Publications by authors named "Ruth Hadfield"
Background: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cause a considerable burden of morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Access to safe, effective, quality-assured, and affordable essential medicines is variable. We aimed to review the existing literature relating to the availability, cost, and affordability of WHO's essential medicines for asthma and COPD in LMICs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Inhaled medications are central to treating asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), yet critical inhaler technique errors are made by up to 90% of patients. In the clinical research setting, recruitment of subjects with poor inhaler technique may give a false impression of both the benefits and the necessity of add-on treatments such as biologic therapies.
Objective: To assess the frequency with which inhaler technique is assessed and reliably optimized before and during patient enrollment into randomized controlled trials (RCTs) addressing the efficacy of topical therapy, and the escalation of therapy for asthma and COPD.
Study Objectives: Investigate the relationship between gestational age and weight for gestational age and sleep apnea diagnosis in a cohort of children aged up to 6 years old.
Design: A cohort study, using record linked population health data.
Setting: New South Wales, Australia.
Angiogenic factors are involved in formation of new blood vessels required for placental development and function; and critical for fetal growth and development. Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1(sFlt-1) is an anti-angiogenic protein that inhibits formation of new blood vessels resulting in potential pregnancy complications. The objective of this study was to undertake a systematic review to assess levels of sFlt-1 in early pregnancy and association with adverse pregnancy outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Administrative or population health datasets (PHDS) are increasingly being used for research related to maternal and infant health. However, the accuracy and completeness of the information in the PHDS is important to ensure validity of the results of this research.
Objective: To compile and review studies that validate the reporting of conditions and procedures related to pregnancy, childbirth, and newborns and provide a tool of reference for researchers.
Background: Research into the effects of common activities during pregnancy is sparse and often contradictory. To examine whether common activities are an acute trigger of pregnancy complications the prevalence of these activities are necessary to determine sample size estimates. The aim of this study is to ascertain the prevalence of selected activities in any seven day period during pregnancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: An association between endometriosis and reduced risk of pre-eclampsia has recently been reported. Longitudinally-linked electronic hospital records are a valuable resource for investigating such findings in a large, population-based sample. Our aim was to determine whether women with a history of endometriosis were at modified risk for pregnancy hypertension or pre-eclampsia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To determine whether the proportion of babies born large for gestational age (LGA) in New South Wales has increased, and to identify possible reasons for any increase.
Design And Setting: Population-based study using data obtained from the NSW Midwives Data Collection, a legislated surveillance system of all births in NSW.
Participants: All 1 273 924 live-born singletons delivered at term (> or = 37 complete weeks' gestation) in NSW from 1990 to 2005.
Objective: To assess the change in birth rates, both overall and in age, parity, socioeconomic and geographical subgroups of the population, after the introduction of the Baby Bonus payment in Australia on 1 July 2004.
Design And Setting: Population-based study using New South Wales birth records and Australian Bureau of Statistics population estimates for the period 1 January 1997 - 31 December 2006.
Participants: All 853 606 women aged 15-44 years with a pregnancy resulting in a birth at > or = 20 weeks' gestation or a baby > or = 400 g birthweight.
Background: Routinely collected datasets are frequently used for population-based research but their accuracy needs to be assured.
Aim: This study aims to assess the accuracy of hospital discharge data in identifying obstetric haemorrhage diagnoses and procedures, and estimate their population incidence.
Methods: The medical records of 1200 randomly selected women were reviewed and compared with obstetric haemorrhage diagnoses and procedures in the hospital discharge data.
Objective: To assess the accuracy of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy reporting in birth and hospital discharge data compared with data abstracted from medical records.
Methods: Data from a validation study of 1200 women provided the 'gold standard' for hypertension status. The validation data were linked to both hospital discharge and birth databases.
Objective: To investigate whether changes in maternal and birth characteristics explain the increase in the use of epidural analgesia during labor.
Methods: Using data from a statewide surveillance system of all births, the study included 857,667 women who labored at term between 1992 and 2003 in New South Wales, Australia. Annual rates of epidural analgesia use were calculated.
Objectives: To determine the percentage of liveborn infants with selected antenatally identifiable and correctable birth defects who were delivered at hospitals with co-located paediatric surgical units (co-located hospitals). Additionally, to determine the survival rates for these infants.
Patients And Methods: Data were from linked New South Wales hospital discharge records from 2001 to 2004.
Population health datasets are a valuable resource for studying maternal and obstetric health outcomes. However, their validity has not been thoroughly examined. We compared medical records from a random selection of New South Wales (NSW) women who gave birth in a NSW hospital in 2002 with coded hospital discharge records.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Endometriosis occurs in several non-human primate species that have menstrual cycles. This study investigated the prevalence and familial aggregation of endometriosis in one of those species, the rhesus macaque.
Methods: Between 1978 and 2001, 142 animals with endometriosis were identified from necropsy and surgical records and through the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, USA.
Objective: The aim of the International Endogene Study is to discover genes that influence susceptibility to endometriosis.
Design: The study brings together two research groups based in Australia and the United Kingdom that independently have been collecting families for linkage analysis and candidate gene studies. Both groups used similar methods to recruit families, obtain clinical notes, assign disease status based on the operative records and available histology, and collect common clinical data including age at onset of symptoms, age at diagnosis, and symptoms experienced.