Three-year Time Period Research Articles

Healthcare in the news media: The privileging of private over public

This article reports on a discourse analysis of the representation of healthcare in the print news media, and the way this representation shapes perspectives of healthcare. We analysed news items from six major Australian newspapers over a three-year time period. We show how various framing devices promote ideas about a crisis in the current public healthcare system, the existence of a precarious balance between the public and private health sectors, and the benefits of private healthcare. We employ Bourdieu’s concepts of field and capital to demonstrate the processes through which these devices are employed to conceal the power relations operating in the healthcare sector, to obscure the identity of those who gain the most from the expansion of private sector medicine, and to indirectly increase health inequalities.

Seasonal and multi-year surface displacements measured by DInSAR in a High Arctic permafrost environment

Arctic landscapes undergo seasonal and long-term changes as the active layer thaws and freezes, which can result in localized or irregular subsidence leading to the formation of thermokarst terrain. Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) is a technique capable of measuring ground surface displacements resulting from thawing permafrost at centimetre precision and is quickly gaining acceptance as a means of measuring ground displacement in permafrost regions. Using RADARSAT-2 stacked DInSAR data from 2013 and 2015 we determined the magnitude and patterns of land surface change in a continuous permafrost environment. At our study site situated in the Canadian High Arctic, DInSAR seasonal ground displacement patterns were consistent with field observations of permafrost degradation. As expected, many DInSAR values are close to the detection threshold (i.e., 1 cm) and therefore do not indicate significant change; however, DInSAR seasonal ground displacement patterns aligned well with climatological and soil conditions and offer geomorphological insight into subsurface processes in permafrost environments. While our dataset is limited to two years of data representing a three-year time period, the displacements derived from DInSAR provide insight into permafrost change in a High Arctic environment and demonstrate that DInSAR is an applicable tool for understanding environmental change in remote permafrost regions.

Peer Evaluation Instrument Development, Administration, and Assessment in a Team-based Learning Curriculum

Objective. To design and implement an instrument capable of providing students with valuable peer feedback on team behaviors and to provide results of the administration of the instrument. Methods. A three-part instrument was designed that requires teammate rankings with justification on attributes aligned with school outcomes and team functioning, reporting of student behaviors, and provision of feedback on the value of peer contributions to their team. Score results after three years of administration were analyzed. Results. Six evaluations per year were completed by members of four different professional classes over a three-year time period. Mean scores increased slightly as students progressed through the program. Students were able to differentially score peers on attributes and behaviors. Conclusion. The peer evaluation instrument presented here provides formative and summative feedback through qualitative and quantitative scores that allow students to acknowledge differential contributions of individual team members.

Thoracic trauma and acute respiratory distress syndrome in polytraumatized patients: a retrospective analysis.

Although thoracic trauma has often been associated with the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in general, its impact on ARDS in combination with severe concomitant injuries has still to be elucidated. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the frequency of thoracic trauma and ARDS in polytraumatized patients, and to evaluate the impact of thoracic trauma on the occurrence and the onset of ARDS. Included in this retrospective cohort study were all polytraumatized patients over 18 years of age, with an injury severity score (ISS) of at least 16, who were admitted to our level I trauma center over a three-year time period. Two hundred and eighty-eight patients met the inclusion criteria. 54.9% suffered from thoracic trauma, 51.7% developed ARDS, 21.5% pneumonia and 0.7% pulmonary embolism. Independent of the ISS, the presence of thoracic trauma increased the odds of ARDS occurrence (OR=2.242; 95% CI: 1.381-3.640; P<0.001) and resulted in a significantly earlier onset of ARDS (median, day 2 vs. day 3; P<0.01). Of those patients suffering from ARDS, ventilation time and length of stay at the ICU were longer if a concomitant thoracic injury was present (P<0.001). In general, ARDS was diagnosed prior to pneumonia and was therefore identified as its risk factor (OR=11.033; 95% CI: 4.812-25.299; P<0.001). Finally, an overall mortality rate of 21.2% was observed, which was neither affected by thoracic trauma nor ARDS. Thoracic trauma was identified as major risk factor for ARDS occurrence and earlier onset in polytrauma victims.

