Interventions supporting meaningful connections for people with serious mental illness: a concept-framed systematic narrative review.

Purpose: Meaningful connections, encompassing relationships providing emotional support, understanding, acceptance, and a sense of belonging, are vital for social inclusion and well-being of Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). The mixed methods review critically explored multifaceted approaches supporting people with SMI to foster meaningful (non-intimate) social relationships or connections.

Methods: Searches of eight electronic databases returned 4882 records.

Collection and sharing of health information in mental health and related systems in Australia: perspectives of people who access mental health services.

Background: Information sharing and information privacy are important issues in mental health services. Yet the perspectives of Australians who access mental health services about these issues are poorly understood. This article addresses the research question: What are the concerns of people who use mental health services about the collection and use of their health information in mental health and related systems in Australia?

Methods: Participants were 16 people who had accessed mental health services and were involved in a series of co-design workshops as part of a larger study.

Supported employment interventions with people who have severe mental illness: Systematic mixed-methods umbrella review.

Background/aims: Primary and review studies show that supported employment interventions showed promise in assisting people with severe mental illness (SMI) in achieving successful employment and health-related outcomes. This umbrella review synthesises evidence from across review studies on supported employment interventions for individuals with SMI, to identify key findings and implementation challenges in relation to five key outcomes: (1) employment, (2) quality of life, (3) social functioning, (4) clinical/service utilisation, and (5) economic outcomes.

Methods: A systematic search of eleven databases and registers (CINAHL, Cochrane, EmCare, JBI EBP, ProQuest, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and Prospero and Campbell) was conducted to identify meta-analyses and systematic reviews on supported employment interventions for individuals with SMI, peer reviewed and published in English.

Co-development of implementation strategies to assist staff of a mental health community managed organisation provide preventive care for health behaviours.

Issue Addressed: People with a mental health condition are at risk of developing chronic physical disease due to smoking tobacco, inadequate nutrition, high alcohol consumption, low physical activity and poor sleep (SNAPS). Community managed organisations (CMOs) represent an opportune setting to support mental health consumers to improve their health behaviours through providing preventive care. Reporting of methods used to co-develop implementation strategies to assist CMO staff to deliver preventive care for SNAPS are scarce yet warranted.

Experiences of overweight and obese patients with diabetes and practice nurses during implementation of a brief weight management intervention in general practice settings serving Culturally and Linguistically Diverse disadvantaged populations.

Background: To explore the perspectives of overweight and obese patients with diabetes from culturally and linguistically diverse, and disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as practice nurses (PNs) during implementation of a brief PN-supported self-regulation nutrition strategy for weight management in general practice settings serving disadvantaged populations.

Methods: During intervention implementation, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 patients and four nurses in two general practices located in metropolitan suburbs in Sydney, Australia.

Results: Patients and PNs found challenges related to cultural expectations and the requirement of patients to set and adhere to dietary change goals and behaviours.

Attitudes toward opioid substitution therapy and pre-incarceration HIV transmission behaviors among HIV-infected prisoners in Malaysia: implications for secondary prevention.

Background: Pre-incarceration HIV transmission behaviors and current attitudes toward opioid substitution therapy (OST) among HIV-infected male prisoners in Malaysia have important implications for secondary HIV prevention efforts.

Methods: In June 2007, 102 HIV-infected male prisoners within 6 months of community-release were anonymously surveyed in Kota Bharu, Malaysia.

Results: Nearly all subjects (95%) met criteria for opioid dependence.

Identification of a novel second-generation circulating recombinant form (CRF48_01B) in Malaysia: a descendant of the previously identified CRF33_01B.

A molecular epidemiological investigation conducted among injecting drug users in eastern Peninsular Malaysia in 2007 identified a cluster of sequences (n = 3) located outside any known HIV-1 genotype. Analyses of near full-length nucleotide sequences of these strains from individuals with no recognizable linkage revealed that they have an identical subtype structure comprised of CRF01_AE and subtype B', distinct from any known circulating recombinant forms (CRFs). This novel CRF, designated CRF48_01B, is closely related to CRF33_01B, previously identified in Kuala Lumpur.

Lack of reduction in buprenorphine injection after introduction of co-formulated buprenorphine/naloxone to the Malaysian market.

Background: Diversion of buprenorphine (BPN) has been described in settings where it is legally prescribed and has resulted in increasing concern. To address this concern, co-formulation of buprenorphine/naloxone (BPN/NLX) replaced buprenorphine alone in Malaysia in December 2006.

Methods: To assess the significance of BPN/NLX introduction, 41 BPN/NLX injectors in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were recruited using a modified snowball recruitment technique.

Case series of buprenorphine injectors in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Diversion of buprenorphine has been described in settings where it is legally prescribed and has become an increasing concern in Malaysia; it resulted in banning of buprenorphine in Singapore where unsubstantiated case reports suggested that buprenorphine injection was associated with particularly poor outcomes. We therefore conducted a case series of qualitative interviews with buprenorphine injectors in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to examine further the issues surrounding buprenorphine injection as well as the abuse of midazolam in combination with buprenorphine. Interviews with 19 men do not suggest significant adverse health consequences from buprenorphine injection alone and injectors have adapted diverted buprenorphine as a treatment modality.