Discharge Planning of Older Persons from Hospital: Comparison of Observed Practice to Recommended Best Practice.

Older people are particularly vulnerable to hospital re-presentation following discharge. Ideal discharge planning processes facilitate the transition from hospital to home and prevent subsequent re-presentations to hospital. The objective of this study was to examine discharge planning processes in two Australian hospitals, compare them between sites and to best-practice recommendations. An ethnographic observational study of discharge planning processes was conducted at two general medical inpatient wards at a large tertiary hospital and a smaller regional hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Participants were patients and ward staff involved in discharge planning during a hospital admission. A literature review was conducted to elicit best-practice recommendations for discharge planning. Data for this study (duration: 112 h) were collected directly using field notes by a research assistant embedded in the ward. A directed qualitative content analysis approach was used for data analysis. Results were compared to best-practice recommendations. Findings indicate that both hospitals implemented various best-practice interventions to enhance communication, collaboration, coordination and patient/family engagement for optimal discharge planning. Strategies used were context specific and effective to varying degrees. Clear responsibilities and goals within the multidisciplinary team helped to create cohesive, well-functioning teams. More work is needed to engage patients and families in discharge planning, and to encourage health professionals to consider patients and family as active team members in the discharge planning process.

The Effect of Price Changes and Teaspoon Labelling on Intention to Purchase Sugar-Sweetened Beverages: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

INTRODUCTION: Childhood obesity is a major public health concern and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a known contributor. SSB taxation and food labelling have been proposed as policies to reduce consumption by changing purchasing behaviours. The study aimed to analyse caregivers' preferences on commonly purchased SSBs in Australia and to determine the effect of price increases and teaspoon labelling on their purchasing intentions. METHODS: We used a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to obtain data about choices between SSB and non-SSB alternatives. 563 caregivers, who had young children aged 3-7 years, completed the experiment online. 286 were randomly allocated to receive choice sets with plain labelling while 277 were assigned to teaspoon labelling. Each participant completed nine choice scenarios where they chose between six SSB and non-SSB beverage options or a no-beverage option, with beverage prices varying between scenarios. While hypothetical, price and teaspoon labelling for sugar content for each beverage was obtained from an informal market survey. Responses from the DCE were modelled using random parameters logit within a random utility theory framework. Household income and children's consumption volumes of soft drink were used to explore preference heterogeneity. RESULTS: Using mixed logit as the final model, we found that higher reduction in intended purchases was observed for soft drink and fruit drink in teaspoon labelling than it was in plain labelling. Participants exposed to teaspoon labelling intended to purchase less of flavoured milk and fruit juice compared to those exposed to plain labelling. Compared to baseline prices, a hypothetical 20% increase in SSB prices and the presentation of 'teaspoons of sugar' labelling were predicted to reduce intentional SSB purchases and increase intentional non-SSB purchases. Within each labelling group, there were no significant differences of intentional purchases between the highest and the lowest income quintile, high and low consumers of soft drinks. However, compared to plain labelling, teaspoon labelling was predicted to strongly influence intentional purchases of SSBs and non-SSBs. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a policy to increase SSB price and include teaspoon labelling would lead to a reduced consumption of SSBs and increased consumption of non-SSBs.

Systematised, Interdisciplinary Malnutrition Program for impLementation and Evaluation delivers improved hospital nutrition care processes and patient reported experiences - An implementation study.

AIM: Models of hospital malnutrition care reliant on dietitians can be inefficient and of limited effectiveness. This study evaluated whether implementing the Systematised, Interdisciplinary Malnutrition Program for impLementation and Evaluation (SIMPLE) improved hospital nutrition care processes and patientreported experiences compared with traditional practice. METHODS: A multi-site (five hospitals) prospective, pre-post study evaluated the facilitated implementation of SIMPLE, a malnutrition care pathway promoting proactive nutrition support delivered from time of malnutrition screening by the interdisciplinary team, without need for prior dietetic assessment. Implementation was tailored to local site needs and resources. Nutrition care processes delivered to inpatients who were malnourished or at-risk of malnutrition were identified across diagnosis, intervention, and monitoring domains using standardised audits from medical records, foodservice systems and patient-reported nutrition experience measures. RESULTS: Pre-implementation (n = 365) and post-implementation (n = 397) cohorts were similar for age (74 vs 73 years), gender (47.1% vs 48.6% female), and nutrition risk status (46.6% vs 45.3% at-risk). Post-implementation, at-risk participants were more likely to receive enhanced food and fluids (68.5% vs 83.9%; P < .01), nutrition information (30.9% vs 47.2%; P < .01), mealtime assistance where required (61.4% vs 77.9% P = .04), nutrition monitoring (25.2% vs 46.3%; P < .01) and care planning (17.8% vs 27.7%; P = .01). Patient-reported nutrition experience measures confirmed improved nutrition care. There was no difference in dietetic occasions of service per patient (1.51 vs 1.25; P = .83). CONCLUSIONS: Tailored SIMPLE implementation improves nutrition care processes and patient reported nutrition experience measures for at-risk inpatients within existing dietetic resources.

