Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articlesThis is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader, such as GoogleReader, or to display this data on your own website or blog. Subscribe to this data using MyMedWorm.Subscribe to this data using GoogleReader.Subscribe to this data using Bloglines.Subscribe to this data using MyYahoo.

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Funding illness prevention and health promotion in Australia: a way forwardEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
DiscussionWe discuss a number of reforms to existing funding arrangements including the creation of a national Preventative Priorities Advisory Committee (PrePAC) to set priorities. We propose the establishment of a PrePAC to provide evidence and set priorities across health promotion and illness prevention, with a national dedicated fund for health promotion.SummaryA national evidence-based funding system for illness prevention and health promotion would legitimize a substantial and sustained budget for health promotion breaking down some of the barriers in a fragmented federal health care system. (Source: Australia and N...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - November 12, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Anthony HarrisDuncan Mortimer Source Type: journals

Medication safety in acute care in Australia: where are we now? Part 2: a review of strategies and activities for improving medication safety 2002-2008Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Background: This paper presents Part 2 of a literature review examining medication safety in the Australian acute care setting. This review was undertaken for the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, updating the 2002 national report on medication safety. Part 2 of the review examined the Australian evidence base for approaches to build safer medication systems in acute care. Methods: A literature search was conducted to identify Australian studies and programs, published from 2002 to 2008, which examined strategies and activities for improving medication safety in acute care.Results and conclusionsS...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - September 21, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Susan SempleElizabeth Roughead Source Type: journals

What evidence is there to support skill mix changes between GPs, pharmacists and practice nurses in the care of elderly people living in the community?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: When implementing skill mix changes such as task substitution it is important that the health professionals' roles are complementary otherwise they may simply duplicate the task performed by other health professionals. This has implications for the way in which multidisciplinary teams are organised in initiatives such as the GP Super Clinics. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - September 10, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Sarah DennisJenny MayDavid PerkinsNicholas ZwarBonnie SibbaldIqbal Hasan Source Type: journals

Challenges for co-morbid chronic illness care and policy in Australia: a qualitative studyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The findings highlight challenges in preventive care and self management facing patients with multiple chronic conditions. Future clinical policy initiatives need to move away from single illness orientation toward strategies that meet the needs of people with co-morbid conditions and strengthen their capacity to self manage. These patients will benefit directly from specialised education and services that cater to the needs of people with clusters of co-morbidities. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - September 7, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Tanisha JowseyYun-Hee JeonPaul DugdaleNicholas GlasgowMarjan KljakovicTim Usherwood Source Type: journals

Increasing the use of evidence in health policy: practice and views of policy makers and researchersEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Policy makers and researchers recognise the potential of research to contribute to policy and are making significant attempts to integrate research into the policy process. These findings suggest four strategies to assist in increasing the use of research in policy: making research findings more accessible to policy makers; increasing opportunities for interaction between policy makers and researchers; addressing structural barriers such as research receptivity in policy agencies and a lack of incentives for academics to link with policy; and increasing the relevance of research to policy. (Source: Australia a...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - August 23, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Danielle CampbellSally RedmanLouisa JormMargaret CookeAnthony ZwiLucie Rychetnik Source Type: journals

Moving beyond 'rates, roads and rubbish': how do local governments make choices about healthy public policy to prevent obesity?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
While the causes of obesity are well known traditional education and treatment strategies do not appear to be making an impact. One solution as part of a broader complimentary set of strategies may be regulatory intervention at local government level to create environments for healthy nutrition and increased physical activity. Semi structured interviews were conducted with representatives of local government in Australia. Factors most likely to facilitate policy change were those supported by external funding, developed from an evidence base and sensitive to community and market forces. Barriers to change included a percei...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - August 22, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Steven AllenderErin GleesonBrad CrammondGary SacksMark LawrenceAnna PeetersBebe LoffBoyd Swinburn Source Type: journals

