Research

These data show a sustained and substantial decline in severe rotavirus disease and all-cause AGE since the introduction of rotavirus vaccination, most pronounced in the target age group, but with evidence of herd immunity. The impact of rotavirus vaccination in Indigenous children in hyperendemic settings was less remarkable.

Aditi Dey MB BS, MPH, PhD · Han Wang MStats · Robert Menzies BAppSc, MPH, PhD · Kristine Macartney MB BS, MD, FRACP

Objective: To estimate the risk of active tuberculosis (TB) in immigrants to Victoria, Australia, as a function of time since arrival and stratified by age group and region of origin.Design, setting and subjects: Longitudinal study of the incidence of active TB in Victorian immigrants, excluding New Zealanders, who arrived in Australia between 1975 and 2007. Victorian immigration data were used to describe annual arrival ...

Emma S McBryde MB BS, PhD, FRACP · Justin T Denholm BMed, MPHTM, FRACP

In Australia, chronic vascular diseases such as heart disease and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability. Intensive lifestyle interventions have been shown to prevent vascular disease and diabetes in high-risk patients ...

Mark F Harris MB BS, MD, FRACGP · Mahnaz Fanaian BSc, MSc, PhD · Upali W Jayasinghe GradDipAppStat, MSc, PhD · Megan E Passey BMed, MPH, MSc · Suzanne H McKenzie MB BS, MMedSci, FRACGP · Gawaine Powell Davies BA(Hons), MHP · David M Lyle MB BS, PhD, FAFPHM · Rachel A Laws BSc(Nutrition), MSc(Nutrition · Heike Schütze BSc, MPH · Qing Wan MB BS, MPH, PhD

Objective: To evaluate a partnership model of care for patients with a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Design, setting and participants: Cluster randomised controlled trial with blinded outcome assessment of 44 general practices in south-western Sydney comprising 451 people with a diagnosis of COPD, conducted between 2006 and 2009.Intervention: Participants from intervention group practices were visited at their home by a ...

Nicholas A Zwar MPH, PhD, FRACGP · Oshana Hermiz MB BS · Elizabeth Comino BVSc, PhD · Sandy Middleton PhD · Sanjyot Vagholkar MB BS, MPH · Wei Xuan PhD · Stephen F Wilson PhD, FRACGP, FAFRM · Guy B Marks MB BS, PhD, FRACP

Objective: To assess the use of elective knee arthroscopy procedures for all adults 20 years and older, and for adults with a concomitant diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA) in Victoria.Design, setting and patients: Retrospective, longitudinal cohort study of 807 030 elective orthopaedic admissions using routinely collected public and private hospital data from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2009.Main outcome measure: Trends in rates of elective ...

Megan A Bohensky PhD, MPH, BA · Vijaya Sundararajan MD, MPH · Nick Andrianopoulos MB BS, MBiostat · Richard N de Steiger MB BS, FRACS, FAOrthA · Andrew Bucknill MSc, MB BS, FRACS · Christos M Kondogiannis MB BS, FRACS · Geoffrey McColl MB BS, PhD, MEd · Caroline A Brand MB BS, MPH

International and Australian studies show that well structured approaches to diabetes care can improve short-term and intermediate patient outcomes ...

Julia V Marley PgDipSc, PgDipPolSt, PhD · Carmel Nelson MPHandTM, FACRRM, FRACGP · Vicki O’Donnell DipBusMgt · David Atkinson MB BS, MPH

Workplace aggression is a worldwide concern that has been linked to impaired physical and mental health. There is limited international research describing the extent and impact of workplace aggression in medicine, however, and the few Australian studies have primarily focused on general practitioner experiences of patient aggression ...

Danny J Hills BN, GradCertMgt, MN(Hons) · Catherine M Joyce BA(Hons), MPsych, PhD · John S Humphreys BA(Hons), DipEd, PhD

Objective: To examine trends in hospitalisation for alcohol-attributable conditions in the Northern Territory Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations between the financial years 1998–99 and 2008–09.Design and setting: Retrospective descriptive analysis of inpatient discharge data from NT public hospitals.Main outcome measures: Alcohol-attributable hospitalisation by age, sex, Aboriginality, region of residence and medical conditions, with annual time trends.Results: Annual rates of ...

Shu Qin Li MPH, MB, BNursing · Sabine L M Pircher MPH, BNutrDiet · Steven L Guthridge MB BS, MPH, FAFPHM

One of the key goals of health reform is to drive hospital quality improvement by creating greater transparency in health services performance. With the launch of the MyHospitals website in December 2010, quality indicators for individual hospitals across Australia were publicly ...

