Australian Health Research Articles

Characteristics of quality improvement interventions to improve physical healthcare in mental health settings: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionMental health concerns globally impact millions of people, resulting in significant financial impact and adverse health outcomes. People living with mental health concerns are at higher risk of developing physical...

Impacts of a Dysphagia Screening Questionnaire on Speech Pathology Input Using a Transdisciplinary Approach for Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in pulmonary rehabilitation programs (PRPs) are not routinely screened for dysphagia. An Australian regional health service audit revealed that patients with COPD are frequently referred to speech pathology during acute admissions, rather than proactively to mitigate the risk of dysphagia-related consequences. Referral patterns to speech pathology using a novel transdisciplinary approach for identifying at risk for dysphagia patients in a PRP were explored. The aim of this study was toinvestigate the impact of a transdisciplinary dysphagia screening questionnaire on speech pathology referrals within a cohort of patients with COPD enrolled in a PRP. This quasi-experimental study introduced a dysphagia screening questionnaire in a PRP using a transdisciplinary approach. A retrospective audit of PRP patients (n = 563) between 01/01/2014 and 31/12/2018 was conducted to identify the frequency of referrals to speech pathology for dysphagia. Data was compared to a cohort of patients (n = 50) enrolled in the PRP (from 01/02/21 to 30/11/21) after introduction of the questionnaire using Fisher's exact test. Less than 1% (n = 4/563) of PRP patients were referred to speech pathology prior to implementation of the questionnaire. Following the implementation, referrals to speech pathology significantly increased to 16% (8/50) (X2 = 7.72, P < 0.05; odds ratio = 7.89 95% CI [1.94, 32.1]). Introducing a dysphagia screening questionnaire increased referrals to speech pathology from a PRP. This study demonstrated the potential for a transdisciplinary approach in early screening for patients at risk of dysphagia for patients with COPD. Further research is encouraged to explore patient motivation towards speech pathology input with COPD-related dysphagia and clinicians' perceived self-efficacy in using the questionnaire.

Responding to health literacy of refugees in Australian primary health care settings: a qualitative study of barriers and potential solutions

BackgroundOrganisational health literacy is a promising area of research that enables a focus on how systems and services can be designed in ways that are responsive to populations with varying states and levels of health literacy, knowledge, and practices, including African refugees. The challenge is how organisations and professionals do this in practice, and research in this area is in its early stages. This qualitative study examined barriers to implementing health literacy responsive care practices in primary health care settings in Australia. It also offered suggestions to potentially address the barriers to improving organisational health literacy.MethodsRefugees (n = 19), primary health care professionals (n = 14), and other key stakeholders (n = 19) were recruited through convenience and snowball strategies from three states in Australia: New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland. All but one participant was interviewed face-to-face via Zoom. Semi-structured interview guides were used to guide the conversations. Transcriptions from audio recordings were analysed using directed content analysis.ResultsThirteen themes were extracted from the data. Themes were organised into the following categories: structural and systemic, organisational context, individual professional level, individual patient level, and socio-community level. Major structural and system-level factors affecting organisational health literacy included rigid systems and structures and limited time. Key organisation-level factors included inflexible organisational processes and policies, institutionalised othering, discrimination and racism, and lack of interpreters. Individual professional factors were poor communication with patients and cultural knowledge gaps. Linguistic issues and service mistrust were key individual patient-level factors. Socio-community factors included limited community engagement. Participants identified potential solutions to help services navigate out of the barriers and improve their response to health literacy.ConclusionThe findings suggest that mainstream services and organisations could improve timely and appropriate health care access and utilisation for refugees through strategies such as designing services and health literacy programs with refugee communities, promoting health literacy champions in the workforce, integrating health literacy and culturally responsive care plans and strategies into organisational priorities.

Health consumers' ethical concerns towards artificial intelligence in Australian emergency departments.

