofessional Communication: A Qualitative Rapid Review." Medicina 55, no. 10 (September 27, 2019): 650. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/medicina55100650.
Full textAbstract:
Background and Objectives: People have multi-faceted health care needs and consult a diverse range of health care practitioners (HCP) from both the conventional and complementary medicine healthcare sectors. The effective communication between HCP and with patients are obvious requisites to coordinating multidisciplinary care and shared decision making. Further, miscommunication is a leading cause of patient harm and is associated with reduced patient satisfaction, health literacy, treatment compliance and quality of life. In conventional healthcare settings, the differences in professional hierarchy, training, communication styles and culture are recognised communication barriers. Less is known about interprofessional communication (IPC) that includes traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) HCP. This review aims to summarise the experiences and perceptions of conventional and complementary HCP and identify factors that influence IPC. Methods: A qualitative rapid literature review was conducted. Six databases were searched to identify original research and systematic reviews published since 2009 and in English. Excluded were articles reporting original research outside of Australia that did not include TCM-HCP, already cited in a systematic review, or of low quality with a score of less than three on a critical appraisal skills programme (CASP) checklist. A thematic analysis of included studies was used to identify and explore important and recurring themes. Results: From the conducted searches, 18 articles were included, 11 of which reported data on complementary HCP and seven were literature reviews. Four key themes were identified that impact IPC: medical dominance, clarity of HCP roles, a shared vision, and education and training. Conclusion: IPC within and between conventional and complementary HCP is impacted by interrelated factors. A diverse range of initiatives that facilitate interprofessional learning and collaboration are required to facilitate IPC and help overcome medical dominance and interprofessional cultural divides.
18
Vikke, Heidi Storm. "Hygiene perception and motivational factors of influence on high-quality hand hygiene performance among emergency medical service providers: Results from an international survey." Dansk Tidsskrift for Akutmedicin 2, no. 3 (April 30, 2019): 53. http://dx.doi.org/10.7146/akut.v2i3.112995.
Full textAbstract:
Background: Hand hygiene a cornerstone in infection prevention and control lacks quality in the EMS. Improvement is complicated and includes both individual and institutional aspects. However, little is known about EMS providers' perception and motivational factors leading to a high-quality hand hygiene. We aimed to describe 1) EMS providers’ perception on hand hygiene, 2) practical measures’ feasibility to improve compliance and 3) motivational factors related to high-quality hand hygiene among the cohort.
Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire consisting of 24 items (developed from WHOs Perception Survey for Health-Care Workers) provided information on demographics, improvement feasibility of practical measures, and various subjective, normative and control beliefs among EMS providers from Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Australia.
Results: Overall, 933 questionnaires were returned (response rate 15%). Most respondents were advanced-care providers, male and had > 5 years EMS experience. In total, 61% received hand hygiene training < 3 years ago, and 93% perceived hand hygiene a routine. Most perceived access to hand hygiene supplies, and training and education as feasible practical measures to improve overall hand hygiene compliance. The majority acknowledged the scope and severity of health-care associated infections and the preventive effect of hand hygiene. Overall, 55% believed that hand hygiene was an organizational priority, 26% that it was important to their managers, 36% to colleges, and 58% to patients. Also, 44% perceived their colleges' hand hygiene compliance high (≥ 80% compliance rate), 71% perceived hand hygiene relatively easy to perform. Organizational priority, peer pressure, and self-efficacy were separately associated with self-reported high-quality hand hygiene.
Conclusions: Hand hygiene supplies, simple and clear instructions, and training and education are highly warranted. Moreover, organizational priority, role models, and self-efficacy are motivational components with the potential to empower hand hygiene compliance within this cohort. Future interventional studies are needed to investigate the effect of a multimodal improvement strategy including both practical and behavioral aspects.
19
Comans, Tracy, Victoria Visser, and Paul Scuffham. "Cost Effectiveness of a Community-Based Crisis Intervention Program for People Bereaved by Suicide." Crisis 34, no. 6 (November 1, 2013): 390–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000210.
Full textAbstract:
Background: Postvention services aim to ameliorate distress and reduce future incidences of suicide. The StandBy Response Service is one such service operating in Australia for those bereaved through suicide. Few previous studies have reported estimates or evaluations of the economic impact and outcomes associated with the implementation of bereavement/grief interventions. Aims: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of a postvention service from a societal perspective. Method: A Markov model was constructed to estimate the health outcomes, quality-adjusted life years, and associated costs such as medical costs and time off work. Data were obtained from a prospective cross-sectional study comparing previous clients of the StandBy service with a control group of people bereaved by suicide who had not had contact with StandBy. Costs and outcomes were measured at 1 year after suicide bereavement and an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated. Results: The base case found that the StandBy service dominated usual care with a cost saving from providing the StandBy service of AUS $803 and an increase in quality-adjusted life years of 0.02. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicates there is an 81% chance the service would be cost-effective given a range of possible scenarios. Conclusion: Postvention services are a cost-effective strategy and may even be cost-saving if all costs to society from suicide are taken into account.
20
Lindsay, David, Daryl Brennan, Daniel Lindsay, Colin Holmes, and Wendy Smyth. "Conceal or reveal? Patterns of self-disclosure of long-term conditions at work by health professionals in a large regional Australian health service." International Journal of Workplace Health Management 12, no. 5 (September 26, 2019): 339–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijwhm-05-2018-0071.
Full textAbstract:
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the patterns of self-disclosure of long-term conditions at work by health professionals in a large regional health service. Recent research by the authors has reported on the self-reported long-term conditions of nursing, medical and allied health staff within a large regional hospital and health service in North Queensland, Australia. Data regarding self-disclosure of health information were gathered during those two previous studies, but has yet to be reported. This current study thus offers the opportunity to explore and describe patterns of self-disclosure by a multi-disciplinary cohort of health professionals within that regional health service.Design/methodology/approachThis current study was a component of two larger studies, reported elsewhere, which explored long-term conditions among health professional staff at a large regional health service in North Queensland, Australia. A cross-sectional survey design was used.FindingsDecision-making associated with self-disclosure of long-term conditions by health professional staff in the workplace is multifactorial, and affected by considerations of age, gender, workplace circumstances and nature of the health condition. It also differs according to professional grouping. The medical profession were less likely than nurses and allied health workers to disclose to their work colleagues. Respondents with a mental health condition were more cautious and selective in their disclosures, and alone in being more likely to disclose to their supervisor than to colleagues; they were also most likely to value the sympathy and understanding of their colleagues and managers.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was conducted across only one large regional health service; a fuller picture of patterns of self-disclosure of long-term conditions by health professional staff would be gained by expanding the number of sites to include metropolitan hospitals, smaller rural or remote health services and non-hospital settings.Practical implicationsHealthcare organizations need to develop support strategies and communication processes so that staff with one or more long-term condition, particularly those that have associated stigma, are empowered to disclose information to line managers and colleagues without fear of discrimination, ostracism, incivility or bullying.Originality/valueThere is a paucity of evidence about self-disclosure of long-term conditions by health professionals and this study therefore makes an important contribution to the extant literature. The findings raise important questions about the culture and dynamics of health care organizations in respect to the patterns of self-disclosure of health professional staff.
