Establishing trust in emergency telehealth consultations.

Over recent years, emergency telehealth has developed rapidly in Australasia. From the patient's perspective, establishing trust with a healthcare provider is uniquely challenging when using the audio and video modalities commonly used in telehealth. It is crucial to consider how we may improve the delivery of care through this emerging pathway if high-quality care is to be delivered.

From concept to reality: A comprehensive exploration into the development and evolution of a virtual emergency department.

Emergency department (ED) overcrowding remains a persistent challenge in global public health, leading to detrimental outcomes for patients and healthcare professionals. Traditional approaches to improve this issue have been insufficient, prompting exploration of novel strategies such as virtual care interventions. Our team developed the first comprehensive statewide virtual ED in Australia, the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, offering an alternative to in-person care for non-life-threatening emergencies.

Engaging With Health Consumers in Scientific Conferences-As Partners not Bystanders.

Introduction: It is now widely recognised that engaging consumers in research activities can enhance the quality, equity and relevance of the research. Much of the commentary about consumer engagement in research focuses on research processes and implementation, rather than dissemination in conference settings. This article offers reflections and learnings from consumers, researchers and conference organisers on the 12th Health Services Research Conference, a biennial conference hosted by the Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand (HSRAANZ).

Temporal changes in toe-brachial index results in haemodialysis patients.

Introduction: Toe brachial index (TBI), the ratio of toe pressure to systolic blood pressure (SBP), helps predict peripheral arterial disease. In patients with kidney failure this may be performed during haemodialysis for convenience. Until recently there has been little evaluation of the impact of haemodialysis in limb and systemic perfusion on these values.

Journey mapping long COVID: Agency and social support for long-hauling.

Long COVID, also known as Post COVID-19 condition, is defined by the WHO as the continuation or development of new symptoms three months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, with these symptoms lasting for at least two months with no other explanation. Despite many studies examining the causes and mechanisms of this disease, fewer studies have sought to understand the experience of those suffering from long COVID, or "long-haulers," This study contributes to the understanding of long-haulers (N = 14) by examining the role of agency and social support in shaping their journeys with long COVID. Drawing on a combination of interviews, questionnaires, and video diaries over a three-month period, journey mapping was used to document the participants' experiences, including symptoms, coping strategies, and lifestyle changes.

An Overview of Long COVID Support Services in Australia and International Clinical Guidelines, With a Proposed Care Model in a Global Context.

To identify gaps among Australian Long COVID support services and guidelines alongside recommendations for future health programs. Electronic databases and seven government health websites were searched for Long COVID-specific programs or clinics available in Australia as well as international and Australian management guidelines. Five Long COVID specific guidelines and sixteen Australian services were reviewed.

Effective communication of COVID-19 vaccine information to recently-arrived culturally and linguistically diverse communities from the perspective of community engagement and partnership organisations: a qualitative study.

Background: In many high-income countries, COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. Barriers to engaging with essential health messaging has contributed to difficulties in following public health advice and exacerbated existing inequity in Australia. Research suggests that recently-arrived CALD populations are particularly vulnerable to misinformation and are more likely to experience vaccine hesitancy.

Frequent hospital presenters' use of health information during COVID-19: results of a cross-sectional survey.

Background: High-frequency hospital users often present with chronic and complex health conditions and are at increased risk of serious morbidity and mortality if they contract COVID-19. Understanding where high-frequency hospital users are sourcing their information, whether they understand what they find, and how they apply the information to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is essential for health authorities to be able to target communication approaches.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey of 200 frequent hospital users (115 with limited English proficiency) informed by the WHO's "Rapid, simple, flexible behavioral insights on COVID-19".

Patients' perspectives of factors influencing active participation in healthcare interactions: A qualitative study.

Objective: To understand patients' perspectives of factors influencing their active participation in healthcare interactions.

Methods: A descriptive qualitative approach informed by naturalistic inquiry was used to secondarily analyse interview and focus group data from a study that co-designed a communication-skills learning resource for patients. The COM-B Behaviour Model was used to explore factors that influenced patient participation in healthcare communication.

Models of service delivery in adult cochlear implantation and evaluation of outcomes: A scoping review of delivery arrangements.

Background: This study aimed to describe available evidence of cochlear implantation delivery arrangements in adults and the outcomes by which these service models are measured.

