PHC RIS Update

Contact details for all PHCRED directors and coordinators

On its website PHC RIS has compiled a complete list of PHCRED directors and coordinators of the Research Capacity Building Initiative (RCBI).
See: http://www.phcris.org.au/phcred/contacts.php

 Open Access Journal 

Articles of Interest

Aboriginal maternal and infant care workers: partners in caring for Aboriginal mothers and babies

Stamp GE, Champion S, Anderson G, Warren B, Stuart-Butler D, Doolan J, Boles C, Callaghan L, Foale A, Muyambi C. Aboriginal maternal and infant care workers: partners in caring for Aboriginal mothers and babies. Rural and Remote Health 8 (online), 2008: 883.
Aboriginal Maternal and Infant Care (AMIC) workers and midwives work in intellectual and inter-cultural partnerships in a new perinatal care model the Anangu Bibi Family Birthing Program that aims to provide culturally focussed perinatal care for Aboriginal mothers and families at two sites in regional South Australia. This study investigated the views of the AMIC workers and midwives about their roles, their partnership and the program, following the first 45 births. [Abstract precis by PHC RIS]
See: http://www.rrh.org.au/articles/showarticlenew.asp?ArticleID=883

An evaluation of the 'Designated Research Team' approach to building research capacity in primary care

Cooke J, Nancarrow S, Dyas J, Williams M. An evaluation of the 'Designated Research Team' approach to building research capacity in primary care. BMC Fam Pract. 2008 Jun 27;9:37.
This paper describes an evaluation of an initiative to increase the research capability of clinical groups in primary and community care settings in a region of the United Kingdom. The 'designated research team' (DRT) approach was evaluated using indicators derived from a framework of six principles for research capacity building (RCB) which include: building skills and confidence, relevance to practice, dissemination, linkages and collaborations, sustainability and infrastructure development. [Abstract precis by PHC RIS]
See: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2296/9/37

ARNM: promoting nursing in general practice

McLeod M, Mills J. ARNM: promoting nursing in general practice. Aust J Rural Health. 2008 Jul;16(4):249-50.
Nurses and midwives have been quietly working away in rural general practice for some time now, but the role they play remains largely misunderstood and as a consequence under valued. There is still a perception among the general community and within the wider nursing community that practice nurses act as doctor's handmaidens. However, this is far from the truth according to the nurses and midwives who work in practice environments. [Abstract precis by PHC RIS]
See: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/120747948/HTMLSTART

Enhancing the quality and transparency of health research

Groves T. Enhancing the quality and transparency of health research. BMJ. 2008 Jul 8;337:a718.
A young woman, just making ends meet and coping with four children, signed up to a breast cancer study where she would have to take two big pills every day for two years and show up for numerous frequent tests. Why would she put herself through that, wondered the researcher who went to obtain her consent. "I'm doing it for my daughter" said the mother, clearly expecting the study to yield usable, meaningful, and accessible evidence that might help prevent breast cancer in young women. [Abstract precis by PHC RIS]
See: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/jul08_1/a718

How the internet is changing health care

Michael Cross. How the internet is changing health care. BMJ 2008;337:a883.
Medical practitioners have long been public figures. However, the worldwide web is subjecting doctors to a level of popular scrutiny once reserved for politicians and entertainers. From last week, anyone with access to the internet has been able to read anonymous patients' reviews of individual doctors in the United Kingdom, searchable by name, location, and specialty. [Abstract precis by PHC RIS]
See: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/337/jul22_3/a883?papetoc

Long-term rural general practitioners: their original interest and considerations towards a change in rural medicine

Eley D, Young L. Long-term rural general practitioners: their original interest and considerations towards a change in rural medicine. Aust J Rural Health. 2008 Jul;16(4):241-4.
Despite a number of initiatives aimed at increasing the rural doctor numbers, the continuing reality of the rural doctor shortage in Australia is that most rural doctors leave after a few months or years. Hays explored the reasons why long-term general practitioners (GPs) stay in rural practice and found that personal and professional support and a strong attachment to the community were associated with decisions to remain in rural practice for long periods, while overwork and children's education concerns contributed most to leaving. [Abstract precis by PHC RIS]
See: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/120747938/HTMLSTART