21
Pagan, Janet, Stuart Cunningham, and Peter Higgs. "Getting Creative in Health Care." Media International Australia 132, no. 1 (August 2009): 78–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1329878x0913200109.
Full textAbstract:
Health care accounts for a substantial and growing share of national expenditures, and Australia's health-care system faces some unprecedented pressures. This paper examines the contribution of creative expertise and services to Australian health care. They are found to be making a range of contributions to the development and delivery of health-care goods and services, the initial training and ongoing professionalism of doctors and nurses, and the effective functioning of health-care buildings. Creative activities within health-care services are also undertaken by medical professionals and patients. Key functions that creative activities address are innovation and service delivery in information management and analysis, and making complex information comprehensible or more useful, assisting communication and reducing psycho-social and distance-mediated barriers, and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of services.
22
Puhl, Rebecca M., Leah M. Lessard, Mary S. Himmelstein, and Gary D. Foster. "The roles of experienced and internalized weight stigma in healthcare experiences: Perspectives of adults engaged in weight management across six countries." PLOS ONE 16, no. 6 (June 1, 2021): e0251566. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251566.
Full textAbstract:
Background/Objectives Considerable evidence from U.S. studies suggests that weight stigma is consequential for patient-provider interactions and healthcare for people with high body weight. Despite international calls for efforts to reduce weight stigma in the medical community, cross-country research is lacking in this field. This study provides the first multinational investigation of associations between weight stigma and healthcare experiences across six Western countries. Methods Participants were 13,996 adults residing in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK, and the US who were actively enrolled in an internationally available behavioral weight management program. Participants completed identical online surveys in the dominant language for their country that assessed experienced weight stigma, internalized weight bias, and healthcare behaviors and experiences including perceived quality of care, avoidance or delay of seeking care, experiences with providers, and perceived weight stigma from doctors. Results Among participants who reported a history of weight stigma (56–61%), two-thirds of participants in each country reported experiencing weight stigma from doctors. Across all six countries, after accounting for demographics, BMI, and experienced stigma, participants with higher internalized weight bias reported greater healthcare avoidance, increased perceived judgment from doctors due to body weight, lower frequency of obtaining routine checkups, less frequent listening and respect from providers, and lower quality of healthcare. Additionally, experienced weight stigma (from any source) was indirectly associated with poorer healthcare experiences through weight bias internalization, consistently across the six countries. Conclusions Weight stigma in healthcare is prevalent among adults actively engaged in weight management across different Western countries, and internalized weight bias has negative implications for healthcare even after controlling for BMI. The similar findings across all six countries underscore the negative consequences of weight stigma on healthcare behaviors and experiences, and emphasize the need for collective international efforts to address this problem.
23
Kolbin, Aleksei S., Dmitriy V. Vlodavets, Aleksei A. Kurylev, Olga Yu Germanenko, and Natalia Yu Kolbina. "Health Technologies Assessment for Orphan Diseases. Example of Social and Economic Burden of Spinal Muscular Atrophy." Pediatric pharmacology 18, no. 5 (December 1, 2021): 408–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.15690/pf.v18i5.2333.
Full textAbstract:
Background. Studies of the economic impact of disease on society or the social and economic burden, known as developmental disease cost analysis, are equivalent to public health epidemiological studies. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has significant social and economic burden according to various studies.Objective. The aim of the study is to compare Russian and international methodological approaches and results of health technology assessment (HTA) of SMA from the perspective of social and economic burden. Materials and methods. Literature searches were conducted using the Medline, PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Cochrane Library databases. Keywords and criteria for inclusion and exclusion have been used. The following parameters were used: costs, year of calculation, assessment method, primary and secondary results, type of economic assessment, perspective, time horizon, intervention, analysis of the sensitivity of the results. Both direct medical and non-medical costs were taken into account, as well as indirect costs.Results. The analysis of SMA burden the USA, Germany, Spain, Australia, France, Great Britain, and the Russian Federation was carried out based on 8 international studies and one Russian study that described the costs of SMA. All costs, including indirect ones, were estimated only in 4 international studies and in Russian one. The main source of information was either patient registers or cross-sectional retrospective studies of patients diagnosed with SMA. The costs were higher for type I SMA in all countries. The highest total SMA costs were in the United States, and the lowest in Russian Federation and Spain. Costs excluded new disease-modifying drugs such as nusinersen, risdiplam, and onasemogen abeparvovec in all conducted studies.Conclusions. The social and economic burden of SMA in Russian Federation in 2020 before the introduction of pathogenetic therapy into practice was 2.38 billion RUR/year. The costs of inpatient treatment and rehabilitation were 30.8 and 32.3% of total costs, respectively. These costs, before the introduction of pathogenetic therapy into practice, are lower than in Western Europe and United States, which is most likely since domestic studies used the standards of primary health care for children with SMA implemented in 2012, as well as low indirect costs for SMA in Russian Federation. Unified methodology for assessing the socio-economic significance of orphan diseases is required to carry out HTA of orphan diseases in Russian Federation. It should be based on domestic registries, otherwise on valid data, including those based on data from real clinical practice (RWD /RWE).
24
Muldoon, Jacqueline. "Health and Health PolicyFEDERALISM AND HEALTH POLICY: THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEALTH SYSTEMS IN CANADA AND AUSTRALIA. Gwendolyn Gray. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 1991. 281 pp.CANADIAN HEALTH CARE AND THE STATE: A CENTURY OF EVOLUTION. Ed. C. David Naylor. Montreal: McGi/1- Queen' s University Press, 1992. 241 pp.DOCTORS IN CANADA: THE CHANGING WORLD OF MEDICAL PRACTICE. Bernard Blishen. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991. 195 pp.RESTRUCTURING CANADA'S HEALTH SERVJCES SYSTEM: HOW DO WE GET THERE FROM HERE? Eds. Raisa B. Deber and Gail G. Thompson. Toronro: University of Toronto Press, 1992. 420 pp. (Proceedings of rhe Fourrh Canadian Conference on Hea/rh Economics, Toronto, A11g11s1 27 ro 29)." Journal of Canadian Studies 29, no. 3 (August 1994): 169–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/jcs.29.3.169.