Statistical analysis of the electric energy production from photovoltaic conversion using mobile and fixed constructions

The paper presents the most representative – from the three-year measurement time period – characteristics of daily and monthly electricity production from a photovoltaic conversion using modules installed in a fixed and 2-axis tracking construction. Results are presented for selected summer, autumn, spring and winter days. Analyzed measuring stand is located on the roof of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering Poznan University of Technology building. The basic parameters of the statistical analysis like mean value, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis, median, range, or coefficient of variation were used. It was found that the asymmetry factor can be useful in the analysis of the daily electricity production from a photovoltaic conversion. In order to determine the repeatability of monthly electricity production, occurring between the summer, and summer and winter months, a non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was used as a statistical solution. In order to analyze the repeatability of daily peak hours, describing the largest value of the hourly electricity production, a non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was applied as an extension of the Mann-Whitney U test. Based on the analysis of the electric energy distribution from a prepared monitoring system it was found that traditional forecasting methods of the electricity production from a photovoltaic conversion, like multiple regression models, should not be the preferred methods of the analysis.

PHS141 - The Increasing Importance of A Continence Nurse Specialist To Improve Outcomes And Save Costs of Urinary Incontinence Care: An Analysis of Future Policy Scenarios

In an ageing population, it is inevitable to improve the management of care for community-dwelling elderly with incontinence. A previous study in this population with four or more chronic diseases showed that implementation of the Optimum Continence Service Specification (OCSS) reduced urinary incontinence, improved quality of life, and decreased healthcare and societal costs. The aim of this study was to explore future consequences of the OCSS new care strategy of various healthcare policy scenarios in an ageing population. We adapted a previously developed decision-analytical model in which OCSS was operationalised as the appointment of a continence nurse specialist located within the general practice in The Netherlands. The model included both a healthcare and a societal perspective. All outcomes were computed over a three-year time period using two different base years (2014 and 2030). Settings for future policy scenarios were based on desk-research and expert opinion. Our results show that implementation of OSCC yields large health gains in community-dwelling elderly (2030: 2,592 – 2,618 QALYs gained) and large cost-savings in The Netherlands (2030: healthcare perspective: €32.4 Million – €72.5 Million; societal perspective: €182.0 Million – €250.6 Million). Savings occur in different categories depending on healthcare policy. Implementation of OSCC can result in 1,273 Million less hours of informal caregiving per year. The uncertainty analyses and extreme case scenarios showed the robustness of the results. Implementation of OCSS results in an improvement of the quality of life in community-dwelling elderly, a cost reduction for payers and affected elderly, and less time invested by carer’s. If policy is moving from formal care to informal care, new incontinence care can reduce burden for informal caregivers. Various realistic policy scenarios even forecast larger health gains and cost-savings in the future. More importantly, the longer the implementation is postponed the larger the savings foregone.

Perceptions of care quality and the effect on patient satisfaction

PurposeThis research models the impact of patient perceptions of care quality on overall patient satisfaction in a rural healthcare organization over a three-year time period. The purpose of this paper is to determine if the factors that influence perceptions of service quality change over time and if the change affects overall patient satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachData were collected for three fiscal years (2012-2014) using a 36-question, Likert-scaled attitudinal survey. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify which constructs of five different service quality dimensions were statistically significant in predicting overall patient satisfaction. Paired comparison of means and ANOVAF-tests highlighted significant differences across years and demographics.FindingsMultiple regression models of overall patient satisfaction over a three-year time period had significant repeat variables, indicating salience of the dimensions and constructs of service quality that predict patient satisfaction. However, some dimensions of service quality did not remain significant from one year to another, indicating there may be a gap in the patient service cycle over an extended time frame.Originality/valueThis paper explored the sequential relationship between patient satisfaction survey data and perceptions of service quality over a multi-year time frame. The research focussed on outpatient medical clinics, while the majority of previous studies have focussed on acute care or inpatient stays. A longitudinal study is especially relevant for outpatient clinics where continuity of care is important.

