Transforming health care delivery: The role of primary health care nurses in rural and remote Australia.

AIM: This paper describes the policy context and approaches taken to improve access to primary health care in Australia by supporting nurses to deliver improved integrated care meeting community needs. CONTEXT: In Primary Health Care (PHC), the nursing workforce are predominantly employed in the general practice sector. Despite evidence that nurse-led models of care can bridge traditional treatment silos in the provision of specialised and coordinated care, PHC nurses' scope of practice varies dramatically. Nurse-led models of care are imperative for rural and remote populations that experience workforce shortages and barriers to accessing health care. Existing barriers include policy constraints, limited organisational structures, education and financing models. APPROACH: The Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) received funding to implement nurse-led clinics as demonstration projects. The clinics enable PHC nurses to work to their full scope of practice, improve continuity of care and increase access to health care in under serviced locations. We reviewed a range of peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, grey literature and APNA provided sources, particularly those relevant to rural and remote populations. We argue more focus is needed on how to address variations in the scope of practice of the rural and remote PHC nursing workforce. CONCLUSION: Despite growing evidence for the effectiveness of nurse-led models of care, significant policy and financial barriers continue to inhibit PHC nurses working to their full scope of practice. If their potential to transform health care and increase access to health services is to be realised these barriers must be addressed.

Exploring nurse practitioner practice in Australian rural primary health care settings: A scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Australians in rural areas experience limited access to services and poorer health outcomes than residents of metropolitan areas. Nurse practitioners (NPs) were introduced in 2000 to reduce pressure on the health system, address workforce shortages and improve rural populations' access to health care services. OBJECTIVE: This scoping review sought to identify, examine and synthesise research evidence of NP practice in Australian rural primary health care services to better understand how NPs are addressing service gaps in rural areas and to identify existing gaps in our knowledge. DESIGN: Peer-reviewed and grey literature from July 2012 to June 2022 was accessed from seven electronic databases, grey literature and hand searching of reference lists and citations. FINDINGS: From 154 articles, 19 articles of relevance were identified. Several projects describe the processes required for success, whilst others reported the challenges and barriers encountered. Limited research evidence of rural NP practice exists with a significant gap about how roles operate and their value in primary health care. DISCUSSION: Uptake and envisaged benefits of rural primary health care NP roles have yet to be realised, with barriers to implementing and sustaining NP roles persisting. Low-level awareness with ambiguity at health service and community level adversely impact on systematic implementation of NP roles. CONCLUSIONS: Robust evaluations demonstrating the value of NP skills and practice are needed in combination with bipartisan support from all levels of health care and government providing adequate funding to enable effective implementation of NP roles in poorly resourced rural areas.

Using the Theoretical Domains Framework to Inform the Implementation of Therapeutic Virtual Reality into Mental Healthcare.

Evidence supporting the efficacy of therapeutic virtual reality (VR) for mental health conditions is rapidly growing. However, little is known about how best to implement VR, or the challenges perceived by treatment providers. This study aimed to (1) synthesis perspectives of staff working in private mental healthcare and (2) use the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) to identify mechanisms of change targets and intervention functions to facilitate its clinical implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with clinicians (n = 14) and service managers (n = 5) working in a major private mental health hospital in Victoria, Australia. Transcripts were coded using framework analysis to identify relevant TDF domains. Specific belief statements were generated and coded as a barrier and/or facilitator and thematically organised within domains. Domains were ranked for importance based on frequency, elaboration, and evidence of conflicting beliefs. Using the BCW, domains were mapped to their respective COM-B components and indicated intervention functions. A total of 11 TDF domains were identified as relevant to early-stage implementation of therapeutic VR. Three domains were judged as highly important (beliefs about consequences; environmental context and resources; knowledge), while seven domains were judged as moderately important (social/professional role and identity; emotions; skills; memory, attention, and decision processes; intentions; beliefs about capabilities; social influences). Based on current data, we propose a theory-informed roadmap to promote VR uptake in mental healthcare services. A priority for intervention development should be addressing knowledge gaps and attitudinal barriers (e.g., safety concerns) with education and training.

Creating conditions for effective knowledge brokering: a qualitative case study.

