General practitioners' perceptions of the provision of direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C within Australian private general practice: an exploratory qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: There is a need to increase the involvement of Australian general practitioners (GPs) working in private practice to realise the potential of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments for people with the hepatitis C virus. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2018 with seven GPs and two practice nurses working in private general practice to elicit the experiences and perceptions of their involvement in providing care for patients with hepatitis C virus in this setting. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed to inform interventions to maximise the provision of DAA in private general practice. RESULTS: Participants described individual GPs purposely limiting their scope of clinical practice (SOCP) and expressed an expectation that DAA provision would not be included in all GP's SOCP. When GPs delineate their SOCP, their confidence to competently provide quality health care to their patients and GPs' professional special interests are important considerations. CONCLUSION: Providing DAA training, skill development, support and resources to GPs is necessary, but may not ensure that individual private GPs will provide this care. Where GPs do not include DAA in their SOCP, care pathways need to be developed for patients who will benefit from DAA, including GP-to-GP referral. These findings may be applicable to other areas of unmet need that rely on GPs including provision of care in their SOCP.

Holistic community-based group parenting programs for mothers with maternal mental health issues help address a growing public health need for a diversity of vulnerable mothers, children and families: Findings from an action research study.

Background: Maternal mental illness is a major growing global concern which can affect parenting with serious negative implications for offspring. Group-based parenting programs for mothers which both enhance the parent-child relationship and address mental health symptoms in a supportive social setting may optimise better outcomes for mothers and children. The Acorn program in South Australia draws on attachment theory to integrate dance play, reflective diary keeping and therapeutic letters in a holistic program for a diversity of vulnerable mothers and children aged 1-36 months. The program seeks to nurture and enhance parental wellbeing and the quality of the parent-child relationship for mothers experiencing identified mental health illnesses that impinge upon their parenting. This study presents the evaluation of the program and its effectiveness. Methods: Action research approach for continuous monitoring and program improvement engaging Acorn program staff in evaluation data collection and interpretation of pre and post self-completion measures and standardized observations. Additional data was collected through a telephone interview of attending mothers 6-8 months after program completion to address sustainable impacts on parenting and wellbeing. Results: The program engaged 353 diverse vulnerable mothers with their children. Many had profound overlapping mental health issues including borderline personality disorder (BPD) and depression. The quality of the parent-child interaction, parental confidence, competence and enjoyment were enhanced; mothers' wellbeing, ability to cope and lasting social supports were augmented. This occurred for a number of "most vulnerable" subgroups including single mothers, mothers with BPD, mothers from non-English speaking households and those with lower levels of education or household income. Mothers reported sustained improvements in their wellbeing, parenting, social and family lives, and feeling closer to their child as a result of participating in the program. Conclusions: Given the high prevalence of maternal mental health issues and substantial potential negative consequences for mothers and offspring, the Acorn parenting program offers an effective means of addressing this pressing public health issue potentially helping large numbers of vulnerable mothers and their children. This has additional gravitas in the shadow of COVID-19 due to expanded numbers of those experiencing greater parental stress, isolation and mental illness.

Calcification prevalence in different vascular zones and its association with demographics, risk factors, and morphometry.