Landsat ETM+ and SRTM Data Provide Near Real-Time Monitoring of Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Habitats in Africa

All four chimpanzee sub-species populations are declining due to multiple factors including human-caused habitat loss. Effective conservation efforts are therefore needed to ensure their long-term survival. Habitat suitability models serve as useful tools for conservation planning by depicting relative environmental suitability in geographic space over time. Previous studies mapping chimpanzee habitat suitability have been limited to small regions or coarse spatial and temporal resolutions. Here, we used Random Forests regression to downscale a coarse resolution habitat suitability calibration dataset to estimate habitat suitability over the entire chimpanzee range at 30-m resolution. Our model predicted habitat suitability well with an r2 of 0.82 (±0.002) based on 50-fold cross validation where 75% of the data was used for model calibration and 25% for model testing; however, there was considerable variation in the predictive capability among the four sub-species modeled individually. We tested the influence of several variables derived from Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) that included metrics of forest canopy and structure for four three-year time periods between 2000 and 2012. Elevation, Landsat ETM+ band 5 and Landsat derived canopy cover were the strongest predictors; highly suitable areas were associated with dense tree canopy cover for all but the Nigeria-Cameroon and Central Chimpanzee sub-species. Because the models were sensitive to such temporally based predictors, our results are the first to highlight the value of integrating continuously updated variables derived from satellite remote sensing into temporally dynamic habitat suitability models to support near real-time monitoring of habitat status and decision support systems.

The usage of ILLiad and Get It Now at a US medium-sized academic library over a three-year period

Purpose As medium-sized academic libraries’ budgets continue to shrink or cannot compete with inflation rates, document delivery options like ILLiad and unmediated Get It Now can play a prominent role in providing content lost due to the inevitable cancellation of serial subscriptions. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of using these two options in a US university. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines the usage of these two services for the three fiscal years following the implementation of Get It Now at Bradley University. Findings Questions addressed are as follows. How have they been used over the three-year time period? Which user status group has been using them, undergraduates, graduate students or faculty members? Which departments on campus have been using them the most? Originality/value This study is the first to look at the usage of Get It Now and ILLiad together over multiple years.

Using MLS Data for Hedonic Price Modeling: An Experiential Learning Activity

Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data are notoriously cumbersome for empirical analysis due to inaccuracies and incompleteness. Applied real estate market analysis using MLS data requires a diligent effort to identify and address data limitations. This paper describes a learning activity that provides students with an opportunity to work with a large, real-world MLS dataset to answer research questions about house price determinants using hedonic price modeling with OLS regression. The activity is designed for use with Microsoft Excel due to its ready availability. Available instructor resources include a dataset with 20,126 residential listings from a well-defined market covering a three-year time period with 85 data fields, directions for students, and a model answer. All instructor resources (password controlled) are available online at: http://tinyurl.com/mlscasestudy.

Comparative Planning Study of Different Tumor Bed Localization Modalities After Oncoplastic Conservative Surgery for Early-Stage Breast Cancer

determine the impact of a post-lumpectomy mammogram (PLM) toward this goal, our institution analyzed the results of this imaging strategy in our breast cancer population. Materials/Methods: Beginning February 14, 2011, our institution made a practice change to obtain PLMs prior to adjuvant radiation on all patients with visible calcifications on preoperative mammography. Women who underwent breast-conserving surgery and were seen in consultation for treatment of intact breast cancer were eligible. Results: Over a three-year time period, 1,047 intact breast cancer patients were evaluated within the Radiation Oncology department, of whom 558 underwent a PLM and were deemed eligible for evaluation. Suspicious calcifications were noted in 60 patients (10.7% of patients). Residual calcifications were identified at the lumpectomy site in 38 cases. In 13 cases there were suspicious calcifications noted in a separate location from the original lumpectomy and in 9 cases calcifications were felt to be pulled near the lumpectomy site from a separate location. The PLM led to a change in management in 47 instances; the remainder had close or positive margins, for which surgery was recommended regardless. Within these 47 cases, 20 were found to have residual disease (42.5%), 26 had no residual disease and 1 remained undiagnosed. In total, 20/558 patients (3.6%) had residual disease and thus derived benefit from the PLM. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) was the primary histology in a majority of the patients with residual disease (60%). DCIS or extensive DCIS was identified in 85% (17/20) of these cases. Likewise, a high percentage of patients with margins 2 mm (75%) and grade 2/3 (70%) were identified within this population. Conclusion: Obtaining a PLM prior to radiation has the potential to be a useful tool in select patient populations. Prior studies have been limited by selection bias and small sample sizes. Our study overcomes these obstacles by evaluating a large patient population. Establishment of a nomogram to identify patients best suited to benefit from a PLM would further improve the utility of this technique. Author Disclosure: E.D. Donnelly: None. E. Neuschler: None. C. Henley: None. S.I. Gutiontov: None. J. Hayes: None. K. Bethke: None. N. Hansen: None. S.A. Khan: None. J.B. Strauss: None.