The geographic distribution of private health insurance in Australia in 2001Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the uneven distribution of private health insurance cover across Australia for policy formation. In particular, the study shows that the prevalence of private health insurance is unevenly distributed across Australia, with marked differences in prevalence in rural and urban areas, and substantial differences by socioeconomic status. Policy formation needs to take this into account. Evaluating the potential impact of changes in private health insurance requires more nuanced consideration than previously implied in the rhetoric about private health insurance o...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - August 16, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: John GloverSarah TennantStephen Duckett Source Type: journals

Medication safety in acute care in Australia: where are we now? Part 1: a review of the extent and causes of medication problems 2002-2008Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Medication-related hospital admissions remain a significant problem in the Australian healthcare system. It can be estimated that 190,000 medication-related hospital admissions occur per year in Australia, with estimated costs of $660 million. Medication incidents remain the second most common type of incident reported in Australian hospitals. A number of different systems factors contribute to the occurrence of medication errors in the Australian setting. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - August 10, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Elizabeth RougheadSusan Semple Source Type: journals

Health, ageing and private health insurance: baseline results from the 45 and Up Study cohortEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Compared to the rest of the study population, those with PHI are richer, better educated, more health conscious, in better health and more likely to use certain discretionary health services. Hence, PHI use is generally highest among those with the least need for health care. Whether or not people have PHI is more strongly associated with demographic and lifestyle factors than with health status. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - July 12, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Emily BanksLouisa JormSanja LujicKris Rogers Source Type: journals

Medical decision making for patients with Parkinson disease under Average Cost CriterionEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common disabling neurological disorders and results in substantial burden for patients, their families and the as a whole society in terms of increased health resource use and poor quality of life. For all stages of PD, medication therapy is the preferred medical treatment. The failure of medical regimes to prevent disease progression and to prevent long-term side effects has led to a resurgence of interest in surgical procedures. Partially observable Markov decision models (POMDPs) are a powerful and appropriate technique for decision making. In this paper we applied the model o...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - June 23, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: John GoulionisAthanassios Vozikis Source Type: journals

The Australian preventive health agenda: what will this mean for workforce development?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The formation of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC) and the National Preventative Task Force in 2008, demonstrate a renewed Australian Government commitment to health reform. The re-focus on prevention, bringing it to the centre of health care has significant implications for health service delivery in the primary health care setting, supportive organisational structures and continuing professional development for the existing clinical and public health workforce. It is an opportune time, therefore, to consider new approaches to workforce development aligned to health policy reform. Regardless of t...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - May 22, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Kathleen LilleyDonald Stewart Source Type: journals

Health facilities at the district level in IndonesiaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The relatively good distribution of health facilities in Indonesia was achieved through establishing public health centers at the sub-district level and staffing them through a system of compulsory service for doctors, nurses and midwives. Subsequently, these public sector staff also established solo-provider facilities for their own private practice; these solo-provider facilities, of which those for nurses are almost half, comprise the largest category of outpatient care facilities, most are not included in official statistics. Now that Indonesia no longer has mandatory service for newly graduated doctors, n...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - May 18, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Peter F Heywood and Nida P Harahap Source Type: journals

Treatment costs and priority setting in health care: a qualitative studyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Participants rejected a single-minded focus on efficiency - maximising health gains - when setting priorities in health care. There was a concern to avoid strategies that deny patients all hope of treatment, and a willingness to sacrifice health gains for a 'fair' public health system. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - May 6, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: John McKie, Bradley Shrimpton, Jeff Richardson and Rosalind Hurworth Source Type: journals

Working in disadvantaged communities: What additional competencies do we need?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The generic workforce needs assessment tool was easy to use and interpret. It appears that the public health workforce involved in this study has a high level of understanding of the relationship between the social determinants and health. However there is a skill gap in identifying and undertaking effective intervention. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - April 24, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Elizabeth Harris, Mark F Harris, Lynne Madden, Marilyn Wise, Peter Sainsbury, John MacDonald and Betty Gill Source Type: journals