Next Stop, Don't Block the Doors: Opening Up Access to Clinical Trials Results

The PLoS Medicine Editors (2008) Next Stop, Don't Block the Doors: Opening Up Access to Clinical Trials Results. PLoS Med 5(7): e160, doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050160.
2008 has been a good year for access to research. Effective New Year's Day, both the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute require publicly accessible archiving of papers published by their grantees. Also in January, the European Research Council announced its European Union-wide open-access mandate. In February, the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences voted to give the University a worldwide license to exercise copyright in each faculty member's scholarly articles for the purpose of making these articles freely available; Harvard Law School committed to mandatory free access in May.
See: http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0050160

Provision of health care in a geographically isolated Australian territory

Sherwin JC, Mitchell GS, Glasson W. Provision of health care in a geographically isolated Australian territory. Aust J Rural Health. 2008 Jul;16(4):251.
Norfolk Island is a geographically isolated territory of Australia, located in the South Pacific Ocean, 1600 km north-east of Sydney, and with a permanent population of less than 2000. Health care services are based at the 20-bed hospital enterprise, staffed by 2.5 full-time doctors and cater for local residents and tourists. Many health care challenges on Norfolk epitomise other remote communities in Australia, including the management of emergencies and conditions requiring specialist care, recruitment and retention of suitably skilled doctors, air evacuations, sourcing adequate funding, ensuring steady availability of medications, keeping up with patient expectations and the ever-increasing range of available treatments. [Abstract precis by PHC RIS]
See: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/120747936/HTMLSTART

Social determinants of health and the design of health programmes for the poor

Taylor S, Marandi A. Social determinants of health and the design of health programmes for the poor. BMJ. 2008 Jul 9;337:a290.
Socioeconomic development has brought major improvements in global health. Advances in health care have played an important role. However, social determinants-social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental factors-heavily influence people's demand for, access to, and use of health services. As a reflection of wider social inequalities, health systems tend to favour the better off, sustaining and sometimes amplifying health inequity. [Abstract precis by PHC RIS]
See: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/jul09_3/a290

New Reports

The social determinants of health: Developing an evidence base for political action

Kelly, Michael, Morgan, Antony, Bonnefoy, Josiane, Butt, Jennifer, Bergman, Vivian. The social determinants of health: Developing an evidence base for political action. 2007. The Commission on Social Determinants of Health, Geneva, SWI.
This report begins by identifying six problems which make developing the evidence base on the social determinants of health potentially difficult. These are: lack of precision in specifying causal pathways; merging the causes of health improvement with the causes of health inequities; lack of clarity about health gradients and health gaps; inadequacies in the descriptions of the axes of social differentiation in populations; the impact of context on interpreting evidence and on the concepts used to gather evidence; and the problems of getting knowledge into action. In order to overcome these difficulties a number of principles are described which help move the measurement of the social determinants forward. [Abstract precis by PHC RIS]
See: http://www.who.int/social_determinants/resources/latest_publications/en/index.html

News Items

Address to the 61st World Health Assembly: Why Alma-Ata in 1978 and Whither the Health for All Vision and Primary Health Care Strategy

My remarks will focus on "Why Alma-Ata in 1978 and Whither the Health for All Vision and Primary Health Care Strategy". Milan Kundera wrote in one of his books: "The struggle against human oppression is the struggle between memory and forgetfulness." So allow me to remind all of us today, of the transcendental beauty and significance of the definition of health in WHO's Constitution: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." This definition is immediately followed by: "The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition." Most importantly, the very first constitutional function of WHO reads: "To act as the directing and coordinating authority on international health work." Please do note that the Constitution says "the" and not "a" directing and coordinating authority.
See: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2008/wha61/hafdan_mahler_speech/en/index.html