BACKGROUND: Process improvement in healthcare is informed by knowledge from the private sector. Skilled individuals may aid the adoption of this knowledge by frontline care delivery workers through knowledge brokering. However, the effectiveness of those who broker knowledge is limited when the context they work within proves unreceptive to their efforts. We therefore need greater insight into the contextual conditions that support individuals to broker process improvement knowledge to the frontline of care delivery, and how policy makers and organizations might generate such conditions. METHODS: Our research took place in a healthcare system within an Australian State. We undertook a qualitative, embedded single case study over the four year period of a process improvement intervention encompassing 57 semi-structured interviews (with knowledge brokers, policy makers, and executive sponsors), 12 focus groups, and 137 h of observation, which included the frontline implementation of actual process improvement initiatives, where knowledge brokering took place. RESULTS: We identified four phases of the process improvement intervention that moved towards a more mature collaboration within which knowledge brokering by improvement advisors began to emerge as effective. In the first phase knowledge brokering was not established. In the second phase, whilst knowledge brokering had been initiated, the knowledge being brokered lacked legitimacy amongst frontline practitioners, resulting in resistance. Only in the fourth and final phase of the intervention did the collective experience of policy makers result in reflections on how they might engender a more receptive context for knowledge brokering. CONCLUSION: We highlight a number of suggested actions that policy makers might consider, if they wish to engender contextual conditions that support knowledge brokering. Policy makers might consider: ensuring they respect local context and experience, by pulling good ideas upward, rather than imposing foreign knowledge from on high; facilitating the lateral diffusion of knowledge by building cultural linkages between people and organizations; strengthening collaboration, not competition, so that trans-organisational flow of ideas might be encouraged; being friend, not foe, to healthcare organizations on their knowledge integration journey. In sum, we suggest that top-down approaches to facilitating the diffusion and adoption of new ideas ought to be reconsidered.

Integrating the complexity of healthcare improvement with implementation science: a longitudinal qualitative case study.

BACKGROUND: Implementation science seeks to enable change, underpinned by theories and frameworks such as the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Yet academia and frontline healthcare improvement remain largely siloed, with limited integration of implementation science methods into frontline improvement where the drivers include pragmatic, rapid change. Using the CIFR lens, we aimed to explore how pragmatic and complex healthcare improvement and implementation science can be integrated. METHODS: Our research involved the investigation of a case study that was undertaking the implementation of an improvement intervention at a large public health service. Our research involved qualitative data collection methods of semi-structured interviews and non-participant observations of the implementation team delivering the intervention. Thematic analysis identified key themes from the qualitative data. We examined our themes through the lens of CFIR to gain in-depth understanding of how the CFIR components operated in a 'real-world' context. RESULTS: The key themes emerging from our research outlined that leadership, context and process are the key components that dominate and affect the implementation process. Leadership which cultivates connections with front line clinicians, fosters engagement and trust. Navigating context was facilitated by 'bottom-up' governance. Multi-disciplinary and cross-sector capability were key processes that supported pragmatic and agile responses in a changing complex environment. Process reflected the theoretically-informed, and iterative implementation approach. Mapping CFIR domains and constructs, with these themes demonstrated close alignment with the CFIR. The findings bring further depth to CFIR. Our research demonstrates that leadership which has a focus on patient need as a key motivator to engage clinicians, which applies and ensures iterative processes which leverage contextual factors can achieve successful, sustained implementation and healthcare improvement outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Our longitudinal study highlights insights that strengthen alignment between implementation science and pragmatic frontline healthcare improvement. We identify opportunities to enhance the relevance of CFIR in the 'real-world' setting through the interconnected nature of our themes. Our study demonstrates actionable knowledge to enhance the integration of implementation science in healthcare improvement.

Empathy and journey mapping the healthcare experience: a community-based participatory approach to exploring women's access to primary health services within Melbourne's Arabic-speaking refugee communities.

Objectives: This community-based participatory research focused on physical and social barriers to healthcare for refugee women in Melbourne, Australia.Design: Women from non-English speaking backgrounds explored the meaning and impact of their health journeys through group surveys, Photovoice and GIS go-alongs. This empathy-building research also explored acceptability, desirability and feasibility of mHealth solutions to improve access to primary healthcare services.Results: Refugee women reported low utilisation of preventive healthcare services including limited awareness of cervical or breast screening.Conclusions: Phone ownership and health information searches online indicate mHealth solutions are feasible and acceptable to improve healthcare access, literacy and autonomy within this population.