The future of public health: the importance of workforceEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Health workforce has become a major concern and a significant health policy issue around the world in recent years. With recent international and national initiatives and models being developed and implemented in Australia and other countries, it is timely to understand the need and the rationale for a better trained and educated public health workforce for the future. Much more attention should also be given to evaluation and research in this field.Through this thematic series on Workforce and Public Health, we have drawn on the diverse nature of public health, workforce implications, education and training and national a...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - April 9, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Vivian Lin, Rebecca Watson and Brian Oldenburg Source Type: journals

The future of public health: the importance of workforce.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Health workforce has become a major concern and a significant health policy issue around the world in recent years. With recent international and national initiatives and models being developed and implemented in Australia and other countries, it is timely to understand the need and the rationale for a better trained and educated public health workforce for the future. Much more attention should also be given to evaluation and research in this field. Through this thematic series on Workforce and Public Health, we have drawn on the diverse nature of public health, workforce implications, education and training and national...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - April 9, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Vivian Lin, Rebecca Watson and Brian Oldenburg Source Type: journals

Strengthening field-based training in low and middle-income countries to build public health capacity: lessons from Australia's Master of Applied Epidemiology ProgramEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We describe Australia's first Master of Applied Epidemiology (MAE) model (established in 1991), which uses field-based training to strengthen the control of communicable diseases. A central attribute of this model is the way it partners and complements health department initiatives to enhance workforce skills, health system performance and the evidence-base for policies, programs and practice.SummaryThe MAE experience throws light on ways Australia could collaborate in regional capacity development initiatives. Key needs are a shared vision for a regional approach to integrate training with initiatives that strengthen serv...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - April 9, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Mahomed S Patel and Christine B Phillips Source Type: journals

How do government health departments in Australia access health economics advice to inform decisions for health? A surveyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
DiscussionA small health economics capacity in Australia has been established over the past 30 years through a variety of structural and strategic mechanisms. Health departments value health economic advice and use a variety of arrangements to obtain this. These arrangements have strengths and weaknesses depending upon the task to be undertaken. The lack of uniformity of approach suggests that health departments are still seeking the best ways to incorporate this form of specialist advice into mainstream decision-making.ImplicationsSummarises ways that governments source specialist services. Demonstrates how to describe an...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - April 9, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Lynne Madden, Lesley King and Alan Shiell Source Type: journals

Educating public health physicians for the future: a current perspective from Aotearoa New ZealandEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Persisting, and in some cases widening, inequalities in health within and between countries present significant challenges to the focus and practice of contemporary public health, and by association, to public health education. As public health physicians and academic educators of medically- and non-medically trained public health practitioners, we call for a radical re-think of current approaches to public health medicine education and training in order to address these challenges. The public health physicians of the future, we argue, require not merely technical knowledge and skills but also a set of values that underpin...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - April 9, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Chris Bullen and Pat Neuwelt Source Type: journals

Educating the public health workforce: issues and challengesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The planning and provisioning of education in public health must differentiate between the requirements of undergraduate and postgraduate students--while also addressing the changing needs of the health workforce. Within Australia, although significant research has been undertaken regarding the competencies required by postgraduate public health students, the approach is still somewhat piecemeal, and does not address undergraduate public health. This paper argues for a consistent approach to competencies that describe and differentiate entry-level and advanced practice. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - April 9, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Mary Louise Fleming, Elizabeth Parker, Trish Gould and Melinda Service Source Type: journals

A multidimensional classification of public health activity in AustraliaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The public health classification captures the important dimensions of public health activity. It will facilitate the organisation of information so that it can be used to address questions relating to any of these dimensions, either singly or in combination. The authors encourage readers to use the classification, and to suggest improvements. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - April 9, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Louisa R Jorm, Su Gruszin and Tim R Churches Source Type: journals