Healthcare Costs of a Non-selected Cohort of Adult Patients With Ulcerative Colitis and Crohnʼs Disease, With Three Years Follow-up Evaluation

Introduction: Up-to-date estimation of healthcare costs in Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn's Disease (CD) patients is crucial to inform budgeting and resource allocation decisions. The increasing use of biologic therapies in these diseases has rendered previous cost studies with standard therapy obsolete. We sought to determine healthcare costs in real-world UC and CD patients managed in a specialized facility in a tertiary referral center. Methods: Data-bases of patients enrolled in an ongoing socio-economic study were mined to determine health resource utilization during the years 2012, 2013 and 2014. This included out-patient consultations, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, investigations (imaging, endoscopy), pharmacological treatments and surgical procedures. Prices were obtained from the Ministry of Health Tariff for Health Services (12/2014). Data express costs related to UC and CD, excluding co-morbidities, and are expressed as US$ (2014). Results: There were 238 UC patients (M:F ratio 1.01, mean age 50.6±16.7 y) and 237 CD patients (M:F ratio 0.94, mean age 40.2±15.9 y). The mean [median] healthcare cost/patient for UC was: 2012, $1,582 [$755]; 2013, $1,799 [$712]; 2014 $1,696 [$544]. The mean [median] healthcare cost/patient for CD was: 2012, $3,909 [$1,192]; 2013, $4,421 [$1,080]; 2014, $4,462 [$1,108]. Over the three-year time period, the major cost drivers in UC were diagnostic procedures 34.1%, biologic medication 24.0%, standard medication 16.6%, consultations 14.2%, hospitalization 5.8%, surgery 5.2%. In CD, the cost drivers were biologic medication 56.8%, diagnostic procedures 11.8% surgery 11.4%, consultations 7.8%, hospitalization 7.0%, standard medication 5.0%. The use of biologic medication increased progressively in both diseases over the 3 year period, with mean/patient cost of $406 for UC and $2443 for CD, ratio UC to CD = 0.17. There was a progressive decrease in the cost of hospitalizations, 77% in UC and 70% in CD, but there was no decrease noted in surgical costs in both diseases. Conclusion: CD patients engender much higher healthcare costs that those with UC. Expensive biologic medication has become the major cost driver in both CD and UC in the current era. Hospitalization costs have been reduced, but not expenses engendered by surgery. Overall, the cost of treating UC and CD patients in this biological area has increased.

Risk factors for delayed isolation of tuberculosis patients in a tertiary care hospital in a low-incidence country

Results In the three-year time period, 58 patients had a cultureproven tuberculosis infection in our hospital, 20 with an extrapulmonary infection only. For 41 patients (70.7%), isolation measures were not taken. Twelve of these were patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis only, and in these cases isolation measures were forgotten with aerosol generating procedures. The median number of days of non-isolation was 4 (range 1-162). For the patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (38 patients, 25 (65.8%) not isolated) four factors were predictive for non-isolation: presence of the symptom “fatigue”, absence of hemoptysis, absence of tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis, absence of involvement of a pulmonologist or infectious diseases specialist on admission. Due to these non-isolated patients, 1115 heath care workers and 78 patients had to be screened for tuberculosis.

Men’s moralising discourses on gender and HIV risk in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Various interventions have resulted in increased rates of HIV testing. However, encouraging men to acknowledge their risk for HIV, to test and link to treatment remains a challenge. In this study, we examine men’s perspectives on navigating HIV risk in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Qualitative interviews were conducted at four intervals over a three-year time period with a baseline cohort of 126 men and women. We found that men navigated HIV risk in their sexual relationships mainly by monitoring their partner’s behaviour. Men expressed concerns about female respectability, invoking discourses on hlonipha rooted in Zulu cultural ideals and Christian ideals about women staying close to home. In the post-apartheid era, these concerns were inflected by anxieties over changing gender norms and the high rates and risks of infection in the region. HIV prevention discourses on behaviour intersected with men’s efforts to assert their masculinity through the monitoring and controlling of women’s behaviour. The potential negative impacts of this should be addressed. Prevention efforts need to focus on men’s vulnerability to infection in terms of their own behaviour as well as the contexts in which they live.