Consultations for the proposed National Indigenous Representative Body

The Australian Government is committed to setting up a national Indigenous representative body to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a voice in national affairs and policy development. The Government wants to build a relationship with Indigenous Australians based on respect, co-operation and mutual responsibility. In doing this, it is involving Indigenous communities in the decisions which affect them to enable a collaborative approach to improving outcomes for Indigenous Australians. The Government is committed to closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous life outcomes. The Government has set national targets across six areas, including closing the life expectancy gap within a generation. These challenging targets mean that it is critical that Indigenous Australians are involved in developing policies and programs to improve their lives and that their views are represented to Government through credible mechanisms. The Government is now seeking the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on a proposed national Indigenous representative body.
See: http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/indigenous/repbody.htm

Media Releases

A Fair Go For Indigenous Researchers

23 Jul 2008
The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, today announced his intention to introduce new public funding arrangements that will create additional opportunities for Indigenous Australians pursuing academic research careers. "The Australian Government is committed to enhancing support for Indigenous researchers and research to ensure that all talented Australian academics are given a fair go and that all Australians have the opportunity to benefit from their endeavours," Senator Carr said.
See: http://minister.industry.gov.au/SenatortheHonKimCarr/Pages/AFAIRGOFORINDIGENOUSRESEARCHERS.aspx

Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing Media Releases

Aussie kids walk to Beijing to get fit

29 July 2008
Olympic fever has hit the nation with more than 100,000 kids throughout Australia starting to jump, run, hop and skip all the way to Beijing.
See: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/mr-yr08-ke-ke037.htm

Conferences/Seminars/Forums/Workshop

10th National Rural Health Conference

Rural health: the place to be...
At the 10th Conference there will be plenty of opportunity for the exchange of views. There will be a special Communities-in-Health day. There will be research reports, practical case studies, arts-in-health activities, an exhibition and much interaction between delegates. And you will be invited to reflect on the successes and failures of the past 20 years in rural and remote health: where did the sector do well, where badly?
Date: May 17 2009 - May 20 2009
Call for abstracts: Oct 03 2008
Early bird registration: Feb 20 2009
Location: Cairns QLD
Convenor: National Rural Health Alliance Inc
Phone: +61 2 6285 4660
Fax: +61 2 6285 4670
Email: conference@ruralhealth.org.au
Website: http://www.ruralhealth.org.au

2nd Annual National Prostheses Congress

Medical devices represent the largest portion of Australia's biotechnology sector. Surgically implanted medical devices, prostheses, are one of the most important of these technologies. Complex and sophisticated devices such as hip and knee replacements, cardiac stents, pace-makers and cochlear implants have led to vast improvement in patient outcomes.

Following on from last year's Doyle report, prostheses regulation and funding systems are being refined and price pressures for health insurers are ramping up. Getting the regulatory mix right is a challenge, but is crucial to ensuring that the latest life saving and quality of life promoting technology is available in Australian hospitals.
Date: Nov 05 2008 - Nov 06 2008
Early bird registration: Aug 15 2008
Location: Sydney NSW
Phone: +61 2 9080 4338
Email: tina.larssen@informa.com.au
Website: http://www.informa.com.au/prostheses

4th Annual School of Rural Health Research Conference

Chronic Disease Management in Rural Areas
This conference is intended for individuals and organisations with an interest in rural health, including general practice, primary health care, integrated care and population health, research and evaluation. The focus of the conference is to bring mutually beneficial rural research forward and to provide an opportunity to showcase and discuss chronic disease management in rural areas. The School of Rural Health welcomes participation with papers and posters at this forthcoming conference.

Date: Oct 16 2008 - Oct 16 2008
Call for abstracts: Aug 08 2008
Early bird registration: Sep 12 2008
Registration close: Oct 03 2008
Location: Shepparton VIC
Convenor: Dr Jennifer Critchley, Acting Director, University Department of Rural Health
Contact: Anne Marmo
Phone: 03 5823 4553
Fax: 03 5823 4555
Email: srh-conference@unimelb.edu.au
Website: http://www.ruralhealth.unimelb.edu.au/announcements/conference