Chlamydia sentinel surveillance in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services finds higher testing and positivity rates among younger people.

OBJECTIVE: To measure chlamydia testing and positivity rates among 16-39 year olds attending Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs). METHODS: Retrospective non-identifiable computerised records containing consultation and chlamydia testing data were collected for patients (16-39 years) attending eight ACCHSs during 2008-09 in urban, regional and remote settings for the Australian Collaboration for Chlamydia Enhanced Sentinel Surveillance (ACCESS) system. Annual chlamydia testing and positivity rates were estimated. RESULTS: Over two years, 13,809 patients aged 16-39 years (57.8% female, 82.3% Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander) attended. The annual overall chlamydia testing rate was 13.0% (2008) and 16.0% (2009). Testing rates were higher among females (p<0.001) and among patients aged 16-29 than 30-39 years (males: p=0.01; females: p<0.001). Chlamydia positivity was 8.5% overall; similar in females (8.7%) and males (7.8%) (p=0.46); highest among 16-19 years (females: 17.4%; males: 13.0%), declining to 1.5% among females 35-39 years (p<0.001) and 4.8% among males 30-34 years (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Chlamydia testing at these ACCHSs approached recommended levels among some patient groups, however, it should increase. High positivity among younger people highlights they should be targeted. IMPLICATIONS: Young people should be targeted for sexual health interventions. ACCHSs are well placed to provide enhanced sexual health services if appropriately resourced.

The new "Indigenous health" incentive payment: issues and challenges.

Paying incentives above the baseline Medicare Benefits Schedule to health services for the additional work required to meet the health needs of Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders might mitigate inequalities of care, but evidence supporting this is lacking. The proposed "Indigenous health" incentive payment to reduce Aboriginal health disadvantage, which is largely aimed at increasing the responsiveness of mainstream general practices, provides an opportunity to examine the assumptions behind this and other recent health reform bids. Contentious implementation issues include: the ineligibility of several Aboriginal community controlled health services (ACCHSs) to receive this payment; determining Aboriginality and the potential for misappropriation of payments; the difficulty accounting for practice population diversity and patient mobility; and concerns about the benefits or otherwise to the Aboriginal community. Evaluation of the measure will present problems: to attribute outcomes, an evaluation must disaggregate outcomes by type of service provider (general practice or ACCHS). If these challenges are not addressed, this initiative may end up merely funding coordination of care for those Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders who are already regular users of the health system.

Otitis media in Aboriginal children: the discordance between burden of illness and access to services in rural/remote and urban Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the burden of otitis media (OM) managed by Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) practitioners and the availability of specialist ear health services in rural/remote versus urban Australian settings. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We mailed questionnaires to all Australian AMS medical practitioners managing children in December 2006. Questions addressed the frequency of childhood OM cases seen, and the availability and waiting times for audiology; ear, nose and throat (ENT); and hearing-aid services. We compared rural/remote and urban practitioner's responses using the c2 test with clustering adjustments. RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned by 63/87 (72%) AMSs and by 131/238 (55%) eligible practitioners. Rural/Remote practitioners reported managing a greater number of children with OM per week than urban practitioners (1 df, P = 0.02) and a larger proportion of the children they managed having OM (1 df, P = 0.009). More rural/remote than urban practitioners reported relevant services were not available locally: audiology (11.1 vs. 0%, P = 0.038), ENT (33.3 vs. 3.9%, P = 0.0004) and hearing-aid provision (37.7 vs. 1.9%, P < 0.0001). More rural/remote practitioners reported audiology waiting times longer than the recommended 3 months (18.3 vs. 1.9%, P = 0.007). Equal proportions reported ENT waiting times longer than the recommended 6 months (13.9 vs. 11.3%, P = 0.7). CONCLUSIONS: Rural/Remote AMS practitioners manage a greater OM burden than urban AMS practitioners, but affected children have less access to specialist ear health services and longer waiting times. One in five rural/remote Aboriginal children wait longer than recommended for audiology testing, and one in eight Aboriginal children nationwide wait longer than recommended for ENT services.

Management of children with otitis media: a survey of Australian Aboriginal Medical Service practitioners.

AIM: To determine whether Australian Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) practitioners treat otitis media (OM) more aggressively in Aboriginal than non-Aboriginal children and the factors influencing their management decisions. METHODS: A case vignette questionnaire was sent to all AMS practitioners working in December 2006. We compared responses based on the child's Aboriginal status using chi(2) analysis. RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned from 63/87 (72%) of the AMSs by 131/238 (55%) eligible practitioners. Few practitioners (13%) reported using tympanometry or pneumatic otoscopy (9%) when examining children's ears. Practitioners were more likely to treat acute OM with antibiotics (92% vs. 49%, P < 0.01) and to treat with courses longer than 7 days (25% vs. 14%, P= 0.03) in Aboriginal than non-Aboriginal children. Most practitioners (60%) used oral antibiotics to treat chronic suppurative OM and OM with effusion in Aboriginal children (58%). Factors increasing the likelihood of antibiotic use included: the child being Aboriginal (67%), wet perforations (62%) and bulging eardrums (59%). No AMS or practitioner characteristics were significant predictors. Most practitioners (99%) were aware of Therapeutic Guidelines (Antibiotic). Only half (54%) were aware of the Australian Government guidelines for managing OM in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations and only 22% used them 'often' or 'always'. CONCLUSIONS: Australian AMS practitioners treat OM more aggressively in Aboriginal children, consistent with the Australian Government guidelines, despite half being unaware of them. Opportunities to improve management include increased use of pneumatic otoscopy and tympanometry, and decreased antibiotic usage for OM with effusion and chronic suppurative OM.

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the right to health: is Australia meeting its obligations to Aboriginal peoples?