Vascular calcification is associated with a higher incidence of cardiovascular events, but its prevalence in different vascular zones and the influence of demographics, risk factors, and morphometry remain insufficiently understood. Computerized tomography angiography scans from 211 subjects 5-93 yr old (mean age 47 ± 24 yr, 127 M/84 F) were used to build 3D vascular reconstructions and measure arterial diameters, tortuosity, and calcification volumes in six vascular zones spanning from the ascending thoracic aorta to the pelvic arteries. A machine learning random forest algorithm was used to determine the associations between calcification in each zone with demographics, risk factors, and vascular morphometry. Calcification appeared during the fourth decade of life and was present in all subjects after 65 yr. The abdominal aorta and the iliofemoral segment were the first to develop calcification, whereas the ascending thoracic aorta was the last. Demographics and risk factors explained 33-59% of the variation in calcification. Age, creatinine level, body mass index, coronary artery disease, and hypertension were the strongest contributors, whereas the effects of sex, race, tobacco use, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and alcohol and substance use disorders on calcification were small. Vascular morphometry did not directly and independently affect calcium burden. Vascular zones develop calcification asynchronously, with distal segments calcifying first. Understanding the influence of demographics and risk factors on calcium prevalence can help better understand the disease pathophysiology and may help with the early identification of patients that are at higher risk of cardiovascular events.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We investigated the prevalence of vascular calcification in different zones of the aorta and pelvic arteries using computerized tomography angiography reconstructions and have applied machine learning to determine how calcification is affected by demographics, risk factors, and morphometry. The presented data can help identify patients at higher risk of developing vascular calcification that may lead to cardiovascular events.

Endovascular Repair of Blunt Thoracic Aortic Trauma is Associated With Increased Left Ventricular Mass, Hypertension, and Off-target Aortic Remodeling.

BACKGROUND: Aortic elasticity creates a cushion that protects the heart from pressure injury, and a recoil that helps perfuse the coronary arteries. TEVAR has become first-line therapy for many aortic pathologies including trauma, but stent-grafts stiffen the aorta and likely increase LV afterload. OBJECTIVE: Test the hypothesis that trauma TEVAR is associated with LV mass increase and adverse off-target aortic remodeling. METHODS: Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) scans of 20 trauma TEVAR patients (17 M/3 F) at baseline [age 34.9 ±â€Š18.5 (11.4-71.5) years] and 5.1 ±â€Š3.1 (1.1-12.3) years after repair were used to measure changes in LV mass, LV mass index, and diameters and lengths of the ascending thoracic aorta (ATA). Measurements were compared with similarly-aged control patients without aortic repair (21 M/21 F) evaluated at similar follow-ups. RESULTS: LV mass and LV mass index of TEVAR patients increased from 138.5 ±â€Š39.6 g and 72.35 ±â€Š15.17 g/m2 to 173.5 ±â€Š50.1 g and 85.48 ±â€Š18.34 g/m2 at the rate of 10.03 ±â€Š12.79 g/yr and 6.25 ±â€Š10.28 g/m2/yr, whereas in control patients LV characteristics did not change. ATA diameters of TEVAR patients increased at a rate of 0.60 ±â€Š0.80 mm/yr, which was 2.4-fold faster than in controls. ATA length in both TEVAR and control patients increased at 0.58 mm/yr. Half of TEVAR patients had hypertension at follow-up compared to only 5% at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: TEVAR is associated with LV mass increase, development of hypertension, and accelerated expansile remodeling of the ascending aorta. Although younger trauma patients may adapt to these effects, these changes may be even more important in older patients with other aortic pathologies and diminished baseline cardiac function.

Operative management of urachal remnants: An NSQIP based study of postoperative complications.