Full text
25
Abaza, Haitham, and Michael Marschollek. "mHealth Application Areas and Technology Combinations." Methods of Information in Medicine 56, S 01 (January 2017): e105-e122. http://dx.doi.org/10.3414/me17-05-0003.
Full textAbstract:
SummaryBackground: With the continuous and enormous spread of mobile technologies, mHealth has evolved as a new subfield of eHealth. While eHealth is broadly focused on information and communication technologies, mHealth seeks to explore more into mobile devices and wireless communication. Since mobile phone penetration has exceeded other infrastructure in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), mHealth is seen as a promising component to provide pervasive and patient-centered care.Objectives: The aim of our research work for this paper is to examine the mHealth literature to identify application areas, target diseases, and mHealth service and technology types that are most appropriate for LMICs.Methods: Based on the 2011 WHO mHealth report, a combination of search terms, all including the word “mHealth”, was identified. A literature review was conducted by searching the PubMed and IEEE Xplore databases. Articles were included if they were published in English, covered an mHealth solution/intervention, involved the use of a mobile communication device, and included a pilot evaluation study. Articles were excluded if they did not provide sufficient detail on the solution covered or did not focus on clinical efficacy/effectiveness. Cross-referencing was also performed on included articles.Results: 842 articles were retrieved and analyzed, 255 of which met the inclusion criteria. North America had the highest number of applications (n=74) followed by Europe (n=50), Asia (n=44), Africa (n=25), and Australia (n=9). The Middle East (n=5) and South America (n=3) had the least number of studies. The majority of solutions addressed diabetes (n=51), obesity (n=25), CVDs (n=24), HIV (n=18), mental health (n=16), health behaviors (n=16), and maternal and child’s health (MCH) (n=11). Fewer solutions addressed asthma (n=7), cancer (n=5), family health planning (n=5), TB (n=3), malaria (n=2), chronic obtrusive pulmonary disease (COPD) (n=2), vision care (n=2), and dermatology (n=2). Other solutions targeted stroke, dental health, hepatitis vaccination, cold and flu, ED prescribed antibiotics, iodine deficiency, and liver transplantation (n=1 each). The remainder of solutions (n=14) did not focus on a certain disease. Most applications fell in the areas of health monitoring and surveillance (n=93) and health promotion and raising awareness (n=88). Fewer solutions addressed the areas of communication and reporting (n=11), data collection (n=6), tele-medicine (n=5), emergency medical care (n=3), point of care support (n=2), and decision support (n=2). The majority of solutions used SMS messaging (n=94) or mobile apps (n=71). Fewer used IVR/phone calls (n=8), mobile website/email (n=5), videoconferencing (n=2), MMS (n=2), or video (n=1) or voice messages (n=1). Studies were mostly RCTs, with the majority suffering from small sample sizes and short study durations. Problems addressed by solutions included travel distance for reporting, self-management and disease monitoring, and treatment/medication adherence.Conclusions: SMS and app solutions are the most common forms of mHealth applications. SMS solutions are prevalent in both high and LMICs while app solutions are mostly used in high income countries. Common application areas include health promotion and raising awareness using SMS and health monitoring and surveillance using mobile apps. Remaining application areas are rarely addressed. Diabetes is the most commonly targeted medical condition, yet remains deficient in LMICs.
26
Aase, Karina, Veslemøy Guise, Stephen Billett, Stephen Johan Mikal Sollid, Ove Njå, Olav Røise, Tanja Manser, Janet E. Anderson, and Siri Wiig. "Resilience in Healthcare (RiH): a longitudinal research programme protocol." BMJ Open 10, no. 10 (October 2020): e038779. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-038779.
Full textAbstract:
IntroductionOver the past three decades, extensive research has been undertaken to understand the elements of what constitutes high quality in healthcare. Yet, much of this research has been conducted on individual elements and their specific challenges. Hence, goals other than understanding the complex of factors and elements that comprises quality in healthcare have been privileged. This lack of progress has led to the conclusion that existing approaches to research are not able to address the inherent complexity of healthcare systems as characterised by a significant degree of performance variability within and across system levels, and what makes them resilient. A shift is, therefore, necessary in such approaches. Resilience in Healthcare (RiH) adopts an approach comprising a comprehensive research programme that models the capacity of healthcare systems and stakeholders to adapt to changes, variations and/or disruptions: that is, resilience. As such, RiH offers a fresh approach capable of capturing and illuminating the complexity of healthcare and how high-quality care can be understood and advanced.Methods and analysisMethodologically, to illuminate what constitutes quality in healthcare, it is necessary to go beyond single-site, case-based studies. Instead, there is a need to engage in multi-site, cross-national studies and engage in long-term multidisciplinary collaboration between national and international researchers interacting with multiple healthcare stakeholders. By adopting such processes, multiple partners and a multidisciplinary orientation, the 5-year RiH research programme aims to confront these challenges and accelerate current understandings about and approaches to researching healthcare quality.The RiH research programme adopts a longitudinal collaborative interactive design to capture and illuminate resilience as part of healthcare quality in different healthcare settings in Norway and in five other countries. It combines a meta-analysis of detailed empirical research in Norway with cross-country comparison from Australia, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. Through establishing an RiH framework, the programme will identify processes with outcomes that aim to capture how high-quality healthcare provisions are achieved. A collaborative learning framework centred on engagement aims to systematically translate research findings into practice through co-construction processes with partners and stakeholders.Ethics and disseminationThe RiH research programme is approved by the Norwegian Centre for Research Data (No. 864334). The empirical projects selected for inclusion in this longitudinal research programme have been approved by the Norwegian Centre for Research Data or the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics. The RiH research programme has an embedded publication and dissemination strategy focusing on the progressive sharing of scientific knowledge, information and results, and on engaging with the public, including relevant patient and stakeholder representatives. The findings will be disseminated through scientific articles, PhD dissertations, presentations at national and international conferences, and through social media, newsletters and the popular media.
