Elective spinal surgery in New South Wales adults, 2001-20, by procedure funding type: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To investigate elective rates of spinal fusion, decompression, and disc replacement procedures for people with degenerative conditions, by funding type (public, private, workers' compensation).

Design, Setting: Cross-sectional study; analysis of hospitals admissions data extracted from the New South Wales Admitted Patient Data Collection.

Participants: All adults who underwent elective spinal surgery (spinal fusion, decompression, disc replacement) in NSW, 1 July 2001 - 30 June 2020.

Influence of Spin Coating and Dip Coating with Gelatin/Hydroxyapatite for Bioresorbable Mg Alloy Orthopedic Implants: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies.

Suitable biomechanical properties, good biocompatibility, and osteoconductivity of a degradable magnesium (Mg) alloy make it a potential material for orthopedic implants. The main limitation of Mg is its high corrosion rate in the human body. Surface modification is necessary to improve the Mg corrosion resistance.

Use of smoking cessation pharmacotherapies during pregnancy is not associated with increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes: a population-based cohort study.

Background: Varenicline, bupropion and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) are three effective pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation, but data about their safety in pregnancy are limited. We assessed the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes and major congenital anomalies associated with the use of these therapies in pregnancy in Australia.

Methods: Perinatal data for 1,017,731 deliveries (2004 to 2012) in New South Wales and Western Australia were linked to pharmaceutical dispensing, hospital admission and death records.

Algorithm for resolving discrepancies between claims for smoking cessation pharmacotherapies during pregnancy and smoking status in delivery records: The impact on estimates of utilisation.

Background: The linkage of routine data collections are valuable for population-based evaluation of smoking cessation pharmacotherapy in pregnancy where little is known about the utilisation or safety of these pharmacotherapies antenatally. The use of routine data collections to study smoking cessation pharmacotherapy is limited by disparities among data sources. This study developed an algorithm to resolve disparity between the evidence of pharmacotherapy utilisation for smoking cessation and the recording of smoking in pregnancy, examined its face validity and assessed the implications on estimates of smoking cessation pharmacotherapy utilisation.

Compliance with telephone triage advice among adults aged 45 years and older: an Australian data linkage study.

Background: Middle-aged and older patients are prominent users of telephone triage services for timely access to health information and appropriate referrals. Non-compliance with advice to seek appropriate care could potentially lead to poorer health outcomes among those patients. It is imperative to assess the extent to which middle-aged and older patients follow triage advice and how this varies according to their socio-demographic, lifestyle and health characteristics as well as features of the call.

Data cleaning and management protocols for linked perinatal research data: a good practice example from the Smoking MUMS (Maternal Use of Medications and Safety) Study.

Background: Data cleaning is an important quality assurance in data linkage research studies. This paper presents the data cleaning and preparation process for a large-scale cross-jurisdictional Australian study (the Smoking MUMS Study) to evaluate the utilisation and safety of smoking cessation pharmacotherapies during pregnancy.

Methods: Perinatal records for all deliveries (2003-2012) in the States of New South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia were linked to State-based data collections including hospital separation, emergency department and death data (mothers and babies) and congenital defect notifications (babies in NSW) by State-based data linkage units.

Novel therapeutic effects of sesamin on diabetes-induced cardiac dysfunction.

Diabetes is a risk factor that increases the occurrence and severity of cardiovascular events. Cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of mortality of 75% of patients with diabetes >40 years old. Sesamin, the bioactive compound extracted from Sesamum indicum, is a natural compound that has diverse beneficial effects on hypoglycemia and reducing cholesterol.

Access to Subsidized Smoking Cessation Medications by Australian Smokers Aged 45 Years and Older: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Introduction: The principal aim of this study was to assess the accessibility of subsidized cessation medications to socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers, including smokers living in regional and remote communities.

