Out-of-pocket expenses experienced by rural Western Australians diagnosed with cancer.

Purpose: Out-of-pocket expenses (OOPE) can have a significant impact on patients' experiences of cancer treatment. This cross-sectional study sought to quantify the OOPEs experienced by rural cancer patients in Western Australia (WA), and determine factors that contributed to higher OOPE.

Methods: Four hundred people diagnosed with breast, lung, colorectal or prostate cancer who resided in selected rural regions of WA were recruited through the WA Cancer Registry and contacted at least 3 months after diagnosis to report the medical OOPE (such as surgery or chemotherapy, supportive care, medication and tests) and non-medical OOPE (such as travel costs, new clothing and utilities) they had experienced as a result of accessing and receiving treatment.

Experiences of acute pain in children who present to a healthcare facility for treatment: a systematic review of qualitative evidence.

Background: Pain is a universal and complex phenomenon that is personal, subjective and specific. Despite growing knowledge in pediatric pain, management of children's pain remains sub-optimal and is linked to negative behavioral and physiological consequences later in life. As there is no synthesis of these studies, it was timely to undertake a systematic review.

Developing a framework for community-based sexual health interventions for youth in the rural setting: protocol for a participatory action research study.

Introduction: There is limited research examining community-based or multilevel interventions that address the sexual health of young people in the rural Australian context. This paper describes the Participatory Action Research (PAR) project that will develop and validate a framework that is effective for planning, implementing and evaluating multilevel community-based sexual health interventions for young people aged 16-24 years in the Australian rural setting.

Methods And Analysis: To develop a framework for sexual health interventions with stakeholders, PAR will be used.

The experiences of acute non-surgical pain of children who present to a healthcare facility for treatment: a systematic review protocol.

Review Question/objective: The qualitative objective of this systematic review is to identify and synthesize the best available evidence on experiences of acute non-surgical pain, including pain management, of children (between four to 18 years) when they present to a healthcare facility for treatment.The specific objectives are to identify:

Background: The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage". The pain experience is multifaceted and complex, extending beyond the physiological interpretation of a noxious stimulus, encompassing other dimensions, including; psychological, cognitive, sociocultural, affective and emotional factors.

Experiences of cancer patients in a patient navigation program: a qualitative systematic review.

Background: A patient navigation program is a model of care which entails trained personnel providing individualized and assistive care to adult oncology patients to help the patients overcome barriers. A further aim of the program is to achieve continuity of care as patients experience the complex healthcare system. Patient navigation is a new model of care in many institutions, and as such the experiences of patients in the patient navigation program remains inconclusive.

Australian health care providers' views on opt-out HIV testing.

Background: Opt-out HIV testing is a novel concept in Australia. In the opt-out approach, health care providers (HCPs) routinely test patients for HIV unless they explicitly decline or defer. Opt-out HIV testing is only performed with the patients' consent, but pre-test counselling is abbreviated.

Health-care providers' experiences with opt-out HIV testing: a systematic review.

HIV is now a manageable chronic disease with a good prognosis, but early detection and referral for treatment are vital. In opt-out HIV testing, patients are informed that they will be tested unless they decline. This qualitative systematic review explored the experiences, attitudes, barriers, and facilitators of opt-out HIV testing from a health-care provider (HCP) perspective.

Identifying type 2 diabetes risk classification systems and recommendations for review of podiatric care in an Australian Aboriginal health clinic.

Background: There are several risk classification systems developed to facilitate diabetic foot assessments and prioritise diabetes patients for foot prevention services according to risk factors. Utilisation of both The University of Texas Diabetic Foot Risk Classification System (UTDFRCS) and The National Evidence-Based Guideline on Prevention, Identification and Management of Foot Complications in Diabetes (Part of the Guidelines on Management of Type 2 Diabetes), allows guidance for the podiatrist in terms of review timeframes for future assessments and treatment. The aim of this clinical audit was to classify Aboriginal type 2 diabetes subjects' risk status according to UTDFRCS and identify if evidence based standards are being met for podiatry services at the Albury-Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service in New South Wales, Australia.

Unplanned oncology admissions within 14 days of non-surgical discharge: a retrospective study.

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the incidence, causes, risk factors and interventions for cancer patients requiring unplanned admissions within 14 days of discharge at a large metropolitan private hospital without a co-located emergency department.

Methods: Retrospective data were collected on cancer patients who had an unplanned admission within 14 days of discharge during the period December 1, 2011 and May 31, 2012. Data were collected from the inpatient bed administration database and medical record review.

Challenges during long-term follow-up of ICU patients with and without chronic disease.

Introduction: Reflecting on researchers' experiences during follow-up of patients enrolled in research may lead to improved understanding of the challenges faced in maintaining contact when patients leave hospital.

Aims: (1) Describe the challenges researchers face when following-up patients who survive ICU. (2) Identify issues that influenced our ability to follow-up patients.

Advanced life support (ALS) instructors experience of ALS education in Western Australia: a qualitative exploratory research study.