A cluster-randomized trial of workplace ergonomics and neck-specific exercise versus ergonomics and health promotion for office workers to manage neck pain - a secondary outcome analysis.

BACKGROUND: Neck pain is prevalent among office workers. This study evaluated the impact of an ergonomic and exercise training (EET) intervention and an ergonomic and health promotion (EHP) intervention on neck pain intensity among the All Workers and a subgroup of Neck Pain cases at baseline. METHODS: A 12-month cluster-randomized trial was conducted in 14 public and private organisations. Office workers aged ≥18 years working ≥30 h per week (n = 740) received an individualised workstation ergonomic intervention, followed by 1:1 allocation to the EET group (neck-specific exercise training), or the EHP group (health promotion) for 12 weeks. Neck pain intensity (scale: 0-9) was recorded at baseline, 12 weeks, and 12 months. Participants with data at these three time points were included for analysis (n = 367). Intervention group differences were analysed using generalized estimating equation models on an intention-to-treat basis and adjusted for potential confounders. Subgroup analysis was performed on neck cases reporting pain ≥3 at baseline (n = 96). RESULTS: The EET group demonstrated significantly greater reductions in neck pain intensity at 12 weeks compared to the EHP group for All Workers (EET: ß = - 0.53 points 95% CI: - 0.84- - 0.22 [36%] and EHP: ß = - 0.17 points 95% CI: - 0.47-0.13 [10.5%], p-value = 0.02) and the Neck Cases (EET: ß = - 2.32 points 95% CI: - 3.09- - 1.56 [53%] and EHP: ß = - 1.75 points 95% CI: - 2.35- - 1.16 [36%], p = 0.04). Reductions in pain intensity were not maintained at 12 months with no between-group differences observed in All Workers (EET: ß = - 0.18, 95% CI: - 0.53-0.16 and EHP: ß = - 0.14 points 95% CI: - 0.49-0.21, p = 0.53) or Neck Cases, although in both groups an overall reduction was found (EET: ß = - 1.61 points 95% CI: - 2.36- - 0.89 and EHP: ß = - 1.9 points 95% CI: - 2.59- - 1.20, p = 0.26). CONCLUSION: EET was more effective than EHP in reducing neck pain intensity in All Workers and Neck Cases immediately following the intervention period (12 weeks) but not at 12 months, with changes at 12 weeks reaching clinically meaningful thresholds for the Neck Cases. Findings suggest the need for continuation of exercise to maintain benefits in the longer term. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: hACTRN12612001154897 Date of Registration: 31/10/2012.

Public hesitancy to COVID-19 vaccine and the role of pharmacists in addressing the problem and improving uptake.

COVID-19 is one of the worst pandemics in recent human history, causing huge health, economic, and psychosocial damage. Since the pandemic hit, several unsubstantiated claims regarding exposure, transmission and management have been disseminated. Misinformation and associated public confusion now extend to the COVID-19 vaccines, spanning from claims based on possible links between some vaccine types and rare blood clots, to baseless claims. As a result, the public's trust in COVID-19 vaccines has been eroded, fuelling an already troubling trend of vaccine hesitancy. As medication experts and the most accessible healthcare providers, pharmacists are well equipped with the required skills and knowledge to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake by taking roles that range from dispelling myths, to providing reliable evidence-based information, through to vaccine administration. This paper discusses public hesitancy to COVID-19 vaccines, major contributing factors, and the role pharmacists can play in reducing hesitancy and increasing vaccine uptake.