Characterizing implications of two-dimensional space–time orientations for principal component analysis of geographic time series

This article introduces four new modes of principal component analysis (PCA) to investigate space–time variability in an image time series. Using the concept of tensors, an image time series can be understood as a space–time cube and can be analysed using six different orientations by grouping the basic elements (voxels) of the cube across different dimensions. Voxels grouped across columns or rows of the cube to produce vectors result in profiles. Voxels grouped across different planes to produce matrices result in slices. The traditional S-mode and T-mode PCA are thus the profile modes and slice modes across time and across space, respectively. This research introduces two profile-mode orientations across longitude and latitude and two slice-mode orientations across longitude–time and latitude–time. The research shows that a more complete understanding of the spatio-temporal variability in the data set can be achieved by investigating these different orientation modes, as individual modes have the capability of capturing variability in a particular dimension of a spatio-temporal data set. A case study was carried out using weekly anomalies of the AVISO (Archiving, Validation and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic data) sea surface height product filtered for tropical instability waves (TIWs) for a three-year time period from 1997 to 1999 in the tropical Pacific region. The results show that PCA with longitude as the dimension of variability and latitude–time as the dimension of variability were able to capture the TIW and barotropic Rossby wave propagation across the equatorial Pacific. The other two orientation modes were able to detect dominant latitudinal locations for TIW.

Tackling obesity and its complications in secure settings

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the incidence of obesity and its complications in secure psychiatric settings; and to assess changes in body mass index (BMI). Design/methodology/approach – Electronic patient records were used to determine levels of obesity and weight change over a three-year period. BMI levels were related to status, medication and patient characteristics. Findings – The incidence of obesity (34 per cent) in the sample (n=351) was higher than in the general population. One-third of patients were on medication for hyperlipidaemia and 10 per cent were diagnosed with type II diabetes. Patients on regular antipsychotic drugs and sodium valproate and who were less active had higher BMIs. Gender differences over a three-year period showed a tendency for women's weight to continue to increase which may be linked to lower levels of engagement in activities of moderate or vigorous intensity. Originality/value – Previous surveys using secure psychiatric populations have been point in time reviews. The current study tracks changes over a three-year time period and related this to a range of interventions.

Day‐to‐day activities of clinical dietitians working in the inpatient and outpatient settings in a group of New South Wales public hospitals: The results of a direct observational study

AbstractAimTo describe the daily tasks undertaken by dietitians working within the inpatient and outpatient sectors within the NSW public hospital system.MethodsThis study used an ethnographic methodology that employed a direct, non‐participatory, discontinuous, observational technique to observe hospital dietitians, in both outpatient and inpatient settings, during a typical work shift. Trained volunteer observers collected the data over a three‐year period (2008, 2009 and 2010). The data were combined and then sorted into five categories including: direct patient care, indirect patient care, communication, administration and education of self or others.ResultsA total of 609 hours and 21 minutes were observed across a three‐year time period 2008–2010. On average, the dietitians in both inpatient and outpatient settings spent 18.3–32.2% of their time in direct patient care activities. The majority of time was spent in indirect patient care activities such as: information collection, documentation and discussion with other health‐care professionals. A comparison between the two work settings showed that those dietitians working in the inpatient setting spent less time in direct patient care (18.3% vs 33.1%, P &lt; 0.05), and more time in indirect care activities (41.7% vs 23.3%, P &lt; 0.05) and in communication about patient care (22.7% vs 14.4%, P &lt; 0.05).ConclusionsThe findings show that dietitians spend most of their time doing activities that support patient care, but these activities occur away from the patient.

