Topics
Social determinants of health
When may an adult woman with cognitive impairment still have capacity to consent to an abortion?
Capacity to consent to abortion is decision-specific, so that even when a woman is found to lack capacity to make decisions in other areas of her life, she may still have capacity to consent to an abortion
Julia P Duffy · Sam Boyle · Casey M Haining
The prevalence of and variation in indicators of the quality and safety of long term aged care in Australia, 2019: a cross‐sectional population‐based study
Our findings could be used to identify areas of aged care that could be targeted by quality improvement programs
Tesfahun C Eshetie · Gillian E Caughey · Catherine Lang · Olivia Ryan · Renuka Visvanathan · Craig Whitehead · Keith Evans · Janet K Sluggett · Jyoti Khadka · Carolyn Dawkins · Helena Williams · Miranda Starke · Sara Blunt · Anne Liddell · Megan Corlis · Anna Sheppeard · Penelope Lello · Marilyn Thien · Steven L Wesselingh · Maria C Inacio
Health and economic benefits of improving pre‐hospital identification of stroke in Australian women: a modelling study
Younger women experiencing stroke in Australia stand to gain health and economic benefits from more accurate stroke identification in the pre-hospital setting
Thomas Gadsden · Lei Si · Emily R Atkins · Cheryl Carcel · Xia Wang · Stephen Jan · Mark Woodward · Laura E Downey
Is it time to retire the label “CALD” in public health research and practice?
Ikram Abdi · Abela Mahimbo · Julie Leask
Implementing voluntary assisted dying in New South Wales correctional settings
Discussion of the ethical and legal difficulties in implementing voluntary assisted dying (VAD) in New South Wales correctional settings, and our approaches towards community-equivalence in VAD for terminally ill prisoners
Diya Ahluwalia · Leigh Haysom
Taking up the challenge of eliminating racism in health care through talking about race (and culture)
Transformative change cannot be enacted without challenging the workings of racial power, and health systems must adopt a broader antiracist strategy that engages with the structural and lived realities of race and racism
Chelsea J Watego · David Singh · Kevin Yow Yeh · Helena Kajlich · Saran Singh
Core components of a best practice First Nations cancer coordinator role
The core elements of a First Nations cancer care coordination role developed by iterative yarning with First Nations stakeholders, audits of current care, and recommendations from existing patient coordinator programs
Mollie C Wilson · Marissa Mulcahy · Jennifer Philip · Brian H Le · Gail Garvey
Fan‐first heat‐health protection
Electric fans protect health and improve thermal comfort in hot indoor conditions while reducing the need for air conditioning
Angie Bone · Federico Tartarini · Ollie Jay
Social inequalities in eligibility rates and use of the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme, 2016–22: an administrative data analysis
George Disney · Peter Summers · Yi Yang
Shifting focus to adolescent wellbeing and inclusive participation in the digital age
Governance of digital technologies has fallen behind the pace of technological innovation and the evidence base. A holistic approach to digital health that promotes adolescent wellbeing is essential
with the Health Advisory Panel for Youth at the University of Sydney (HAPYUS)
Preventing intimate partner violence in Australia: unlocking the primary prevention potential of general practice
General practice is uniquely positioned to intervene at multiple points across the life course
Georgina Sutherland · Karen Block
The prevalence of intimate partner violence in Australia: a national survey
The lifetime prevalence of experiencing intimate partner violence is high, especially among women
Ben Mathews · Kelsey L Hegarty · Harriet L MacMillan · Monica Madzoska · Holly E Erskine · Rosana Pacella · James G Scott · Hannah Thomas · Franziska Meinck · Daryl Higgins · David M Lawrence · Divna Haslam · Sara Roetman · Eva Malacova · Timothy Cubitt
Social determinants of health and intensive care unit admission rates and outcomes for children, Australia, 2013–2020: analysis of national registry data
Targeted interventions based on further research are needed to reduce differences associated with social determinants of health
for the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Paediatric Study Group and Centre for Outcomes and Resource Evaluation
Using patient‐reported outcome measures in clinical trials: perspectives for and against a modular approach
There is growing interest in minimising the burden for patients when completing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). We explore different perspectives for and against adopting a modular approach for PROM inclusion in clinical trials.
