After-hours emergency department care: Does time or day of arrival affect survival?

Objective: To determine whether after-hours presentation to EDs is associated with differences in 7-day and 30-day mortality. The influence of patient case-mix and workforce staffing differences are also explored.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of 3.

A risk stratification tool for hospitalisation in Australia using primary care data.

Predictive risk models using general practice (GP) data to predict the risk of hospitalisation have the potential to identify patients for targeted care. Effective use can help deliver significant reductions in the incidence of hospitalisation, particularly for patients with chronic conditions, the highest consumers of hospital resources. There are currently no published validated risk models for the Australian context using GP data to predict hospitalisation.

A Simulation Study Comparing Epidemic Dynamics on Exponential Random Graph and Edge-Triangle Configuration Type Contact Network Models.

We compare two broad types of empirically grounded random network models in terms of their abilities to capture both network features and simulated Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) epidemic dynamics. The types of network models are exponential random graph models (ERGMs) and extensions of the configuration model. We use three kinds of empirical contact networks, chosen to provide both variety and realistic patterns of human contact: a highly clustered network, a bipartite network and a snowball sampled network of a "hidden population".

Social encounter profiles of greater Melbourne residents, by location--a telephone survey.

Background: Models of infectious disease increasingly seek to incorporate heterogeneity of social interactions to more accurately characterise disease spread. We measured attributes of social encounters in two areas of Greater Melbourne, using a telephone survey.

Methods: A market research company conducted computer assisted telephone interviews (CATIs) of residents of the Boroondara and Hume local government areas (LGAs), which differ markedly in ethnic composition, age distribution and household socioeconomic status.

Hepatitis C transmission and treatment as prevention - The role of the injecting network.

Background: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic is a major health issue; in most developed countries it is driven by people who inject drugs (PWID). Injecting networks powerfully influence HCV transmission. In this paper we provide an overview of 10 years of research into injecting networks and HCV, culminating in a network-based approach to provision of direct-acting antiviral therapy.

The impact of injecting networks on hepatitis C transmission and treatment in people who inject drugs.

Unlabelled: With the development of new highly efficacious direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV), the concept of treatment as prevention is gaining credence. To date, the majority of mathematical models assume perfect mixing, with injectors having equal contact with all other injectors. This article explores how using a networks-based approach to treat people who inject drugs (PWID) with DAAs affects HCV prevalence.

Hepatitis C transmission and treatment in contact networks of people who inject drugs.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) chronically infects over 180 million people worldwide, with over 350,000 estimated deaths attributed yearly to HCV-related liver diseases. It disproportionally affects people who inject drugs (PWID). Currently there is no preventative vaccine and interventions feature long treatment durations with severe side-effects.