Understanding Behavior Change in Clinical Practice Guideline Implementation: A Qualitative Study.

Background And Purpose: Growing numbers of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are available to neurologic physical therapists to guide and inform evidence-based patient care. Adherence to CPG recommendations often necessitates behavior change for therapists and patients. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain insight into the experiences, perspectives, and drivers of behavioral change for therapists working to improve adherence to a CPG.

Betting on the House: The Impact of Gambling on Homeownership in Australia.

Gambling is commonly associated with social and economic disadvantage. In this paper we examine the impact of gambling on homeownership, using Australian panel data. We find that gambling is associated with a lower probability of homeownership.

Use of the knowledge to action model improved physical therapist adherence to a common clinical practice guideline across multiple settings: a multisite case series.

Background: When a new guideline is published  there is a need to understand how its recommendations can best be implemented in real-world practice. Yet, guidelines are often published with little to no roadmap for organizations to follow to promote adherence to their recommendations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of using a common process model to implement a single clinical practice guideline across multiple physical therapy clinical settings.

Efficacy and adherence of noninvasive ventilation treatment in children with Down syndrome.

Objective: Children with Down syndrome (DS) have an increased prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is a common modality of OSA treatment in this cohort. This study aimed to measure adherence and efficiency of NIV delivery in children with DS.

Social Capital and Gambling: Evidence from Australia.

The prevalence of problem gambling in many countries necessitates research that examines factors influencing excessive and addictive consumption. We consider how social capital impacts gambling participation for a large representative sample of the Australian population. Specifically, we examine the association between social capital and gambling addiction using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey.

Neighbourhood ethnic diversity and mental health in Australia.

We present the first study that empirically examines the effects of neighbourhood ethnic diversity on mental health. Using 16 waves of longitudinal data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, we find that ethnic diversity is negatively associated with mental health. Our preferred estimates, using lagged ethnic diversity at the state level to instrument for neighbourhood ethnic diversity, suggest that a standard deviation increase in ethnic diversity is associated with a decline of 0.

Australia's Gambling Epidemic: The Role of Neighbourhood Ethnic Diversity.

Gambling is a popular leisure activity but also a significant public health issue in Australia. The severity of gambling in Australia is characterised by unprecedented gambling expenditures and losses representing the highest gambling rates in the world, which has led to renewed interests in understanding the factors influencing gambling behaviours. We contribute to the debate on the determinants of gambling by providing the first study that examines the impact of ethnic diversity on gambling.

The RunSmart training program: effect on oxygen consumption and lower extremity biomechanics during running.

As recreational running continues to gain popularity, more individuals are seeking ways to improve running performance. RunSmart is a running intervention program designed to enhance a runner's form. In addition to correcting flaws in a runner's form, RunSmart offers the opportunity for runners to continue a regular regimen while slowly integrating changes in form.

Understanding the Relationship Between Subjective Wellbeing and Gambling Behavior.

This paper examines the relationship between gambling behavior and subjective wellbeing. It is often asserted that populations consist of different types of gamblers: those for whom gambling is a harmless leisure activity and those (pathological/problem gamblers) for whom the activity has harmful effects. One might, therefore, assume that subjective wellbeing will be negativity associated with an individual's level of gambling addiction.

The socioeconomic gradient in physical inactivity: evidence from one million adults in England.

Understanding the socioeconomic gradient in physical inactivity is essential for effective health promotion. This paper exploits data on over one million individuals (1,002,216 people aged 16 and over) in England drawn from the Active People Survey (2004-11). We identify the separate associations between a variety of measures of physical inactivity with education and household income.

Medical education needs to teach health technology assessment.

Health technology assessment evaluates the effects of drugs, devices, procedures and policies on patients and the healthcare system. Because of its potential to optimize healthcare resources and patient care, health technology assessment is becoming increasingly important in healthcare systems at national and local levels. This article provides an explanation of health technology assessment and an example of its application in residency education.

Smokers of illicit tobacco report significantly worse health than other smokers.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to ascertain whether the health of past and current smokers of illicit tobacco (chop-chop) differs from that of smokers of licit tobacco.

Methods: The design was a telephone survey, stratified by state, using computer aided telephone interviewing, with households selected by random digit dialing from the telephone white pages. Setting was all Australian states and territories, 1,621 regular tobacco smokers aged 18+ years.

Dedicated CT scanner in an emergency department: quantification of factors that contribute to lack of use.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to quantify the factors that contribute to the lack of use of a dedicated CT scanner in the emergency department of our institution and to identify possible changes to reduce scanner idle time.

Materials And Methods: We designed a data collection form to record consecutive periods of patient scanning and periods between patients when the CT scanner was not in use. The contributing factors for each idle period were identified and logged according to an entry system previously decided in consensus.