Research

A massive increase in antidepressant prescriptions has had little impact on rates of self-harm or antidepressant poisoning

Nicholas A Buckley BMed, FRACP, MD · Ian M Whyte MB BS(Hons), FRACP, FACMT · Andrew H Dawson MB BS, FRCP, FRACP · Geoffrey K Isbister BSc, FACEM, MD

A multimodal perioperative care pathway leads to shorter hospital stays

Nicholas Christelis FFPMRCA, FANZCA, FFPMANZCA · Sophie Wallace BHSc(Nurs), GradCertInfectCont, MPH · Claire E Sage BAppSci(Nurs), MNurs · Uate Babitu MB BS, FANZCA · Susan Liew MB BS(Hons), FRACS(Orth) · James Dugal MB BS, FRACS · Ibolya Nyulasi MSc, GradDipMgt · Nora Mutalima BSc, MB ChB, DPhil · Ton Tran MB BS, FRACS, FAOA · Paul S Myles MD, FRARCSI, FANZCA

Data reveal levels of polypharmacy that may suggest a lack of attempts to deprescribe when appropriate

Ruth E Hubbard MSc, MD, FRACP · Nancye M Peel PhD, MPH, BPhty · Ian A Scott FRACP, MHA, MEd · Jennifer H Martin FRACP, MA, PhD · Alesha Smith PhD, MSc, BSc · Peter I Pillans MB BCh, FRACP, MD · Arjun Poudel MScPharm · Leonard C Gray PhD, FRACP, FACHSM

Doctors should be encouraged to improve their documentation of measures of obesity

Lyle R Turner BSc(Hons), PhD · Mark F Harris FRACGP, DRACOG, MD · Danielle Mazza MD, FRACGP, DRANZCOG

Children with autism spectrum disorders may not be diagnosed as early as possible and desirable

Catherine A Bent BPsySc(Hons) · Cheryl Dissanayake PhD · Josephine Barbaro PhD

A reduced rate of breastfeeding after breast augmentation highlights a need for support

Christine L Roberts MB BS, FAFPHM, DrPH · Amanda J Ampt DipAppSc, MHIM, PostGradDipClinEp · Charles S Algert MPH · Mark S Sywak MB BS, MMedSc(ClinEpi), FRACS · Jian Sheng C Chen MStats, MPH, PhD

An insufficiently specific test may be leading to false-positive diagnoses of gonorrhoea

Eric P F Chow PhD, MPH, MApplSc · Glenda Fehler MSc, FMLT · Tim R H Read PhD, MB BS, FAChSHM · Sepehr N Tabrizi PhD · Jane S Hocking PhD, MPH, MHlthSc · Ian Denham MB BS, FRACP, FAChSHM · Catriona S Bradshaw MB BS(Hons), FACSHP, PhD · Marcus Y Chen MB BS, PhD, FAChSHM · Christopher K Fairley PhD, FAFPHM, FACSHP

General practice researchers measure the minimum likely effect of not indexing Medicare schedule fees

Christopher Harrison BPsy(Hons), MSocHealth · Clare Bayram BAppSc(HIM)(Hons), PhD · Graeme C Miller MB BS, PhD, FRACGP · Helena C Britt BA, PhD

A drastic reduction in CLABSIs in an ICU

Damoon Entesari-Tatafi MB BS · Neil Orford MB BS, FCICM, PGDipEcho · Michael J Bailey PhD, MSc, BSc · Martina N I Chonghaile FCICM, FCARSCI, MB BCh · Jill Lamb-Jenkins RN, Grad Dip Ed, MN · Eugene Athan MB BS, FRACP, MPH

Known HIV status and testing rates have increased in a high-risk population with tuberculosis

Jeffrey J Post MB BS(Hons), PhD, FRACP · Hazel Goldberg MB BS, FRACP · Gregory Kaufman FRACP · Marshall Plit MB BCh, PhD, FRACP · Kelly-Anne Ressler BSc, MPH · Mark J Ferson MD, FAFPHM, FRACP

Push for starting ART early

Limin Mao PhD · Philippe C G Adam PhD · Susan Kippax BA(Hons), PhD · Levinia Crooks BA(Hons), DipEd, MBA · Jeffrey J Post MB BS(Hons), PhD, FRACP · Michael R Kidd AM, MD, FRACGP · Sean Slavin PhD · Edwina J Wright MB BS, PhD, FRACP · John B F de Wit MSc, PhD

Antibiotics are still prescribed too frequently for many respiratory infections in young children

Ruby Biezen BSc, MAppSc · Allan J Pollack MB BS(Hons), FRACS, MPH(PP) · Christopher Harrison BPsych(Hons), MSocHealth · Bianca Brijnath PhD, BA(Hons) · Danilla Grando MAppSc, PhD, MASM · Helena C Britt BA, PhD · Danielle Mazza MD, MB BS, FRACGP

A simple test involving swabbing upper and lower gum lines may help tackle Australia’s HIV epidemic