27
Braithwaite, Jeffrey, Robyn Clay-Williams, Natalie Taylor, Hsuen P. Ting, Teresa Winata, Emily Hogden, Zhicheng Li, et al. "Deepening our Understanding of Quality in Australia (DUQuA): An overview of a nation-wide, multi-level analysis of relationships between quality management systems and patient factors in 32 hospitals." International Journal for Quality in Health Care 32, Supplement_1 (December 3, 2019): 8–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzz103.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract Objective The Deepening our Understanding of Quality in Australia (DUQuA) project is a multisite, multi-level, cross-sectional study of 32 of the largest hospitals in Australia. This overview examines relationships between (i) organization-level quality management systems and department-level quality management strategies and (ii) patient-level measures (clinical treatment processes, patient-reported perceptions of care and clinical outcomes) within Australian hospitals. Design We examined hospital quality improvement structures, processes and outcomes, collecting data at organization, department and patient levels for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), hip fracture and stroke. Data sources included surveys of quality managers, clinicians and patients, hospital visits, medical record reviews and national databases. Outcomes data and patient admissions data were analysed. Relationships between measures were evaluated using multi-level models. We based the methods on the Deepening our Understanding of Quality Improvement in Europe (DUQuE) framework, extending that work in parts and customizing the design to Australian circumstances. Setting, participants and outcome measures The 32 hospitals, containing 119 participating departments, provided wide representation across metropolitan, inner and outer regional Australia. We obtained 31 quality management, 1334 clinician and 857 patient questionnaires, and conducted 2401 medical record reviews and 151 external assessments. External data via a secondary source comprised 14 460 index patient admissions across 14 031 individual patients. Associations between hospital, Emergency Department (ED) and department-level systems and strategies and five patient-level outcomes were assessed: 19 of 165 associations (11.5%) were statistically significant, 12 of 79 positive associations (15.2%) and 7 of 85 negative associations (8.2%). Results We did not find clear relationships between hospital-level quality management systems, ED or department quality strategies and patient-level outcomes. ED-level clinical reviews were related to adherence to clinical practice guidelines for AMI, hip fracture and stroke, but in different directions. The results, when considered alongside the DUQuE results, are suggestive that front line interventions may be more influential than department-level interventions when shaping quality of care and that multi-pronged strategies are needed. Benchmark reports were sent to each participating hospital, stimulating targeted quality improvement activities. Conclusions We found no compelling relationships between the way care is organized and the quality of care across three targeted patient-level outcome conditions. The study was cross-sectional, and thus we recommend that the relationships studied should be assessed for changes across time. Tracking care longitudinally so that quality improvement activities are monitored and fed back to participants is an important initiative that should be given priority as health systems strive to develop their capacity for quality improvement over time.
28
Qasim, Haider, Maree Simpson, Yann Guisard, and Barbora de Courten. "A Comprehensive Evaluation of Studies on the Adverse Effects of Medications in Australian Aged care Facilities: A Scoping Review." Pharmacy 8, no. 2 (March 31, 2020): 56. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy8020056.
Full textAbstract:
Aim: this scoping review was designed to identify studies that assess adverse drug reactions (ADRs) for older people in Australian aged care facilities. This review critically evaluates each published study to identify the risk of, or actual, adverse drug events in older people. Inclusion criteria: this review considered any clinical studies that examined the adverse effects of medications in older people who were living in aged care facilities. This review considered qualitative studies, analytical studies, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), descriptive cross-sectional studies, and analytic observational studies that explored the use of medications and their adverse effects on older people in clinical settings (including aged care facilities). Methods: an initial search of the PubMed (United State National Library of Medicine), OvidSP, EBSCOHost, ScienceDirect, Wiley Online, SAGE, and SCOPUS databases, with full text was performed, followed by an analysis of the article’s title and abstract. Additionally, MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) was used to describe the article. The initial round of the database search was based on inclusion criteria from studies that assessed tools or protocols aiming to identify the adverse effects of medications on the elderly population suffering chronic conditions or multiple co-morbidities. Two reviewers screened the retrieved papers for inclusion. The data presented in this review are in tabular forms and accompanied by a narrative summary which aligns with the review’s objectives. Results: seven studies were identified, and the extracted data from these studies were grouped according their characteristics and the auditing results of each study. Conclusion: it would be beneficial to design a comprehensive or broadly adverse drug reaction assessment tool derived from Australian data that has been used on the elderly in an Australian healthcare setting.
29
Gupta, Rajendra Pratap, and Prahlad Rai Sodani. "Cross-country comparison of health policies in eight countries." Indian Journal of Forensic and Community Medicine 9, no. 2 (June 15, 2022): 72–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.18231/j.ijfcm.2022.016.
Full textAbstract:
The primary objective of this paper is the comparison and describe features of health policies across the selected countries viz, Argentina, Australia, Finland, Kenya, India, South Korea, United Kingdom (U.K), United States (U.S). The second objective of the paper is to understand the political commitment in each country by comparing the allocation of adequate resources toward health. To study health policies, eight countries are selected from each geographical region and to determine political commitment toward health policy, three related variables are analyzed. Databases of the multilateral organization including the World Health Organization (WHO) are searched for the latest data. Out of the eight countries studied, only India and Kenya have a National Health Policy. The rest of the countries have medical care policies or health insurance policies or national law to lay down the vision for the health sector. The data indicate that countries which fall in the higher income bracket spend more on health. However, the spending data or the lack of it indicates that there is perhaps no focus on primary care, nutrition, and sanitation, among the prominent drivers of health outcomes. Many countries continue to struggle, to maintain continuity in the broad direction of the health policy. The realm of health process formulation is a major area which needs further research, evidence, re-orientation, and training for policymakers across countries to ensure structured and evidence-based policy formulation. Once there is a structured health policy process, the health policies may effectively address the ground-level issues and may lead to better health outcomes.
30
Domino, George, Sushila Niles, and Sunita Devi Raj. "Attitudes toward Suicide: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Singaporean and Australian University Students." OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying 28, no. 2 (March 1994): 125–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.2190/menk-8y8p-9tuj-44cy.
Full textAbstract:
The Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ), a measure of attitudes toward suicide, was administered to two samples of university students, one from Singapore ( n = 100) and one from Australia ( n = 82). Of the fifteen SOQ factors, ten showed statistically significant mean differences, with Singaporean students endorsing greater disagreement on the factors of Acceptability and Demographic aspects, and Australian students endorsing greater disagreement on the factors of Suicide as semiserious, Religion, Lethality, Normality, Irreversibility, Aging, Individual Aspects, and Sensation seeking. A regression analysis of the SOQ factors as related to self-reported religiosity indicated that for the Singaporean students religious attendance was related to the SOQ factors of Acceptability, Mental and Moral Illness, and Lethality, while self-reported degree of religiosity was related to the SOQ factor of Religion. For the Australian students degree of religiosity was related to the SOQ factors of Acceptability, Mental and Moral Illness, and Religion.
