Framework for community-based models for treating hepatitis C virus.

Objective Although community-based models for treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) are widely recognised for reaching more people who require treatment, little is known about their organisational and operational elements. This study aimed to address this gap and develop a framework for designing, implementing and evaluating community-based models for treating HCV. Methods This study was a systematic review in which 17 databases were searched for published and unpublished studies.

Elements of community-based models for treating hepatitis C virus in supporting HCV elimination in Australia: A Delphi study.

Background: A key to achieving the goal of hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination is the provision of its treatment in community settings. This study aimed to identify the important organisational and operational elements of community-based models for treating HCV and their feasibility in the Australian context.

Methods: A Delphi study was conducted with 33 experts from Australia.

Clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness and acceptability of community-based treatment of hepatitis C virus infection: A mixed method systematic review.

Several community-based models for treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have been implemented to improve treatment accessibility and health outcomes. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding how well these models achieve the desired goals. We conducted a mixed-method systematic review of quantitative and qualitative evidence about clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness and acceptability of community-based HCV treatment models.

Alcohol-related harm minimization practices among university students: Does the type of residence have an impact?

Background: The culture of 'risk-related alcohol use' has been identified as an intrinsic part of university life for many students, especially those in residential colleges in English-speaking countries. While the prevailing approach to managing drinking in these countries is harm minimization, little is known about students' uptake of these practices or the relationship of them to students' type of residence.

Objective: To examine the ways in which type of residence may impact alcohol-related harm minimization practices among university students.

Translating the Elements of Health Governance for Integrated Care from Theory to Practice: A Case Study Approach.

Introduction: Against a paucity of evidence, a model describing elements of health governance best suited to achieving integrated care internationally was developed. The aim of this study was to explore how health meso-level organisations used, or planned to use, the governance elements.

Methods: A case study design was used to offer two contrasting contexts of health governance.

Impact of Maternal Infant Weight Perception on Infant Feeding and Dietary Intake.

Introduction Obesity is a global problem that is challenging to prevent and expensive to treat. Early childhood interventions show promise in establishing lifelong healthy eating patterns, however a better understanding of how parental feeding practices develop is needed. The study aimed to investigate maternal perception of infant weight and its relationship to feeding practices and infant dietary intake.

Navigating motherhood and maternal transitional infant feeding: Learnings for health professionals.

Given the lifelong associations between infant diet and weight, understanding maternal transitional infant feeding decisions can assist efforts to establish healthy eating habits early in life. Feeding experiences were explored using semi-structured interviews with 15 first-time mothers who were selected based on their concerns about their infants' weight in an infant feeding survey. Thematic synthesis of the interview transcripts identified three main themes: (1) Expectations of a "responsible mother", (2) Trusting oneself and trust in others, and (3) From stress to successful feeding.

Integrated care among healthcare providers in shared maternity care: what is the role of paper and electronic health records?

This study examines a paper hand-held record and a shared electronic health record in an Australian tertiary hospital healthcare maternity setting and the role that both types of records play in facilitating integrated care among healthcare providers. A qualitative research design was used where five focus groups were conducted in two phases with 69 hospital healthcare providers. In total, 32 interviews were also carried out with general practitioners.

A qualitative systematic review of maternal infant feeding practices in transitioning from milk feeds to family foods.

Evidence supports the establishment of healthy feeding practices early in life to promote lifelong healthy eating patterns protective against chronic disease such as obesity. Current early childhood obesity prevention interventions are built on extant understandings of how feeding practices relate to infant's cues of hunger and satiety. Further insights regarding factors that influence feeding behaviors in early life may improve program designs and outcomes.

General practitioners learning qualitative research: A case study of postgraduate education.

Background: Qualitative research is increasingly being recognised as a vital aspect of primary healthcare research. Teaching and learning how to conduct qualitative research is especially important for general practitioners and other clinicians in the professional educational setting. This article examines a case study of postgraduate professional education in qualitative research for clinicians, for the purpose of enabling a robust discussion around teaching and learning in medicine and the health sciences.

From maternity paper hand-held records to electronic health records: what do women tell us about their use?

The paper hand-held record (PHR) has been used extensively in general practice (GP) shared care management of pregnant women, and recently, the first Mater Shared Electronic Health Record (MSEHR) was introduced. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine women's experiences using the records and the contribution of the records to integrate care. At the 36-week antenatal visit in a maternity tertiary centre clinic, women were identified as a user of either the PHR or the MSEHR and organised into Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies respectively.

How an urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care service improved access to mental health care.

Introduction: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience higher levels of psychological distress and mental ill health than their non-Indigenous counterparts, but underuse mental health services. Interventions are required to address the structural and functional access barriers that cause this underuse. In 2012, the Southern Queensland Centre of Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care employed a psychologist and a social worker to integrate mental health care into its primary health care services.

