Troubling complaint: Addressing hepatitis C-related stigma and discrimination through complaint mechanisms.

The need to grapple with hepatitis C-related stigma and discrimination in Australian health-care settings has been recognised in public policy, and work is underway to address it. But how likely are people to raise a complaint when they experience stigma or discrimination? And how effective and accessible are complaints mechanisms? Given complaint procedures are considered important parts of the delivery of safe and ethical health care, these are important questions that have yet to be substantially explored. Drawing on interviews with people with lived experience of hepatitis C (n = 30), this article considers how affected people feel about complaints processes and the act of complaining.

Between Public and Private: Electronic Health Record-sharing, Health Privacy Principles, and Hepatitis C.

People with (a history of) hepatitis C have concerns about privacy and the confidentiality of their health information. This is often due to the association between hepatitis C and injecting drug use and related stigma. In Australia, recent data breaches at a major private health insurer and legislative reforms to increase access to electronic health records have heightened these concerns.

'I'm not hep C free': afterlives of hepatitis C in the era of cure.

Since the advent of more effective, new-generation treatment for hepatitis C, immense resources have been devoted to delivering cure to as many people with the virus as possible. The scale-up of treatment aims to prevent liver disease, liver cancer and onward transmission of hepatitis C, but social research shows that people also approach treatment with its social promises in mind, including the hope that it might reduce or eradicate stigma from their lives. Such hopes reflect broader ideas about medical cure, which is seen as an end point to illness and its effects, and capable of restoring the self to a (previous) state of health and well-being.

The trouble with normalisation: Transformations to hepatitis C health care and stigma in an era of viral elimination.

Modern health-care systems have customarily approached hepatitis C in ways that resemble the public health approach to HIV/AIDS known as 'HIV exceptionalism'. HIV exceptionalism describes the unusual emphasis on privacy, confidentiality and consent in approaches to HIV and was partly developed to address HIV/AIDS-related stigma. In the case of hepatitis C, exceptionalist approaches have included diagnosis and treatment by specialist physicians and other 'boutique' public health strategies.

Complicating cure: How Australian criminal law shapes imagined post-hepatitis C futures.

In recent years, highly tolerable and effective drugs have emerged promising a radical new 'post-hepatitis C' world. Optimism about medical cure potentially overlooks discrimination and stigma associated with hepatitis C and injecting drug use. Legal frameworks are especially relevant to hepatitis futures, since the law has the potential to reinforce or alleviate stigma and discrimination.

Indicators of life success from the perspective of individuals with traumatic brain injury: a scoping review.

Purpose: The purpose was to synthesize qualitative literature and identify indicators of life success (positive life outcomes and experiences) that can help in understanding resiliency in the context of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: This scoping review involved searching nine online databases for population (TBI) and context (qualitative literature). Searches retrieved 42 852 articles and, after two-stage screening, 76 articles met the inclusion criteria of reporting indicators of life success from the perspective of individuals with TBI.

Becoming posthuman: hepatitis C, the race to elimination and the politics of remaking the subject.

Hepatitis C has long been a public health problem in Australia. 'Revolutionary' new drugs with the potential to cure hepatitis C have now emerged. The Australian government has invested heavily in them, and has an ambitious goal to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030.

Upscaling HIV and hepatitis C testing in primary healthcare settings: stigma-sensitive practice.

Increasing testing for viral hepatitis and HIV is central to meeting World Health Organization and Australian targets to eliminate blood-borne viruses as public health priorities by 2030. In this paper we draw on findings and recommendations from a Victorian consultation with 40 health and community practitioners engaged with blood-borne virus testing. The consultation focused on identifying what constitutes best practice in pre- and post-testing discussion in the current era of highly effective treatments for HIV and hepatitis C.

The Relationship between Self-Efficacy, Functional Exercise Capacity and Physical Activity in People with COPD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the strength of the relationships between self-efficacy and (i) functional exercise capacity and (ii) physical activity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and whether self-efficacy assessment type (i.e., COPD symptoms, exercise-task, exercise-barrier, general, falls) and physical activity assessment type (i.

Variability and limitations in home-based exercise program descriptions in oncology: a scoping review.

Background: The literature reflects considerable heterogeneity in what constitutes home-based exercise interventions. The variability for where and what "home-based" exercise can represent challenges interpretation of findings and appropriate advocacy, referral, or development of these models of care. Therefore, the objective of this review was to provide a comprehensive summary of how home-based exercise is defined and reported in the literature and summarize the range of supportive elements utilized in home-based exercise trials.

A scoping review to characterize bridging tasks in the literature on aging with disability.

Background: Bridging involves improving knowledge sharing and collaboration across different fields, such as aging and disability. The objectives of this review were to describe: 1) the contexts where bridging has occurred in relation to delivery of health services for adults aging with neurological or developmental conditions; and 2) characterize and map bridging tasks, stakeholders involved, and outcomes discussed in peer-reviewed literature.

Methods: Seven databases were searched around the core concepts of "bridging," "aging," and "disability.

Self-efficacy and health-related quality of life in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A meta-analysis.

Objective: To determine the association between self-efficacy and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and the moderating effect of self-efficacy type (exercise task, exercise barrier, COPD symptom, general) and HRQoL type (generic, COPD specific).

