The Medical journal of Australia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Economic evaluation of Indigenous health worker management of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes in north Queensland.
To conduct an economic evaluation of intensive management by Indigenous health workers (IHWs) of Indigenous adults with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes in rural and remote north Queensland. ⋯ Relative to the high cost of the intervention, the IHW-S model as implemented is probably a poor investment. Incremental cost-effectiveness might be improved by a higher caseload per IHW, a longer evaluation time frame, and improved service integration. Further approaches to improving chronic disease outcomes in this very unwell population need to be explored, including holistic approaches that address the complex psychosocial, pathophysiological and environmental problems of highly disadvantaged populations.
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Analysis of data from the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand (BRANZ) to determine the extent of variation between participating units in treatment and in specific outcomes during the first 4 years of its operation. ⋯ Despite the highly centralised delivery of care to patients with severe or complex burn injury, and the relatively small number of specialist burn units, we found significant variation between units in clinical management and in outcomes. BRANZ data from its first 4 years of operation support its feasibility and the value of further development of the registry. Based on these results, the focus of ongoing research is to improve understanding of the reasons for variations in practice and of their effect on outcomes for patients, and to develop evidence-informed clinical guidelines for burn management in Australia and New Zealand.
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About 9% of Australians aged 65 years and over have a diagnosis of dementia. Clinical practice guidelines aim to enhance research translation by synthesising recent evidence for health and aged care professionals. ⋯ The guidelines have been approved by the National Health and Medical Research Council. The guidelines emphasise timely diagnosis; living well with dementia and delaying functional decline; managing symptoms through training staff in how to provide person-centred care and using non-pharmacological approaches in the first instance; and training and supporting families and carers to provide care.
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In 2017, the National Cervical Screening Program in Australia will transition to 5-yearly primary HPV screening for all women, irrespective of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination status. As an adjunct to the mainstream program, HPV testing on self-collected samples will be offered under practitioner supervision to all unscreened and underscreened women aged 30-74 years. We quantified how different screening decisions affect the future risk of cervical cancer. ⋯ Offering HPV self-collection has the potential to considerably improve outcomes for unscreened and underscreened women. Nevertheless, these findings underscore the need for concerted strategies to encourage these women to join the mainstream HPV screening program.
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To determine whether the Koorliny Moort program could reduce emergency department presentations, hospital admissions and length of stay, and improve attendance at out-of-hospital appointments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Western Australia. ⋯ Health-seeking behaviour and health outcomes for Aboriginal children can be improved by engaging Aboriginal families in their health care, providing effective communication between health service providers, and delivering a coordinated program of Aboriginal service provider-led care.