Objective: Communities' use of technology and the internet for online health information (OHI) is increasing exponentially. An understanding of how and why individuals access OHI, and how this information influences decisions on health, medicines and self-care practices is critical. This review aims to: (1) identify the factors influencing OHI-seeking behaviour; (2) evaluate the evidence of OHI on self-care practices; and (3) outline strategies to improve online informed decision-making and assess the impact of these strategies on consumer outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudy Objectives: Insomnia is a highly prevalent and debilitating disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi) is the recommended 'fist line' treatment, but is accessed by a minority of people with insomnia. This paper describes a system-level implementation program to improve access to CBTi in Australia to inform CBTi implementation in other locations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Research evidence has demonstrably improved health care practices and patient outcomes. However, systemic translation of evidence into practice is far from optimal. The reasons are complex, but often because research is not well aligned with health service priorities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Our objective is to assess the potential contribution of the Australian Government's mobile smartphone tracing app (COVIDSafe) to the sustained control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Study Type: Development and analysis of a system dynamics model.
Methods: To define the pandemic context and specify model-building parameters, we searched for literature on COVID-19, its epidemiology in Australia, case finding processes, and factors that might affect community acceptance of the COVIDSafe smartphone app for contact tracing.
Objective: To determine the economic impact of medication non-adherence across multiple disease groups.
Design: Systematic review.
Evidence Review: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed and Scopus in September 2017.
Background: Entry into specialty training was determined by a National Assessment Centre (NAC) approach using a combination of a behavioural Multiple-Mini-Interview (MMI) and a written Situational Judgement Test (SJT). We wanted to know if interviewers could make reliable and valid decisions about the non-cognitive characteristics of candidates with the purpose of selecting them into general practice specialty training using the MMI. Second, we explored the concurrent validity of the MMI with the SJT.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To determine whether recruitment of rural students and uptake of extended rural placements are associated with students' expressed intentions to undertake rural internships and students' acceptance of rural internships after finishing medical school, and to compare any associations.
Design, Setting And Participants: Longitudinal study of three successive cohorts (commencing 2005, 2006, 2007) of medical students in the Sydney Medical Program (SMP), University of Sydney, New South Wales, using responses to self-administered questionnaires upon entry to and exit from the Sydney Medical School and data recorded in rolls.
Main Outcome Measures: Students' expressed intentions to undertake rural internships, and their acceptance of rural internships after finishing medical school.
Aim: Renal nurses in Australia and New Zealand are critical to the care of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially those on dialysis. We aimed to obtain the opinions of renal nurses in Australia and New Zealand on the Caring for Australasians with Renal Impairment (CARI) Guidelines.
Methods: A self-administered survey was distributed to all members of the professional organisation for renal nurses (Renal Society of Australasia) in 2006.
Background: A consistent gap exists between evidence-based guideline recommendations and clinical practice across all medical disciplines, including nephrology. This study aims to explore nephrologists' perspectives on guidelines and elicit their perspectives on the effects of guidelines on clinical decisions.
Methods: Semistructured face-to-face interviews were undertaken with 19 nephrologists from a variety of clinical settings across Australia.
Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines have been a major development in nephrology internationally, but it is uncertain how the nephrology community regards these guidelines. This study aimed to determine the views of nephrologists on the content and effects of their local guidelines (Caring for Australasians with Renal Impairment [CARI]). In 2006, a self-administered survey was distributed to all Australian and New Zealand nephrologists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMore than half the cases of cancer in the world arise in people in low-income and middle-income countries. This proportion will rise to 70% by 2020. These are regions where the annual gross national income per person is less than 9386 US dollars.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Evidence suggests that there is considerable variation in the types of procedures used to treat cancer. This variation may result in suboptimal or cost-ineffective care. The present study examined the variation in surgical treatment of melanoma before the establishment of a Melanoma Network that could promote more uniform high-quality care in New South Wales (NSW).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article describes the evolution of community pharmacy in the Australian health system, and assesses its current and potential future contribution to health care. A central theme is the unique extent and accessibility of community pharmacy to the public, with a vast and dispersed infrastructure that is funded by private enterprise. The viability of community pharmacy as a retail trade depends on a diversification of its service roles and retention of its product-supply roles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis glossary seeks to define and explain some of the main concepts underpinning evidence based public health. It draws on the published literature, experience gained over several years analysis of the topic, and discussions with public health colleagues, including researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and students.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ISH Statement on blood pressure lowering and stroke prevention was finalized after presentation and discussion at the World Health Organization and International Society of Hypertension (WHO-ISH) Meeting on Stroke and Blood Pressure, held in Melbourne Australia, 5-7 December 2002. The meeting was conducted under the auspice of the Austin Hospital Medical Research Foundation, Melbourne.
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