The Medical journal of Australia
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Three-panel flat-fold N95 masks performed best for both fit test (96% pass) and wearer comfort and usability.
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There has been a global increase in the burden of invasive infections in people who inject drugs (PWID). It is essential that patient-centred multidisciplinary care is provided in the management of these infections to engage PWID in care and deliver evidence-based management and preventive strategies. ⋯ These options include discharge with outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy, long-acting lipoglycopeptides (dalbavancin and oritavancin) and early oral antimicrobials. Open and respectful discussion with PWID including around harm reduction strategies may decrease the risk of repeat presentations with injecting-related harms.
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Despite the "best of intentions", Australia has fallen short of federal targets to close the gap in disproportionate health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. We examined 2150 original research articles published over the 12-year period (from 2008 to 2020), of which 58% used descriptive designs and only 2.6% were randomised controlled trials. There were few national studies. ⋯ The largest number of publications focused on mental and substance use disorders (n = 322, 20.5%); infectious diseases (n = 222, 14.1%); health services planning, delivery and improvement (n = 193, 33.5%); and health and wellbeing (n = 170, 29.5%). This review is timely given new investments in Aboriginal health, which highlights the importance of Aboriginal researchers, community leadership and research priority. We anticipate future outputs for Aboriginal health research to change significantly from this review, and join calls for a broadening of our intellectual investment in Aboriginal health.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
SISTAQUIT: training health care providers to help pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women quit smoking. A cluster randomised controlled trial.
About 44% of Indigenous Australian women smoke during pregnancy, compared with 12% of pregnant non-Indigenous women. Health care providers can assist smoking cessation, but they are not typically trained in culturally appropriate methods. ⋯ health service process evaluations; knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health care providers; and longer term abstinence, perinatal outcomes, and respiratory outcomes for babies (to six months). Ethics approval: The human research ethics committees of the University of Newcastle (H-2015-0438) and the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW (1140/15) provided the primary ethics approval. Dissemination of results: Findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications, at local and overseas conferences, and via public and social media, and to participating health services in art-based formats and reports. Policy briefs will be communicated to relevant government organisations.
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To describe smoking characteristics, quitting behaviour and other factors associated with longest quit attempt and the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and stop-smoking medication (SSM) in a population of Indigenous Australian women of reproductive age. ⋯ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women want to quit smoking and are making attempts to quit. Quitting suddenly, rather than reducing cigarette consumption, is associated with increased sustained abstinence. Health providers can enable access and uptake of NRT and/or SSM and should recognise that NRT and/or SSM use may change over time. Consistent messaging, frequent offers of smoking cessation support, and access to a range of smoking cessation supports should be provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to enable them to be smoke-free.