Background: When cardiac arrest occurs, timely competent advanced life support (ALS) interventions by nursing staff can influence patient outcomes. Ongoing ALS education influences maintenance of competency and avoids skill decay.

Objectives: To explore the methods of ALS education delivery for nurses in the workplace; describe the issues relating to maintaining ALS competency; explore ALS competency decay for nurses and develop recommendations for the provision of continuing ALS education.

National consultation informing development of guidelines for a palliative approach for aged care in the community setting.

Aim: This study aimed to obtain perspectives from key stakeholders to inform the development of Australian national guidelines for a palliative approach to aged care in the community setting.

Methods: A descriptive, exploratory qualitative design was used. Sampling was purposive.

Promoting the consumer voice in palliative care: exploring the possibility of using consumer impact statements.

Background: It can be difficult to engage consumers in health decision making. This is particularly so in the area of palliative care, where consumers are very unwell and are unlikely to become involved in long-term programmes that promote consumer input. This paper explores the possibility of using 'Consumer Impact Statements' to facilitate the inclusion of the viewpoint of people at the end of life in the process of policy and decision making, particularly in the area of subsidy of pharmaceuticals used in palliative care.

Nurses' perceptions of caring for dying patients in an open critical care unit: a descriptive exploratory study.

Background: Nurses in critical care areas play a vital part in providing end-of-life care and recognise that an ideal death should be peaceful, dignified, and comfortable. However, environmental restrictions in critical care units can make a peaceful death unachievable and can have a profoundly negative impact on end-of-life care.

Purpose: To describe the provision of end-of-life care in an open high-dependency unit.

Developing a sustainable model of rural cancer care: the Western Australian Cancer Network project.

Problem: Cancer-related mortality is higher in rural areas than in urban centres. One of the contributing factors is limited access to treatment options in rural areas.

Design: An evaluation of the effectiveness of the Western Australian Cancer Network (CanNET WA) pilot project was undertaken using qualitative methods and document analysis.

Implementation and evaluation of an education program to guide palliative care for people with motor neurone disease.

Background: Despite a recognized need for a palliative approach to caring for people with motor neurone disease (MND), access to palliative care is often limited.

Aim: This project aimed to improve the knowledge of health professionals about a palliative approach to MND care.

Design: A three-phase study was undertaken to develop, implement and evaluate an education program for health professionals that promoted a palliative approach to MND care.

Measuring symptom distress in palliative care: psychometric properties of the Symptom Assessment Scale (SAS).

Given the variety of palliative care settings within which symptom distress must be assessed, development of a valid and reliable clinical tool that can be simply applied in every day practice is needed. The Symptom Assessment Scale (SAS) uses a 0-10 numerical scale with zero being no symptom and 10 being the worst possible. The key symptoms included in the scale are breathing, bowel problems, appetite problems, pain, insomnia, nausea and fatigue.

The diagnosis and treatment decisions of cancer patients in rural Western Australia.

Background: People living in rural areas who have a diagnosis of cancer have poorer outcomes than people living in urban centers. The reasons for this are unclear. Little is known about the impact that living in a rural area has on the diagnosis and treatment decisions of these people and how these may in turn impact on care outcomes.

Caregivers of people with neurodegenerative diseases: profile and unmet needs from a population-based survey in South Australia.

Introduction: Neurodegenerative diseases (NDD) are characterized by progressive decline and loss of function, requiring considerable third-party care. NDD carers report low quality of life and high caregiver burden. Despite this, little information is available about the unmet needs of NDD caregivers.

Caring for someone with high-grade glioma: a time of rapid change for caregivers.

Patients diagnosed with high-grade gliomas have a poor prognosis and limited life expectancy, and often experience rapid decline in function. Caring for a patient with high-grade glioma is particularly stressful because caregivers are faced not only with cancer-related caregiving issues, but also issues relating to caring for someone with cognitive impairment. This study aimed to articulate the experiences of family caregivers of people diagnosed with high-grade glioma and to describe their information and support needs.

Descriptive, exploratory study of the role of nursing assistants in Australian residential aged care facilities: the example of pain management.

Aim: This study explored the experiences of nursing assistants (NAs) who work with older people in residential aged care facilities (RACFs), to ascertain their role in Australian RACFs. Experiences with pain management were used as an example to explore their work role.

Methods: A descriptive, exploratory qualitative approach was used to examine NAs' experiences.

Understanding nursing assistants' experiences of caring for older people in pain: the Australian experience.

This study examined the experiences of nursing assistants (NAs), who have worked with older people in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) who are in pain, to ascertain the role that NAs play in the pain management process. A descriptive, exploratory qualitative approach was used to examine NAs' experiences. Six NAs employed in three RACFs in regional Western Australia participated in the study.

Advice to consult a general medical practitioner in Western Australia: could it be cancer?

Background: Many people will consult a medical practitioner about lower bowel symptoms, and the demand for access to general practitioners (GPs) is growing. We do not know if people recognise the symptoms of lower bowel cancer when advising others about the need to consult a doctor. A structured vignette survey was conducted in Western Australia.