132 results match your criteria: "Avondale College[Affiliation]"

Environmental hygiene, knowledge and cleaning practice: a phenomenological study of nurses and midwives during COVID-19.

Am J Infect Control

September 2021

School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Newcastle, Ourimbah, New South Wales, Australia; School of Nursing, Avondale College of Higher Education, Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address:

Background: Environmental cleanliness is a fundamental tenet in nursing and midwifery but often overshadowed in practice. This study explored nurses' and midwives' knowledge and experiences of infection prevention and control (IPC) processes and cleaning, and perceptions about workplace risk-management during COVID-19.

Methods: Six registered and enrolled nurses (one with dual midwife qualifications) were recruited.

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Health Coaching as an Intervention for Picky Eaters.

Am J Lifestyle Med

July 2020

Avondale College, Lake Macquarie Campus, Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia.

Although childhood "picky eating" or "fussy eating" or "food neophobia" is well established as a subject of research, commentary, and treatment guidelines, there is very little published research exploring the origins and basis of adult food neophobia, much less its treatment. Existing treatment guidelines for picky eating tend to focus on cognitive behavioral interventions. The consequences of picky eating, although not extensively researched, include inadequate nutrition and weight management difficulties-both significant contributors to the worldwide disease burden.

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Background: As frontline providers of care, nurses and midwives play a critical role in controlling infections such as COVID-19, influenza, multi-drug resistant organisms and health care associated infections. Improved cleaning can reduce the incidence of infection and is cost effective but relies on healthcare personnel to correctly apply cleaning measures. As nurses and midwives have the most contact with patients and as an important first step in improving compliance, this study sought to explore nurses' and midwives' knowledge on the role of the environment in infection prevention and control and identify challenges in maintaining clean patient environments.

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Precision medicine has captured the imagination of the medical community with visions of therapies precisely targeted to the specific individual's genetic, biological, social, and environmental profile. However, in practice it has become synonymous with genomic medicine. As such its successes have been limited, with poor predictive or clinical value for the majority of people.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to create a framework to improve hospital cleaning practices, ultimately reducing healthcare-associated infections.
  • The REACH trial implemented a cleaning bundle in 11 Australian hospitals to evaluate its effectiveness using structured approaches and audits.
  • Results showed successful implementation and improved cleaning practices across various hospital settings, emphasizing the benefit of a structured framework for evaluating clinical trials.
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Measuring environmental contamination in critical care using dilute hydrogen peroxide (DHP) technology: An observational cross-over study.

Infect Dis Health

March 2020

Avondale College of Higher Education, Wahroonga, NSW, 2076, Australia; School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia.

Background: The environment has an important role in the transmission of healthcare associated infections. This has encouraged interest in novel methods to improve hygiene in hospitals. One such technology is the use of hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate rooms and equipment; there are, however, few studies that have investigated the effect of continuous dilute hydrogen peroxide (DHP) in the clinical environment.

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Validating a tool to assess eye health knowledge, attitude and practice in Cambodia and Vietnam.

Int J Ophthalmol

November 2019

Department of Ophthalmology, University of Bonn, Regina-Pacis-Weg 3, Bonn 53113, Germany.

Aim: To develop an eye health knowledge, attitude and practice (EH-KAP) field-based assessment tool for use in implementing effective eye health care services.

Methods: An instrument development and validation study. A Vietnam EH-KAP dataset were used to identify and eliminate redundant questions to develop a standardized tool.

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Meatal cleaning: discrepancies in need of explanation - Authors' reply.

Lancet Infect Dis

November 2019

Medical School, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia; Australian Capital Territory Pathology, Canberra Hospital and Health Services, Garran, ACT, Australia.

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Background: Non-antibiotic interventions for urinary tract infection (UTI) prevention have been investigated as a strategy to reduce antibiotic prescribing for UTI and subsequent antibiotic resistance. Increased hydration is widely advocated for preventing UTI; however, evidence for its effectiveness is unknown.

Aim: To systematically review the published literature on the effectiveness of increased fluid intake as a preventive intervention for UTI in adults and children in any setting.

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Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) remain a significant patient safety issue, with point prevalence estimates being ~5% in high-income countries. In 2016-2017, the Researching Effective Approaches to Cleaning in Hospitals (REACH) study implemented an environmental cleaning bundle targeting communication, staff training, improved cleaning technique, product use, and audit of frequent touch-point cleaning. This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of the environmental cleaning bundle for reducing the incidence of HAIs.

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Background: Australia does not have a national healthcare associated infection (HAI) surveillance program. Only one HAI point prevalence study has been undertaken in 1984. The objective of this study was to estimate the burden of healthcare associated infection (HAI) in acute adult inpatients in Australia.

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Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has become an endemic disease. A number of interrelated factors increase the risk of the onset of T2DM, however much of the pathogenesis of the disease is associated with lifestyle. A number of studies have indicated that adopting positive lifestyle changes can successfully prevent or delay the onset of T2DM in a number of different population groups.

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Organisation and governance of infection prevention and control in Australian residential aged care facilities: A national survey.

Infect Dis Health

November 2019

Department of Nursing Research, Cabrini Institute, Malvern, Victoria, Australia; Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Lifestyle Research Centre, Avondale College of Higher Education, Cooranbong, NSW, Australia.

Background: Individuals in residential and aged care facilities (RACFs) are at risk of developing health care-associated infections (HAIs) due to factors such as age-related changes in physiology, immunity, comorbid illness and functional disability. The recent establishment of an Australian Royal Commission into the Quality of Residential and Aged Care Services highlights the challenges of providing care in this sector. This national study identified infection prevention and control (IPC) services, practice and priorities in Australian RACFs.