Does the Choice Between a Telehealth and an In-Person Appointment Change Patient Attendance?

Background: Videoconference enables outpatient appointments to be conducted in a manner that increases convenience for patients, and this increase in convenience is widely assumed to reduce failure to attend (FTA) rates. Introduction: FTA is the notation used when patients do not attend their designated outpatient appointment. FTA events waste appointment resources that could have been allocated to another patient and increase clinic waiting lists. Therefore, predicting FTA or identifying mechanisms to improve FTA rates could have both economic and patient benefits. Materials and Methods: Using activity data and patient demographic information from the immunology outpatient services at a large metropolitan hospital in Australia, descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to investigate whether the telehealth modality or other patient or clinic characteristics had the potential to influence FTA rates. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted using a panel set to group individual patient events together to explore the ability of patient characteristics or appointment characteristics to predict FTA events. Ethics approval was received from the Metro South Health Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/18/QMS/45889). Results: From April 2016 to September 2018, 6,131 appointments occurred, with an overall FTA rate of 16%. Telehealth accounted for 254 or 4.1% of all appointments. When in-person and telehealth modalities were examined separately, the FTA rates were 16.3% and 8.7%, respectively. The greatest predictor of FTA was found to be the modality by which the clinic was delivered, in person or telehealth. Patient-specific characteristics such as Indigenous status, previous FTA behavior, and whether the person was privately funded were also important factors. Discussion and Conclusions: These results indicate that offering appropriate patients the option of telehealth has the potential to reduce FTA. Given the impact of FTA on clinic viability, caseload burden, and waiting lists, telehealth should be explored further and, where possible, should be offered as a routine alternative to in-person appointments.

Determining if Telehealth Can Reduce Health System Costs: Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Telehealth represents an opportunity for Australia to harness the power of technology to redesign the way health care is delivered. The potential benefits of telehealth include increased accessibility to care, productivity gains for health providers and patients through reduced travel, potential for cost savings, and an opportunity to develop culturally appropriate services that are more sensitive to the needs of special populations. The uptake of telehealth has been hindered at times by clinician reluctance and policies that preclude metropolitan populations from accessing telehealth services. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate if telehealth reduces health system costs compared with traditional service models and to identify the scenarios in which cost savings can be realized. METHODS: A scoping review was undertaken to meet the study aims. Initially, literature searches were conducted using broad terms for telehealth and economics to identify economic evaluation literature in telehealth. The investigators then conducted an expert focus group to identify domains where telehealth could reduce health system costs, followed by targeted literature searches for corresponding evidence. RESULTS: The cost analyses reviewed provided evidence that telehealth reduced costs when health system-funded travel was prevented and when telehealth mitigated the need for expensive procedural or specialist follow-up by providing competent care in a more efficient way. The expert focus group identified 4 areas of potential savings from telehealth: productivity gains, reductions in secondary care, alternate funding models, and telementoring. Telehealth demonstrated great potential for productivity gains arising from health system redesign; however, under the Australian activity-based funding, it is unlikely that these gains will result in cost savings. Secondary care use mitigation is an area of promise for telehealth; however, many studies have not demonstrated overall cost savings due to the cost of administering and monitoring telehealth systems. Alternate funding models from telehealth systems have the potential to save the health system money in situations where the consumers pay out of pocket to receive services. Telementoring has had minimal economic evaluation; however, in the long term it is likely to result in inadvertent cost savings through the upskilling of generalist and allied health clinicians. CONCLUSIONS: Health services considering implementing telehealth should be motivated by benefits other than cost reduction. The available evidence has indicated that although telehealth provides overwhelmingly positive patient benefits and increases productivity for many services, current evidence suggests that it does not routinely reduce the cost of care delivery for the health system.

Valuing the AD-5D Dementia Utility Instrument: An Estimation of a General Population Tariff.