Jessica Greene PhD · Jane Hall PhD

Australia has among the world’s lowest maternal and perinatal mortality rates, with the latter more than halving over the past 40 years. However, as in other high-income countries, a decline in neonatal rather than fetal deaths has mainly contributed to falling rates, leading to calls for more attention to preventing stillbirth. Identified maternal risk ...

Henry Drysdale MB BS · Sanjeeva Ranasinha MEpid, MSc(ApplStat) · Amanda Kendall BMid · Michelle Knight RM, LLB · Euan M Wallace MD, FRCOG, FRANZCOG

The antiprogesterone mifepristone combined with a prostaglandin analogue (misoprostol or gemeprost) is effective for terminating early pregnancy and has a favourable safety profile.

Philip Goldstone MB BS(Hons) · Jill Michelson RN, RM, MBA(HealthAdmin) · Eve Williamson BPharm, PDM

Chlamydia, caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and the most commonly notified disease in Australia and in Western Australia ...

Kellie S H Kwan BA(Hons), GradCertAppEpi · Edwina A Jachimowicz BNsng, MNsgSt(Midwifery), GradDipNseEd · Lisa Bastian BAppSc(Nursing), MPH · Lewis Marshall MPH, FAFPHM, FACSHM · Donna B Mak MPH, FAFPHM, FACRRM

Objective: To present updated national birthweight percentiles by gestational age for male and female singleton infants born in Australia.Design and setting: Cross-sectional population-based study of 2.53 million singleton live births in Australia between 1998 and 2007.Main outcome measures: Birthweight percentiles by gestational age and sex.Results: Between 1998 and 2007, women in Australia gave birth to 2 539 237 live singleton infants. Of these, ...

Timothy A Dobbins BMath, PhD · Elizabeth A Sullivan MD, MPH, FAFPHM · Christine L Roberts MB BS, DrPH, FAFPHM · Judy M Simpson BSc(Hons), PhD

Objective: To examine the frequency and causes of snorkelling-related deaths in Australia.Design, setting and subjects: We conducted a retrospective analysis of snorkelling-related deaths recorded in Australia from 1994 to 2006 inclusive, based on information from the Divers Alert Network Asia–Pacific database, the National Coroners Information System, coronial files from all states and territories, and annual national drowning reports.Main outcome measures: Number ...

John M Lippmann BSc, DipEd, MAppSc · John H Pearn MD, FRACP, FRCP

Traumatic injury accounts for 9% of global mortality, and imposes significant physical and psychological disability on people of all age groups. It remains the leading cause of death in those under 45 years of age. Trauma systems facilitate the timely treatment of patients with major trauma at a trauma centre. This approach has reduced mortality in patients with trauma in Australia and internationally.

Kate A Curtis PhD, RN · Rebecca J Mitchell MA (Psych), MOHS, PhD · Shanley S Chong PhD · Zsolt J Balogh MD, PhD, FRACS · Duncan J Reed MB BS, FACEM · Peter T Clark FACEM, FCICM, FANZCA · Scott D’Amours MDCM, FRCS(C), FRACS · Deborah A Black PhD, MStat, BSc · Mary E Langcake BM BS, BSc(Hons), FRACS · Colman B Taylor MND · Patricia McDougall RN, Cert Hlth Economics · Peter A Cameron MB BS, MD, FACEM

Objective: To identify a level of iodine supplementation to recommend for pregnant and breastfeeding women in Australia.Design, setting and participants: Dietary modelling indicated that mandatory fortification of bread with iodine by replacing salt with iodised salt would still leave a gap in iodine intakes in pregnant and breastfeeding women in Australia. Iodine shortfall was estimated by two separate methods: (i) analysis ...

Dorothy E M Mackerras MPH, PhD · Creswell J Eastman MD, FRACP, FRCPA

Objective: To investigate whether bias in clinical history affects accuracy of electrocardiograph (ECG) interpretation among doctors working in emergency departments.Design and setting: Observational study conducted at four teaching hospitals in Sydney from May to September 2011.Participants: Emergency registrars and physicians (senior doctors), and interns, resident medical officers and senior resident medical officers (junior doctors).Intervention: Participants interpreted 30 ECGs ...

Monique F Cruz BSc(Med), MB BS · James Edwards MB BS, MMedEd, FACEM · Michael M Dinh MB BS, MPH, FACEM · Elizabeth H Barnes MStat

In the early years of transplantation, organs were retrieved from patients who were considered to have died by traditional cardiopulmonary criteria (now known as donation after cardiac death [DCD]) or from live donors. The introduction of diagnostic criteria for brain death provided a more practical and controlled pathway to organ donation. Donation after brain death (DBrD) allowed organ retrieval without prior cessation of circulation, thus minimising warm ischaemic time and enhancing organ function in the recipient.