Carrie‐Anne Ng · Jessica Roydhouse · Tim Luckett · Richard De Abreu Lourenco · Brendan Mulhern
The potential benefits of a needle and syringe program in Australian prisons
Needle and syringe programs are evidence-based best practice interventions that reduce the harm associated with needle sharing
Alexander J Thompson · Michael H Levy
The costs and benefits of a prison needle and syringe program in Australia, 2025–30: a modelling study
Each dollar spent on a needle and syringe program in Australian prisons could save $2.60 in treatment costs
Farah Houdroge · Samantha Colledge‐Frisby · Nadine Kronfli · Rebecca J Winter · Joanne Carson · Mark Stoove · Nick Scott
The potential of maternal and child health service data in Australia: how lessons from the COVID‐19 pandemic can accelerate data‐informed decision making
A discussion on the possibility and urgency of using linked maternal and child health data, with Victoria and South Australia as case studies, while there is a political window of opportunity for collaborative action
Ashleigh Shipton · Meredith O'Connor · Melissa Wake · Sharon Goldfeld · Helen Lees · Catina Adams · Kristina Edvardsson · Leesa Hooker · Jatender Mohal · Rhiannon M Pilkington · Fiona K Mensah
Dismantling barriers to research and clinical care for individuals with a vision impairment
Accessibility in research is an ongoing commitment that will continue to change based on the needs and preferences of the community. We must weigh up the impact of incorporating accessibility practices in research with the social cost of forgoing them
Eden G Robertson · Kate Hetherington · Meredith Prain · Julia Hall · Leighton Boyd AM · Rosemary Boyd OAM · Emily Shepard · Hollie Feller · Sally Karandrews · Fleur O'Hare · Kanae Yamamoto · Matthew P Simunovic · Robyn V Jamieson · Alan Ma · Lauren Ayton AM · Anai Gonzalez‐Cordero
Physician advocacy, international humanitarian law, and the protection of health care workers in conflict zones
International humanitarian law in its current form cannot be relied upon as the sole mechanism of prevention and response to attacks on health care in conflict zones
Irma Bilgrami · Christopher Guy · Vanessa Carnegie · Sandra Lussier
Is it time to retire the label “CALD” in public health research and practice?
The term “culturally and linguistically diverse” (CALD) is widely used in Australian public health. We discuss the limitations of the term and how it masks distinct needs and experiences of various cultural groups
Ikram Abdi · Adeline Tinessia · Abela Mahimbo · Meru Sheel · Julie Leask
Cultural safety, the LGBTQI+ community and international medical graduate training
Lack of knowledge and skills puts clinicians at risk of causing harm to patients and for consequent avoidance of the health system by LGBQTI+ communities
Cindy Towns · Charlene Rapsey · Rhea Liang
Closing the gap in kidney disease: validating the reporting of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander identification in a clinical quality registry using linked data
Integrating data to improve equity metrics in ANZDATA, including ethnicity and cultural identity, is vital for improving the health of Indigenous people
Heather J Baldwin · Nicole De La Mata · Grant Sara · Faye McMillan · Brett Biles · Jianyun Wu · Paul Lawton · Stephen McDonald · Angela C Webster
Decentralised COVID‐19 molecular point‐of‐care testing: lessons from implementing a primary care‐based network in remote Australian communities
The First Nations COVID-19 molecular point-of-care (POC) testing program was part of the Australian pandemic response, ensuring equitable testing access and minimising diagnosis delays. To inform future pandemic preparedness, we reviewed the POC framework to provide key recommendations.
Belinda Hengel · Rebecca J Guy · Dawn Casey · Lorraine Anderson · Kirsty Smith · Kelly Andrewartha · Tanya D Applegate · Amit Saha · Philip Cunningham · Lucas DeToca · William D Rawlinson · Marianne Martinello · Annie Tangey · Prital Patel · Mark DS Shephard · Susan Matthews · Louise Causer
National consensus statement on opioid agonist treatment in custodial settings
Introduction: Opioid use and dependence are prevalent among incarcerated people, contributing to elevated rates of overdose and other harms in this population. Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) has been shown to be an effective intervention to mitigate these risks. However, challenges to health care implementation in the custodial sector result in suboptimal and variable access to OAT in prisons nationally. Main recommendations: Among a national multidisciplinary expert panel, we conducted a modified Delphi study that yielded 19 recommendations to government, relevant health authorities and custodial health services. These recommendations cover five core domains: induction or continuation of OAT, OAT options and administration, transition of care to the community, special populations, and organisational support. Key recommendations include prompt recognition and treatment of opioid withdrawal, active linkage to community‐based OAT providers upon release, and ensuring appropriate organisational support through local protocols, adequate funding, and monitoring of key program indicators. Changes in management as a result of this statement: This consensus statement addresses a significant gap in national policy on OAT in Australian prisons. The recommendations, finalised in July 2024, set forth best practice standards grounded in evidence and expert consensus. We expect that implementing these recommendations will enhance the quality, consistency and continuity of OAT both within prison and upon release. Optimising OAT provision is crucial for improving health outcomes and addressing the risk of overdose, which is the leading cause of death among people released from prison.
Jocelyn Chan · Jon Cook · Michael Curtis · Adrian J Dunlop · Ele Morrison · Suzanne Nielsen · Rebecca J Winter · Thileepan Naren