Methods: Databases were searched systematically from inception to January 2019. Methodological quality was assessed, and a meta-analysis was conducted following PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO protocol: CRD42018114846).

Maintaining the healthy body: Blood management and hepatitis C prevention among men who inject performance and image-enhancing drugs.

Australia's ambitious aim to 'eliminate' hepatitis C as a public health concern by 2030 requires researchers, policy makers and health practitioners to engage with populations rarely identified as a priority. Men who inject performance and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs) are one such population, yet research suggests they have low rates of knowledge about hepatitis C. Although rates of needle-sharing in this group are thought to be low, other risks of blood-to-blood contact exist due to the use of large-gauge needles, intramuscular injecting, hard-to-reach injection sites, repeated injecting and peer-to-peer injecting.

Interventions to address burden among family caregivers of persons aging with TBI: A scoping review.

Purpose: To capture the scope of literature exploring interventions for caregivers of aging persons with TBI.

Methods: A scoping review of peer reviewed literature was conducted in two phases. Phase I: Searching seven databases, two independent raters screened articles using a set of predetermined criteria.

Rates of Screening for Breast, Colorectal, and Cervical Cancers in Older People With Cognitive Impairment or Dementia: A Meta-Analysis.

Cancer screening may not be appropriate for some older people. We compare the likelihood of screening for colorectal, breast, and cervical cancers in older people with versus without cognitive impairment or dementia. Systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO (to March 9, 2018) for articles reporting screening for colon, breast, and cervical cancers in patients with and without cognitive impairment or dementia.

Self-Management of Cardiac Pain in Women: A Meta-Summary of the Qualitative Literature.

Symptom recognition and self-management is instrumental in reducing the number of deaths related to coronary artery disease (CAD) in women. The purpose of this study was to synthesize qualitative research evidence on the self-management of cardiac pain and associated symptoms in women. Seven databases were systematically searched, and the concepts of the Individual and Family Self-Management Theory were used as the framework for data extraction and analysis.

Self-Management Interventions for Women With Cardiac Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Cardiac pain is considered the primary indicator of coronary artery disease (CAD). Existing reviews lack appropriate numbers of women or sex-based subgroup analyses, or both; thus, the benefits of self-management (women with cardiac pain actively participating in their own care and treatment) remain uncertain.

Methods: Using methods described by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre at the Institute of Education, 7 databases were systematically searched to examine and synthesize the evidence on self-management interventions for women with cardiac pain and cardiac pain equivalents, such as fatigue, dyspnea, and exhaustion.

The experiences of physical rehabilitation in individuals with spinal cord injuries: a qualitative thematic synthesis.

Purpose: The purpose of this thematic synthesis review was to identify and synthesise published qualitative research on the perspectives of individuals with spinal cord injuries with respect to physical rehabilitation interventions.

Materials And Methods: The peer-reviewed literature was searched across seven databases and identified abstracts were independently screened by two reviewers. A thematic synthesis methodology was used to code and synthesise the results from the included studies.

Bridging knowledge, policies and practices across the ageing and disability fields: a protocol for a scoping review to inform the development of a taxonomy.

Introduction: Bridging is a term used to describe activities, or tasks, used to promote collaboration and knowledge exchange across fields. This paper reports the protocol for a scoping review which aims to identify and characterise peer reviewed evidence describing bridging activities, between the ageing and disability fields. The purpose is to clarify the concepts underpinning bridging to inform the development of a taxonomy, and identify research strengths and gaps.

A review of antimicrobial stewardship training in medical education.

Objectives: We reviewed the published literature on antimicrobial stewardship training in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education to determine which interventions have been implemented, the extent to which they have been evaluated, and to understand which are most effective.

Methods: We searched Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to December 2016. Four thousand three hundred eighty-five (4385) articles were identified and underwent title and abstract review.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of different embryo transfer strategies in England.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of different embryo transfer strategies for a single cycle when two embryos are available, and taking the NHS cost perspective.

Design: Cost-effectiveness model.

Setting: Five in vitro fertilisation (IVF) centres in England between 2003/04 and 2004/05.

"With a little help from my friends...": the role of co-witness relationship in susceptibility to misinformation.

Inaccuracies in eyewitness accounts can occur when witnesses are exposed to post-event misinformation via discussion with a co-witness. The current study examined the role of co-witness relationship by comparing the memory performance of pairs of romantic couples, friends and previously unacquainted strangers with that of individuals. Ninety-six participants viewed an event and then discussed the witnessed event with a stranger, a romantic partner or a friend.

Natural cycle IVF with and without terminal HCG: learning from failed cycles.

Natural cycle IVF, without the use of LH down-regulation, is difficult because women start spontaneous LH surges at any time of the day and on any day of the week. This is not readily compatible with delivery of a routine IVF service and so historically the natural cycle has been modified by the use of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) to make the natural cycle fit convenient clinical practice. This report re-evaluates data collected some years ago and seeks to determine whether the use of HCG is ultimately beneficial.

Optimizing assisted reproduction: impact of low-dose gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist on in vitro fertilization outcome.

A novel method of assessing factors that could benefit in vitro fertilization outcome is illustrated by comparison of a low (250 microg) with a standard (500 microg) dose of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist, revealing a small decrease in cancellation rates.