Derek Chan MPH, FAChSHM, PhD · Michael Stewart BIntS, MIPH · Maggie Smith RN, CertSexualReproductiveHealth · Tony Price BN, MNurs(Ed) · Jo Lusk MB ChB, FAChSHM, MPH · Catriona Ooi MB BS, BSc(Med), FAChSHM · Phillip Read MRCP, MPH, FAChSHM · Robert Finlayson MB BS, FAChSHM

Australians with affective and anxiety disorders are not all receiving evidence-based care

Meredith G Harris MPH · Megan J Hobbs PhD · Philip M Burgess PhD · Jane E Pirkis PhD · Sandra Diminic MPH · Dan J Siskind MB BS, PhD, FRANZCP · Gavin Andrews MD, FRANZCP · Harvey A Whiteford MB BS, MPH, FRANZCP

Disadvantaged areas are still missing out

Graham N Meadows MD, MPhil, FRANZCP · Joanne C Enticott PhD · Brett Inder BEc(Hons), PhD · Grant M Russell PhD, MFM, FRACGP · Roger Gurr DPM, MRCPsych, FRANZCP

Investigating the spread of cancer by cancer type among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in NSW

Alison Gibberd MStat · Rajah Supramaniam BSc, MPH(Hons) · Anthony Dillon PhD · Bruce K Armstrong DPhil, FRACP, FAFPHM · Dianne L O’Connell BMaths(Hons), PhD

A significant survival disparity remains between Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients receiving RRT

Paul D Lawton MB BS, FRACP · Joan Cunningham ScD, ALM, AB · Yuejen Zhao BM, MBiostat, PhD · Nicholas A Gray MB BS, FRACP · Mark D Chatfield MSc, MA · Peter D Baade BAppSc(Hons), MMedSc, PhD · Karumathil Murali FRACP · Matthew D Jose FRACP, PhD, FASN

Recruiting more potential organ donors would not result in a large increase in organ donor numbers

Jonathan J Gatward MB ChB, FRCA, FCICM · Michael J O’Leary MD, FRCA, FCICM · Myra Sgorbini MN(Hon) · Paul R Phipps PhD, FRACP, FCICM

Lack of education and personnel are major barriers to effective antimicrobial stewardship

on behalf of the Australasian Stewardship of Antimicrobials in Paediatrics group

Limited use of aggressive treatment, but late referrals to palliative care and high numbers dying in acute hospitals after lengthy stays

Jennifer Philip PhD, FAChPM, MMed · Peter Hudson PhD, BN(Hons), DipAppSc · Adam Bostanci PhD, MPhil, MSc · Annette Street BEd(Hons), PhD · Dell E Horey PhD, MMedSc(ClinEpidemiol), BAppSc · Sanchia Aranda PhD, MN · Rachel Zordan PhD, BSc(Psych), BSc(Health) · Bruce D Rumbold PhD, MA, MSc · Gaye Moore PhD, MPD, BN(Hons) · Vijaya Sundararajan MD, MPH, FACP

Peer review of multidisciplinary teams can improve cancer care, but needs fine-tuning

Neli S Slavova-Azmanova MD, PhD · Claire E Johnson PhD · Cameron Platell MB BS, PhD, FRACS · Sean Bydder MB ChB, MBA, FRANZCR · Christobel M Saunders MB BS, FRCS, FRACS

A statewide coaching program overcomes obstacles of distance and limited access to health services

Chantal F Ski BA(Hons), PhD · Margarite J Vale PhD, FCSANZ · Gary R Bennett MN · Victoria L Chalmers ExecMPublicAdmin, GradDipLibInfoStud, BCom · Kim McFarlane MB BS, FRACGP · V Michael Jelinek MB BS, MD, FCSANZ · Ian A Scott FRACP, MHA, MEd · David R Thompson MA, MBA, PhD

Advanced age should not be the major factor in considering a patient for curative radiotherapy

Richard C Khor BMedSc, MB BS, FRANZCR · Mathias Bressel BSc, MSc · Jo Tedesco MBIT · Keen Hun Tai MB BS, FRANZCR · David L Ball MB BS, MD, FRANZCR · Gillian M Duchesne MB ChB, MD, FRANZCR · Helen Farrugia BAppSc(HIM), GradDip(BIT) · Wai Kuan Yip PhD, GradDipAppStats · Farshad Foroudi MB BS, MPA, FRANZCR

Patient-reported data show that changes to GP fees and Medicare rebates need to be considered with caution

Richard De Abreu Lourenco MEc(Hons) · Patricia Kenny MPH · Marion R Haas PhD · Jane P Hall PhD

Multiple drugs with low anticholinergic potency contribute more than high-potency drugs to anticholinergic burden

Lynne Parkinson BSc(Hons), PhD · Parker J Magin PhD, FRACGP · Allison Thomson BMed · Julie E Byles BMed, PhD · Gillian E Caughey PhD · Christopher Etherton-Beer MB BS, PhD, FRACP · Danijela Gnjidic BSc(Hons), PhD, MPH · Sarah N Hilmer MB BS(Hons), FRACP, PhD · Thomas King Tong Lo MClinEpi, BScH, BA · Colin McCowan BSc, MSc, PhD · Rachael Moorin PhD · C Dimity Pond MB BS, FRACGP, PhD