Nursing perspectives on reducing sedentary behaviour in sub-acute hospital settings: A mixed methods study.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the factors influencing nurses' decisions and capacity to reduce sedentary behaviour in hospital inpatients in sub-acute hospital settings. BACKGROUND: Sedentary behaviour in hospital inpatients is a complex issue that can be resistant to resolution. There is little research investigating factors influencing nurses' promotion of reduced levels of sedentary behaviour in sub-acute hospital settings. DESIGN: An explanatory sequential design was employed, comprising quantitative and qualitative phases. METHODS: An online survey was conducted with a convenience sample of 138 nurses from five Australian states. Logistic regression modelling identified demographic and behavioural characteristics of nurses who often encouraged patients to reduce their sedentary behaviour. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 ward nurses and nurse managers, with the content subjected to thematic analysis. STROBE and GRAMMS checklists were employed. RESULTS: Nurses recognised their role in promoting reduced sedentary behaviour but faced a range of personal and organisational barriers in achieving this outcome for patients. Few nurses were aware of national physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines. Five themes emerged from interviews (nursing role, care challenges, expectations of advocates, teamwork and improving the experience). Overall, many nurses experienced a lack of agency in promoting reduced sedentary behaviour and cognitive dissonance in feeling unable to undertake this role. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study are significant in confirming that reducing sedentary behaviour in hospital inpatients is influenced by a range of complex and multi-level factors. There is a fundamental need for organisational and clinical leadership in building a culture and climate in which staff feel empowered to promote reduced sedentary behaviour in their patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The results of this study highlight the importance of taking action to reduce sedentary behaviour in sub-acute hospital settings. A co-design approach to developing interventions in local health services is warranted.

Facilitating Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety in Older People: History, Effectiveness, and Future Possibilities.

The origins of mindfulness go back some 25 centuries to Eastern teachings, including Buddhism and Hinduism. Mindfulness-based interventions gained credence in Western mental health settings in the late 1970s through the work of medical researcher Kabat-Zinn, whose interest in Eastern meditation led him to develop a program for stress reduction. Since then, mindfulness-based interventions have been utilized for various populations, including older people with anxiety. Group mindfulness-based interventions have demonstrated benefits for older people with anxiety living in residential aged care and the community. In primary care settings, innovative delivery models for group mindfulness-based interventions could be facilitated by nurses to support older people with anxiety to age in place with dignity. The benefits of mindfulness-based interventions suggest the value of integrating ancient Eastern techniques with modern Western strategies to achieve better health outcomes for older people with mental health concerns.

An overview of healthcare improvement: unpacking the complexity for clinicians and managers in a learning health system.

Given the pace of technological advancement and government mandates for healthcare and system transformation, there is an imperative for change. Health systems are highly complex in their design, networks and interacting components, and experience demonstrates that change is very challenging to enact, sustain and scale. Policy-makers, academics and clinicians all need better insight into the nature of this complexity and an understanding of the evidence-base that can support healthcare improvement (HCI), or quality improvement, interventions and make them more effective in driving change. The evidence base demonstrates the vital role of clinical engagement and leadership in HCI, and it is imperative that clinicians engage to improve front-line healthcare. The literature on HCI is vast, applies different and inconsistent terminology and encompasses often loosely defined and overlapping concepts. An increasingly broad range of disciplines has contributed to the available evidence base, but often discipline-specific perspectives frame these contributions. Available literature can also be overly driven by the generation of theoretical concepts and the advancement of academic understanding. It does not necessarily primarily provide focussed and pragmatic insights to guide and inform frontline practice. We aim to address these issues by summarising theories, frameworks, models and success factors for improvement in complex health systems to assist clinicians and others to engage and lead change. We integrate the field of HCI into the learning health system highlighting the key role of the clinician. We seek to inform stakeholders; clinicians and managers to guide the planning, enacting, sustaining and scaling of HCI.

Flipping the paradigm: a qualitative exploration of research translation centres in the United Kingdom and Australia.

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, Research Translation Centres (RTCs) have been established in many countries. These centres (sometimes referred to as Academic Health Science Centres) are designed to bring universities and healthcare providers together in order to accelerate the generation and translation of new evidence that is responsive to health service and community priorities. This has the potential to effectively 'flip' the traditional research and education paradigms because it requires active participation and continuous engagement with stakeholders (especially service users, the community and frontline clinicians). Although investment and expectations of RTCs are high, the literature confirms a need to better understand the processes that RTCs use to mobilise knowledge, build workforce capacity, and co-produce research with patients and the public to ensure population impact and drive healthcare improvement. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with selected leaders and members from select RTCs in England and Australia. Convenience sampling was utilised to identify RTCs, based on their geography, accessibility and availability. Purposive sampling and a snowballing approach were employed to recruit individual participants for interviews, which were conducted face to face or via videoconferencing. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a reflexive and inductive approach. This involved two researchers comparing codes and interrogating themes that were analysed inductively against the study aims and through meetings with the research team. RESULTS: A total of 41 participants, 22 from England and 19 from Australia were interviewed. Five major themes emerged, including (1) dissonant metrics, (2) different models of leadership, (3) public and patient involvement and research co-production, (4) workforce development and (5) barriers to collaboration. CONCLUSIONS: Participants identified the need for performance measures that capture community impact. Better aligned success metrics, enhanced leadership, strategies to partner with patients and the public, enhanced workforce development and strategies to enhance collaboration were all identified as crucial for RTCs to succeed.