PURPOSE: The identification of urachal remnants is occurring more in infancy. Despite evidence that nonoperative management is effective, operative management remains common and has a high complication rate. We sought to determine if the complication rate after urachal resection is associated with age. METHODS: Patients undergoing urachal remnant resection were identified from ACS NSQIP Pediatric from 2013 to 2017. Exclusion criteria included emergent operations, contaminated wounds, and any additional procedures. Patients were compared based on complication rates, need for reoperation or readmission, and length of stay. RESULTS: A complication occurred in 16 of 476 patients (3.3%), 6 (1.3%) had reoperation, and 11 (2.3%) were readmitted. The median age for patients requiring reoperation was lower (0.1 years) than those not (1.3 years; p = 0.004). The median age of those readmitted was lower (0.4 years) than those not (1.4 years, p = 0.03), and a weak trend of longer length of stay in younger patients was identified (ρ = -0.16, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Operative management of younger patients resulted in greater risk of reoperation, readmission, and longer length of stay. Given that nonoperative management is effective, it may be of benefit to delay resection of urachal remnants to after 1 year of age. STUDY TYPE: Treatment study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Knowledge translation for public health in low- and middle- income countries: a critical interpretive synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Effective knowledge translation allows the optimisation of access to and utilisation of research knowledge in order to inform and enhance public health policy and practice. In low- and middle- income countries, there are substantial complexities that affect the way in which research can be utilised for public health action. This review attempts to draw out concepts in the literature that contribute to defining some of the complexities and contextual factors that influence knowledge translation for public health in low- and middle- income countries. METHODS: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis was undertaken, a method of analysis which allows a critical review of a wide range of heterogeneous evidence, through incorporating systematic review methods with qualitative enquiry techniques. A search for peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2016 on the topic of knowledge translation for public health in low- and middle - income countries was carried out, and 85 articles were reviewed and analysed using this method. RESULTS: Four main concepts were identified: 1) tension between 'global' and 'local' health research, 2) complexities in creating and accessing evidence, 3) contextualising knowledge translation strategies for low- and middle- income countries, and 4) the unique role of non-government organisations in the knowledge translation process. CONCLUSION: This method of review has enabled the identification of key concepts that may inform practice or further research in the field of knowledge translation in low- and middle- income countries.

A New Therapeutic Group To Help Women With Borderline Personality Disorder and Their Infants.

OBJECTIVES: Few treatments have been described to treat the population of women with borderline personality structure who present in a dysregulated state with their infants. Therefore, a new treatment program was developed for this target group. METHODS: A total of 45 women, who were identified clinically as meeting full or partial diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and having an infant younger than 3 years of age, were offered entry with their infant(s) into specialized dialectical behavior therapy groups, adapted to focus on parenting and the mother-infant relationship. Outcomes measured included maternal mood and anxiety, BPD functioning, parenting sense of competence, parental reflective functioning, and caregiver-infant interaction (CARE Index). Infants received high-quality child care while mothers attended each group, with dyadic reunions a further therapeutic focus each week. RESULTS: A total of 29 women who met clinical or self-report measures for BPD and were offered group therapy began the program, 21 (72%) of whom completed the 24-week group program, with complete premeasures and postmeasures available for 20 dyads. Of the 20 women, 15 met full diagnostic criteria for BPD and 5 met partial criteria. Significant improvements were noted in maternal mood, with positive changes on 2 subscales of the Parental Reflective Function Questionnaire (prementalizing and increased curiosity in mental states); significant reductions in anxiety and BPD symptomatology were also observed. Only a medium effect size was found for parenting sense of competence, and in smaller numbers of participants as this scale was introduced later. It should particularly be noted that 15 dyads showed substantial change on the CARE Index, indicating improvement in dyadic relationships. CONCLUSIONS: This innovative adaptation of mother-infant dialectical behavior therapy showed promising improvements in maternal BPD symptoms and caregiver-infant relationships. Given that the feasibility and safety of this method have been demonstrated, a more methodologically rigorous trial with further refinements appears warranted to help this troubled cohort of patients.

Nitinol Stents in the Femoropopliteal Artery: A Mechanical Perspective on Material, Design, and Performance.

Endovascular stenting has matured into a commonly used treatment for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) due to its minimally invasive nature and associated reductions in short-term morbidity and mortality. The mechanical properties of the superelastic Nitinol alloy have played a major role in the explosion of peripheral artery stenting, with modern stents demonstrating reasonable resilience and durability. Yet in the superficial femoral and popliteal arteries, even the newest generation Nitinol stents continue to demonstrate clinical outcomes that leave significant room for improvement. Restenosis and progression of native arterial disease often lead to recurrence of symptoms and reinterventions that increase morbidity and health care expenditures. One of the main factors thought to be associated with stent failure in the femoropopliteal artery (FPA) is the unique and highly dynamic mechanical environment of the lower limb. Clinical and experimental data demonstrate that the FPA undergoes significant deformations with limb flexion. It is hypothesized that the inability of many existing stent designs to conform to these deformations likely plays a role in reconstruction failure, as repetitive movements of the leg and thigh combine with mechanical mismatch between the artery and the stent and result in mechanical damage to both the artery and the stent. In this review we will identify challenges and provide a mechanical perspective of FPA stenting, and then discuss current research directions with promise to provide a better understanding of Nitinol, specific features of stent design, and improved characterization of the biomechanical environment of the FPA to facilitate development of better stents for patients with PAD.