OBJECTIVE: This paper reports on the valuation of quality-of-life states in the Alzheimer's Disease Five Dimensions (AD-5D) instrument in a representative sample of the general population in Australia using the discrete-choice experiment with duration (DCETTO) elicitation technique. METHOD: A DCE with 200 choice sets of two quality-of-life (QoL) state-duration combinations blocked into 20 survey versions, with ten choice sets in each version, was designed and administered online to a sample representative of the Australian population. Two additional choice sets comprising internal consistency and dominance checks were included in each survey version. A range of model specifications investigating preferences with respect to duration and interactions between AD-5D dimension levels were estimated. Utility weights were developed, with estimated coefficients transformed to the 0 (being dead) to 1 (full health) scale, suitable for the calculation of quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) weights for use in economic evaluation. RESULTS: In total, 1999 respondents completed the choice experiment. Overall, respondents were slightly better educated and had higher annual incomes than the Australian general population. The estimation results from different specifications and models were broadly consistent with the monotonic nature of the AD-5D: utility increased with increased life expectancy and decreased as the severity level for each dimension worsened. A utility value set was generated for the calculation of utilities for all QoL states defined by the AD-5D descriptive system. CONCLUSION: The DCE-based utility value set is now available to use to generate QALYs for the economic evaluation of treatments and interventions targeting people with dementia and/or their family caregivers.

A uniform data set for determining outcomes in allied health primary contact services in Australia.

The project aim was to develop and implement a set of metrics to capture and demonstrate the performance of newly established allied health primary contact services. Selection of the metrics and performance indicators was guided by an existing state-wide data collection system and from a review of the published literature. The metrics were refined after consultation with a working group of health service managers and clinicians. The data collection and reporting framework were developed for use in allied health primary contact services and implemented at public health facilities in Queensland, Australia. The set of metrics consists of 18 process and outcome measures. Patient-reported metrics include the global rating of change scale and patient satisfaction. Service metrics include wait times; referral source; triage category; diagnosis; occasions of service; referrals and investigations initiated; effects; care duration; discharge status; waitlist reinstatement reasons; treatment non-completion reasons; and expedited care. Safety, patient demographics and service improvement metrics were included. The metrics will enable analysis of the effectiveness of allied health primary contact services and will facilitate reporting, advocacy, service improvement, service continuity and research. The metrics are suitable for use by all providers of allied health primary contact services in hospital and primary care settings.

Implementation of simulation modelling to improve service planning in specialist orthopaedic and neurosurgical outpatient services.

BACKGROUND: Advanced physiotherapist-led services have been embedded in specialist orthopaedic and neurosurgical outpatient departments across Queensland, Australia, to ameliorate capacity constraints. Simulation modelling has been used to inform the optimal scale and professional mix of services required to match patient demand. The context and the value of simulation modelling in service planning remain unclear. We aimed to examine the adoption, context and costs of using simulation modelling recommendations to inform service planning. METHODS: Using an implementation science approach, we undertook a prospective, qualitative evaluation to assess the use of discrete event simulation modelling recommendations for service re-design and to explore stakeholder perspectives about the role of simulation modelling in service planning. Five orthopaedic and neurosurgical services in Queensland, Australia, were selected to maximise variation in implementation effectiveness. We used the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR) to guide the facilitation and analysis of the stakeholder focus group discussions. We conducted a prospective costing analysis in each service to estimate the costs associated with using simulation modelling to inform service planning. RESULTS: Four of the five services demonstrated adoption by inclusion of modelling recommendations into proposals for service re-design. Four CFIR constructs distinguished and two CFIR constructs did not distinguish between high versus mixed implementation effectiveness. We identified additional constructs that did not map onto CFIR. The mean cost of implementation was AU$34,553 per site (standard deviation = AU$737). CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first time the context of implementing simulation modelling recommendations in a health care setting, using a validated framework, has been examined. Our findings may provide valuable insights to increase the uptake of healthcare modelling recommendations in service planning.

Utilising capacity in a rural hospital to support older people requiring hospital care: Kilcoy Connect.

PROBLEM: The increasing specialisation of medical care in larger centres is contributing to the declining use of rural hospitals that are close to larger centres, risking bed closures or even facility closure. DESIGN: An allied health-led model of care supported by telehealth geriatrician services was developed and implemented in eight beds in a rural hospital to manage older patients needing geriatric evaluation and management. SETTING: The project was set in Kilcoy Hospital, a small facility north of Caboolture in Queensland, Australia. The feeder hospital was Caboolture Hospital, the regional centre. KEY MEASURES FOR IMPROVEMENT: Occupancy rates at the rural hospital along with length of stay, discharge destination and functional independence measure. STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE: A project officer was employed 1 day a week to facilitate the implementation of the new model of care. Training and education were provided to medical and nursing staff to understand and implement the geriatric evaluation and management model of care. EFFECTS OF CHANGE: Over the project time frame, 93 patients were successfully managed in the rural hospital with improved occupancy rates. Outcomes were as effective and safe as compared to the group managed at the regional centre. The model of care is now routine practice. LESSONS LEARNT: Using excess capacity in rural hospitals by employing a geriatric evaluation and management approach is a viable strategy to address declining rural hospital usage.