There is evidence that Australia is not meeting its obligations to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for their right to the "highest attainable standard" of health, required under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Poor access to primary health care for Aboriginal peoples and substantial shortfalls in government spending to address this are in violation of the ICESCR. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' share of the universal health coverage expenditure offered to all Australians is less per person than for other Australians. The failure to monitor the provision of mainstream health services to Aboriginal peoples and inequitable distribution of health facilities and services compound these violations. Equality in health between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is achievable, but not until the shortfall in health services expenditure for Indigenous Australians is addressed.

Inequities in Aboriginal health--access to the Asthma 3+ Visit Plan.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of asthma is higher in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults than in non-Indigenous Australian adults in all age groups, and hospitalisation rates for acute asthma episodes are much higher, indicating suboptimal prevention. A 2001-2002 Australian Federal Budget initiative, the Asthma 3+ Plan, encouraged doctors to talk to their patients about asthma management over at least three visits and provide an asthma action plan. OBJECTIVE: This article reports on the findings of a study examining the uptake of the Asthma 3+ Visit Plan initiative among Aboriginal community controlled health services. DISCUSSION: Significant barriers prevent ACCHSs accessing the Asthma 3+ Visit Plan limiting Aboriginal people's capacity to benefit. In addition, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patient access to both spacer devices and asthma medication is often poor. A targeted asthma information strategy is needed, and spacer devices must be made accessible to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Chronic disease management Medicare items offer a preferable and alternative funding mechanism for asthma care, if supplemented by pharmaceutical access reforms.

PBS medications--improving access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

BACKGROUND: Expenditure through major commonwealth funded health programs such as the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is much lower for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples than other Australians. Section 100 of the National Health Act (1953) allows for special access arrangements where pharmaceutical benefits cannot be conveniently supplied. OBJECTIVE: This article discusses the barriers to accessing PBS medications for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the S100 access scheme. DISCUSSION: The implementation of S100 medications for remote area Aboriginal health services (AHSs) represents a breakthrough in medicines access, and is one of the most significant improvements in health service delivery for many years. If we are to achieve equity in access to the PBS for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, an extension of this initiative is necessary for rural and urban AHSs.

NACCHO GP Network--enhancing communication in Aboriginal health.

BACKGROUND: Communication between general practitioners, information sharing, and GP support are important issues, especially for those in rural and remote areas. Internet based links can facilitate enhanced communication. OBJECTIVE: This article describes the new internet based communication forum for GPs working, or interested in the health of, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. DISCUSSION: The NACCHO GP Network is the first on-line service to provide focussed information for GPs in the Aboriginal community controlled health sector. It also provides a place for GPs, locums and general practice registrars to raise issues and share ideas and information on Aboriginal health practice. The NACCHO GP Network has the potential to reduce isolation and address the support needs of GPs, and enhance the interaction of the Aboriginal community controlled sector with general practice organisations.

'We are not just participants--we are in charge': the NACCHO ear trial and the process for Aboriginal community-controlled health research.

OBJECTIVE: Methodological criteria that characterise ethically sound community-based studies are often described in overviews but are rarely documented in clinical studies. Research investigating the health of Aboriginal Australians is often small-scale, descriptive and largely driven by non-Indigenous people. The 'community-controlled' model of research relating to Aboriginal peoples health is a form of 'participatory' research that shifts the balance of control towards those being researched. This paper describes the methodological issues and principles that underpin community-controlled health research; their practical application; and encourages their adoption in research involving Indigenous populations. DESIGN: Descriptive report of the methods used to conduct the landmark Aboriginal community-controlled multi-centre double-blind randomised controlled clinical ear trial investigating ototopical treatments for chronic suppurative otitis media. RESULTS: The characteristics of the community-controlled research model are illustrated under the headings of: setting the research agenda; research project planning and approval; conduct of research; and analysis, dissemination and application of findings. CONCLUSION: The 22 methodological elements which defined the community-controlled design of the ear trial may assist community groups, external research bodies and funding agencies to improve the acceptability, quality and scope of research involving Indigenous peoples. Aboriginal community-controlled organisations are well placed to lead research, which can be interventional and of a high scientific standard without compromising the values and principles of those being researched. With over 120 Aboriginal community-controlled health services (ACCHSs) across Australia, the potential exists for these services to engage in multi-centre research to realise solutions to health problems faced by Indigenous Australians.

Effectiveness of ototopical antibiotics for chronic suppurative otitis media in Aboriginal children: a community-based, multicentre, double-blind randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the effectiveness of ototopical ciprofloxacin (0.3%; CIP) with framycetin (0.5%), gramicidin, dexamethasone (FGD) eardrops (5 drops twice daily for 9 days) together with povidone-iodine (0.5%) ear cleaning as treatments for chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) in Aboriginal children. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Aboriginal community-controlled, community-based, multicentre, double-blind, randomised controlled trial in eight Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services across northern Australia, involving 147 Aboriginal children with CSOM. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Resolution of otorrhoea (clinical cure), proportion of children with healed perforated tympanic membrane (TM) and improved hearing, 10-21 days after starting treatment. RESULTS: 111 children aged 1-14 years (CIP, 55; FGD, 56) completed treatment. CSOM cures occurred in 64% (CIP, 76.4%; FGD, 51.8%), with a significantly higher rate in the ciprofloxacin group (P = 0.009, absolute difference of 24.6% [95% CI, 15.8%-33.4%]). TM perforation size and the level of hearing impairment did not change. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common bacterial pathogen (in 47.6%), while respiratory pathogens were rare (in 5.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Twice-daily ear cleaning and topical ciprofloxacin is effective at community-level in achieving cure for CSOM. Healthcare providers to Aboriginal children with CSOM should be given special access to provide ototopical ciprofloxacin as first-line treatment.