Tim G Coulson BM, BSc · David V Pilcher MRCP, FRACP, FCICM · Shena M Graham RN, CCC, BN · Gregory I Snell MB BS, FRACP, MD · Bronwyn J Levvey RN, GradDipEpi, BEdStudies · Steve Philpot FCICM · Alvin Teo FCICM · Andrew R Davies FRACP, FCICM

Objective: To compare the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the MBS initiative with the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative, to test contentions that Better Access is used more often by advantaged major city patients and that the role of GPs has been reduced to that of referrers.Design and setting: Analysis of Bettering the Evaluation and ...

Christopher M Harrison BPsych(Hons), MSocHlth · Helena C Britt BA, PhD · Janice Charles BA, MSc(Med)

Objectives: To describe the clinical syndrome associated with definite tiger snake (Notechis spp) envenoming and to examine the ability of tiger snake antivenom (TSAV) to bind free venom in vivo. Design, setting and participants: We conducted a prospective cohort study within the Australian Snakebite Project, reviewing all definite tiger snake envenoming cases between October 2004 and June 2011. Definite cases were identified by ...

Geoffrey K Isbister · Margaret A O’Leary · Matthew Elliott · Simon G A Brown

Objective: To determine the increase in intensive care unit (ICU) bed availability that would result from the use of the New South Wales and Ontario Health Plan for an Influenza Pandemic (OHPIP) triage protocols.Design, setting and patients: Prospective evaluation study conducted in eight Australian, adult, general ICUs, between September 2009 and May 2010. All patients who were admitted to the ICU, excluding ...

on behalf of the Influenza Pandemic ICU Triage (iPIT) Study Investigators

How appropriate is the health care delivered to Australians? A seminal study in the United States showed that American adults received “recommended care” only 55% of the time in the years 1999–2000. Estimates of “appropriate care” — defined here as care in line with evidence-based or consensus-based guidelines — are limited in most countries, including Australia, to small groups of conditions ...

William B Runciman MB BCh, FANZCA, PhD · Tamara D Hunt BAppSc(Nursing), CritCareCert · Natalie A Hannaford DipAppSc(Nursing), MPH · Peter D Hibbert BAppSc(Physio), GradDipComp, GradDipEcon · Johanna I Westbrook PhD, GradDipAppEpid, MHA · Enrico W Coiera MB BS, PhD, FACMI · Richard O Day MD, FRACP, MB BS · Diane M Hindmarsh MScAgr, MBiostats · Elizabeth A McGlynn PhD · Jeffrey Braithwaite PhD, MBA, FCHSM

Objectives: To investigate the acceptability and feasibility of using end-of-life (EOL) care pathways in residential aged care facilities (RACFs).Design, setting and participants: Multistage action research approach involving interviews, surveys and prospective audits of deaths and EOL care pathway use among residents and staff of RACFs and associated general practitioners from 14 RACFs in Victoria and South Australia between April 2009 and July 2010.Intervention: ...

Dell E Horey BAppSc, MMedSc(ClinEpi), PhD · Annette F Street BEd(Hons), PhD · Alison F Sands MB BS(Hons), FRACGP

Despite nearly 70% of Australian women of reproductive age using a contraceptive method, estimates are that over 50% of Australian women have had an unplanned pregnancy. This rate, similar to that in the United Kingdom (30%) and United States (49%), may in part be explained by the fact that the combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP) remains the preferred method of contraception in Australia as it is in the UK ...

Danielle Mazza MD, FRACGP · Christopher Harrison BPsych(Hons), MSocHlth · Angela Taft BA, MPH, PhD · Bianca Brijnath BA(Hons), PhD · Helena Britt BA, PhD · Melissa Hobbs RN, MPH · Kay Stewart BPharm(Hons), PhD · Safeera Hussainy BPharm(Hons), PhD

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of mental disorder in a representative sample of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Queensland prisons.Design, setting and participants: Cross-sectional assessment of mental health using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and clinical interviews, conducted by Indigenous mental health clinicians who undertook specific training for this purpose, with support from forensic psychiatrists when indicated. We ...

Edward B Heffernan MB BS, MPH, FRANZCP · Kimina C Andersen BSW · Abhilash Dev BDS, MPH · Stuart Kinner BA(Hons), PhD