'Sussing that doctor out.' Experiences and perspectives of people affected by hepatitis C regarding engagement with private general practitioners in South Australia: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Australians with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) can access affordable Direct Acting Antiviral (DAA) treatments with high cure rates (>90%), via General Practitioners (GPs). Benefits from this treatment will be maximised if people with HCV readily disclose and engage with private GPs regarding HCV-related issues. Investigating the perceptions and experiences of people affected by HCV with GPs can allow for this pathway to care for HCV to be improved. METHODS: In 2013-2014, 22 purposively sampled participants from South Australia (SA) were interviewed. They a) had contracted or were at risk of hepatitis C (n = 10), b) were key workers who had clients affected by HCV (n = 6), and c) met both a) and b) criteria (n = 6). The semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. RESULTS: People affected by HCV viewed GPs as a source of general healthcare but, due to negative experiences and perceptions, many developed a strategy of "sussing" out doctors before engaging with and disclosing to a GP regarding HCV-related issues. Participants were doubtful about the benefits of engagement and disclosure, and did not assume that they would be provided best-practice care in a non-discriminatory, non-judgemental way. They perceived risks to confidentiality and risks of changes to the care they received from GPs upon disclosure. CONCLUSION: GPs may need to act in ways that counteract the perceived risks and persuade people affected by HCV of the benefits of seeking HCV-related care.

A long-term evaluation of the stage of change approach and compensable injury outcomes - a cluster-randomised trial.

This study investigated the long-term injury outcomes for workers in companies from a range of industries which had been randomly allocated to receive ergonomics interventions tailored according to the stage of change (SOC) approach or standard ergonomics advice. Differences in compensable injury outcomes between the groups were analysed using logistic regression models. Questionnaire results from face-to-face interviews to assess musculoskeletal pain and discomfort (MSPD), job satisfaction and other factors were also analysed. Although not significant at the 0.05 level, after adjusting for workgroup clustering, workers in receipt of tailored advice were 55% (OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.19-1.08) less likely to report a compensable injury than those in receipt of standard ergonomics advice. Workload, job satisfaction and MSPD were significantly correlated with injury outcomes. The observed outcomes support the potential value of the SOC approach, as well as highlighting the need to consider workload, job satisfaction and MSPD when planning injury prevention programmes. Practitioner Summary: This study investigated compensable injury outcomes for workers who had received ergonomics advice tailored according to the stage of change (SOC) approach compared with standard ergonomics advice. The results support the potential value of the SOC approach and highlight the need to consider workload, job satisfaction and musculoskeletal pain and discomfort when planning injury prevention interventions.

The stage of change approach for implementing ergonomics advice - Translating research into practice.

The Stage of Change (SOC) approach has been proposed as a method to improve the implementation of ergonomics advice. However, despite evidence for its efficacy there is little evidence to suggest it has been adopted by ergonomics consultants. This paper investigates barriers and facilitators to the implementation, monitoring and effectiveness of ergonomics advice and the adoption of the SOC approach in a series of focus groups and a subsequent survey of members of the Human Factors Societies of Australia and New Zealand. A proposed SOC assessment tool developed for use by ergonomics practitioners is presented. Findings from this study suggest the limited application of a SOC based approach to work-related musculoskeletal injury prevention by ergonomics practitioners is due to the absence of a suitable tool in the ergonomists' repertoire, the need for training in this approach, and their limited access to relevant research findings. The final translation of the SOC assessment tool into professional ergonomics practice will require accessible demonstration of its real-world usability to practitioners and the training of ergonomics practitioners in its application.