To investigate health consumers' ethical concerns towards the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in EDs. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with health consumers, recruited via health consumer networks and community groups, interviews conducted between January and August 2022. We interviewed 28 health consumers about their perceptions towards the ethical use of AI in EDs. The results discussed in this paper highlight the challenges and barriers for the effective and ethical implementation of AI from the perspective of Australian health consumers. Most health consumers are more likely to support AI health tools in EDs if they continue to be involved in the decision-making process. There is considerably more approval of AI tools that support clinical decision-making, as opposed to replacing it. There is mixed sentiment about the acceptability of AI tools influencing clinical decision-making and judgement. Health consumers are mostly supportive of the use of their data to train and develop AI tools but are concerned with who has access. Addressing bias and discrimination in AI is an important consideration for some health consumers. Robust regulation and governance are critical for health consumers to trust and accept the use of AI. Health consumers view AI as an emerging technology that they want to see comprehensively regulated to ensure it functions safely and securely with EDs. Without considerations made for the ethical design, implementation and use of AI technologies, health consumer trust and acceptance in the use of these tools will be limited.

Barriers to the introduction of novel advanced targeted treatments for Australian dermatology patients: Are skin diseases symptomatic of a systemic healthcare problem?

The aim of this article is to provide education to clinicians about certain barriers restricting the use of advanced targeted treatments in Australian health care. For illustrative purposes, the article focuses on dermatological conditions, but the content is relevant to all specialties that treat inflammatory and chronic diseases. Barriers to care discussed result in a lower than necessary standard of care for patients in Australia despite important advancements in medicine.

The Rosetta System: Lessons for rural Australian health care from successful implementation of a hospital-wide natural language processing system in metropolitan South Australia.

The Rosetta System: Lessons for rural Australian health care from successful implementation of a hospital-wide natural language processing system in metropolitan South Australia.

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance, Hesitancy, and Uptake in People with Diabetes in Australia.

Background: This study explored vaccination hesitancy, diabetes-specific COVID-19 vaccination concerns, and whether they predicted vaccination uptake in people with diabetes. Methods: Quantitative, cross-sectional, and predictive approaches were used. An online survey was conducted with people with diabetes attending four Australian health services, using convenience sampling (n = 842). The survey data collected included clinico-demographic characteristics, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and attitudes around COVID-19 vaccine confidence and complacency. Clinico-demographic characteristics that predicted vaccination status, vaccine hesitancy, and vaccine-related attitudes were identified using regression analyses. Results: Most participants received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Younger age and type 1 diabetes were associated with lower vaccination status, and they were partially mediated through higher vaccine hesitancy. Younger age and English as a dominant language were associated with higher negative attitudes towards speed of vaccine development. Conclusions: Despite an overall high vaccination rate, general and diabetes-specific COVID-19 vaccine concerns are a barrier to uptake for some people with diabetes, particularly in those who are younger or have type 1 diabetes. A detailed understanding of concerns for particular subgroups can help tailor information to increase vaccine acceptance, particularly in the context of requiring booster doses.

Social Inequities in Access to Dental Care in Australian Adults over Time.