Bridging the research-practice gap in healthcare: a rapid review of research translation centres in England and Australia.

BACKGROUND: Large-scale partnerships between universities and health services are widely seen as vehicles for bridging the evidence-practice gap and for accelerating the adoption of new evidence in healthcare. Recently, different versions of these partnerships - often called academic health science centres - have been established across the globe. Although they differ in structure and processes, all aim to improve the integration of research and education with health services. Collectively, these entities are often referred to as Research Translation Centres (RTCs) and both England and Australia have developed relatively new and funded examples of these collaborative centres. METHODS: This paper presents findings from a rapid review of RTCs in Australia and England that aimed to identify their structures, leadership, workforce development and strategies for involving communities and service users. The review included published academic and grey literature with a customised search of the Google search engine and RTC websites. RESULTS: RTCs are complex system-level interventions that will need to disrupt the current paradigms and silos inherent in healthcare, education and research in order to meet their aims. This will require vision, leadership, collaborations and shared learnings, alongside structures, processes and strategies to deliver impact in the face of complexity. The impact of RTCs in overcoming the deeply entrenched silos across organisations, disciplines and sectors needs to be captured at the systems, organisation and individual levels. This includes workforce capacity and public and patient involvement that are vital to understanding the evolution of RTCs. In addition, new models of leadership are needed to support the brokering and mobilisation of knowledge in complex organisations. CONCLUSIONS: The development and funding of RTCs represents one of the most significant shifts in the health research landscape and it is imperative that we continue to explore how we can progress the integration of research and healthcare and ensure research meets stakeholder needs and is translated via the collaborations supported by these organisations. Because RTCs are a recent addition to the healthcare landscape in Australia, it is instructive to review the processes and infrastructure needed to support their implementation and applied health research in England.

A Culture-Centered Community-Grounded Approach to Disseminating Health Information among African Americans.

This study highlights the role of local communities in creating culturally rooted health information resources based on comparative effectiveness research (CER), depicting the role of culture in creating entry points for building community-grounded communication structures for evidence-based health knowledge. We report the results from running a year-long culture-centered campaign that was carried out among African American communities in two counties, Lake and Marion County, in Indiana addressing basic evidence-based knowledge on four areas of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Campaign effectiveness was tested through an experimental design with post-test knowledge of CER among African Americans in these counties compared to CER knowledge among African Americans in a comparable control county (Allen). Our campaign, based on the principles of the culture-centered approach (CCA), increased community CER knowledge in the experimental communities relative to a community that did not receive the culturally centered health information campaign. The CCA-based campaign developed by community members and distributed through the mass media, community wide channels such as health fairs and church meetings, postcards, and face-to-face interventions explaining the postcards improved CER knowledge in specific areas (ACE-I/ARBs, atrial fibrillation, and renal artery stenosis) in the CCA communities as compared to the control community.

Mental Health Nurses Supporting the Routine Assessment of Anxiety of Older People in Primary Care Settings: Insights from an Australian Study.

Anxiety in older age is a worldwide problem and co-associated with other mental health problems, physical health conditions, disability, reduced quality of life and increased healthcare utilisation. Yet the symptoms of anxiety are often unrecognised in older people, challenging early diagnosis and increasing the risk of older people developing more chronic and disabling illness. This article reports on research led by mental health nurses and a primary care nurse that supported primary care practitioners to undertake a routine assessment of anxiety in older people in Australia. The Geriatric Anxiety Inventory-Short Form was incorporated into the annual, in-depth 75 years and older, health assessment that is undertaken in primary care settings and funded by Australia's Medicare. An initial feasibility study demonstrated good acceptance levels of the routine assessment by the primary care practitioners. These findings suggest fertile ground for the everyday use of the routine assessment in primary care settings in Australia, with transferability internationally in low-, middle- and high-income global communities. Mental health nurses can play a key role in supporting primary care nurses to recognise and respond to anxiety in older people. Illness prevention and health promotion activities are low cost and have the potential to make a difference worldwide to the health of people across the lifespan.