An exploration of adolescents' decisions to abstain or refrain from alcohol consumption in Australian social settings: a qualitative systematic review.

BACKGROUND: A significant number of Australian adolescents consume alcohol, with almost two thirds of them doing so at risky levels. This is continuing to increase despite recent National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines stipulating that no alcohol is the safest option. Measures initiated to reduce and prevent alcohol consumption by adolescents have limited effectiveness. Consumption of alcohol by Australian adolescents is a national concern because of the deleterious effects of alcohol consumption on adolescents' social, physical and neurological development, as well as other short- and long-term health risks, and the negative impact of alcohol-related violence and injury on the community. Understanding adolescents' decisions to abstain or refrain from alcohol consumption may provide valuable insights to assist in dealing with this significant social and health issue, more particularly about the mechanisms used by adolescents or their ability to make decisions about resisting or abstaining from alcohol consumption when exposed to alcohol in their social setting(s). OBJECTIVES: The review aimed to synthesize the best available qualitative evidence on the decisions made or mechanisms used by adolescents who abstain or refrain from consuming alcohol in any social setting where alcohol is available. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Adolescents aged between 14 and 19 years who reside in Australia.The phenomenon of interest was abstinence from or resistance to alcohol consumption when exposed to alcohol in social situations.This review considered studies that focused on qualitative data, including, but not limited to,designs such as phenomenology, grounded theory, action research and exploratory studies. SEARCH STRATEGY: A three-step search strategy was used. An initial search to identify keywords only was undertaken in Medline and CINAHL. This was followed by an expanded search using all identified keywords and index terms specific to each included database. The reference lists of included papers were then searched for any other relevant studies. METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY: No studies met the inclusion criteria sufficiently to progress to critical appraisal. DATA EXTRACTION: No studies progressed to data extraction. DATA SYNTHESIS: Data synthesis was not undertaken as no study met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Although a number of studies retrieved indicated they had qualitative elements to their studies, the qualitative data was not reported. CONCLUSIONS: Although a number of studies met some aspects of the inclusion criteria there was insufficient reporting of the phenomenon of interest. Due to the lack of studies meeting the inclusion criteria, no conclusions can be drawn for clinical practice. A lack of qualitative data on this topic has been identified. Thus there is a great need for qualitative research to understand and know more about what enables an adolescent to abstain or refrain from consumption in order to inform or formulate effective interventions, policies or plans to prevent or reduce the volume of alcohol consumed by Australian adolescents.

The implementation of ergonomics advice and the stage of change approach.

This paper investigates the implementation of injury prevention advice tailored according to the Stage of Change (SOC) approach. The managers of 25 workgroups, drawn from medium to large companies across a wide range of occupational sectors were allocated to receive either standard ergonomics advice or ergonomics advice tailored according to the workgroup SOC. Twelve months after the advice was provided, semi-structured interviews were conducted with each manager. In a multivariate model, managers who had received tailored advice were found to have implemented significantly more of the recommended changes (IRR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.07-2.63) and more "additional" changes (IRR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.12-3.20). Qualitative analysis identified that the key barriers and facilitators to the implementation of changes were largely related to worker resistance to change and the attitudes of senior managers towards health and safety. The findings from this study suggest that the implementation of ergonomics recommendations may be improved by the tailoring of advice according to SOC principles.

Equity in primary health care delivery: an examination of the cohesiveness of strategies relating to the primary healthcare system, the health workforce and hepatitis C.

