Australian Health Review back issues from January 2004:
Refashioning child and family health services in response to family, social and political change
Jan 01, 2004; ... One hundred years ago maternal and child health services emerged as a community response in Australia, and most other industrialised countries, to concerns about the high rates of infant and early childhood mortality from infectious disease and poor nutrition. Major family and social changes ...
A tale of a few hospitals
Jan 01, 2004; ... "I would like to think that the patients in my hospital are treated in the same way that I would like my mother to be treated." . . . . More CEOs than can be named I am currently in the unhappy position of suffering a life threatening illness that involves outpatient ...
Demographic patterns of emergency presentations to Northern Territory public hospitals
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract This study investigates demographic patterns of emergency presentations to Northern Territory (NT) public hospitals over the past five years with respect to population changes, Aboriginality and age of patients. Retrospective analysis was undertaken on the 1996-2001 data ...
Let's ban drivel: commentary on A tale of a few hospitals
Jan 01, 2004; ... Before you read on, this is a commentary based on anecdote - not the stuff of high-level evidence. But let me tell you, from the feedback I get from listeners across Australia, Anne Cahill's story is pretty mainstream. You can argue I'm talking rubbish - and I know there are many exceptions, ...
Hepatitis C-related discrimination in New South Wales
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract Hepatitis C-related discrimination was examined. Intake interviews with 606 HepCare trial participants from New South Wales were analysed to determine the prevalence and correlates of hepatitis C related discrimination. The sample was a mean age of 37 years, 54% were males, 79% ...
Tensions in maternal and child health policy in Victoria: looking back, looking forward
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract Since the late 1980s, Maternal and Child Health Services (MCHS) in Victoria have undergone significant change. This paper provides an historically-informed analysis of the complex intersection of policy, administrative restructuring and stakeholder interests. It draws on and ...
The influence of socio-economic and locational disadvantage on patterns of surgical care for lung cancer in Western Australia 1982-2001
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract Objective: Patterns of in-hospital surgical care for lung cancer in Western Australia were examined, including the effects of demographic, locational and socio-economic disadvantage and the possession of private health insurance, on the likelihood of receiving ...
Falls are a sensitive and challenging area of health care
Jan 01, 2004; ... Dear Editor, When 16 year old roofer, Joel Exner, was killed after falling from a roof, his employer was held responsible for failing to provide a safe workplace (Herald Sun 16/02/04). Construction workers stopped work to march on the NSW parliament demanding jail sentences for bosses ...
PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
Jan 01, 2004; ... DWYER J, STANTON P. & THIESSEN V. (2004) PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES CROWS NEST, NSW: ALLEN & UNWIN, 200 PAGES, REFERENCES & INDEX. PAPERBACK $45.00 Project Management is continuing to emerge as a recognised management discipline and working its way ...
From the Editors
Jan 01, 2004; ... This issue of AHR starts with a personal reflection by Ms Anne Cahill, former National Director of the peak bodies for women's and children's hospitals in Australasia, and a commentary by Dr Norman Swan of the ABC's Health Report. Anne will be known to many readers, and has recently attracted ...
Australian women's perceptions of a specialist breast nurse model
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate Australian women's perceptions of the specialist breast nurse (SBN) model developed by the National Breast Cancer Centre. Two hundred and forty women evaluated the care they received from a SBN. The SBN was perceived as a valuable link ...
Sustaining evidence-based practice for young people who self-harm: a 4-year follow-up
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract Objective: In 1998 and 1999, two NSW Area Health Services conducted the Youth At Risk of Deliberate Self Harm (YARDS) project. The YARDS project was designed to implement evidence-based service enhancements for the clinical management of young people with Deliberate Self Harm ....
People who are 'socially disadvantaged' and the role of the aged care assessment team: a case example
Jan 01, 2004; ... The role of Aged Care Assessment Teams Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACAT) were developed as part of the aged care reforms that have been implemented in Australia over the last twenty years (Howel997). Their role includes completion of comprehensive assessments, clarification of client ...
Demographics and utilisation of health services by paediatric refugees from East Africa: implications for service planning and provision
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract Little is known of difficulties in accessing health care for recently arrived paediatric refugees in Australia. We reviewed routinely collected data for all 199 East African children attending a hospital Immigrant Health Clinic for the first time over a 16 month period. Although ...
Commentary: public and private intervention rates in obstetric practice
Jan 01, 2004; ... The paper by Shorten and Shorten published in the last edition of Australian Health Review highlights differences in intervention rates (induction of labour, caesarean section, use of epidural analgesia) between women receiving private obstetric care and those receiving public obstetric care ...
The impact of manual handling training on work place injuries: a 14 year audit
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract Manual handling injuries represented both the highest costs and largest proportion of workers compensation claims for the South Australian Department of Human Services from 1995 to 1999 (Risk Management Services 2000). There is evidence to suggest the manutention method of ...
The lived experience of men and women with hepatitis C: implications for support needs and health information
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract Hepatitis C is Australia's most commonly notified infectious disease. Health education and support strategies that are gender-specific are key components of effective management of chronic illness, yet almost no information exists about gender-specific needs of those with ...
