PHC RIS update

RESEARCH ROUNDup: What influence will GP Super Clinics have on PHC in Australia?

Recognising the fragmentation of primary health care (PHC) and its fundamental role in the health care system, the Australian Government has invested in the establishment of integrated primary care centres, known as 'GP Super Clinics', which aim to provide integrated and multi-disciplinary primary health care services 'under one roof'. This is a controversial program, and it is still too early to assess their impact or judge their success. However, it represents a significant development in Australian primary health care. This RESEARCH ROUNDup briefly summarises the GP Super Clinic program and then provides a discussion of the influence that integrated care organisations/systems may have on the Australian primary health care system.
See: www.phcris.org.au/publications/researchroundup/issues/23.php

The February 2012 edition of the PHC RIS Infonet is now available on-line!

The February 2012 PHC RIS infonet is now available in PDF and HTML versions. PHC RIS infonet is a bi-monthly newsletter designed to inform, influence and enhance primary health care practice, policy and research. It aims to maximise communication sharing between the Divisions Network, primary health care researchers and policy advisors. The February edition contains the editorial: The value of research by Ellen McIntyre, Director, PHC RIS; articles of interest; PHCRED updates including CREs; and much more.
See: www.phcris.org.au/publications/infonet/2012/february/

Articles of interest

Navigation roles support chronically ill older adults through healthcare transitions: a systematic review of the literature

Manderson B, Mcmurray J, Piraino E, Stolee P. (2012). Health and Social Care in the Community, 20(2): 113-127. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2524.2011.01032.x
Transitions between healthcare services or providers are critical points at which care may become fragmented, potentially leading to delays, duplications and adverse outcomes for the patient. This systematic review explores the role of health system navigator to facilitate effective care transitions for chronically ill older people.
 
See: dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2524.2011.01032.x

'Problematising' Australian policy representations in responses to the physical health of people with mental health disorders

Henderson J, Fuller J. (2011). Australian Journal of Social Issues, 46(2): 183-203.
Australian policies from Federal, New South Wales and South Australian governments for managing the physical health of people with mental health disorders are examined. The authors discuss the policies of collaborative care in fee-for-service primary care, monitoring of physical health status by primary mental health teams and promotion of lifestyle using Bacchi’s ‘What’s the problem represented to be?’. The authors suggest some issues have been overlooked such as the role of socio-economic inequity. [Abstract précis by PHC RIS]
See: search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=687794163477823;res=IELHSS

A qualitative study of ethical, medico-legal and clinical governance matters in Australian telehealth services

Wade V, Eliott J, Hiller J. (2012). Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, doi: 10.1258/jtt.2011.110808
This qualitative study examines the ethical, legal and governance matters from the perspective of clinicians or managers involved in Australian telehealth services. The perceived benefits, problems and actions taken in relation to ethical, legal and governance for telehealth services are summarised. The authors suggest an important new finding from the study is telehealth supports clinical governance through uptake of evidence-based care. [Abstract précis by PHC RIS]
See: jtt.rsmjournals.com/content/early/2012/01/19/jtt.2011.110808.short

Can physical therapists counsel patients with lifestyle-related health conditions effectively? A systematic review and implications

Frerichs W, Kaltenbacher E, Leur J, Dean E. (2011). Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, doi: 10.3109/09593985.2011.654179
This systematic review examines the question can physical therapists effectively counsel patients in lifestyle behaviour change. Physical therapists can have a positive effect on changes in patient’s lifestyle behaviour as a sole provider or part of an interprofessional team intervention. Implications for practice and research are discussed in relation to defining competency and parameters of health counseling interventions. [Abstract précis by PHC RIS]
See: informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09593985.2011.654179

Does team-based primary health care improve patients' perception of outcomes? Evidence from the 2007–08 Canadian Survey of Experiences with Primary Health

Jesmin S, Thind A, Sarma S. (2012). Health Policy, doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2012.01.008
This paper explored patients’ perceptions of team based primary health care using the 2007-08 Canadian Survey of Experiences with Primary Health Care. The authors suggest patient perceptions improved for after hours care, quality of care, confidence with the system and coordination of care. The link between costs of team based care and health outcomes needs further research. [Abstract précis by PHC RIS]
See: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168851012000097

Failure to Follow-Up Test Results for Ambulatory Patients: A Systematic Review [Free full text]

Callen J, Westbrook J, Georgiou A, Li J. (2011). Journal of General Internal Medicine, doi: 10.1007/s11606-011-1949-5
The effect on patient outcomes in failure to follow up test results in ambulatory care settings is examined in this systematic review. The authors suggest this area of patient safety requires urgent attention. Factors contributing to follow up of test results include: lack of policies and procedures, lack of integrated information systems, the multidisciplinary nature of the process and the role of the patient. [Abstract précis by PHC RIS]
See: dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11606-011-1949-5