OBJECTIVE: To suggest ways of increasing the cohesiveness of national primary healthcare strategies and hepatitis C strategies, with the aim of ensuring that all these strategies include ways to address barriers and facilitators to access to primary healthcare and equity for people with hepatitis C. METHODS: A critical review was conducted of the first national Primary Healthcare System Strategy and Health Workforce Strategy with the concurrent Hepatitis C Strategy. Content relating to provision of healthcare in private general practice was examined, focussing on issues around access and equity. RESULTS: In all strategies, achieving access to care and equity was framed around providing sufficient medical practitioners for particular locations. Equity statements were present in all policies but only the Hepatitis C Strategy identified discrimination as a barrier to equity. Approaches detailed in the Primary Healthcare System Strategy and Health Workforce Strategy regarding current resource allocation, needs assessment and general practitioner incentives were limited to groups defined within these documents and may not identify or meet the needs of people with hepatitis C. CONCLUSIONS: Actions in the primary healthcare system and health workforce strategies should be extended to additional groups beyond those listed as priority groups within the strategies. Future hepatitis C strategies should outline appropriate, detailed needs assessment methodologies and specify how actions in the broad strategies can be applied to benefit the primary healthcare needs of people with hepatitis C.

Development of pre-consultation prevention summary and reminder sheets for patients: preliminary study of acceptability and sustainability.

BACKGROUND: Patients attending general practices receive about 60% of indicated preventive services. Patients do not know which preventive services are indicated for them and want their GPs to offer those services. METHODS: Patients arriving for consultations in three general practices received individualised prevention summary sheets. Acceptability was assessed by patient survey. Sustainability was assessed by the number of sheets printed over time. RESULTS: Seventy-two percent of patients discussed the advice on their sheet in the consultation, and 89% wanted to receive the sheets in the future. Practices printed 8882 sheets in the 52 weeks from the start of the trial. DISCUSSION: This new intervention seems to be acceptable and sustainable in the Australian setting. It has the potential, therefore, to increase the delivery of preventive care in general practice. A larger trial is needed to demonstrate its effect on performance of preventive activities and on patient outcomes.

Cholesterol lowering medication - patients' knowledge, attitudes and experiences.

BACKGROUND: Despite evidence of the efficacy of cholesterol lowering medication, it is known there is suboptimal patient adherence to this medication. The aim of this study is to investigate patient knowledge, attitudes and experiences of their cholesterol lowering medication, and explore patient views regarding programs to support self management. METHODS: A semiqualitative exploratory study using semistructured telephone interviews of adult patients with poorly controlled hyperlipidaemia. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients were interviewed. Most patients could name at least one risk factor for their hyperlipidaemia. Approximately one-third of patients reported they did not understand the reasons they were taking their cholesterol medication and over two-thirds did not understand how their medication worked. Most reported that their general practitioner was their main source of information about cholesterol. Many expressed a desire to be better informed about cholesterol, its risk factors and medication and that an information session at their local general practice clinic would be useful. DISCUSSION: This study provides preliminary evidence that patients on long term statin therapy may have gaps in their knowledge about their condition and treatment options and a desire to be better informed.

Colorectal cancer screening in rural and remote areas: analysis of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program data for South Australia.

INTRODUCTION: In Australia, colorectal cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and cause of death from malignant diseases, and its incidence is rising. The aim of this article was to present an analysis of National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) data for rural and remote South Australia (SA), in order to identify geographical areas and population groups that may benefit from targeted approaches to increase participation rates in colorectal cancer screening. METHODS: De-identified data from the NBCSP (February 2007 to July 2008) were provided by Medicare Australia. Mapping and analysis of the NBCSP data was performed using ESRI ArcGIS (http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/index.html) and MapInfo (http://slp.pbinsight.com/info/mipro-sem-au). Data were aggregated to postcode and Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) and participation was then mapped according to overall participation rates, sex, age, Indigenous status and Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA)-Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (IRSD). The participants were South Australians who turned 55 and 65 years between 2007 and 2008 who returned the completed NBCSP test sent to them by Medicare Australia. RESULTS: The overall participation rate was 46.1% in rural and remote SA, although this was statistically significantly different (p<.001) according to sex (46.7% for males and 53.3% for females), age (45.2% for those 55 years, and 52% for those 65 years), socio-economic status (from 43% in 'most deprived' quintile to 50% in 'most affluent' quintile) and remoteness (45.6% for metropolitan, 46% for remote and 48.6% for rural areas). Indigenous participation was 0.5%. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest lower NBCSP participation rates for people from metropolitan and remote areas, compared with those from rural areas. The uptake of cancer screening is lower for older rural and remote residents, men, Indigenous people, lower socioeconomic groups and those living in the Far North subdivision of SA.