A preliminary casemix classification system for Home and Community Care Clients in Western Australia
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract The objective of the study was to examine the feasibility of using routinely available assessment, Minimum Data Set (MDS), socio-economic, geographic and unit cost data to define a discrete number of clinically meaningful, cost-homogeneous Home and Community Care (HACC) client ...
A question of balance?
Jan 01, 2004; ... Issues in the health care domain are rarely singular and simple. The very nature of health care means that it is difficult to remove the emotion from the debate. Issues are often polarised and policy preferences are, as always, as strongly influenced by underlying philosophical positions as by ...
Impact of private health insurance incentives on obstetric outcomes in NSW hospitals
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract The purpose of this study is to analyse the impact of changes in Australian private health insurance coverage as seen in NSW'public and private hospital birth profiles, and identify trends in obstetric outcomes from 1997-2001. NSW Midwives Data Collection unit record data is ...
Why it is time to review the role of private health insurance in Australia
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract The role of private health insurance (PHI) within the Australian health-care system is urgently in need of comprehensive review. Two decades of universal health cover under Medicare have meant a change in the function of PHI, which is not reflected in policies to support PHI nor ...
Promoting the health of older Australians: program options, priorities and research
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract Relatively little emphasis has been placed on identifying health promotion research and program priorities for the older age group. A one-day conference culminating in an interactive session was organised to engage health service professionals in a process to identify such ...
Type of housing predicts rate of readmission to hospital but not length of stay in people with schizophrenia on the Gold Coast in Queensland
Jan 01, 2004; ... ABSTRACT Accommodation is considered to be important by institutions interested in mental health care both in Australia and internationally. Some authorities assert that no component of a community mental health system is more important than decent affordable housing. Unfortunately there ...
Management competencies: intrinsic or acquired? What competencies are required to move into speech pathology management and beyond?
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract Speech pathology managers frequently move into careers beyond their clinical discipline. As practicing speech pathology managers and students of business leadership, we were curious about the nature of career transitions out of speech pathology management. We conducted an ...
Using nursing information systems to enhance quality service across multiple service providers
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract This study explored the key requirements identified by stakeholders for the integration of Nursing Information Systems (NIS) in three public hospitals in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. The study used a qualitative approach of semistructured interviews, focus groups, site ...
Rethinking midwifery refresher programs as a recruitment strategy
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract This paper presents a case study on an innovative Midwifery Refresher Program in the context of current midwifery workforce issues. The refresher program was developed specifically as a recruitment strategy to address a staffing crisis at the Mater Misericordiae Mothers' ...
A case study in mainstreaming flexible learning in health - perspectives from the bush
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract Our mission is to inculcate an ethos of online learning and communicating, moving it from the margins to mainstream. A skilled health workforce is crucial to better practices. Face-to-face teaching still dominates learning across NSW Health, despite remarkable developments ...
How to write a case study for Australian Health Review
Jan 01, 2004; ... A case study is a form of qualitative, descriptive research about a single or small number of events or cases. Conclusions are drawn in relation to the specific participants in the specific content and there is no expectation that the results of the case study can be generalised to other ...
Generic drugs: international trends and policy developments in Australia
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract Public and private third-party payers in many countries encourage or mandate the use of generic drugs. This article examines the development of generics policy in Australia, against the background of a description of international trends in this area, and related experiences of ...
'Closing the loop': the role of health care leaders in integrating research and practice
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract The study reported here examines what health care leaders do to implement the routine integration of information into clinical practice decision making. Clinical leaders of a major Australian tertiary teaching hospital were interviewed. The study found that there is wide ...
Patient satisfaction: the Australian patient perspective
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract The literature reveals little Australian academic study of the phenomenon of patient satisfaction and identifies several problems in current research practice. A theoretical discussion about the phenomenon of 'patient satisfaction' is for the most part absent, the rigour in the ...
Data, circumstance and politics: reflections on regional mental health planning
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract We use our experience as consultants to a regional mental health planning project in South Australia to describe three practical aspects of regional health planning. First, we systematically summarised various data on socio-demographic indicators, health status and health ...
The impact of caring on caregivers' mental health: a review of the literature
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract This paper provides a brief overview of the literature on the impact of caring on the mental health of informal caregivers in the areas of aged care, disability and mental health. Factors discussed that may impact on caregivers' mental health include the relationship between the ...
JOHNSTONE, M.-J. (2004) EFFECTIVE WRITING FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO GETTING PUBLISHED
Jan 01, 2004; ... JOHNSTONE, M.-J. (2004) EFFECTIVE WRITING FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO GETTING PUBLISHED Crows Nest, NSW: Alien & Unwin, 223 pages, references and index. Paperback, $29.95. When my students are preparing to give presentations, I remind them of three salient points ....
Improving human resource management in Chinese healthcare: identifying the obstacles to change
Jan 01, 2004; ... Abstract Health sector reform in China has led to increasing responsibility for hospital managers in the management of staff, but constraints continue. New personnel reforms offer new opportunities but face a number of difficulties. Drawing on research in Chinese hospitals in 1997 this ...