Evaluating health policy capacity: Learning from international and Australian experienceEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Based on this analysis, the paper discusses the organisational and individual factors that are likely to contribute to health policy capacity, highlights the need for further research in the health sector and points to some of the conceptual and methodological issues that need to be taken into consideration in such research. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - February 26, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Deborah H Gleeson, David G Legge and Deirdre O'Neill Source Type: journals

Health research policy: a case study of policy change in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: NHMRC made significant policy changes from 1997 to 2002 to better support Indigenous health as a result of external pressure and internal commitment. The policy changes have resulted in some progress in supporting better research models particularly in improving engagement with Indigenous communities. However there remains a need for considerable further effort to optimise outcomes for Indigenous people from research. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - February 26, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Sophia Leon de la Barra, Sally Redman and Sandra Eades Source Type: journals

Evaluating health policy capacity: learning from international and Australian experience.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Based on this analysis, the paper discusses the organisational and individual factors that are likely to contribute to health policy capacity, highlights the need for further research in the health sector and points to some of the conceptual and methodological issues that need to be taken into consideration in such research. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - February 26, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Deborah H Gleeson, David G Legge and Deirdre O'Neill Source Type: journals

Selecting interventions to promote fruit and vegetable consumption: from policy to action, a planning framework case study in Western AustraliaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: A structured framework and stakeholder participation assisted in developing a fruit and vegetable implementation strategy. Engagement and commitment of influential and diverse stakeholders is needed, not just for program support, but particularly in the areas of food and nutrition policy development and providing the infrastructure support required. Further work is required to develop performance outcomes and cost effectiveness measures for many of the strategies that have been proposed to address portfolio objectives. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - December 24, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Christina M Pollard, Janette M Lewis and Colin W Binns Source Type: journals

By invitation only – the case for breast cancer screening reminders for women over 69 yearsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: There is now sufficient data to support a change in the targeted upper age range for breast cancer screening to improve the existing suboptimal surveillance in women aged over 69 years. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - November 6, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Carla Saunders, Monica Robotin and Sally Crossing Source Type: journals

By invitation only - the case for breast cancer screening reminders for women over 69 yearsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: There is now sufficient data to support a change in the targeted upper age range for breast cancer screening to improve the existing suboptimal surveillance in women aged over 69 years. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - November 6, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: C Saunders, M Robotin and S Crossing Source Type: journals

Reforming primary health care: is New Zealand's primary health care strategy achieving its early goals?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The Strategy has resulted in lower fees for primary health care for many New Zealanders, and consultation rates have also increased over the past few years. However, fees have not fallen by as much as expected in government policy given the amount of extra public money spent since there are limited requirements for practices to reduce patients' fees in line with increases in public funding for primary care. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - November 6, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Jacqueline Cumming, Nicholas Mays and Barry Gribben Source Type: journals

How to make the rhetoric of joined-up government really workEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
'Joined-up' government and 'whole-of-government' approaches have evolved over the past two decades from the simple 'one-stop-shop' concept to much more formal organisational structures mandated at the highest levels. In many cases, the participants in these developments were learning on the job, as they responded to community and political demands for better service delivery and more accountability. This paper looks back at some of those developments and proposes a schema to assess and place policies, strategies and programs. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - November 4, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Jim Hyde Source Type: journals

I don't think general practice should be the front line: Experiences of general practitioners working with refugees in South AustraliaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: GPs in this study were under-resourced, at both an individual GP level as well as a structural level, to provide effective initial care for refugees. In SA, there are likely to be a number of challenges attempting to increase the capacity of GPs in private practice to provide initial care. An alternative model is for refugees with multiple and complex health care needs as well as those with significant resettlement challenges to receive initial health care via the existing specialist refugee health service in Adelaide. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - August 8, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: David R Johnson, Anna M Ziersch and Teresa Burgess Source Type: journals