Social inequities in dental caries are reflected by both inequities in the social structures that contribute to disease severity and inequities in the provision of dental care. This study aimed to describe social differentials in the dental caries experience among Australian adults across a 13-y period and to examine if the highest magnitude of oral health inequities persisted across dental caries prevalence (decayed teeth [DT]) or its management (missing teeth [MT], filled teeth [FT]). Data were from 2 population-based cross-sectional surveys of Australian adult oral health conducted in 2004-2006 (National Survey of Adult Oral Health-1 [NSAOH-1], n = 5,505) and 2017-2018 (NSAOH-2, n = 5,022). In each survey, representative samples of adults were obtained through a 3-stage, stratified sample design within metropolitan and regional areas in each state/territory. Clinical outcomes included the prevalence and mean of DT, MT, FT, and DMFT. Equivalized household income was grouped into approximately quartiles from low to high. Across all income quartiles, the mean DT and % DT >0 was higher in NSAOH-2 than in NSAOH-1. The increase in prevalence was highest in the third highest income group (prevalence difference [PD] = 8.4, from 24.1 to 32.5). Similarly, % MT >0 was lower in NSAOH-2 than in NSAOH-1 across all income groups, with the decrease most marked for the lowest income group (PD = -6.5, from 74.1 to 67.8). Across all income quartiles, % FT >0 was lower in NSAOH-2 than in NSAOH-1. The decrease was the most marked for the lowest income group (PD = -8.9, from 81.1 to 72.2). The findings confirm that although oral health inequities decreased for the most extreme management outcome of dental caries (MT), inequities increased for experience of that disease (DT) and the more conservative management of dental caries (FT). For all D, M, and F components (DMFT), inequities between the lowest and highest household income groups increased from 2004-2006 to 2017-2018. This study found that social inequities in oral health (experience of untreated dental caries and missing teeth) increased between the most socially advantaged and disadvantaged groups between 2004-2006 and 2017-2018. This suggests that models of dental service provision in Australia are increasingly benefitting those who can afford and access the care and who arguably need the services less than their less socially advantaged counterparts do.

Patterns of Mental Health Service Utilisation: A Population-Based Linkage of Over 17 Years of Health Administrative Records.

A cross-sectoral partnership was formed in 2021 in support of the recommendations in an audit on access to state-funded mental health services. In this first paper, we aimed to describe the demographic and service utilisation of adults with a mental health diagnosis in the Western Australian state-funded health system from 2005 to 2021. Inpatient, emergency department, specialised (ambulatory) community mental health service, and death records were linked in individuals aged ≥ 18 years with a mental health diagnosis in Western Australia. Altogether, 392,238 individuals with at least one mental health service contact between 1st January 2005 and 31st December 2021 were included for analysis. Females, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, and those who lived outside major cities or in the most disadvantaged areas were more likely to access state-funded mental health services. While the number of individuals who accessed community mental health services increased over time (from 28,769 in 2005 to 50,690 in 2021), the percentage increase relative to 2005 was notably greater for emergency department attendances (127% for emergency department; 76% for community; and 63% for inpatient). Conditions that contributed to the increase for emergency department were mainly alcohol disorder, reaction to severe stress and adjustment disorders, and anxiety disorders. Sex differences were observed between conditions. The pattern of access increased for emergency department and the community plus emergency department combination. This study confirmed that the patterns of access of state-funded mental health services have changed markedly over time and the potential drivers underlying these changes warrant further investigation.

Impact of informal caregiving on depressive symptoms among a national cohort of men

BackgroundThere is evidence that unpaid caregiving can have negative effects on the mental health of female caregivers; however, evidence of impacts on male caregivers is limited. This study addressed this...

Comparing and contrasting barriers in augmentative alternative communication use in nonspeaking autism and complex communication needs: multi-stakeholder perspectives.

Augmentative alternative communication (AAC) devices or systems are often prescribed to minimally verbal or nonspeaking autistic individuals and other individuals with complex communication needs to facilitate communication or as an alternative to spoken language. AAC use can result in communication gains and improved quality of life for minimally verbal or nonspeaking individuals. Despite this, AAC abandonment is high, limiting societal participation of the individual on the autism spectrum with complex communication needs. Our study is a novel exploration of the barriers of AAC use from a multi-stakeholder perspective, and a qualitative analysis of similarities and differences between stakeholders. We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 30 parent-carers, educators and clinicians currently supporting AAC users in Western Australia and analysed the data using reflexive thematic analysis. Barriers from each stakeholder group were coded, resulting in 17 subthemes forming five main themes common to all stakeholders: Stakeholder Knowledge, Stakeholder Attitudes and Stigma, Resources, AAC User Engagement, and Device Fit. Contrasting perspectives included actual and perceived stigma associated with AAC use (parent-carers vs clinicians); different struggles with resources and knowledge (parent-carers vs clinicians and educators); and a lack of clinician communication in the processes that determined AAC-fit for school environments (educators only). Findings are discussed in the context of improving inter-stakeholder collaboration and capacity building in Australian health service and practice to better support minimally verbal or nonspeaking autistic individuals and individuals with complex communication needs. Suggestions are also offered for communication partner training.