GP Networks as enablers of quality of care: implementing a practice engagement framework in a General Practice Network

Pearce C, Shearer M, Gardner K, Kelly J, Xu T. (2011). Australian Journal of Primary Health, 16 December 2011 [epub ahead of print].
The role of the Melbourne East General Practice Network in supporting quality of care and capacity building for general practice is discussed. A practice engagement framework was developed with a commitment of significant resources in relation to information management systems, staff training, reporting and communication. The framework is illustrated with case studies. [Abstract précis by PHC RIS]
See: dx.doi.org/10.1071/PY11121

Reports

Australian Government 2011-12 Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements

Department of Health and Ageing
The purpose of the 2011-12 Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements (PAES), (like that of the Portfolio Budget Statements) is to inform Senators and Members of Parliament of the proposed allocation of resources to Government outcomes by agencies within the portfolio. They also facilitate understanding of the proposed appropriations in Appropriation Bills (Nos 3 and 4) 2011-12.
In this section:
- Australian Government 2011-12 Health and Ageing Portfolio Budget Statements
- Australian Government 2011-12 Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements
See: www.health.gov.au/internet/budget/publishing.nsf/Content/Australian+Government_2011-12_PAES

Capacity Development for Indigenous Service Delivery

Auditor - General Audit Report No.26 2011–12 Performance Audit, Commonwealth of Australia
The objective of the audit was to assess the extent to which FaHCSIA, DEEWR and DoHA seek to reduce service delivery risks posed by capacity constraints in Indigenous organisations.
See: www.anao.gov.au/Publications/Audit-Reports/2011-2012/Capacity-Development-for-Indigenous-Service-Delivery

Comorbidity of mental disorders and physical conditions 2007

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
This report investigates the prevalence of mental illness in association with common chronic diseases and shows that in 2007: 12% of Australians aged 16-85 had a mental disorder and a physical condition at the same time; the most common comorbidity was anxiety disorder combined with a physical condition, affecting around 1.4 million (9%) Australian adults; people living in the most disadvantaged areas of Australia were 65% more likely to have comorbidity than those living in the least disadvantaged areas.
See: www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=10737421146

Incidence of insulin-treated diabetes in Australia 2000–2009

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
The latest data about the incidence (the number of new cases) of insulin-treated diabetes from the National Diabetes Register are reported here and cover the period 2000 to 2009. During this period, 222,544 people began using insulin to treat their diabetes. Of these, 77% had Type 2 diabetes, 12% had gestational diabetes and 10% had Type 1 diabetes. The remaining 1% had other types of diabetes.
See: www.aihw.gov.au/diabetes/incidence/

Long-term conditions and mental health: The cost of co-morbidities

The King's Fund, UK
Long-term conditions and mental health: The cost of co-morbidities, published jointly by The King's Fund and the Centre for Mental Health, suggests that care for a large number of people with long-term conditions could be improved by:
- integrating mental health support with primary care and chronic disease management programmes
- improving the provision of liaison psychiatry services in acute hospitals
- providing health professionals of all kinds with basic mental health knowledge and skills
- removing policy barriers to integration, for example, through redesign of payment mechanisms
See: www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/mental_health_ltcs.html

Overview of Australian Indigenous health status, 2011

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet
The Overview of Australian Indigenous health status provides information about: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations; the context of Indigenous health; various measures of population health status; selected health conditions; and health risk factors. It is updated regularly as new information becomes available, and will expand to include details of other health conditions.
See: www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/health-facts/overviews

Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records Bill 2011

Jolly R, Bills Digest Service, Parliamentary Library
This Bills Digest of Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records Bill 2011 discusses: the passage history of the bill, purpose, background, financial implications, key provisions and concluding comments.
See: www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/BD/2011-12/12bd100.htm

Audio & Video

Agenda 2012: Health reform

Mitchell N, ABC Radio National Life Matters, 6 February 2012
Two years ago the then prime minister Kevin Rudd promised that 2010 must and would be the year of health reform. It wasn't the best year for him personally, but what's happened to the health reform agenda?
Guests: Carol Bennett, Executive Director, Consumer Health Forum of Australia; Prue Power, Executive Director, Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association
See: www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/agenda-2012---health-reform/3810640