Using deliberative techniques to engage the community in policy developmentEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The experiences in WA demonstrate that deliberative engagement processes can be successfully implemented by government and can be used to guide policy. The techniques can be adapted to suit the context and issues experienced by a portfolio, and the skills required to conduct deliberative processes can be fostered amongst the portfolio's staff. Health policy makers may be able to learn from the experiences in WA, and adopt approaches to community engagement that allow for informed deliberation and debate in the community about the future of Australia's health system. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Pol...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - July 16, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Judy Gregory, Janette Hartz-Karp and Rebecca Watson Source Type: journals

Analysis of draft Australian rehabilitation service standards: comparison with international standardsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The AFRM standards are an appropriate way of assessing rehabilitation services in Australia. As suggested by other workers 23 there should be ongoing review and field testing of the standards to maximise the relevance and utilisation of the standards. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - June 30, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Susan K Graham, Ian D Cameron and Hugh G Dickson Source Type: journals

What's law got to do with it Part 2: Legal strategies for healthier nutrition and obesity preventionEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article is the second in a two-part review of law's possible role in a regulatory approach to healthier nutrition and obesity prevention in Australia. As discussed in Part 1, law can intervene in support of obesity prevention at a variety of levels: by engaging with the health care system, by targeting individual behaviours, and by seeking to influence the broader, socio-economic and environmental factors that influence patterns of behaviour across the population. Part 1 argued that the most important opportunities for law lie in seeking to enhance the effectiveness of a population health approach.Part 2 of this artic...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - June 5, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Roger S Magnusson Source Type: journals

Obesity: should there be a law against it? Introduction to a symposiumEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The rapid rise in rates of overweight and obesity among adults and children in Australia and New Zealand has intensified debate about the most effective policies for obesity prevention. Law has much to contribute to this policy discussion, although its role is often misunderstood. The articles in this symposium follow on from a conference hosted in September 2006 by the Centre for Health Governance, Law & Ethics in the Faculty of Law, University of Sydney, titled: Obesity: should there be a law against it? In different ways, these articles provide a variety of perspectives on regulatory responses to obesity, including theo...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - June 5, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Roger S Magnusson Source Type: journals

What's law got to do with it part 1: A framework for obesity preventionEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article provides a conceptual framework for thinking about the role of law in responding to population weight gain in Australia. Part 1 focuses on two core questions. Firstly, in pursuing the aim of weight reduction at the population level, what should law be trying to influence? The challenge here is to identify a model of the determinants of obesity that is adequate for legal purposes and that illustrates the entry points where law could best be used as an instrument of public health policy. Secondly, what kinds of strategies and tools can law offer to obesity prevention? The challenge here is to identify a model of...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - June 5, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Roger S Magnusson Source Type: journals

Access to high cost medicines in Australia: ethical perspectivesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Access to "high cost medicines" through Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is tightly regulated. It is inherently difficult to apply any criteria-based system of control in a way that provides a fair balance between efficient use of limited resources for community needs and equitable individual access to care. We suggest, in relation to very high cost medicines, that the present arrangements be re-considered in order to overcome potential inequities. The biological agents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis are used as an example by which to discuss the ethical issues associated with the current scheme....
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - May 19, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Christine Y Lu, Paul Macneill, Ken Williams and Ric Day Source Type: journals

Developing 'robust performance benchmarks' for the next Australian Health Care Agreement: the need for a new frameworkEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
If the outcomes of the recent COAG meeting are implemented, Australia will have a new set of benchmarks for its health system within a few months. This is a non-trivial task. Choice of benchmarks will, explicitly or implicitly, reflect a framework about how the health system works, what is important or to be valued and how the benchmarks are to be used. In this article we argue that the health system is dynamic and so benchmarks need to measure flows and interfaces rather than simply cross-sectional or static performance. We also argue that benchmarks need to be developed taking into account three perspectives: patient, cl...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - April 25, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Stephen J Duckett and Michael Ward Source Type: journals