Acceptability of a virtual prostate cancer survivorship care model in rural Australia: A multi-methods, single-centre feasibility pilot.

A multi-methods, single-centre pilot comprising a quasi-experimental pre-/post-test design and an exploratory qualitative study. A rural Australian hospital and health service. Men newly diagnosed with localised prostate cancer who were scheduled to undergo, or had undergone, radical or robotic prostatectomy surgery within the previous 3 months. The intervention comprised a 12-week virtual care program delivered via teleconference by a specialist nurse, using a pre-existing connected care platform. The program was tailored to the post-operative recovery journey targeting post-operative care, psychoeducation, problem-solving and goal setting. Primary outcome: program acceptability. quality of life; prostate cancer-related distress; insomnia severity; fatigue severity; measured at baseline (T1); immediately post-intervention (T2); and 12 weeks post-intervention (T3). Seventeen participants completed the program. The program intervention showed very high levels (≥4/5) of acceptability, appropriateness and feasibility. At T1, 47% (n = 8) of men reported clinically significant psychological distress, which had significantly decreased by T3 (p = 0.020). There was a significant improvement in urinary irritative/obstructive symptoms (p = 0.030) and a corresponding decrease in urinary function burden (p = 0.005) from T1 to T3. This pilot has shown that a tailored nurse-led virtual care program, incorporating post-surgical follow-up and integrated low-intensity psychosocial care, is both acceptable to rural participants and feasible in terms of implementation and impact on patient outcomes.

An environmental scan of food and drink advertising on public transport around Adelaide schools.

Children and adolescents are particularly receptive to cues from food and drink advertising. Several policies recommend restricting unhealthy or discretionary ('junk') food advertising on government infrastructure such as public transport. Prior research in New South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia (WA) reveals a high proportion of discretionary food advertising outdoors and on public transport. The aim of this study was to identify the landscape of food and drink advertising on public transport assets around Adelaide schools. An environmental scan of food and drink advertising on public transport assets within 500 m of 65 Adelaide schools was conducted. The Council of Australian Governments Health Council's interim guide was used to categorise advertisements as 'suitable' or 'unsuitable' for promotion. Almost four in every five food and drink advertisements on public-transport assets observed around Adelaide schools included discretionary food or drink, and therefore were categorised as unsuitable for promotion. Advertisements on bus exteriors were more likely to promote discretionary foods, compared with bus shelters. This proportion of 'unhealthy' food advertising was comparable to previous research conducted in WA and NSW. SO WHAT?: In light of historic state/territory actions such as the ACT preventing discretionary food advertising on public transport, these findings should prompt a review and discussion of the suitability of food and drink promotion on government-owned South Australian transport and their associated assets.

Transitional experiences of Australian health science researchers: where is academic teaching preparedness?

Academic career development relies on a combination of teaching and research skills. In Australia, it is common for recent Doctor of Philosophy graduates to have a short-term post-doctoral research experience to build publication track-record and increase grant competitiveness, before securing a combined research and teaching or ‘academic’ role at a university. Other scientists work as full-time researchers for several years before transitioning to academic roles with expectations they can teach. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of health and biomedical science researchers transitioning into academic roles using a mixed methods design. Sixty-six participants working in health and biomedical sciences at over 20 Australian Universities who had been in an academic role for 5 years or less completed an online survey. Of 66 participants, 18 (27%) had never been in a research-only role before, while 48 (63%) had held a research-only role for up to 11 years before starting their current academic role. Findings showed most academics were not trained nor equipped to successfully undertake scholarly teaching. They reported a lack of awareness of teaching expectations, practical resources, and direct support provision at the start of their appointment. For former researchers specifically, these experiences led to low confidence and poor enjoyment in their academic role, with the potential to decrease overall teaching quality, student learning and student satisfaction. We postulate that these issues may be mitigated by the implementation of teaching-specific training programs catering for the research-only background of staff entering health and biomedical academic roles in the higher education workforce.

