Stepping out of secrecy: heterosexuality, quality of life, and experiences of HIV peer navigation in Australia.

Heterosexual people make up a small, but growing proportion of people living with HIV in Australia. This article draws on semi-structured interviews with thirteen heterosexual men and women living with HIV to examine the bearing that sexual identity had on their participation in a peer navigation programme. Our analyses consider the influence of sexuality and gender on the quality of peer relations and the effects of HIV-related stigma on health service engagement and quality of life. Gender and sexuality were significant factors in establishing understanding, acceptance, and community for participants. Having their heterosexuality mirrored by a peer was affirming for men. Women instead emphasised their gendered experiences of HIV. Otherwise, participants' narratives suggested that an experienced peer could reassure, guide interactions with community and services, and ease treatment-related and nonclinical aspects of life. We see peer navigation as a promising intervention to improve the quality of life for heterosexual people living with HIV. Person-centred support from a peer may be particularly important in HIV service environments adapting to the needs of heterosexual people. Peer navigation programmes should promote choice and employ peers of diverse experiences. Implications for referral and the improvement of social services for heterosexual people living with HIV are discussed.

Revealing an enabling environment: How clinical community and clinical stakeholders understand peer navigation to improve quality of life for people living with HIV in Australia.

People living with HIV have unique resources to offer each other and health systems. This study investigated how peer navigation might contribute to a socially supportive, health enabling environment in Victoria, Australia. We used semi-structured interviews with 30 program staff, management, peer workers and clinician stakeholders. Our analyses considered the interplay between the program, users, HIV-related stigma and discrimination and the health service environment. Peer relationships offered reassurance, acceptance and belonging, which people living with HIV can use to create personal change. Peer engagement coproduced insights for life with HIV and may help to overcome stigma and structural barriers to access services and community support. As a partnership between peer and clinical services, participants described how the program fostered appreciation of peer practices and insights, which were used to improve the quality and continuity of care offered in the state. These findings allude to the value of the community engagement and policy alignment peer responses produce and can be used to guide implementation of similar programs elsewhere.

A Quantitative and Narrative Evaluation of Goodman and Gilman's Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics.

Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (GGPBT) has been a cornerstone in the education of pharmacists, physicians, and pharmacologists for decades. The objectives of this study were to describe and evaluate the 13th edition of GGPBT on bases including: (1) author characteristics; (2) recency of citations; (3) conflict of interest (CoI) disclosure; (4) expert evaluation of chapters. Contributors' (N = 115) sex, professional degrees, and presence of undisclosed potential CoI-as reported by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid's Open Payments (2013-2017)-were examined. The year of publication of citations was extracted relative to Katzung's Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (KatBCP), and DiPiro's Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach (DiPPAPA). Content experts provided thorough chapter reviews. The percent of GGPBT contributors that were female (20.9%) was equivalent to those in KatBCP (17.0%). Citations in GGPBT (11.5 ± 0.2 years) were significantly older than those in KatBCP (10.4 ± 0.2) and DiPPAPA (9.1 ± 0.1, p < 0.0001). Contributors to GGPBT received USD 3 million in undisclosed remuneration (Maximum author = USD 743,718). In contrast, DiPPAPA made CoI information available. Reviewers noted several strengths but also some areas for improvement. GGPBT will continue to be an important component of the biomedical curriculum. Areas of improvement include a more diverse authorship, improved conflict of interest transparency, and a greater inclusion of more recent citations.

Lessons learned from the introduction of an electronic safety net to enhance test result management in an Australian mothers' hospital.

This study describes the implementation and impact of an electronic test result acknowledgement (RA) system in the Mater Mothers' Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. The Verdi application electronically records clinicians' acknowledgement of the review of results. Hospital data (August 2011-August 2012) were extracted to measure clinicians' acknowledgement practices. There were 27,354 inpatient test results for 6855 patients. All test results were acknowledged. 60% (95% CI 59% to 61%) of laboratory and 44% (95% CI 40% to 48%) of imaging results were acknowledged within 24 h. The median time between report availability and acknowledgement was 18.1 h for laboratory and 1 day 18 h for imaging results. The median time from when a result was first viewed to its acknowledgement was 7 min for laboratory and 1 min for imaging results. The longest recorded time to acknowledgement was 38 days. Electronic RA provides a safety net to enhance test result management.

Cigarette smoking among school-going adolescents in Lithuania: Results from the 2005 Global Youth Tobacco Survey.

BACKGROUND: The majority of people who suffer morbidity due to smoking may have initiated smoking during adolescent period. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and associated factors for cigarette smoking among school-going adolescents in Lithuania. FINDINGS: Data from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2005 were used to conduct this study. Data were analyzed using SUDAAN software 9.03. Comparisons for categorical variables were done using the Pearson's Chi-square test. The cut of point for statistical significance was set at 5% level. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine factors associated with the outcome. Unadjusted odds ratios (OR) and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) together with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) are reported.Of the 1822 respondents, 35.8% males and 27.1% females reported being current cigarette smokers (p < 0.001). Having friends who smoke cigarettes was associated with smoking after controlling for age, gender, parental smoking status, and perception of risks of smoking (AOR = 3.76; 95% CI [2.33, 6.90] for some friends using tobacco; and AOR = 17.18; 95% CI [10.46, 28.21] for most or all friends using tobacco). Male gender and having one or both parents who smoke cigarettes were associated with smoking (AOR = 1.31; 95% CI [1.03, 1.66]) and AOR = 1.76; 95% CI [1.37, 2.27]) respectively). CONCLUSIONS: There is a high prevalence of cigarette smoking among Lithuanian adolescents. Male adolescents and adolescents who have friends or parents who smoke should be the main target for tobacco control in Lithuania.