Patient acceptance and perceived utility of pre-consultation prevention summaries and reminders in general practice: pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Patients attending general practices receive only about sixty per cent of the preventive services that are indicated for them. This pilot study explores patient acceptability and perceived utility of automatically generated prevention summary and reminder sheets provided to patients immediately before consultations with their general practitioners. METHODS: Adult patients attending a general practitioner in a practice in Adelaide and a general practitioner in a practice in Melbourne, Australia for consultations in January and February 2009 received automatically-generated prevention summary and reminder sheets that highlighted indicated preventive activities that were due to be performed, and that encouraged the patient to discuss these with the general practitioner in the consultation. Patients completed a post-consultation questionnaire and were interviewed about their experience of receiving the sheets. RESULTS: Sixty patients, median age 53 years (interquartile range 40-74) years, and 58% female, were recruited. Seventy eight per cent of patients found the sheets clear and easy to understand, 75% found them very or quite useful, 72% reported they had addressed with their general practitioner all of the preventive activities that were listed on the sheets as being due to be performed. A further 13% indicated that they had addressed most or some of the activities. 78% of patients said that they would like to keep receiving the sheets. Themes emerging from interviews with patients included: patient knowledge was enhanced; patient conceptions of health and the GP consultation were broadened; the consultation was enhanced; patient pro-activity was encouraged; patients were encouraged to plan their health care; the intervention was suitable for a variety of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients reported that they found the prevention summary and reminder sheets acceptable and useful. The actual increase in performance of preventive activities that may result from this new intervention needs to be tested in randomised controlled trials.

Equity of colorectal cancer screening: cross-sectional analysis of National Bowel Cancer Screening Program data for South Australia.

OBJECTIVE: The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) is a population-based screening program based on a mailed screening invitation and immunochemical faecal occult blood test. Initial published evidence from the NBCSP concurs with international evidence on similar colorectal cancer screening programs about the unequal participation by different population sub-groups. The aim of the paper is to present an analysis of the equity of the NBCSP for South Australia, using the concept of horizontal equity, in order to identify geographical areas and population groups which may benefit from targeted approaches to increase participation rates in colorectal cancer screening. METHOD: De-identified data from the NBCSP (February 2007 to July 2008) were provided by Medicare Australia. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were undertaken in order to identify the predictors of participation rates in the NBCSP. RESULTS: The overall participation rate was 46.1%, although this was statistically significantly different (p<0.001) by gender (42.6% for males and 49.5% for females), socioeconomic status (40% in most deprived quintile through to 48.1% in most affluent quintile) and remoteness (45.6% for metropolitan, 46% for remote and 48.6% for rural areas). These findings were confirmed in multivariate analyses. Of the NBCSP participants, 0.24% (CI 95% 0.20-0.30) identified themselves as Indigenous and 8% (CI 95% 7.7-8.3) reported speaking a language other than English at home. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study suggest inequities in participation in the NBCSP on the basis of gender, geographical location, Indigenous status and language spoken at home.

How to conduct effective skill building workshops.

Skill building workshops need to be successful learning events that provide value for money. The strategies in this article are based on a review of the literature and evaluations received from workshop participants who have attended the many workshops conducted as part of the Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development (PHCRED) strategy.