31
Gamage, Prasanna J., Saran Seker, Jessica Orchard, David Humphries, Kylie Fitzgerald, and Jane Fitzpatrick. "Insights into the complexity of presentation and management of patients: the Sport and Exercise Physician’s perspective." BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine 7, no. 4 (November 2021): e001228. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2021-001228.
Full textAbstract:
ObjectivesSport and Exercise Physicians represent a relatively new specialty focusing on exercise in complex diseases including musculoskeletal diseases. Our objective was to describe the characteristics, type and complexity of patient presentations, their management strategies and referral information in Australian practice.MethodsA cross-sectional study including a cohort of 11 senior Sport and Exercise Physicians in Australia studied all new patient consultations within an 8-week period. Data were analysed relating to presentation, referral source, follow-up referrals, and patient management strategies.ResultsData from 419 patients were recorded. The majority, 97% (n=406), had musculoskeletal conditions, 53% (n=222) had one or more associated comorbidities and 47% (n=195) had ongoing symptoms for >12 months. Most patients, 82% (n=355), were referred by general practitioners. Prior consultations included physiotherapy 72% (n=301) and orthopaedic 20% (n=85). A multidisciplinary network of referrals from Sport and Exercise Physicians was observed, including 210 referrals to 9 allied health specialities and 61 referrals to 17 medical specialities. Over 74% (n=311) of patients received exercise-based intervention as part of the treatment plan, including 57% (n=240) physician managed exercise interventions.ConclusionOur work shines a light on the nature and complexity of the role of Sport and Exercise Physicians in an Australian practice context. Findings will assist in implementing measures to promote patient care at the community level in managing musculoskeletal conditions. Sport and exercise medicine stakeholders and government policy makers can use this information in developing appropriate programmes to support patients and create integrated sport and exercise medicine services for the community.
32
Cagliero, Diana. "Ethical Implications of Cultural Barriers to the Depression Diagnosis: Conversations with Primary Care Physicians." Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 51, no. 9 (August 5, 2020): 683–701. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022022120946842.
Full textAbstract:
This article explores ethical issues raised by Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) when diagnosing depression and caring for cross-cultural patients. This study was conducted in three primary care clinics within a major metropolitan area in the Southeastern United States. The PCPs were from a variety of ethnocultural backgrounds including South Asian, Hispanic, East Asian and Caucasian. While medical education training and guidelines aim to teach physicians about the nuances of cross-cultural patient interaction, PCPs report that past experiences guide them in navigating cross-cultural conversations and patient care. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven PCPs which were transcribed and underwent thematic analysis to explore how patients’ cultural backgrounds and understanding of depression affected PCPs’ reasoning and diagnosing of depression in patients from different cultural backgrounds. Ethical issues that arose included: limiting treatment options, expressing a patient’s mental health diagnosis in a biomedical sense to reduce stigma, and somatization of mental health symptoms. Ethical implications, such as lack of autonomy, unnecessary testing, and the possible misuse of healthcare resources are discussed.
33
Gilles, Marisa T., John Wakerman, and Angela Durey. ""If it wasn't for OTDs, there would be no AMS": overseas-trained doctors working in rural and remote Aboriginal health settings." Australian Health Review 32, no. 4 (2008): 655. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah080655.
Full textAbstract:
Australian-trained doctors are often reluctant to work in rural and remote areas and overseastrained doctors (OTDs) are recruited to practise in many rural Aboriginal medical services. This paper focuses on recent research carried out in Australia to analyse factors affecting OTDs? professional, cultural and social integration and examine their training and support needs. Ten case studies were conducted throughout Australia with OTDs, which also included interviews with spouses/partners, professional colleagues, co-workers, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members associated with the health service. Key themes emerging from the data across all informants included the need to better address recruitment, orientation and cross-cultural issues; the importance of effective communication and building community and institutional relationships, both with the local health service and the broader medical establishment.
34
Jameel, Tahir, Mukhtiar Baig, Saba Tariq, Zohair Jamil Gazzaz, Nadeem Shafique Butt, Nouf Khaleel Althagafi, Eman Yahya Hazazi, and Razan Saleh Alsayed. "Psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges to Saudi Arabian students in Australia." PLOS ONE 17, no. 1 (January 31, 2022): e0262585. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262585.
Full textAbstract:
Objectives This study investigated the perceptions of Saudi Arabian medical disciplines students undergoing training in various institutes of Australia regarding psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges. Methods This cross-sectional study was from March 15 to June 15, 2019. Data were collected by an online questionnaire. It consisted of questions regarding demographic, psychosocial, cultural, and academic challenges. Two hundred nineteen students studying in Australia responded to our questionnaire. Results Of the total 219 students, 13(6.0%) were undergraduate, 167(76%) were postgraduate, and 39(18%) were Ph.D. students. For most students (171[79.2%]), Australia was the country of choice for studying. Most of them were satisfied with their academic performance and adjustment to the Australian way of living. Most of the students (180[82.2%]) showed satisfaction over the availability of fair chances of their religious practices in Australia. Few of them faced difficulties coping with the Australian climate (25[11.4%]), homesickness (59[26.9%]), and food and dietary sources (44[20.1%]). Students were overall satisfied with the student advisory system (156[71.2%]), university assessments (147[67.2%]), and available research facilities (170[77.6%]). Among participants, 77 (35.1%), 119(54.3%), and 23(10.5%) students indicated that they wished to stay in Australia only until completion of their studies, temporarily and permanently, respectively. Conclusions Our findings showed that Saudi students in Australia had strong psychosocial well-being, cultural integration, and academic success. Most of them were satisfied and adjusted well to Australian culture.
35
Tiglis, Mirela, Ileana Peride, Tiberiu Paul Neagu, Laura Raducu, and Ioan Lascar. "Hydrotherapy in burn care: Pros, cons and suggestions." Romanian Medical Journal 69, no. 1 (March 31, 2022): 14–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.37897/rmj.2022.1.3.
Full textAbstract:
Hydrotherapy represents the use of water for medical purpose, being involved in burn wound care since the 17th century. Burn wound cleansing, performed daily, twice a day, or as needed, as part of standard care, should be scheduled by a burn surgeon and supervised by proper specialists. It can be performed by various methods, like shower, immersion, bedside irrigation or wiping. Due to the high risk of cross-contamination, immersion is no longer recommended. Tap water seems to be superior to saline solution in burn wound care, and adjuvants can be added, especially chlorhexidine, povidone-iodine, or special detergents. Disposable plastic sheets use during showering and the following of cleaning protocols for washing areas have decreased the risk of infection. Apart from the wound-cleansing role, hydrotherapy reduces itching and pain, improves wound healing, favors early mobilization and increases patients’ comfort. Controversy persists around the optimal method and appropriate solutions for cleaning burn injuries and clinical studies are further required to solve this matter. In the absence of standardized recommendations, most burn centers are guided by experience.