Where are we at with model-based economic evaluations of interventions for dementia? a systematic review and quality assessment.

ABSTRACTObjective:To identify, review, and critically appraise model-based economic evaluations of all types of interventions for people with dementia and their carers. DESIGN: A systematic literature search was undertaken to identify model-based evaluations of dementia interventions. A critical appraisal of included studies was carried out using guidance on good practice methods for decision-analytic models in health technology assessment, with a focus on model structure, data, and model consistency. SETTING: Interventions for people with dementia and their carers, across prevention, diagnostic, treatment, and disease management. RESULTS: We identified 67 studies, with 43 evaluating pharmacological products, 19 covering prevention or diagnostic strategies, and 5 studies reporting non-pharmacological interventions. The majority of studies use Markov models with a simple structure to represent dementia symptoms and disease progression. Half of all studies reported taking a societal perspective, with the other half adopting a third-party payer perspective. Most studies follow good practices in modeling, particularly related to the decision problem description, perspective, model structure, and data inputs. Many studies perform poorly in areas related to the reporting of pre-modeling analyses, justifying data inputs, evaluating data quality, considering alternative modeling options, validating models, and assessing uncertainty. CONCLUSIONS: There is a growing literature on the model-based evaluations of interventions for dementia. The literature predominantly reports on pharmaceutical interventions for Alzheimer's disease, but there is a growing literature for dementia prevention and non-pharmacological interventions. Our findings demonstrate that decision-makers need to critically appraise and understand the model-based evaluations and their limitations to ensure they are used, interpreted, and applied appropriately.

Milk Other Than Breast Milk and the Development of Asthma in Children 3 Years of Age. A Birth Cohort Study (2006⁻2011).

Prevalence of asthma in Australian children is amongst the highest in the world. Although breastfeeding positively influences infant immunity, early introduction of Milk Other than Breast Milk (MOTBM) may also play an important role in the development of Asthma. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the introduction of MOTBM in the first six months after birth and the development of reported persistent asthma in 3-year olds. A sample of 1121 children was extracted from the Environments for Healthy Living longitudinal birth cohort study. Introduction of MOTBM during the first six months after birth increased almost two-fold the risk of development of persistent asthma after adjusting for other covariates (Adjusted Relative Risk (ARR): 1.71, 95% CI: 1.03⁻2.83, p = 0.038). This study indicates that the introduction of MOTBM in the first six months of life is a risk factor for asthma incidence among 3-year old children. This result is important in explaining the benefits of breastfeeding as part of public health interventions to encourage mothers to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration, and avoid the introduction of MOTBM in the first six months after childbirth.

Implementation of an evidence-based intervention to improve the wellbeing of people with dementia and their carers: study protocol for 'Care of People with dementia in their Environments (COPE)' in the Australian context.

BACKGROUND: There are effective non-pharmacological treatment programs that reduce functional disability and changed behaviours in people with dementia. However, these programs (such as the Care of People with dementia in their Environments (COPE) program) are not widely available. The primary aim of this study is to determine the strategies and processes that enable the COPE program to be implemented into existing dementia care services in Australia. METHODS: This study uses a mixed methods approach to test an implementation strategy. The COPE intervention (up to ten consultations with an occupational therapist and up to two consultations with a nurse) will be implemented using a number of strategies including planning (such as developing and building relationships with dementia care community service providers), educating (training nurses and occupational therapists in how to apply the intervention), restructuring (organisations establishing referral systems; therapist commitment to provide COPE to five clients following training) and quality management (coaching, support, reminders and fidelity checks). Qualitative and quantitative data will contribute to understanding how COPE is adopted and implemented. Feasibility, fidelity, acceptability, uptake and service delivery contexts will be explored and a cost/benefit evaluation conducted. Client outcomes of activity engagement and caregiver wellbeing will be assessed in a pragmatic pre-post evaluation. DISCUSSION: While interventions that promote independence and wellbeing are effective and highly valued by people with dementia and their carers, access to such programs is limited. Barriers to translation that have been previously identified are addressed in this study, including limited training opportunities and a lack of confidence in clinicians working with complex symptoms of dementia. A strength of the study is that it involves implementation within different types of existing services, such as government and private providers, so the study will provide useful guidance for further future rollout. TRIAL REGISTRATION: 16 February 2017; ACTRN12617000238370 .