Multidisciplinary teams and ICT: a qualitative study exploring the use of technology and its impact on multidisciplinary team meetings.

BACKGROUND: Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) are an integral component in the delivery of health care. This is particularly evident in the delivery of cancer care, where multidisciplinary teams are internationally recognized as the preferred method for service delivery. The use of health information systems and technology are key enabling factors for building the capacity of MDTs to engage in improvement and implementation projects but there is scant research on how MDTs make use of technology and information systems or the kinds of systems needed for them to undertake improvement and implementation research. This paper reports findings on how seven MDTs in cancer care utilized technological and information systems and the barriers and enabling factors that impacted on their uptake. METHODS: Seven multidisciplinary teams from two large metropolitan hospitals participated in the study. Qualitative methods including structured observations and semi structured interviews that explored how teams engaged in research and improvement activities were utilized. Participants were also observed and interviewed in relation to their use of data and health information systems. Findings were subject to content analysis and key themes were identified. Interviews were transcribed and de-identified and key themes were subsequently discussed with participants to allow for member checking and further clarification of findings. RESULTS: A total of 43 MDT meetings across seven tumor streams were observed. Of these, observation notes from 13 meetings contained direct references to emerging technologies and health information systems. Findings from 15 semi-structured interviews were also analyzed in relation to how MDTs used technology in weekly meetings, and the perceived impact of technology. Three broad themes emerged: (1) methods for data collection and use by MDTs, (2) the impact of technology on the MDT meeting environment, and (3) the impact of technology and information systems on clinical decision making. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that real time data collection and imaging may improve patient centered care coordination. However, ICTs can be used sub-optimally by teams. We therefore urge additional research to identify the enabling factors that support better collection and use of outcome data from ICT.

An integrative review of the psychosocial facilitators and challenges of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion therapy in type 1 diabetes.

AIM: To use systematic methods to explore the psychosocial facilitators and challenges of insulin pump therapy among people with type 1 diabetes. BACKGROUND: Insulin pump therapy is now widely accepted in the management of type 1 diabetes. Given the increasing use of insulin pumps, it is timely to review the evidence relating to the psychosocial impacts of this therapy which have not been addressed in previous reviews. DESIGN: An integrative review of the literature (January 2005-February 2017). DATA SOURCES: A systematic search of electronic databases: CINAHL, Cochrane, Medline, PsycINFO and Scopus. REVIEW METHODS: Empirical literature reporting psychosocial facilitators and challenges of insulin pump therapy were eligible for inclusion. A constant comparative method was used to guide the review. Quality appraisal was performed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool Version 2011. RESULTS: Thirty-five potential articles identified from titles and abstracts were reviewed. Of these, 13 articles were included in the final review. Psychosocial facilitators of insulin pump therapy included the flexibility and freedom it provided for living with diabetes, enhancing social situations and daily management. In contrast, challenges included the demands of pump therapy, self-consciousness in wearing the pump and fear of hypoglycaemia and pump failure. CONCLUSION: Findings can be used by health professionals to inform people embarking on insulin pump therapy and prepare them with regard to expectations of the treatment. Further research is required to explore the role of diabetes health professional in providing psychosocial support to people with type 1 diabetes on insulin pump therapy.

New Approaches to Continuing Medical Education: a QStream (spaced education) Program for Research Translation in Ovarian Cancer.

Continuing medical education (CME) is challenging and often has limited impact on clinician behavior or patient outcomes. This study examined the impact of an online Qstream education program on senior clinicians to determine its utility for increasing clinician knowledge about the latest guidelines regarding genetic assessment and consideration of genetic testing for women with particular types of ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancer. Participants were recruited into a pilot study that involved responding to case-based scenarios at spaced and repeated intervals. At the completion of the program, semi-structured interviews were conducted to ascertain the impact on their knowledge and referral behavior. Findings from interviews were subject to thematic analysis that involved the identification of categories and themes. Twenty-one participants commenced the program, seventeen completed and twelve participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis yielded several themes including knowledge change, curriculum and format and changes in referral patterns. A majority of participants (n = 10) agreed the program had helped update their knowledge about referring women, and eight agreed they would now change their referral patterns. The use of QStream as an approach to CME has significant advantages when working with busy clinicians. QStream has a well accepted format and most participants indicated it is very appropriate for disseminating updates to clinical guidelines and protocols. It is important to supplement CME programs with other implementation techniques, such as audit and feedback as multifaceted approaches are more likely to result in behavior change.