36
Marovic, Zana. "Cross-cultural indigenous training: The South African experience." Culture & Psychology 26, no. 3 (February 28, 2020): 605–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1354067x20908529.
Full textAbstract:
In this paper, the author explores the relevance of indigenous training from a cross-cultural perspective. We start by examining the broader context of traditional Western psychology and its relevance in a multicultural society. A brief description of the indigenous paradigm is followed by a discussion of differences between Western and indigenous psychology, and a proposal of cultural eclecticism as a potential frame for their integration. Next, we discuss the South African context in relation to comparative-cultural aspects of medical and psychological services. The author’s clinical experience informs her increased awareness of culturally inadequate service at the state hospital, developing curiosity about African indigenous healing, and subsequent encounters and collaboration with African traditional healers. Ultimately, the author develops culturally sensitive training that explores cultural biases and generates cross-cultural knowledge and competence. In conclusion, the author advocates that in the area of globalisation and multicultural societies, psychological training and clinical practice, should include dialogue and facilitate collaboration between Western and indigenous knowledge, hopefully leading to a more holistic and culturally inclusive service to a population of different backgrounds. Such collaboration and integration of Western and indigenous knowledge may be a source of professional stimulation as well as a benefit to health-care consumers.
37
Lim, Andy, Namankit Gupta, Alvin Lim, Wei Hong, and Katie Walker. "Description of the effect of patient flow, junior doctor supervision and pandemic preparation on the ability of emergency physicians to provide direct patient care." Australian Health Review 44, no. 5 (2020): 741. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah20180.
Full textAbstract:
ObjectiveA pilot study to: (1) describe the ability of emergency physicians to provide primary consults at an Australian, major metropolitan, adult emergency department (ED) during the COVID-19 pandemic when compared with historical performance; and (2) to identify the effect of system and process factors on productivity. MethodsA retrospective cross-sectional description of shifts worked between 1 and 29 February 2020, while physicians were carrying out their usual supervision, flow and problem-solving duties, as well as undertaking additional COVID-19 preparation, was documented. Effect of supervisory load, years of Australian registration and departmental flow factors were evaluated. Descriptive statistical methods were used and regression analyses were performed. ResultsA total of 188 shifts were analysed. Productivity was 4.07 patients per 9.5-h shift (95% CI 3.56–4.58) or 0.43 patients per h, representing a 48.5% reduction from previously published data (P<0.0001). Working in a shift outside of the resuscitation area or working a day shift was associated with a reduction in individual patient load. There was a 2.2% (95% CI: 1.1–3.4, P<0.001) decrease in productivity with each year after obtaining Australian medical registration. There was a 10.6% (95% CI: 5.4–15.6, P<0.001) decrease in productivity for each junior physician supervised. Bed access had no statistically significant effect on productivity. ConclusionsEmergency physicians undertake multiple duties. Their ability to manage their own patients varies depending on multiple ED operational factors, particularly their supervisory load. COVID-19 preparations reduced their ability to see their own patients by half. What is known about the topic?An understanding of emergency physician productivity is essential in planning clinical operations. Medical productivity, however, is challenging to define, and is controversial to measure. Although baseline data exist, few studies examine the effect of patient flow and supervision requirements on the emergency physician’s ability to perform primary consults. No studies describe these metrics during COVID-19. What does this paper add?This pilot study provides a novel cross-sectional description of the effect of COVID-19 preparations on the ability of emergency physicians to provide direct patient care. It also examines the effect of selected system and process factors in a physician’s ability to complete primary consults. What are the implications for practitioners?When managing an emergency medical workforce, the contribution of emergency physicians to the number of patients requiring consults should take into account the high volume of alternative duties required. Increasing alternative duties can decrease primary provider tasks that can be completed. COVID-19 pandemic preparation has significantly reduced the ability of emergency physicians to manage their own patients.
38
Toussaint, Sandy, Donna Mak, and Judith Straton. "Marnin Business: Anthropological Interpretations of Cervical Screening among Australian Aboriginal Women." Australian Journal of Primary Health 4, no. 2 (1998): 43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py98019.
Full textAbstract:
Cervical cancer remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among Australian Aboriginal women despite the existence of effective prevention in the form of the Papanicolaou (Pap) Smear. An anthropological assessment of a successful cervical screening program in remote northern Australia reveals that a large proportion of women participated in the program because of the gender, skills, dedication and history of a female medical practitioner, and work practices which incorporated recognition of indigenous beliefs and practices. Without the direct involvement of the practitioner, and with health services which undermined the influence of local cultural behaviours, the program declined. Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal responses to the program are described, and it is suggested that understandings about culture and gender are crucial to the design and application of future Pap Smear programs. Committed health care practitioners, cross-cultural education, and improved socioeconomic conditions for indigenous populations, are also identified as key elements for better service delivery in regard to cervical screening and other health-related issues in Aboriginal Australia.
39
Liverani, Marco, Por Ir, Bart Jacobs, Augustine Asante, Stephen Jan, Supheap Leang, Nicola Man, Andrew Hayen, and Virginia Wiseman. "Cross-border medical travels from Cambodia: pathways to care, associated costs and equity implications." Health Policy and Planning 35, no. 8 (August 16, 2020): 1011–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaa061.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract In low- and middle-income countries, patients may travel abroad to seek better health services or treatments that are not available at home, especially in regions where great disparities exist between the standard of care in neighbouring countries. While awareness of South–South medical travels has increased, only a few studies investigated this phenomenon in depth from the perspective of sending countries. This article aims to contribute to these studies by reporting findings from a qualitative study of medical travels from Cambodia and associated costs. Data collection primarily involved interviews with Cambodian patients returning from Thailand and Vietnam, conducted in 2017 in the capital Phnom Penh and two provinces, and interviews with key informants in the local health sector. The research findings show that medical travels from Cambodia are driven and shaped by an interplay of socio-economic, cultural and health system factors at different levels, from the effects of regional trade liberalization to perceptions about the quality of care and the pressure of relatives and other advisers in local communities. Furthermore, there is a diversity of medical travels from Cambodia, ranging from first class travels to international hospitals in Bangkok and cross-border ‘medical tourism’ to perilous overland journeys of poor patients, who regularly resort to borrowing or liquidating assets to cover costs. The implications of the research findings for health sector development and equitable access to care for Cambodians deserve particular attention. To some extent, the increase in medical travels can stimulate improvements in the quality of local health services. However, concerns remain that these developments will mainly affect high-cost private services, widening disparities in access to care between population groups.