Realities of replication: implementation of evidence-based interventions for HIV prevention in real-world settings

BackgroundTo have public health impact, evidence-based interventions (EBIs) must be implemented appropriately at meaningful scale. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Replicating Effective Programs and Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions programs disseminate select EBIs by providing program materials and training health providers on their appropriate use and implementation. Sociometrics’ HIV/AIDS Prevention Program Archive (HAPPA) and Program Archive for Sexuality, Health, and Adolescents (PASHA) are likewise the largest EBI collections targeting sexual risk behaviors in the private sector. This study examined the extent to which organizations that obtain EBIs from HAPPA and PASHA implement, adapt and evaluate them and factors associated with program implementation.MethodsSurvey data were collected from 123 organizations that acquired, and had been in possession for a minimum of six months, at least one EBI from HAPPA or PASHA between January 2009 and June 2011. Data regarding program characteristics and date of acquisition were obtained from Sociometrics’ sales and marketing databases. Logistic regression was used to assess barriers to program implementation.ResultsAmong organizations that obtained an EBI from Sociometrics intending to implement it, 53% had implemented the program at least once or were in the process of implementing the program for the first time; another 22% were preparing for implementation. Over the three-year time period assessed, over 11,381 individuals participated in these interventions. Almost two-thirds (65%) of implementers made changes to the original program. Common adaptations included: editing content to be more current and of local relevance (81%); adding, deleting or modifying incentives for participation (50%); changing the location in which the program takes place (44%); and/or changing the number, length and/or frequency of program sessions (42%). In total, 80% of implementers monitored program delivery. Participant outcomes were tracked by 78%; 28% of which used evaluation designs that included a control or comparison group. Lack of adequate resources was significantly associated with decreased likelihood of program implementation (odds ratio = 0.180, p <0.05).ConclusionsFindings provide greater understanding of implementation processes, barriers and facilitators that may be used to develop strategies to increase the appropriate use of EBIs.

Triple Jump Examinations for Dental Student Assessment

The triple jump examination (TJE) attempts to assess a higher level of learning with demand for analysis, critical thinking, and resolution of problems presented by written scenarios based on patient care situations. The purpose of this study was to examine the internal consistency, scale reliability, and interrater reliability of the TJE used at the Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California. On the sample of 2,227 examinations administered by seventy-seven raters across a three-year time period, the Cronbach's coefficient alpha for internal consistency of the overall TJE was found to be good (a=0.869). The internal consistency of the three subscales was found to be acceptable (a=0.731), good (a=0.820), and good (a=0.820). Average and single measures intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for scale reliability were significant at p<0.001, indicating strong interrater reliability. There were no statistically significant differences (p≤0.05) in the mean scores assigned on the TJE between rater groups defined by rater experience level with the TJE. A very high level of agreement among rater pairs was also observed. Across the entire three-year study period, with over 19,152 ratings, the seventy-seven raters were in general agreement 99.5 percent of the time and in exact agreement 77.2 percent of the time.

A risky tale of two countries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a comparative analysis of the communication of the five major categories of risk (business, strategy, market and credit risk disclosure) over the volatile 2007-2009 global financial crisis (GFC) time period between Indonesia and Malaysia manufacturing listed companies. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 300 firm years data are collected consisting of a random sample of 100 manufacturing listed companies’ annual reports for fiscal year-ends from 2007 to 2009. The reports include 50 annual reports of manufacturing companies per country, listed in the stock exchanges of Indonesia and Malaysia for this three-year GFC time period. This research adopts a researcher-constructed risk disclosure index (RDI) to create an index measuring the extent of risk disclosure by listed firms. Findings – Key findings from statistical analysis are that country of incorporation and size help predict risk disclosure levels. Malaysian companies have significantly higher levels of business risk in 2007 and operating risk communication in 2007, 2008 and 2009 than Indonesian companies. These two countries have similar economic scenarios as developing countries which often have higher “business” risk for companies, but Malaysian companies disclose more risk information than Indonesia. The overall low disclosure levels (27.46-32.92 per cent for Indonesian companies and 35.20-39.04 per cent for Malaysian companies) highlight the potential for far higher communication of key risk factors in these two countries. Originality/value – This study is important as it contributes to the literature by providing comparative insights into the voluntary risk disclosure practices of manufacturing companies in the two important Asian countries (Indonesia and Malaysia) over the GFC time period. There is lack of risk disclosure studies in manufacturing companies, especially in these two sample countries.