Methods: Analyses used baseline questionnaire and linked Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme data for 18 686 regular smokers participating in the 45 and Up Study, a large-scale Australian cohort study of people aged 45 years and older. Participants who were dispensed nicotine replacement therapy, varenicline, or bupropion were identified from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme data, which provide an essentially complete record of participants' access to subsidized pharmaceuticals.

Variation in the use of primary care services for diabetes management according to country of birth and geography among older Australians.

Aims: To investigate variation according to country of birth and geography in the use of primary care services funded through Medicare Australia-Australian universal health insurance-for diabetes annual cycle of care among older overseas-born Australians with type-2 diabetes.

Methods: Records of Medicare claims for medical services were linked to self-administered questionnaire data for people with type-2 diabetes enrolled in the 45 and Up Study, including 840 participants born in Italy, Greece, Vietnam, Lebanon, China, India, or the Philippines and 12,444 participants born in Australia, living in 195 statistical local areas (SLAs) in New South Wales, Australia. Study outcomes included ≥6 claims for general practitioner (GP) visits, at least one claim for specialist, optometrist, Practice Incentive Payment for completion of diabetes annual cycle of care (PIP), GP Management Plan or Team Care Arrangement (GPMP/TCA), allied health, blood tests for glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and cholesterol, and urine test for micro-albumin.

Association of processes of primary care and hospitalisation for people with diabetes: A record linkage study.

Aims: To explore the association of primary care and hospitalisation for people with diabetes.

Methods: The study comprised 20,433 diabetic participants in the Sax Institute's 45 and Up Study. Data on processes of care at recruitment (15 months) were extracted from the Department of Human Services Medicare database.

Impact of diabetes on hospital admission and length of stay among a general population aged 45 year or more: a record linkage study.

Background: The increased prevalence of diabetes and its significant impact on use of health care services, particularly hospitals, is a concern for health planners. This paper explores the risk factors for all-cause hospitalisation and the excess risk due to diabetes in a large sample of older Australians.

Methods: The study population was 263,482 participants in the 45 and Up Study.

Linking birth records to hospital admission records enhances the identification of women who smoke during pregnancy.

Objective: Birth records and hospital admission records are valuable for research on maternal smoking, but individually are known to under-estimate smokers. This study investigated the extent to which combining data from these records enhances the identification of pregnant smokers, and whether this affects research findings such as estimates of maternal smoking prevalence and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with smoking.

Methods: A total of 846,039 birth records in New South Wales, Australia, (2001-2010) were linked to hospital admission records (delivery and antenatal).

Improving falls risk screening and prevention using an e-learning approach.

Aim: This study investigated the impact of an e-learning education programme for nurses on falls risk screening, falls prevention and post-falls management.

Background: Falls injury within older inpatients is a major patient safety concern.

Method: Using a pre-post design, observation of the patient and environment and patient health care record audits, were conducted following the introduction of a falls e-learning education programme.

Type 2 diabetes hospitalisation and mortality in Vietnamese immigrants in Australia.

In comparison to Australia-born patients with type 2 diabetes (n=14,197), Vietnam-born patients (n=152) had significantly higher risks of mortality (any-cause and diabetes-specific) while experiencing similar rates of readmission for diabetes and co-morbidities. The findings may reflect delays in seeking care and suboptimal diabetes care in Vietnamese immigrants. Further investigation into quality of diabetes care in Vietnamese immigrant populations is needed.

Validating self-report of diabetes use by participants in the 45 and Up Study: a record linkage study.

Background: Prevalence studies usually depend on self-report of disease status in survey data or administrative data collections and may over- or under-estimate disease prevalence. The establishment of a linked data collection provided an opportunity to explore the accuracy and completeness of capture of information about diabetes in survey and administrative data collections.

Methods: Baseline questionnaire data at recruitment to the 45 and Up Study was obtained for 266,848 adults aged 45 years and over sampled from New South Wales, Australia in 2006-2009, and linked to administrative data about hospitalisation from the Admitted Patient Data Collection (APDC) for 2000-2009, claims for medical services (MBS) and pharmaceuticals (PBS) from Medicare Australia data for 2004-2009.