Delivering health services to remote places

Wilson C, ABC Rural, 2 February 2012, 15 min
The shortage of doctors across rural and remote parts of Australia is the subject of a current Senate inquiry. The Rural Doctors Association has put forward a long list of policy changes it would like to see to attract more doctors to Australia's isolated towns and communities.
Guests: Jenny Johnson, CEO of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia; Dr Kerry Maroney is a GP in Narrabri, NSW
See: www.abc.net.au/rural/telegraph/content/2012/s3421450.htm

Exercise may prevent depression

Swan N, ABC Radio National Health Report, 13 February 2012
Research suggests that people who are more active in their leisure time are less likely to get depressed.
Guest: Dr Sam Harvey, Psychiatrist, University of New South Wales, Sydney
See: www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/exercise-may-prevent-depression/3823022

Resting heart rate

Swan N, ABC Radio National Health Report, 6 February 2012
Researchers in Norway assessed the association of long-term changes in resting heart rate with the risk of dying from ischaemic heart disease.
Guest: Professor Lars Vatten, Professor of Epidemiology and a Physician at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
See: www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/resting-heart-rate/3810372

Treatment of systolic high blood pressure (hypertension)

Swan N, ABC Radio National Health Report, 6 February 2012
Research has shown the importance of treating systolic (the top figure when measuring blood pressure) hypertension early.
Guest: Professor John Kostis, Chair of Medicine and Founding Director of the Cardiovascular Institute at the Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, New Jersey
See: www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/treatment-of-systolic-high-blood-pressure/3810342

News items

Doctor appointments now a click away

King R, WAToday.com.au, 14 February 2012
Perth residents can now book GP appointments online after the launch of an Australian-first service today, which doctors hope will take the pressure of public hospitals.
See: www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/doctor-appointments-now-a-click-away-20120214-1t3ht.html#ixzz1mQiNIgBw

Healthcare reform in 2012: whose health system is it anyway?

Brooks P, The Conversation, 13 January 2012
As many of us recover from the festive binge of overeating, drinking too much and not exercising enough, spare a thought for the new health minister as she plans for 2012. An exciting agenda looms – will we finally see a national dental scheme? And will the government finally manage to address escalating healthcare costs?
See: theconversation.edu.au/healthcare-reform-in-2012-whose-health-system-is-it-anyway-4905

Plenty of challenges and opportunities ahead for the community mental health sector

Sweet M, Croakey the Crikey Health Blog, 13 February 2012
Amongst all the talk about mental health reform and health reform more broadly, we haven’t heard much about the role of the community mental health sector.
See: blogs.crikey.com.au/croakey/2012/02/13/plenty-of-challenges-and-opportunities-ahead-for-the-community-mental-health-sector/

Searching for solutions

Copland S, ANU News, 14 February 2012
Collaborative research is helping to shed light on how to close the gap on Indigenous health disadvantage, writes SIMON COPLAND.
We hear a lot about ‘closing the gap’ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health outcomes. With a 12-year difference in life expectancy between non-Indigenous and Indigenous males, and child mortality rates up to four times higher in Indigenous communities, Indigenous disadvantage is considered to be one of Australia’s biggest health problems.
See: news.anu.edu.au/?p=13631

What makes a "Knowledgeable Patient"? On communication and other matters…  

Sweet M, Croakey the Crikey Health Blog, 13 February 2012
Science + democratic participation = better health outcomes, according to Sophie Hill, the editor of a new book called The Knowledgeable Patient.
See: blogs.crikey.com.au/croakey/2012/02/13/what-makes-a-knowledgeable-patient-on-communication-and-other-matters/

Media releases

Funds for fight against chronic disease

Health Victoria, February 2012
The Victorian and Commonwealth Governments have agreed to target more than $100 million of National Partnership on Preventive Health funding and other Victorian Government health prevention funding to turn around unhealthy lifestyles.
See: www.health.vic.gov.au/healthvictoria/feb12/chronic.htm

GP and practice incentives needed for eHealth records

Australian General Practice Network, 13 February 2012
The Federal Government is being urged to consider practice and GP incentive payments to ensure the implementation of the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) into the general practice sector.
See: www.agpn.com.au/media/media-releases/2012-media-releases2

Grants Announced to Fight Youth Binge Drinking

Hon Mark Butler MP, Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, 10 February 2012
The Australian Government is continuing its fight against youth binge drinking armed with $10 million to fund 26 community level projects across Australia.
See: www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/+mr-yr12-mb-mb007.htm

HeartLink tackles cardiovascular disease

ACT Government, Katy Gallagher, 7 February 2012
ACT Chief Minister and Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher, today launched the HeartLink project pilot at the Wattle Street Medical Practice in O'Connor. The project aims to prevent cardiovascular disease by working closely with general practices to identify people at high risk.
See: www.chiefminister.act.gov.au/media.php?v=11354

