Background: In Australian remote communities, First Nations children with otitis media (OM)-related hearing loss are disproportionately at risk of developmental delay and poor school performance, compared to those with normal hearing. Our objective was to compare OM-related hearing loss in children randomised to one of 2 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) formulations.
Methods And Findings: In 2 sequential parallel, open-label, randomised controlled trials (the PREVIX trials), eligible infants were first allocated 1:1:1 at age 28 to 38 days to standard or mixed PCV schedules, then at age 12 months to PCV13 (13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, +P) or PHiD-CV10 (10-valent pneumococcal Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine, +S) (1:1).
Introduction: Project-based learning is currently the status quo for research training for health professional students; however, it alone is not sufficient for holistic development of research skills. One promising style of intervention that can complement project-based research training is a centralised hub of e-learning resources. Therefore, we explored the perception of health professionals in tertiary education, towards the E-learning hub named ''.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVaccine X
April 2021
Background: Aboriginal children living in remote communities are at high risk of early and persistent otitis media. and non-typeable (NTHi) are primary pathogens. Vaccines with potential to prevent early OM have not been evaluated in this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Paediatr Child Health
May 2021
Aims: Whilst a centralised model of care intuitively makes sense and is advocated in other subspecialty areas of medicine, there is a paucity of supportive evidence for General Paediatrics. Following ward restructuring at our tertiary paediatric centre in preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic, a new dedicated General Paediatrics ward was established. We evaluated medical and nursing staff well-being, morale and perceived impacts on care after the ward's establishment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Paediatr Child Health
October 2020
Clinical audits should underpin everything we do as clinicians - to constantly evaluate and improve our day-to-day clinical practice. Errors in practice, suboptimal practice or inefficiencies can occur in any part of our health-care system, despite the training and best intentions of health-care professionals. Audits examine how clinical care is being provided and whether benchmarks are being met, and identify opportunities for improvement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndigenous Australians experience one of the highest rates of pneumococcal disease globally. In the Northern Territory of Australia, a unique government-funded vaccination schedule for Indigenous Australian adults comprising multiple lifetime doses of the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine is currently implemented. Despite this programme, rates of pneumococcal disease do not appear to be declining, with concerns raised over the potential for immune hyporesponse associated with the use of this vaccine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Indigenous adults residing in the Northern Territory of Australia experience elevated rates of invasive pneumococcal disease despite the routine use of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (23vPPV). We hypothesised that the limited protection from 23vPPV may be due to hyporesponsiveness as a result of vaccine failure from repeated vaccination. To explore this possibility, we evaluated the immune response to a first and second dose of 23vPPV in Indigenous adults and a first dose of 23vPPV in non-Indigenous adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Otitis media (OM) starts within weeks of birth in almost all Indigenous infants living in remote areas of the Northern Territory (NT). OM and associated hearing loss persist from infancy throughout childhood and often into adulthood. Educational and social opportunities are greatly compromised.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: It has been well established that women who wear a veil for cultural reasons and dark skinned migrants from Africa have an increased prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. Many refugee patients also come from countries where their skin is covered or they are indoors for most of the day.
Objective: This article explores the risk, diagnosis and management of vitamin D deficiency in the Australian refugee population.
Aust N Z J Public Health
February 2007
Objective: Despite the poor dental health of refugees, few specific services are available. This review maps public dental services for refugees across Australian jurisdictions, identifies gaps in provision, identifies barriers to accessing dental care, and provides recommendations for improving access and oral health promotion for this group.
Methods: Data were sought from the State and Territory services for: a) the survivors of torture; b) oral health care units; and c) auditors-general reports of dental services.
Refugees and asylum seekers face a number of barriers to accessing health care and improved health status. These include language difficulties, financial need and unemployment, cultural differences, legal barriers and a health workforce with generally low awareness of issues specific to refugees. Importantly, current Australian government migration and settlement policy also impacts on access to health and health status.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes, practices, and self-reported vaccination status of HCWs at a tertiary Australian hospital, one year after implementation of a HCW vaccination policy. Two cross-sectional telephone surveys were conducted with HCWs at the hospital prior to and one year after HCW vaccination policy implementation. There was a 95% (272/287) response rate from eligible HCWs in the follow-up survey.
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