Research

Cannabidiol has potential benefits, but also short term adverse effects that must be understood and mitigated

Jeremy L Freeman

Consumer perspectives of medical cannabis and preferred models of availability differ from those of professional medical groups

Nicholas Lintzeris · Jessica Driels · Natalie Elias · Jonathon C Arnold · Iain S McGregor · David J Allsop

Cannabidiol as an adjunct treatment had some subjective benefit and a manageable adverse event profile

Kerrie-Anne Chen · Michelle Farrar · Michael Cardamone · Deepak Gill · Robert Smith · Christopher T Cowell · Linda Truong · John A Lawson

ICD procedures are becoming more frequent in Australia, particularly in people aged 70 or more

Bianca Blanch · Luise P Lago · Raymond Sy · Phillip J Harris · Christopher Semsarian · Jodie Ingles

Farmers who are younger, experience financial hardship, or are isolated are at particular risk of drought-related stress

Emma K Austin · Tonelle Handley · Anthony S Kiem · Jane L Rich · Terry J Lewin · Hedda H Askland · Sara S Askarimarnani · David A Perkins · Brian J Kelly

Women with STEMI are less likely to receive invasive management, revascularisation, or preventive medication at discharge

Ehsan Khan · David Brieger · John Amerena · John J Atherton · Derek P Chew · Ahmad Farshid · Marcus Ilton · Craig P Juergens · Nadarajah Kangaharan · Rohan Rajaratnam · Amy Sweeny · Darren L Walters · Clara K Chow

More effort is needed to improve time to reperfusion for patients with STEMI

Diem T Dinh · Yishen Wang · Angela L Brennan · Stephen J Duffy · Dion Stub · Christopher M Reid · Jeffrey Lefkovits

Time is ticking: administrative delays to undertaking low risk health research need to be minimised

Holly Foot · Ian A Scott · Grant M Russell · Neil Cottrell · Nancy Sturman · Christopher R Freeman

PIC data can inform strategic public health interventions that target age-specific poisoning hazards

on behalf of the Synthesis of the Network of Australian Poisons Services' Health Outcomes and Treatment (SNAPSHOT) investigators

There is considerable potential for improving awareness of the health effects of smoking

Emily Brennan · Kimberley Dunstone · Melanie Wakefield

A new approach to analysing routine data allows continuous monitoring of the characteristics of Australian general practices

Bich Tran · Peter Straka · Michael O Falster · Kirsty A Douglas · Thomas Britz · Louisa R Jorm

Undertaking appendicectomies in children outside paediatric hospitals reduces waiting, delays, and unnecessary travel

Francisco J Schneuer · Susan E Adams · Jason P Bentley · Andrew JA Holland · Carmen Huckel Schneider · Leslie White · Natasha Nassar

Evidence-based interventions for reducing multimorbidity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians must be a priority

Deborah A Randall · Sanja Lujic · Alys Havard · Sandra J Eades · Louisa Jorm

In settings with limited access to otolaryngologists, audiologists may appropriately select children for specialist review

Hasantha Gunasekera · Hilary M Miller · Leonie Burgess · Shingisai Chando · Simone L Sheriff · Julie D Tsembis · Kelvin M Kong · Harvey LC Coates · John Curotta · Kathleen Falster · Peter B McIntyre · Emily Banks · Natasha J Peter · Jonathan C Craig

Absolute CVD risk is high, and most of those at high risk are undertreated

Bianca Calabria · Rosemary J Korda · Raymond W Lovett · Peter Fernando · Tanya Martin · Leone Malamoo · Jennifer Welsh · Emily Banks

A dedicated program significantly improve timely vaccination rates in Indigenous Australian children

Alexandra J Hendry · Frank H Beard · Aditi Dey · Dennis Meijer · Sue Campbell-Lloyd · Katrina K Clark · Brynley P Hull · Vicky Sheppeard

The focus should be on eliciting a thorough history and examining the patient for red flags

Lauren Ross · Adam de Gruchy · Uyen M Phan · Matthew Warrender-Sparkes · Ian P Wicks · John HY Moi

Lower medical fees and greater transparency would reduce the burden for people with cancer

Louisa G Gordon · Thomas M Elliott · Catherine M Olsen · Nirmala Pandeya · David C Whiteman

Nurse coordinators can help ensure adherence to guideline surveillance recommendations, reducing endoscopy workloads

Erin L Symonds · Kalindra Simpson · Michelle Coats · Angela Chaplin · Karen Saxty · Jayne Sandford · Graeme P Young AM · Charles Cock · Robert Fraser · Peter A Bampton

Smaller scale models of care may better meet the preferences of residents and their families without increasing costs

Suzanne M Dyer · Enwu Liu · Emmanuel S Gnanamanickam · Rachel Milte · Tiffany Easton · Stephanie L Harrison · Clare E Bradley · Julie Ratcliffe · Maria Crotty

Preventive measures that reduce disease burden and minimise the broader impacts of our ageing population are needed

Andrea J Curtis · Richard Ofori-Asenso · Manoj Gambhir · John J McNeil

Gluten is sometimes present at clinically significant levels in “gluten-free” foods offered by Melbourne food businesses

Emma P Halmos · Catherine A Di Bella · Russell Webster · Minfeng Deng · Jason A Tye-Din

Almost three-quarters of men did not have follow-up investigations consistent with standard protocols

Melanie A Evans · Jeremy L Millar · Arul Earnest · Mark Frydenberg · Ian D Davis · Declan G Murphy · Paul Aidan Kearns · Sue M Evans

Objectives: To assess the prevalence and correlates of psychological distress in a sample of remote mining and construction workers in Australia. Design, setting: A cross-sectional, anonymous Wellbeing and Lifestyle Survey at ten mining sites in South Australia and Western Australia, administered at meetings held during 2013–2015. Participants: 1124 employees at remote construction, and open cut and underground mining sites completed the survey. Main outcome measures: General psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, K10) and self-reported overall mental health status; work, lifestyle and family factors correlated with level of psychological distress. Results: The final sample comprised 1124 workers; 93.5% were men, 63% were aged 25–44 years. 311 respondents (28%) had K10 scores indicating high/very high psychological distress, compared with 10.8% for Australia overall. The most frequently reported stressors were missing special events (86%), relationship problems with partners (68%), financial stress (62%), shift rosters (62%), and social isolation (60%). High psychological distress was significantly more likely in workers aged 25–34 years (v ≥ 55 years: odds ratio [OR], 3.2; P = 0.001) and workers on a 2 weeks on/1 week off roster (v 4 weeks on/1 week off: OR, 2.4; P < 0.001). Workers who were very or extremely stressed by their assigned tasks or job (OR, 6.2; P = 0.004), their current relationship (OR, 8.2; P < 0.001), or their financial situation (OR, 6.0; P < 0.001) were significantly more likely to have high/very high K10 scores than those not stressed by these factors. Workers who reported stress related to stigmatisation of mental health problems were at the greatest risk of high/very high psychological distress (v not stressed: OR, 23.5; P < 0.001). Conclusions: Psychological distress is significantly more prevalent in the remote mining and construction workforce than in the overall Australian population. The factors that contribute to mental ill health in these workers need to be addressed, and the stigma associated with mental health problems reduced.

Jennifer Bowers · Johnny Lo · Peta Miller · Daveena Mawren · Brooklyn Jones

A multi-strategic, interdisciplinary intervention can reduce inappropriate prescribing of psychotropic agents

Juanita L Westbury · Peter Gee · Tristan Ling · Donnamay T Brown · Katherine H Franks · Ivan Bindoff · Aidan Bindoff · Gregory M Peterson