Developing a dementia-specific preference--based quality of life measure (AD-5D) in Australia: a valuation study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Generic instruments for assessing health-related quality of life may lack the sensitivity to detect changes in health specific to certain conditions, such as dementia. The Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease (QOL-AD) is a widely used and well-validated condition-specific instrument for assessing health-related quality of life for people living with dementia, but it does not enable the calculation of quality-adjusted life years, the basis of cost utility analysis. This study will generate a preference-based scoring algorithm for a health state classification system -the Alzheimer's Disease Five Dimensions (AD-5D) derived from the QOL-AD. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Discrete choice experiments with duration (DCETTO) and best-worst scaling health state valuation tasks will be administered to a representative sample of 2000 members of the Australian general population via an online survey and to 250 dementia dyads (250 people with dementia and their carers) via face-to-face interview. A multinomial (conditional) logistic framework will be used to analyse responses and produce the utility algorithm for the AD-5D. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The algorithms developed will enable prospective and retrospective economic evaluation of any treatment or intervention targeting people with dementia where the QOL-AD has been administered and will be available online. Results will be disseminated through journals that publish health economics articles and through professional conferences. This study has ethical approval.

Comparison of four alternative national universal anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention programme implementation strategies to reduce secondary future medical costs.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a common and devastating sporting injury. With or without ACL reconstruction, the risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA) and permanent disability later in life is markedly increased. While neuromuscular training programmes can prevent 50-80% of ACL injuries, no national implementation strategies exist in Australia. The aim of this study was to compare the ability of four alternative national universal ACL injury prevention programme implementation strategies to reduce future medical costs secondary to ACL injury. METHODS: A Markov economic decision model was constructed to estimate the value in lifetime future medical costs prevented by implementing a national ACL prevention programme among four hypothetical cohorts: high-risk sport participants (HR) aged 12-25 years; HR 18-25 years; HR 12-17 years; all youths (ALL) 12-17 years. RESULTS: Of the four programmes examined, the HR 12-25 programme provided the greatest value, averting US$693 of direct healthcare costs per person per lifetime or US$221 870 880 in total. Without training, 9.4% of this cohort will rupture their ACL and 16.8% will develop knee OA. Training prevents 3764 lifetime ACL ruptures per 100 000 individuals, a 40% reduction in ACL injuries. 842 lifetime cases of OA per 100 000 individuals and 584 TKRs per 100 000 are subsequently averted. Numbers needed to treat ranged from 27 for the HR 12-25 to 190 for the ALL 12-17. CONCLUSIONS: The HR 12-25 programme was the most effective implementation strategy. Estimation of the break-even cost of health expenditure savings will enable optimal future programme design, implementation and expenditure.

The increase in healthcare costs associated with frailty in older people discharged to a post-acute transition care program.

BACKGROUND: older people are high users of healthcare resources. The frailty index can predict negative health outcomes; however, the amount of extra resources required has not been quantified. OBJECTIVE: to quantify the impact of frailty on healthcare expenditure and resource utilisation in a patient cohort who entered a community-based post-acute program and compare this to a cohort entering residential care. METHODS: the interRAI home care assessment was used to construct a frailty index in three frailty levels. Costs and resource use were collected alongside a prospective observational cohort study of patients. A generalized linear model was constructed to estimate the additional cost of frailty and the cost of alternative residential care for those with high frailty. RESULTS: participants (n = 272) had an average age of 79, frailty levels were low in 20%, intermediate in 50% and high in 30% of the cohort. Having an intermediate or high level of frailty increased the likelihood of re-hospitalisation and was associated with 22 and 43% higher healthcare costs over 6 months compared with low frailty. It was less costly to remain living at home than enter residential care unless >62% of subsequent hospitalisations in 6 months could be prevented. CONCLUSIONS: the frailty index can potentially be used as a tool to estimate the increase in healthcare resources required for different levels of frailty. This information may be useful for quantifying the amount to invest in programs to reduce frailty in the community.

