Chronic disease prevention programs offered by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in New South Wales, Australia.

Objectives: To identify and describe chronic disease prevention programs offered by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.

Methods: ACCHSs were identified through the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW website. Chronic disease programs were identified from the Facebook page and website of each ACCHS.

Worsening renal function in heart failure: the need for a consensus definition.

Acute decompensated heart failure is a common cause of hospitalisation. This is a period of vulnerability both in altered pathophysiology and also the potential for iatrogenesis due to therapeutic interventions. Renal dysfunction is often associated with heart failure and portends adverse outcomes.

Contrast media induced nephropathy: a literature review of the available evidence and recommendations for practice.

Background: Contrast media induced nephropathy (CIN) is a sudden compromise of renal function 24-48 h after administering contrast medium during a CT scan or angiography. CIN accounts for 10% of hospital acquired renal failure and is ranked the third cause of acquiring this condition. Identifying patients at risk through proper screening can reduce the occurrence of this condition.

Inpatient care to community care: improving clinical handover in the private mental health setting.

Objectives: To develop and test a standardised clinical handover discharge strategy for improving information transfer between private mental health hospitals and community practitioners.

Design, Setting And Participants: A quality improvement intervention using collaborative, iterative methods to develop a standardised discharge and outcome assessment strategy. 150 patient participants were consecutively recruited from two private mental health care hospitals in New South Wales between April and September 2008.

Pragmatic insights into a nurse-delivered motivational interviewing intervention in the outpatient cardiac rehabilitation setting.

Purpose: Despite an increasing interest in motivational interviewing as a strategy to facilitate behavior change in people with cardiovascular disease, its use in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) appears minimal. Therefore, it is unclear whether the clinical method of motivational interviewing requires modification for the CR population, in which it could be argued that people are motivated and engaged. The purposes of this report are to describe processes in incorporating motivational interviewing in the CR setting and to discuss insights gained regarding the use of this intervention.

A partnership model in the development and implementation of a collaborative, cardiovascular education program for Aboriginal Health Workers.

A partnership model was established among key education providers, policy makers, non-government organisations, the local area health service and Aboriginal community controlled organisations aimed at increasing collaboration, skill development, cultural competence and increasing access to mentorship and expertise for Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs). A group of 21 AHWs, within two cohorts, undertook the program between October 2005 and June 2006. A mixed-method evaluation using quantitative and qualitative data collection methods was undertaken prospectively.

Physical activity for people with cardiovascular disease: recommendations of the National Heart Foundation of Australia.

To provide physical activity recommendations for people with cardiovascular disease, an Expert Working Group of the National Heart Foundation of Australia in late 2004 reviewed the evidence since the US Surgeon General's Report: physical activity and health in 1996. The Expert Working Group recommends that: people with established clinically stable cardiovascular disease should aim, over time, to achieve 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity on most, if not all, days of the week; less intense and even shorter bouts of activity with more rest periods may suffice for those with advanced cardiovascular disease; and regular low-to-moderate level resistance activity, initially under the supervision of an exercise professional, is encouraged. Benefits from regular moderate physical activity for people with cardiovascular disease include augmented physiological functioning, lessening of cardiovascular symptoms, enhanced quality of life, improved coronary risk profile, superior muscle fitness and, for survivors of acute myocardial infarction, lower mortality.

National data elements for the clinical management of acute coronary syndromes.

Patients with acute coronary syndromes represent a clinically diverse group and their care remains heterogeneous. These patients account for a significant burden of morbidity and mortality in Australia. Optimal patient outcomes depend on rapid diagnosis, accurate risk stratification and the effective implementation of proven therapies, as advocated by clinical guidelines.