New model gives boost to health workers' training  

THEnet: Training for Health Equity Network, 7 February 2012
A new form of assessment will allow health and medical schools around the world to test whether they are contributing to the improvement of health conditions within their local communities.
This is the objective of the Training for Health Equity Network (THEnet for short), whose new Evaluation Framework applies social accountability principles to the essential task of training new generations of health workers – doctors, nurses, midwives, and a range of other health professions.
See: www.thenetcommunity.org/press-room.html

Ten of the Best Health and Medical Research Projects 2011 Launch

National Health and Medical Research Council, 9 February 2012
Cone snails are not an obvious place to look for medicine’s next significant breakthrough, but this is exactly where Dr Richard Lewis and his research team have found a promising new treatment for chronic pain.
See: www.nhmrc.gov.au/media/releases/2012/ten-best-health-and-medical-research-projects-2011-launch

Victoria provides $2 million for ground-breaking diabetes care trial

State Government Victoria, David Davis, Minister for Health, 14 February 2012
Minister for Health David Davis today announced the Victorian Coalition Government has committed $2 million for a new pilot scheme to improve care for people with diabetes.
See: www.premier.vic.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/3133-victoria-provides-2-million-for-ground-breaking-diabetes-care-trial.html

Conferences/seminars/forums/workshop

Evidence-informed public health

2-day short course
This course will address through informal presentations, practical workshops, discussions and case studies:
- Evidence in public health - background
- Asking answerable questions
- Searching for research evidence
- Assessing trustworthiness
- Applying evidence to policy and practice, including applicability & transferability; using evidence
- Evaluation - generating evidence about our practice
- Workshop: Working in an evidence-informed way
For more information and to register: Download the course flyer from our website.
Date: Mar 21 2012 - Mar 22 2012
Location: Melbourne VIC
Convenor: The Cochrane public health group
Contact: Tahna Pettman
Phone: +61 (0)3 9667 1309
Email: tpettman@unimelb.edu.au
Website: ph.cochrane.org/

Priorities 2012

Partnerships for Improving Health Systems
This year's meeting will examine the interface between researchers, clinicians and managers, and how these key stakeholders can best work together to improve our health systems. The Conference is a true international forum with strong participation from stakeholders from low, middle and high-income countries.
Date: Sep 16 2012 - Sep 19 2012
Call for abstracts: Mar 26 2012
Early bird registration: Aug 10 2012
Location: Vancouver CANADA
Convenor: the International Society on Priorities in Health Care
Phone: +1 780 436 0983 ext. 234
Email: priorities2012@buksa.com
Website: www.priorities2012.com/

Grants & tenders

Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme: Research priorities for 2012  

The PdCCRS is an annual national research project grants scheme which funds cancer research in identified priority areas to help reduce the impact of cancer in the community and improve outcomes for people affected by cancer.
Priority-driven Collaborative Cancer Research grants will support Australian researchers to work collaboratively to generate evidence, increase knowledge, and improve the translation of research into policy and practice in identified priority areas.
Closing date: Mar 14 2012
See: www.canceraustralia.gov.au/research-and-funding/priority-driven-research/2011-round-priority-driven-collaborative-cancer-research-scheme

Dementia Grants Program: Alzheimer's Australia Dementia Research Foundation

Alzheimer's Australia Dementia Research Foundation offers a range of awards including new investigator grants, grants into dementia care, travel grants as well as postgraduate scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships.
2012 Dementia Grants Program
- The Resthaven Inc Dementia Research Grant
- Dementia Research Grants
- Rosemary Foundation Travel Grant
- Postdoctoral Fellowships in Dementia
Closing date: Apr 17 2012
See: www.fightdementia.org.au/research-publications/dementia-grants-program.aspx

Discovery Indigenous

Australian Research Council
The Discovery Indigenous scheme provides funding to Eligible Organisations to support research programs led by an Indigenous Australian researcher and build research capacity of higher degree research and early career researchers.
Closing date: Apr 12 2012
See: www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/di/di_default.htm

Provision of Facilitation Services to Support the Development of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan

A key element of the success of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan will be ensuring meaningful engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in its development. The Commonwealth is seeking a facilitator to provide expertise to help structure discussions at up to six consultations and up to two Roundtables to maximise the outcomes and capture the diversity of views.
- DoHA/211/1112
- Department of Health and Ageing
Closing date: Mar 05 2012
See: www.tenders.gov.au/?event=public.atm.show&ATMUUID=5BA6B311-04C8-D6AF-FE0BDCA5038A36B1