The views of stakeholders on controlled access schemes for high-cost antirheumatic biological medicines in AustraliaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme is adapting to meet the changing needs of patients. Provision of subsidised access to high-cost medicines in a manner that is affordable for individuals and society, and that is equitable and efficiently managed is challenging. The views of stakeholders on targeted access to anti-rheumatic biological medicines in Australia acknowledged this challenge and provided a number of suggestions for modifications. These could serve as a basis to inform the debate on how to change the processes and policies so as to improve the scheme. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - December 20, 2007 Category: Health Management Authors: Christine Y Lu, Jan Ritchie, Ken Williams and Ric Day Source Type: journals

When public action undermines public health: a critical examination of antifluoridationist literatureEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
DiscussionWater fluoridation opponents employ multiple techniques to try and undermine the scientifically established effectiveness of water fluoridation. The materials they use are often based on Internet resources or published books that present a highly misleading picture of water fluoridation. These materials are used to sway public and political opinion to the detriment of public health. Despite an extensive body of literature, both studies and results within studies are often selectively reported, giving a biased portrayal of water fluoridation effectiveness. Positive findings are downplayed or trivialised and the po...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - December 9, 2007 Category: Health Management Authors: Jason M Armfield Source Type: journals

The use and misuse of health research by politicians during the development of a national smokefree lawEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Background: We investigated the ways in which research evidence about the health effects from secondhand smoke (SHS) and smokefree policies was publicly used or regarded by New Zealand parliamentary politicians, during efforts to strengthen a smokefree law (ie, from 1997 to 2005). Methods: A documentary case study used published and unpublished material recording the use of research evidence by politicians. The material was collected for the period 1997-2005 from the parliamentary record, media and other databases. Additional searches were made to provide context for the politicians who used research. Results: Major themes...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - December 6, 2007 Category: Health Management Authors: George Thomson, Nick Wilson and Philippa Howden-Chapman Source Type: journals

A pathway to a stronger research culture in health policyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
DiscussionWe define what we consider health policy research and education should comprise. We then examine what is currently on offer and propose ways to strengthen health policy research in Australia. SummaryThis paper, which is part analysis and part commentary, is offered to provoke wider debate about how health policy research can be nurtured in Australia. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - October 10, 2007 Category: Health Management Authors: Jennifer Smith-Merry, James Gillespie and Stephen R Leeder Source Type: journals

A pilot qualitative study of New Zealand policymakers knowledge of, and attitudes to, the tobacco industryEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: In-depth anonymous interviews appear to be feasible and can be productive for exploring sensitive tobacco-related policy issues with policymakers. The preliminary data from this group of New Zealand policymakers suggest important knowledge gaps, but also general distrust of this industry. From a tobacco control perspective, the results may suggest a greater focus by advocates on the funding of political parties by the tobacco industry, and on government agency investment in the tobacco industry. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - July 25, 2007 Category: Health Management Authors: Sheena Hudson, George Thomson and Nick Wilson Source Type: journals

Operationalising a model framework for consumer and community participation in health and medical researchEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The Consumers' Health Forum of Australia and the National Health and Medical Research Council has recently developed a Model Framework for Consumer and Community Participation in Health and Medical Research in order to better align health and medical research with community need, and improve the impact of research. Model frameworks may have little impact on what goes on in practice unless relevant organisations actively make use of them. Philanthropic and government bodies have reported involving consumers in more meaningful or collaborative ways of late. This paper describes how a large charity organisation, which funds a...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - June 26, 2007 Category: Health Management Authors: Carla Saunders, Sally Crossing, Afaf Girgis, Phyllis Butow and Andrew Penman Source Type: journals

Towards enhancing national capacity for evidence informed policy and practice in falls management: a role for a "Translation Task Group"?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Participants sought opportunities for ongoing networking and collaboration. Two activities have been identified as priorities: establishing a policy-sensitive research agenda and partnering researchers and decision-makers in the process; and establishing a National Translation Task Group with a broad membership. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - May 31, 2007 Category: Health Management Authors: Roslyn G Poulos, Anthony B Zwi and Stephen R Lord Source Type: journals