40
Jiang, Nan, and Jing Wang. "EFFECTS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT ON PERSONS’ NEUROLOGICAL WELL-BEING:IMPLICATIONS FROM CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES." Innovation in Aging 3, Supplement_1 (November 2019): S817. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igz038.3012.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract The impact of social determinants on health is well documented. Among them, social support has emerged as one of the most important old ideas being revisited from a new perspective. Social support refers to perceived supportive resources from an individual’s social engagement or social network. Recently, the concept of social support has become the subject of intense discussion, as it represents a mechanism by which interventions lead to health improvement. Neuropsychological disorders, on the other hand, represent a large burden on worldwide health. Research has shown that older adults with neurological conditions are embedded in social structures that may affect their outcomes, but not enough attention has been paid to the potential effect of social support on many neurological conditions. Using data collected from studies across cultures that have sought to understand neurological well-being worldwide, this symposium will present evidence of the relationship between social support and neurological conditions among older adults and explore how these mechanisms of social support extend the understanding of health disparities in old-age neurological wellbeing. A discussant will draw out common themes from these papers and connect them with the broader literature on the effect of social support on neurological well-being. We propose that social support constitutes an integral part of medical care for older adults with neurological conditions. This symposium will generate insights to help clinical practitioners more effectively design their social support interventions.
41
Stoner, Joyce Hill. "Connecting to the World's Collections: Making the Case for the Conservation and Preservation of Our Cultural Heritage." International Journal of Cultural Property 17, no. 4 (November 2010): 653–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0940739110000378.
Full textAbstract:
Sixty cultural heritage leaders from 32 countries, including representatives from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America, Australia, Europe, and North America, gathered in October 2009 in Salzburg, Austria, to develop a series of practical recommendations to ensure optimal collections conservation worldwide. Convened at Schloss Leopoldskron, the gathering was conducted in partnership by the Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS) and the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The participants were conservation specialists from libraries and museums, as well as leaders of major conservation centers and cultural heritage programs from around the world. As cochair Vinod Daniel noted, no previous meeting of conservation professionals has been “as diverse as this, with people from as many parts of the world, as cross-disciplinary as this.” The group addressed central issues in the care and preservation of the world's cultural heritage, including moveable objects (library materials, books, archives, paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, photographic collections, art on paper, and archaeological and ethnographic objects) and immoveable heritage (buildings and archaeological sites).
42
Ward, Colleen. "The Attitudes Toward Rape Victims Scale: Construction, Validation, and Cross-Cultural Applicability." Psychology of Women Quarterly 12, no. 2 (June 1988): 127–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1988.tb00932.x.
Full textAbstract:
The paper describes the construction of a 25-item Attitudes toward Rape Victims Scale (ARVS) designed to assess favorable and unfavorable attitudes with particular emphasis on victim blame, credibility, deservingness, denigration, and trivialization. Normative data are presented as well as the results of various psychometric analyses based on four independent studies and a variety of samples including university students, doctors, lawyers, social workers, psychologists, and police in Singapore, and university students in the United States. These analyses confirm the ARVS's reliability, validity and cross-cultural suitability. As attitudes toward rape victims have been implicated in the quality of victim care in legal, medical, and social spheres, it is proposed that the ARVS provides a valuable tool for applied research in victimology.
43
Campbell, Stephen. "Reviews : Evan Willis, Medical Dominance: The Division of Labour in Australian Health Care, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1983." Thesis Eleven 15, no. 1 (August 1986): 123–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/072551368601500113.
Full text
44
Comino, Elizabeth J., Elizabeth Harris, Tien Chey, Vijaya Manicavasagar, Jonine Penrose Wall, Gawaine Powell Davies, and Mark F. Harris. "Relationship Between Mental Health Disorders and Unemployment Status in Australian Adults." Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 37, no. 2 (April 2003): 230–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1614.2003.01127.x.
Full textAbstract:
Objectives: To compare the prevalence of anxiety and affective disorders among employed and unemployed patients and to compare the type of treatment received between the two groups for these disorders. Method: A secondary analysis of the 1997 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing of Adults cross-sectional study was undertaken. Results: Unemployed adults were more likely to have symptoms of anxiety (OR = 3.09, 95% CI = 2.80–3.41) or an affective disorder (OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.95–2.27) or anxiety and/or affective disorders (OR = 2.53, 95% CI = 2.37–2.69). Unemployed participants with symptoms were less likely to have seen a general practitioner for treatment but when they did they received similar care to employed participants. Conclusions: These results confirm studies reported elsewhere that the prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and/or affective disorders is higher for unemployed people. The data provide further evidence that people with an anxiety and/or affective disorder who are unemployed are not seeking medical treatment. However, unlike previous research undertaken by our group, these results indicate that symptomatic adults who seek help receive comparable treatment in general practice irrespective of their employment status.
45
Schlebusch, L., and G. Ruggieri. "Health Beliefs of a Sample of Black Patients Attending a Specialized Medical Facility." South African Journal of Psychology 26, no. 1 (March 1996): 35–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/008124639602600107.
Full textAbstract:
Cross-cultural research has highlighted the influential role of health beliefs in shaping responses to health messages and subsequent health behaviour. Research into health behaviour constitutes an interdisciplinary field which studies personal attributes related to health maintenance, restoration and improvement and it embraces concepts related to biopsychosocial health care and behavioural medicine. Health behaviour research is in its infancy in Africa. Particularly in South Africa, where there is a high incidence of diseases requiring high technology medical intervention within a large spectrum of an underprivileged population, there is a need to gain more cross-cultural health behaviour knowledge that would permit the formulation of a health-care education programme specifically designed for local needs. Given this, this study investigated health beliefs amongst a group of black patients who required highly specialized medical treatment. The sample consisted of a random selection of black patients attending a university-affiliated specialized teaching hospital's out-patient clinic for ‘high-tech’ medical or surgical procedures. Results showed statistically significant differences between the health beliefs of rural and urbanized patients and the importance of religious concepts in health beliefs. Further, the patients' health beliefs related to health behaviour were influenced by several other variables including the interaction between socio-economic, cultural, environmental, and other factors. It is argued that, in order to introduce health behaviour changes, these complex sets of beliefs must be taken into account when health-care education programmes are designed.