The Smoking MUMS (Maternal Use of Medications and Safety) Study: protocol for a population-based cohort study using linked administrative data.

Introduction: Approximately 14% of Australian women smoke during pregnancy. Although the risk of adverse outcomes is reduced by smoking cessation, less than 35% of Australian women quit smoking spontaneously during pregnancy. Evidence for the efficacy of bupropion, varenicline or nicotine replacement therapy as smoking cessation aids in the non-pregnant population suggest that pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation is worth exploring in women of childbearing age.

Prevalence and risk factors of type 2 diabetes in older Vietnam-born Australians.

Vietnamese immigrants in Australia represent the second largest Vietnamese community in developed countries, following the United States. However, limited information is available about prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the relative roles of socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and Vietnamese ethnicity per se in this population. This study investigated the prevalence of T2D and its risk factors in older Vietnam-born Australians, in comparison to native-born Australians.

Effects of acculturation on lifestyle and health status among older Vietnam-born Australians.

Vietnamese immigrants represent a substantial culturally and linguistically diverse population of Australia, but little is known about the health-related effects of acculturation in this population. This study investigated the relationship between measures of acculturation and lifestyle behaviors and health status among 797 older Vietnam-born Australians who participated in the 45 and Up Study (www.45andup.

A preliminary study of the relationship between general practice care and hospitalisation using a diabetes register, CARDIAB.

Background: Diabetes can be effectively managed in general practice (GP). This study used record linkage to explore associations between diabetes care in GP and hospitalisation.

Methods: Data on patients with type 2 diabetes were extracted from a Division of GP diabetes register (CARDIAB) for 2002-05 and were linked to the New South Wales Admitted Patient and Emergency Department (ED) Data Collection to create a unit record data collection containing demographic, clinical and health service records.

Models of care in nursing: a systematic review.

Objective: This review investigated the effect of the various models of nursing care delivery using the diverse levels of nurses on patient and nursing outcomes.

Methods: All published studies that investigated patient and nursing outcomes were considered. Studies were included if the nursing delivery models only included nurses with varying skill levels.

Comparison of four teaching methods on Evidence-based Practice skills of postgraduate nursing students.

The aim of this study was to compare four teaching methods on the evidence-based practice knowledge and skills of postgraduate nursing students. Students enrolled in the Evidence-based Nursing (EBN) unit in Australia and Hong Kong in 2010 and 2011 received education via either the standard distance teaching method, computer laboratory teaching method, Evidence-based Practice-Digital Video Disc (EBP-DVD) teaching method or the didactic classroom teaching method. Evidence-based Practice (EBP) knowledge and skills were evaluated using student assignments that comprised validated instruments.

Developing risk management behaviours for nurses through medication incident analysis.

The aim of this study was to define risk management behaviours related to medication safety. Mixed methods were used to analyze 318 nursing related medication incidents reported in an Australian metropolitan hospital. Most incidents did not result in patient harm (93%).

Analysis of falls incidents: Nurse and patient preventive behaviours.

Nurses play an important role in preventing and managing falls in acute hospitals. We analysed 577 hospital falls incidents and found 77% unwitnessed and most resulted in no patient harm (85%). Further qualitative analysis of 40 incidents highlighted a high proportion of falls being related to transferring near the bed unit.

Does implementation of clinical practice guidelines change nurses' screening for alcohol and other substance use?

Aim: To examine the effectiveness of the implementation of a clinical practice guideline on nurses screening patients for alcohol and other substance use, providing brief interventions, and referring patients at risk for treatment.

Method: Medical record audits were conducted in selected medical and surgical wards of two metropolitan hospitals in Sydney prior to and three months following the guideline implementation.

Result: Seventy-nine (pre) and 84 (post) patient records were audited.