Determining appropriateness for rehabilitation or other subacute care: is there a role for utilisation review?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The high levels of inappropriate care demonstrated repeatedly in international studies using formal programs of utilisation review should not be ignored in Australia. Utilisation review tools, while predominantly developed in the US, may complement other Australian patient flow initiatives to improve efficiency while maintaining patient safety. They could also play a role in the identification of patients who may benefit from transfer from acute care to another type of care and thus be an adjunct to physician assessment. Testing of the available utilisation review tools in the Australian context is now require...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - March 13, 2007 Category: Health Management Authors: Christopher J Poulos and Kathy Eagar Source Type: journals

The funding and use of high-cost medicines in Australia: the example of anti-rheumatic biological medicinesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The overall uptake of biologicals for treating rheumatoid arthritis over the first two years of PBS subsidy was considerably lower than expected. Long-term safety concerns and the expanded clinical uses of these drugs emphasise the need for evaluation. It is essential that there is comprehensive, ongoing analysis of utilisation data, associated expenditure and, importantly, patient outcomes in order to enhance accountability, efficiency and equity of policies that allocate substantial resources to subsidising national access to high-cost medicines. (Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles)
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - March 1, 2007 Category: Health Management Authors: Christine Y Lu, Ken M Williams and Ric O Day Source Type: journals

Assessing the impact of prescribed medicines on health outcomesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This paper reviews methods that can be used to assess the impact of medicine use on population health outcomes. In the absence of a gold standard, we argue that a convergence of evidence from different types of studies using multiple methods of independent imperfection provides the best bases for attributing improvements in health outcomes to the use of medicines. The major requirements are: good evidence that a safe and effective medicine is being appropriately prescribed; covariation between medicine use and improved health outcomes; and being able to discount alternative explanations of the covariation (via covariate ad...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - February 15, 2007 Category: Health Management Authors: Wayne D Hall and Jayne Lucke Source Type: journals

Assessing the impact of prescribed medicines on health outcomesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This paper reviews methods that can be used to assess the impact of medicine use on population health outcomes. In the absence of a gold standard, we argue that a convergence of evidence from different types of studies using multiple methods of independent imperfection provides the best basis for attributing improvements in health outcomes to the use of medicines. The major requirements are: good evidence that a safe and effective medicine is being appropriately prescribed; covariation between medicine use and improved health outcomes; and being able to discount alternative explanations of the covariation (via covariate ad...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - February 15, 2007 Category: Health Management Authors: Wayne D Hall and Jayne Lucke Source Type: journals

Mutual obligation, shared responsibility agreements & indigenous health strategyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Since 2004 the Howard Coalition government has implemented a new policy framework and administrative arrangements as part of its program of reform in Indigenous affairs. In this paper I will describe both the parameters of this reform program and review the processes established to support the implementation of national Indigenous health strategy. In particular, I will consider both the shift from a policy framework based on 'self-determination' to one based on 'mutual obligation', and the implementation of Shared Responsibility Agreements (SRAs) that are based on the latter principle. I will use the example of the Mulan S...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - September 25, 2006 Category: Health Management Authors: Ian PS Anderson Source Type: journals

Do adults in contact with Australia's public sector mental health services get better?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This paper describes the outcomes of episodes of care for adults in public sector mental health services across Australia, with a view to informing the debate on service quality. Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) change scores and effect sizes were calculated for 14,659 acute inpatient episodes and 23,692 community episodes. The results showed that people in contact with public sector mental health services generally do get better, although the magnitude of improvement depends on the setting and episode type. This confirmatory finding is particularly positive, given current community concerns about the quality an...
Source: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy - Latest articles - August 30, 2006 Category: Health Management Authors: Philip Burgess, Jane Pirkis and Tim Coombs Source Type: journals