Inside the research incubator: a case study of an intensive undergraduate research experience for nursing a midwifery students.

Undergraduate research experiences are an increasing component of nursing and midwifery degrees. The Summer Research Scholarship Programme (SRSP) is a tertiary education initiative in Australia to provide an intensive undergraduate research experience. Between 2009 and 2010, six students and four academic faculty mentors in School of Nursing and Midwifery participated in an inaugural SRSP.

Sharing of clinical data in a maternity setting: how do paper hand-held records and electronic health records compare for completeness?

Background: Historically, the paper hand-held record (PHR) has been used for sharing information between hospital clinicians, general practitioners and pregnant women in a maternity shared-care environment. Recently in alignment with a National e-health agenda, an electronic health record (EHR) was introduced at an Australian tertiary maternity service to replace the PHR for collection and transfer of data. The aim of this study was to examine and compare the completeness of clinical data collected in a PHR and an EHR.

Using qualitative mixed methods to study small health care organizations while maximising trustworthiness and authenticity.

Background: The primary health care sector delivers the majority of health care in western countries through small, community-based organizations. However, research into these healthcare organizations is limited by the time constraints and pressure facing them, and the concern by staff that research is peripheral to their work. We developed Q-RARA-Qualitative Rapid Appraisal, Rigorous Analysis-to study small, primary health care organizations in a way that is efficient, acceptable to participants and methodologically rigorous.

Development and pilot study of the Primary Care Practice Improvement Tool (PC-PIT): an innovative approach.

Objective: To assess the usability and validity of the Primary Care Practice Improvement Tool (PC-PIT), a practice performance improvement tool based on 13 key elements identified by a systematic review. It was co-created with a range of partners and designed specifically for primary health care.

Design: This pilot study examined the PC-PIT using a formative assessment framework and mixed-methods research design.

Research participation by people with intellectual disability and mental health issues: an examination of the processes of consent.

Balancing the demands of research and ethics is always challenging, and even more so when recruiting vulnerable groups. Within the context of current legislation and international human rights declarations, it is strongly advocated that research can and must be undertaken with all recipients of health-care services. Research in the field of intellectual disability presents particular challenges in regards to consenting processes.

Hepatitis C, mental health and equity of access to antiviral therapy: a systematic narrative review.

Introduction: Access to hepatitis C (hereafter HCV) antiviral therapy has commonly excluded populations with mental health and substance use disorders because they were considered as having contraindications to treatment, particularly due to the neuropsychiatric effects of interferon that can occur in some patients. In this review we examined access to HCV interferon antiviral therapy by populations with mental health and substance use problems to identify the evidence and reasons for exclusion.

Methods: We searched the following major electronic databases for relevant articles: PsycINFO, Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, Google Scholar.

The application of the parallel track model in community health promotion: a literature review.

The parallel track model is one of the several models that are used in health promotion programmes that focus on community empowerment. It is unique in that it explicitly incorporates an empowerment approach with a top-down health programme. Since its development in 1999-2000 the model has been used in various health programmes in both developed and developing countries.

What are the health needs, familial and social problems of Thai migrants in a local community in Australia? A focus group study.

This study explored the health needs, familial and social problems of Thai migrants in a local community in Brisbane, Australia. Five focus groups with Thai migrants were conducted. The qualitative data were examined using thematic content analysis that is specifically designed for focus group analysis.

'Working with the team': an exploratory study of improved type 2 diabetes management in a new model of integrated primary/secondary care.

This study aimed to explore how a new model of integrated primary/secondary care for type 2 diabetes management, the Brisbane South Complex Diabetes Service (BSCDS), related to improved diabetes management in a selected group of patients. We used a qualitative research design to obtain detailed accounts from the BSCDS via semi-structured interviews with 10 patients. The interviews were fully transcribed and systematically coded using a form of thematic analysis.

A cross-sectional analysis of patterns of obesity in a cohort of working nurses and midwives in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity and the association with demographic, reproductive work variables in a representative cohort of working nurses and midwives.

Design: A cross sectional study of self reported survey data.

Settings: Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Nurses' role in caring for people with a comorbidity of mental illness and intellectual disability: a literature review.

This article examines literature on the role of the nurse caring for people with a dual disability (DD) of intellectual disability and mental illness. A search of the literature between 2000 and 2010 resulted in a total of 21 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Seven key categories of the role of the nurse were identified: (i) advocacy/health promotion (including working with family); (ii) assessment/case management; (iii) behavioural interventions; (iv) communication; (v) leadership and the nurse's role within the multidisciplinary team; (vi) functions regarding medication administration; and (vii) safety/risk management.

Healthcare teams - a practical framework for integration.

Background: Delivering integrated team care is a major priority for many countries. In Australia this is a component of the GP Super Clinic Program but it is also a focus of the broader primary care sector. Explicit consideration of human dynamics and team process is often absent from the move to integrated team care.