Mitii™ ABI: study protocol of a randomised controlled trial of a web-based multi-modal training program for children and adolescents with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).

BACKGROUND: Acquired brain injury (ABI) refers to multiple disabilities arising from damage to the brain acquired after birth. Children with an ABI may experience physical, cognitive, social and emotional-behavioural impairments which can impact their ability to participate in activities of daily living (ADL). Recent developments in technology have led to the emergence of internet-delivered therapy programs. "Move it to improve it" (Mitii™) is a web-based multi-modal therapy that comprises upper limb (UL) and cognitive training within the context of meaningful physical activity. The proposed study aims to compare the efficacy of Mitii™ to usual care to improve ADL motor and processing skills, gross motor capacity, UL and executive functioning in a randomised waitlist controlled trial. METHODS/DESIGN: Sixty independently ambulant children (30 in each group) at least 12 months post ABI will be recruited to participate in this trial. Children will be matched in pairs at baseline and randomly allocated to receive either 20 weeks of Mitii™ training (30 min per day, six days a week, with a potential total dose of 60 h) immediately, or be waitlisted for 20 weeks. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention and at 20 weeks post-intervention. The primary outcomes will be the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills and 30 s repetition maximum of functional strength exercises (sit-to-stand, step-ups and half kneel to stand). Measures of body structure and functions, activity, participation and quality of life will assess the efficacy of Mitii™ across all domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework. A subset of children will undertake three tesla (3T) magnetic resonance imaging scans to evaluate functional neurovascular changes, structural imaging, diffusion imaging and resting state functional connectivity before and after intervention. DISCUSSION: Mitii™ provides an alternative approach to deliver intensive therapy for children with an ABI in the convenience of the home environment. If Mitii™ is found to be effective, it may offer an accessible and inexpensive intervention option to increase therapy dose. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ANZCTR12613000403730.

Healthcare resource use in patients of the Australian Transition Care Program.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to describe, from the perspective of the healthcare funder, the cost components of the Australian Transition Care Program (TCP) and the healthcare resource use and costs for a group of transition care clients over a 6-month period following admission to the program. METHODS: A prospective cohort observational study of 351 consenting patients entering community-based transition care at six sites in two states in Australia from November 2009 to September 2010 was performed. Patients were followed up 6 months after admission to the TCP to ascertain current living status and hospital re-admissions over the follow-up period. Cost data were collected by transition care teams and from administrative data (hospital and Medicare records). RESULTS: The TCP provides a range of services with most costs attributed to provision of personal care support, case management, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Most healthcare costs up to 6 months after transition care admission were incurred from the hospital admission leading to transition care and from re-admissions. Orthopaedic conditions incurred the highest costs, with many of these for elective procedures and others resulting from falls. Hospital re-admission rates in the present study were 10% lower than in a previous evaluation ofthe TCP. Over 6 months, approximately 40% of patients in the study were re-admitted to hospital at an average cost of A$7038. CONCLUSIONS: Although the cost of the TCP is relatively high, it may have some impact on reducing hospital re-admissions and preventing or delaying residential care admissions.

Medicare rebate for specialist medical practitioners from physiotherapy referrals: analysis of the potential impact on the Australian healthcare system.

UNLABELLED: Abstract OBJECTIVE: To identify and examine the likely impact on referrals to specialist medical practitioners, cost to government and patient out-of-pocket costs by providing a rebate under the Medicare Benefits Scheme to patients who attend a specialist medical practitioner upon referral direct from a physiotherapist. METHODS: A model was constructed to synthesise the costs and benefits of referral with a rebate. Data to inform the model was obtained from administrative sources and from a direct survey of physiotherapists. RESULTS: Given that six referrals per month are made by physiotherapists for a specialist consultation, allowing direct referral to medical specialists and providing patients with a Medicare rebate would result in a likely cost saving to the government ofup to $13 million per year. A range of sensitivity analyses were conducted with all scenarios resulting in some cost savings. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of the proposed policy shift to allow direct referral of patients by physiotherapists to specialist medical practitioners and provide patients with a Medicare rebate would be cost saving.