Methods: Scoping review of English language, primary studies conducted on adults (≥18 years) with ten or more subjects, published between January 2000 and June 2022, which assessed the effects of delivery arrangements of cochlear implantation were included. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, AMED, PsycINFO, LILACS, KoreaMed, IndMed, Cochrane CRCT, ISRCTN registry, WHO ICTRP and Web of Science were systematically searched.

Novel machine learning model for predicting multiple unplanned hospitalisations.

Background: In the Australian public healthcare system, hospitals are funded based on the number of inpatient discharges and types of conditions treated (casemix). Demand for services is increasing faster than public funding and there is a need to identify and support patients that have high service usage. In 2016, the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services developed an algorithm to predict multiple unplanned admissions as part of a programme, Health Links Chronic Care (HLCC), that provided capitation funding instead of activity based funding to support patients with high admissions.

Use of co-design methodology in the development of cardiovascular disease secondary prevention interventions: A scoping review.

Introduction: There is growing evidence to support the use of co-design in developing interventions across many disciplines. This scoping review aims to examine how co-design methodology has been used in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) secondary prevention interventions within health and community settings.

Methods: We searched four academic databases for studies that used the co-design approach to develop their intervention.

Structured evaluation of a virtual emergency department triage model of care: A study protocol.

Objective: A new virtual ED service was introduced into a hospital network in the northern suburbs of Melbourne in response to changing needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 'virtual ED' utilises a telehealth model as a means of assessment for appropriately selected patients to facilitate either complete care or navigation into streamlined pathways for ongoing care, in some cases bypassing the ED entirely where appropriate. The proposed study aims to evaluate the implementation of the model and identify future improvement opportunities, assess the impact on traditional health service delivery processes and patient experience, and determine the acceptability of the 'virtual ED' model of care.

Health literacy and long-term health outcomes following myocardial infarction: protocol for a multicentre, prospective cohort study (ENHEARTEN study).

Introduction: Low health literacy is common in people with cardiovascular disease and may be one factor that affects an individual's ability to maintain secondary prevention health behaviours following myocardial infarction (MI). However, little is known about the association between health literacy and longer-term health outcomes in people with MI. The ENhancing HEAlth literacy in secondary pRevenTion of cardiac evENts (ENHEARTEN) study aims to examine the relationship between health literacy and a number of health outcomes (including healthcare costs) in a cohort of patients following their first MI.

Impact of COVID-19 on emergency department attendance in an Australia hospital: a parallel convergent mixed methods study.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people are accessing healthcare. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 on emergency department (ED) attendance for frequent attenders and to explore potential reasons for changes in attendance.

Design: This convergent parallel mixed methods study comprised two parts.

Early supported hospital discharge for foot disease: a co-design study.

Background: There are more than 10,000 admissions each year in Australia for foot disease, with an average length of hospital stay of 26 days. Early supported discharge (ESD) has been shown to improve patient satisfaction and reduce length of stay without increasing the risk of 30-day readmissions. This research aims to gain consensus on an optimal model of early supported discharge for foot disease.

Prioritising models of healthcare service delivery for a more sustainable health system: a Delphi study of Australian health policy, clinical practice and management, academic and consumer stakeholders.

Objectives Healthcare expenditure is growing at an unsustainable rate in developed countries. A recent scoping review identified several alternative healthcare delivery models with the potential to improve health system sustainability. Our objective was to obtain input and consensus from an expert Delphi panel about which alternative models they considered most promising for increasing value in healthcare delivery in Australia and to contribute to shaping a research agenda in the field.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a comprehensive care plan to reduce hospital acquired complications in an Australian hospital: protocol for a mixed-method preimplementation and postimplementation study.

Introduction: A new healthcare standard (Standard 5: Comprehensive Care) has been introduced by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare. Standard 5 advocates for organisational leadership to develop and maintain systems and processes to deliver patient-centred comprehensive care plans that include appropriate screening to identify and mitigate risks associated with hospitalisation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of a comprehensive care and risk evaluation (Comprehensive Assessment and Risk Evaluation (CARE)) plan to reduce hospital acquired complications (HACs) in an Australian hospital network.

Identifying alternative models of healthcare service delivery to inform health system improvement: scoping review of systematic reviews.

Objective: To describe available evidence from systematic reviews of alternative healthcare delivery arrangements relevant to high-income countries to inform decisions about healthcare system improvement.

Design: Scoping review of systematic reviews.

Data Sources: Systematic reviews of interventions indexed in Pretty Darn Quick-Evidence.