Public health research & practice
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Public Health Res Pract · Sep 2018
The Prevention Research Support Program: supporting innovation in research, translation and capability building.
The Prevention Research Support Program (PRSP) is a New South Wales (NSW) Ministry of Health funding scheme. The scheme aims to build capability, and strengthen prevention and early intervention research that is important to the NSW public health system (NSW Health) and that leads to improved health and reduced health inequities for the people of NSW. This paper describes how PRSP funding has supported recipients to produce high-quality, policy-relevant research, and increase the impact of research on policy and practice. Type of program: The PRSP is a competitive funding program that supports NSW research organisations that conduct prevention and early intervention research that aligns with NSW Health priorities. The objectives of the PRSP are to: increase high-quality and internationally recognised prevention research in NSW; support the generation of research evidence that addresses NSW Health prevention priorities, including cross-government priorities; encourage the adoption of research evidence in relevant policies, programs and services in NSW; and build the prevention research capability of NSW Health staff and the NSW Health system. ⋯ The PRSP is a unique scheme that is highly valued by both funding recipients and health system stakeholders. The continuity of funding provided under the scheme enables recipients to adopt a strategic approach to their research and develop innovative strategies to support its conduct and use.
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Public Health Res Pract · Mar 2018
Violence against ambulance personnel: a retrospective cohort study of national data from Safe Work Australia.
Objectives and importance: Paramedics have high rates of occupational injury and fatality. The objective of this study is to describe their specific risks of violence-related injury.
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Public Health Res Pract · Mar 2018
Comparative StudyInsights from linking routinely collected data across Australian health jurisdictions: a case study of end-of-life health service use.
The jurisdictional nature of routinely collected health data in Australia has created challenges for linking data across state/territory and federal government boundaries. This has impeded understanding of the interplay between service use across hospital and community care. Our objective was to demonstrate the value-add of cross-jurisdictional data using a case study of health service use and the factors associated with healthcare use towards the end of life. ⋯ In our case study, we demonstrated the value-add of Commonwealth data for understanding the drivers of hospital services use, which has implications for service delivery and resource allocation. There is an abundance of routinely collected health data in Australia that can be used to describe whole-of-healthcare use for a broad range of issues.
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Public Health Res Pract · Mar 2018
Intergovernmental collaboration for the health and wellbeing of refugees settling in Australia.
As outlined in the Department of Immigration and Border Protection Annual report 2016-17, Australia granted 21 928 humanitarian visas in 2016-17, 13 760 of them offshore. This number will increase in future to a planned offshore program of 18 750 in 2018-19. The report notes that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ranks Australia third for the number of refugees resettled. ⋯ This article outlines how collaboration between like-minded national governments can improve premigration health screening through information sharing, collaborative learning and increased capability in countries of origin to not only screen for illness and disability, but to more effectively put measures in place to address these before, during and after arrival. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US have worked together for more than a decade on migration health screening policies to ensure better management of health needs and successful resettlement. A case study about the Syrian refugee cohort, which began arriving in Australia in late 2015, illustrates how intergovernmental collaboration can improve settlement.
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Public Health Res Pract · Dec 2017
Comparative StudyDeadly progress: changes in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult daily smoking, 2004-2015.
Tobacco smoking is the leading contributor to the burden of disease among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Reducing tobacco use in this population is a public health priority. Precise monitoring of smoking prevalence trends is central to implementation and evaluation of effective tobacco control. The way in which trends are reported influences understanding of the extent of progress, with potential implications for policy. Our objective was to quantify absolute changes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult (≥18 years old) daily tobacco smoking prevalence from 2004 to 2015, including comparisons with the total Australian population, and by age, sex and remoteness. ⋯ Substantial progress has been made in reducing smoking, with an estimated 35 000 fewer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults smoking every day in 2014-15 compared with if daily smoking remained at 2004-05 prevalence. This will lead to thousands of lives saved. The observed success in the younger age groups is encouraging. Continued resourcing and comprehensive tobacco control efforts are required to ensure positive trends continue.