46
De Almeida Fleck, Marcelo Pio, Gregory Simon, Helen Herrman, Donald Bushnell, Mona Martin, and Donald Patrick. "Major depression and its correlates in primary care settings in six countries." British Journal of Psychiatry 186, no. 1 (January 2005): 41–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjp.186.1.41.
Full textAbstract:
BackgroundFew published studies address depression outcomes in primary care from a cross-cultural perspective.AimsTo define baseline factors associated with 9-month clinical outcome: across six countries.MethodAdults meeting criteria for current major depression were recruited from primary care clinics in Australia, Brazil, Israel, Spain, Russia and the USA; 968 patients were assessed at the 9-month follow-up. Predictors of complete remission were examined using logistic regression with a hierarchical model.ResultsRates of complete remission in the six sites ranged from 25% to 48%. Logistic regression using pooled data showed that education, key life events and the Quality of Life Depression Scale score at baseline were the final predictors of complete remission, adjusting for centres, socio-demographic data, severity of depression, comorbidity and general quality of life. Variation in predictors across sites was not statistically significant.ConclusionsThe two major findings of this study were the low proportion of people achieving complete remission at follow-up across the six sites, and that some baseline characteristics (education, Quality of Life Depression Scale score and key life events) are modest predictors of outcome in depression.
47
Dragos, Dorin, Maria D. Tanasescu, Mihai O. Comsa, Alexandru Minca, and Dan Olteanu. "PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES ASSOCIATED WITH GALLSTONE DISEASE." Romanian Medical Journal 62, no. 1 (March 31, 2015): 49–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.37897/rmj.2015.1.10.
Full textAbstract:
The present study aims to identify and compare the psychological factors that may contribute to an individual’s predisposition for developing gallstone disease. Totally, 10,192 respondents to our specially designed triple questionnaire containing 614 psychological and medical items to assess the psychological features associated with gallstone disease were included in this cross-sectional study. The psychological items most strongly correlated with gallstone disease were those reflecting the tendency to self-sacrifice, hard-work, care for others, responsibility and discontent. At the heart of the gallstone-associated mindset seems to reside the inclination to frustrate one’s desires/interests for the sake of fulfilling one’s familial/social/professional duties/responsibilities.
48
Duke, Pauline S., Fern Brunger, and Elizabeth Ohle. "Morning in refugee health: an introduction for medical students." International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care 11, no. 2 (June 15, 2015): 86–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijmhsc-05-2014-0020.
Full textAbstract:
Purpose – Migration is increasing worldwide. health care practitioners must provide care to migrants in a culturally competent manner that is sensitive to cultural, political and economic contexts shaping health and illness. Many studies have provided strong evidence that health providers benefit from training in cross-cultural care. Cultural competence education of medical students during their early learning can begin to address attitudes and responsiveness toward refugees. At Memorial University in Canada, the authors designed “Morning in Refugee Health”, an innovative program in cultural competency training for first year medical students in the Clinical Skills and Ethics course. The purpose of this paper is to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Here the authors introduce the curriculum and provide the rationale for the specific pedagogical techniques employed, emphasizing the consideration of culture in its relation to political and economic contexts. The authors describe the innovation of training standardized patients (SPs) who are themselves immigrants or refugees. The authors explain how and why the collaboration of community agencies and medical school administration is key to the successful implementation of such a curriculum. Findings – Medical students benefit from early pre-clinical education in refugee health. Specific attention to community context, SP training, small group format, linkages between clinical skills and medical ethics, medical school administrative and community agency support are essential to development and delivery of this curriculum. As a result of the Morning in Refugee Health, students initiated a community medical outreach project for newly arriving refugees. Originality/value – The approach is unique in three ways: integration of training in clinical skills and ethics; training of SPs who are themselves immigrants or refugees; and reflection on the political, economic and cultural contexts shaping health and health care.
49
Finnane, Mark. "Raphael Cilento in Medicine and Politics: Visions and Contradictions." Queensland Review 20, no. 1 (May 3, 2013): 4–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/qre.2013.2.
Full textAbstract:
At the end of his working life as a medical bureaucrat, Raphael Cilento twice tried his hand at Australian federal politics. After an initial joust at a Senate seat, he was encouraged by the fledgling Australian Democratic Union to try the House of Representatives. His choice of electorate was heroic. The seat of McPherson (Qld) was held by Arthur Fadden, one time prime minister and perennial member for this Darling Downs electorate. Standing as an ‘Independent Democrat’, Cilento targeted the Italian community in Stanthorpe, a district where he picked up half the vote in his otherwise unsuccessful campaign. His candidature attracted some notice. Brisbane's Truth described Sir Raphael as ‘the most distinguished Queenslander to ever enter the Federal political arena’. This might seem a little hyperbolic, but seen in the larger context of Cilento's national and international work, it was a defensible proposition. Seen literally, it is slightly less defensible since Cilento was not Queensland born. Rather, he came to adopt Queensland — and to seek to advance its standing as an example of successful white settlement of the tropics.
50
Sommer, Jessica, William Macdonald, Caroline Bulsara, and David Lim. "Grunt language versus accent: the perceived communication barriers between international medical graduates and patients in Central Wheatbelt catchments." Australian Journal of Primary Health 18, no. 3 (2012): 197. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py11030.
Full textAbstract:
Due to the chronic shortages of GPs in Australian rural and remote regions, considerable numbers of international medical graduates (IMG) have been recruited. IMG experience many difficulties when relocating to Australia with one of the most significant being effective GP−patient communication. Given that this is essential for effective consultation it can have a substantial impact on health care. A purposive sample of seven practising GPs (five IMG, two Australian-trained doctors (ATD)) was interviewed using a semistructured face-to-face interviewing technique. GPs from Nigeria, Egypt, United Kingdom, India, Singapore and Australia participated. Interviews were transcribed and then coded. The authors used qualitative thematic analysis of interview transcripts to identify common themes. IMG−patient communication barriers were considered significant in the Wheatbelt region as identified by both IMG and ATD. ATD indicated they were aware of IMG−patient communication issues resulting in subsequent consults with patients to explain results and diagnoses. Significantly, a lack of communication between ATD and IMG also emerged, creating a further barrier to effective communication. Analysis of the data generated several important findings that rural GP networks should consider when integrating new IMG into the community. Addressing the challenges related to cross-cultural differences should be a priority, in order to enable effective communication. More open communication between ATD and IMG about GP−patient communication barriers and education programs around GP−patient communication would help both GP and patient satisfaction.