Embedding continuous quality improvement processes in multidisciplinary teams in cancer care: exploring the boundaries between quality and implementation science.

Objective The aim of the present study was to identify key enabling factors for engaging multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) in cancer care across the spectrum of translational research and quality improvement (QI) projects. Methods The study was conducted in two large Sydney metropolitan hospitals. Qualitative methods, including structured observations of MDT meetings and semi-structured interviews with MDT leaders and champions, were used to identify how teams interact with and generate research and implementation initiatives. Enabling factors for and barriers to the engagement of MDTs in translational research and QI were identified. Results Four key enabling factors emerged from the analysis of data generated from observing 43 MDT meetings and 18 semi-structured interviews: (1) access to high-quality data around individual and team performance; (2) research-active team leaders; (3) having experts, such as implementation scientists, embedded into teams; and (4) having dedicated research or QI-focused meetings. Barriers included a lack of time, administrative support, research expertise and access to real-time data. Conclusions The identification of enabling factors for and barriers to translational research and QI provides evidence for how multidisciplinary cancer care teams may best be engaged in research and QI that aims to improve service and care outcomes. What is known about the topic? MDTs are key to the delivery of cancer care in Australia, but there is scant research into how teams can best be engaged in translating research from basic science through to implementation science and QI. What does this paper add? This paper provides new evidence from an immersive study of cancer care MDTs in two large metropolitan hospitals in Sydney (NSW, Australia), regarding the key enabling factors for and barriers to successful engagement in translational research and QI in cancer care. What are the implications for practitioners? Cancer care professionals in MDTs are presented with an opportunity to embed translational research and QI into cancer care. MDTs can operate as an ideal vehicle to look beyond individual patient outcomes to broader trends and population health outcomes.

Why Thyroid Surgeons Are Frustrated with Radiologists: Lessons Learned from Pre- and Postoperative US.

Optimal treatment of thyroid cancer is highly dependent on accurate staging of the extent of disease at presentation. Preoperative ultrasonography (US) is the most sensitive method for detecting metastatic lymph nodes and is recommended as part of the standard preoperative workup. Missed findings on preoperative scans may lead to understaging and inadequate surgical management, which subsequently predispose these patients to residual disease postoperatively and a higher risk for recurrence, possibly requiring repeat surgery. Traditionally, thyroid US for pre- and postoperative staging has been performed by radiologists. However, there is a growing trend away from radiologist-performed US in favor of surgeon-performed US. Recent surgical and endocrinology literature has shown that, when compared with surgeon-performed US, radiologist-performed preoperative staging US is less accurate and is inadequate for presurgical planning, with higher local recurrence rates. This review highlights the importance of accurate preoperative US for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer, with specific attention to deficiencies that exist in general radiology department thyroid US reports. We present a standardized approach to neck US reporting that incorporates the newly updated 2015 recommendations from the American Thyroid Association and also addresses the pertinent questions for thyroid surgeons. By ensuring comprehensive preoperative assessment and improving thyroid US reporting, we seek to improve patient access to optimized care. ©RSNA, 2016.

The Sydney West Knowledge Portal: Evaluating the Growth of a Knowledge Portal to Support Translational Research.

BACKGROUND: The Sydney West Translational Cancer Research Centre is an organization funded to build capacity for translational research in cancer. Translational research is essential for ensuring the integration of best available evidence into practice and for improving patient outcomes. However, there is a low level of awareness regarding what it is and how to conduct it optimally. One solution to addressing this gap is the design and deployment of web-based knowledge portals to disseminate new knowledge and engage with and connect dispersed networks of researchers. A knowledge portal is an web-based platform for increasing knowledge dissemination and management in a specialized area. OBJECTIVE: To measure the design and growth of an web-based knowledge portal for increasing individual awareness of translational research and to build organizational capacity for the delivery of translational research projects in cancer. METHODS: An adaptive methodology was used to capture the design and growth of an web-based knowledge portal in cancer. This involved stakeholder consultations to inform initial design of the portal. Once the portal was live, site analytics were reviewed to evaluate member usage of the portal and to measure growth in membership. RESULTS: Knowledge portal membership grew consistently for the first 18 months after deployment, before leveling out. Analysis of site metrics revealed members were most likely to visit portal pages with community-generated content, particularly pages with a focus on translational research. This was closely followed by pages that disseminated educational material about translational research. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary data from this study suggest that knowledge portals may be beneficial tools for translating new evidence and fostering an environment of communication and collaboration.