Experience is central and connections matter: A Leximancer analysis of the research priorities of people with lived experience of mental health issues in Australia

Mental health research priority-setting has a long history internationally. Many of these studies use expert panels or consensus methods across multiple mental health stakeholder groups. Whilst such approaches are designed to produce agreed research priorities, there is a risk that the specific and nuanced priorities of less powerful groups, especially those with lived experience of mental health issues, are lost in translation. We aimed to develop Australian mental health research priorities from the perspectives of people living with mental ill-health and their carers, families and kinship group members. A cross-sectional, open-ended survey was conducted nationally in Australia during January and February 2022. We asked participants to list three priorities on which mental health research should focus. Responses were analysed using Leximancer, a text analytics tool, to examine the concepts and their connections across the data. A total of 365 people with lived experience of mental ill-health participated in the survey. The majority (57%) identified as consumers, with 14% identifying as carers and 29% reporting both types of lived experience. Participants were from all Australian states and territories and from metropolitan, regional and remote areas. The Leximancer analysis generated 30 concepts in six thematic priority areas. The most prominent themes were experience, treatment and impact, followed by stigma, peer and trauma. The concept maps displayed complex connections and interrelationships between specific concepts, with lived experience a large and central concept. Analysis of the textual responses emphasised the importance of examining specifics, as the nuanced research priorities traversed themes and concept across the maps. This project provides robust evidence on the central importance of experience as driving mental health lived experience research priorities. Further, it demonstrates that people with lived experience describe the key issues in complex, interrelated ways that require multi-factorial research approaches to address.

Mental health nurses' attitudes towards consumers with co-existing mental health and drug and alcohol problems: Adescriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Dual diagnosis is a global health concern. This descriptive research assessed mental health nurses' attitudes towards consumers with dual diagnosis in Australian mental health settings. The research question was: What is the attitude of mental health nurses towards consumers with co-existing mental health and drug and alcohol problems? This cross-sectional survey included 103 mental health nurses who work with consumers with dual diagnosis. Participants were recruited from various mental health settings through convenience sampling. The Comorbidity Problems Perceptions Questionnaire was used to assess attitudes. Descriptive data and multiple regression analyses were conducted. We utilized the consensus-based checklist for reporting results of this study. Mental health nurses positively perceived consumers with dual diagnosis. Factors associated with a positive attitude were a higher level of work experience, feeling that one's role is adequate, perceiving one's role as legitimate, receiving increased support in one's position, having high work motivation, possessing high task-specific self-esteem and experiencing higher levels of work satisfaction. Work experience predicted role adequacy. Position predicted role support. The work sector predicted role-related self-esteem. As mental health nurses gain work experience; they develop positive attitudes that boost their self-esteem and sense of importance towards consumers with dual diagnosis. This constructive mindset also positively affects their work motivation and job satisfaction towards consumers with dual diagnosis. Conducting interventional studies is necessary to examine how clinical experiences, work environments, and job positions can impact attitudes, aiming to improve mental health nursing interventions towards consumers with dual diagnosis. The study found that mental health nurses' positive attitudes towards consumers with dual-diagnosis are influenced by their experience and knowledge. Moreover, mental health nurses who feel supported, motivated and confident in their roles are more likely to provide high-quality care to consumers with dual diagnosis. Mental health nurses could provide better care and support if they took a proactive approach and addressed the challenges associated with this consumer population. To be successful in their roles, mental health nurses require access to resources and support from healthcare organizations. As a result, their job satisfaction and attitudes towards consumers with dual diagnosis will be enhanced. In this way, consumers as well as healthcare organizations will benefit.