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Strategies to reduce non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia: A systematic review.

Infect Dis Health

November 2019

Richard Wells Research Centre, College of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Care, University of West London, London, United Kingdom.

Background: Point prevalence studies identify that pneumonia is the most common healthcare associated infection. However, non-ventilator associated healthcare associated pneumonia (NV-HAP) is both underreported and understudied. Most research conducted to date, focuses on ventilator associated pneumonia.

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Bundles of bundles.

Infect Dis Health

August 2019

Cabrini Monash University, Department of Nursing Research, Victoria, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Lifestyle Research Centre, Avondale College of Higher Education, Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address:

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Constructs from positive psychology were employed to create an explicit model of caregiver resilience. Predictive and mediating relationships among resilience and related variables (personality, coping, self-efficacy, hope, social support) were then tested for their association with burden and psychological adjustment among family members caring for relatives with severe TBI. Family participants ( = 131) from six rehabilitation units from New South Wales and Queensland completed assessments which elicited explanatory (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Ways of Coping Questionnaire), mediating (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Herth Hope Scale, Medical Outcome Study Social Support Survey), and caregiver outcome (Caregiver Burden Scale, Mental Health sub-Scale-SF36, General Health Questionnaire, and Positive and Negative Affect Scale) variables.

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Background: Catheter associated urinary tract infections are one of the most common infections acquired in hospital. A recent randomised control study demonstrated the benefit of using chlorhexidine (0.1%) for meatal cleaning prior to urinary catheter insertion, by reducing both catheter associated asymptomatic bacteriuria and infection.

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An Evaluation of an Extended Intervention to Reduce Plagiarism in Bachelor of Nursing Students.

Nurs Educ Perspect

March 2020

About the Authors Alison Smedley, EdD, RN, is a lecturer, Department of Nursing, Avondale College of Higher Education, Wahroonga, Sydney NSW, Australia. Tonia Crawford, MHSc(Ed), RN, is a lecturer, Sydney University, Sydney, Wahroonga, Sydney NSW, Australia. Linda Cloete, MSc, RN, is a lecturer, Department of Nursing, Avondale College of Higher Education. The authors acknowledge Dr. Peter Morey for assistance with statistical analysis. For more information, contact Dr. Smedley at

Pre- and postintervention surveys of first-year nursing students were undertaken to establish the students' knowledge of plagiarism following implementation of an online library-based Academic Integrity Module and the use of plagiarism detection software. Knowledge and understanding of plagiarism improved, but students' ability to paraphrase remained poor. Students entering postsecondary educational institutions require ongoing support and learning opportunities to improve their skills in paraphrasing and referencing to avoid plagiarism.

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Adolescents attending Seventh-day Adventist schools (Adventist) in Australia tend to experience good health and exhibit better health behaviors than national norms, however few studies have investigated factors predicting their mental health. The aim of this study was to explore the complex network of factors that predict the mental health status (MHS) of adolescents attending Adventist schools in Australia. A survey instrument was used to collect data from 1527 secondary school students attending Adventist schools across Australia.

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Objective: To test a model of spiritual well-being and resilience among individuals with spinal cord injuries and their family members.

Design: Prospective cross-sectional observational data were analyzed by structural equation modelling.

Setting: Inpatient and community services at one rehabilitation hospital.

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Editorial.

Infect Dis Health

May 2019

Discipline of Nursing, Avondale College of Higher Education, Wahroonga, NSW, 2076, Australia; School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Newcastle, NSW, 2308, Australia. Electronic address:

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Chlorhexidine for meatal cleaning in reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infections: a multicentre stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial.

Lancet Infect Dis

June 2019

Faculty of Arts, Nursing and Theology, Avondale College of Higher Education, Wahroonga, NSW, Australia; School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Electronic address:

Background: Evidence for the benefits of antiseptic meatal cleaning in reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infection (UTI) is inconclusive. We assessed the efficacy of 0·1% chlorhexidine solution compared with normal saline for meatal cleaning before urinary catheter insertion in reducing the incidence of catheter-associated asymptomatic bacteriuria and UTI.

Methods: A cross-sectional, stepped-wedge, open-label, randomised controlled trial was undertaken in Australian hospitals.

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Formative research for the development of an Eye Health Strategic Planning and Evaluation Framework and a Checklist: A health systems approach.

Int J Health Plann Manage

April 2019

Research, Professional Studies, Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.

This formative research process aimed to develop an Eye Health Strategic Planning and Evaluation Framework and indicator Checklist. The research process utilized a multi-phased multiple methods approach including literature review, initial expert review (n = 27), findings from a Cambodian Avoidable Blindness Initiative demonstration project (2009-2012), observation and analysis of four rural sites of the Indian LV Prasad Eye Institute Pyramid Model (n = 21), and finally, a critique by Cambodian government eye health professionals/staff (n = 15), health center staff and community representatives (n = 77) and patients (n = 62). Results from three Cambodian population-based surveys (KAP n = 599, patient follow-up n = 354, and RAAB 4650) also informed the development of the Framework and the Checklist.

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An environmental cleaning bundle and health-care-associated infections in hospitals (REACH): a multicentre, randomised trial.

Lancet Infect Dis

April 2019

Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

Background: The hospital environment is a reservoir for the transmission of microorganisms. The effect of improved cleaning on patient-centred outcomes remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an environmental cleaning bundle to reduce health care-associated infections in hospitals.

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