The impact of board capital on total value reporting: evidence from the Australian health care sector

PurposeThis study investigates the association between board gender diversity and multiple directorships, two board characteristics representing human, social and relational capital and the extent to which corporate reporting (using the double materiality principle) explains value creation for the organization, environment, society and the economy, which we define as total value reporting.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a disclosure index developed based on the Integrated Reporting Framework and the Global Reporting Initiative (G4) guidelines to analyze disclosures made using the double materiality principle and reflect the value created by companies. The sample includes corporate reports of 102 Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) companies in the Health Care sector. Ordinary least squares regression analyses test the relationship between board gender diversity and multiple directorships and the quality of total value reporting (and its subcomponents) with appropriate control variables.FindingsFindings reveal that human, social and relational capital formed through multiple directorships and gender-diverse boards is positively related to the quality of total value reporting. Results hold for alternative measures and sensitivity tests of gender diversity and multiple directorships.Practical implicationsOur study reveals that (1) the <IR> Framework, when combined with the GRI Framework, effectively measures connected information quality under a double materiality perspective for total value reporting; (2) enhancing board effectiveness for total value reporting is achievable by increasing female directors and those with multiple directorships; (3) limitations in accessing experienced directors, particularly women, do not disadvantage countries like Australia and (4) directors holding multiple board positions are pivotal in disseminating best practices in corporate governance and reporting across various companies and industries.Social implicationsOur research reveals that gender diversity on corporate boards transcends mere representation, significantly enhancing how firms articulate their value to stakeholders. This finding underscores the urgency for public policies to advocate for increased female board representation. Additionally, our findings indicate that board diversity, encompassing gender, experience, industry background and cultural perspectives, can elevate transparency in reporting, crucial for attracting global investors, particularly in emerging markets.Originality/valueOur study is an early attempt to examine total value reporting – underpinned by double materiality – which reports on how companies create value for themselves, the environment and society. It is one of the first to identify drivers of reporting based on double materiality.

Electroconvulsive therapy in a tertiary Australian mental health facility between 2009 and 2020.

Despite electroconvulsive therapy being one of the most effective treatments in psychiatry, few studies report trends in the provision of electroconvulsive therapy over time. This study aims to investigate the use of electroconvulsive therapy between 2009 and 2020 in an Australian public tertiary mental health facility, and to describe the electroconvulsive therapy patient population and change in courses of treatment. Routinely collected data for 677 patients who received 1669 electroconvulsive therapy courses of treatment at an Australian public tertiary mental health facility between 2009 and 2020 were examined. The provision of acute electroconvulsive therapy was stable across the study period; however, the number of maintenance electroconvulsive therapy courses commenced declined over the study. Schizophrenia was the most common indication for index treatment (37.4%). The majority of patients (85.7%) received acute electroconvulsive therapy only. Voluntary provision of electroconvulsive therapy declined over the study period, reducing from 44.9% in 2009 to 16.3% in 2020. Over the study period, there was a significant reduction in the number of maintenance electroconvulsive therapy courses commenced, and a large increase in involuntary treatment. The provision of electroconvulsive therapy was more likely to occur in males with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Further studies are needed to generate a greater understanding of the factors influencing the provision of electroconvulsive therapy within differing geographical, social and healthcare landscapes.

Consumer Survey on the Experience of Clozapine Treatment and Monitoring Process in an Australian Community Mental Health Service

Consumer Survey on the Experience of Clozapine Treatment and Monitoring Process in an Australian Community Mental Health Service

Review article: Patients who leave before care is completed: What does the legal duty to warn mean for emergency department clinicians?

Patients leave ED for a variety of reasons and at all stages of care. In Australian law, clinicians and health services owe a duty of care to people presenting to the ED for care, even if they have not yet entered a treatment space. There is also a positive duty to warn patients of material risks associated with their condition, proposed treatment(s), reasonable alternative treatment options and the likely effect of their healthcare decisions, including refusing treatment. This extends to a decision to leave the ED before care is completed. The form of that warning may vary based on what is known about the patient's condition and the associated risks at the time. Specific documentation of warnings given is essential.