Surveys of the population are commonly used to obtain information on health status. Increasingly, researchers are linking self-reported health status information to primary care consultation data. However, it is not known how participating in a health-related survey affects consultation behaviour. The objective of the study presented in this paper was...
Obesity is a main threat to public health in the Western world and is associated with diseases such as diabetes mellitus and coronary heart diseases. Up to now a minority of research studied the relation between obesity and the use of primary health care. In the Netherlands the General Practitioner...
Patients across North America are using Complementary and Alternative Medicine CAM with increasing frequency as part of their management of many different health conditions. The objective of this study was to develop a guide for academic health sciences centers that may wish to consider starting an integrative medicine program. Important...
As in all western countries, Australia's older population experiences high levels of hearing impairment coupled with relatively low levels of hearing device usage. Poor hearing diminishes the quality of life of affected individuals and their families. This paper discusses how to improve Australian hearing health policies in order to better...
Ageing is associated with a decrease in physical activity. This decrease particularly occurs during specific transitional life stages. Especially during adolescence and young adulthood a steep decrease in physical activity is observed. Inactive people are often not aware of their inactivity. The use of a personal activity monitor in combination...
The study was conducted as part of a research project into the evaluation and assessment of healthcare provision and education in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome CFS. The aim of the study was the development of informative and educational literature for both General Practitioners GP and sufferers. It was important to begin...
Despite the worldwide commitment to improving maternal health, measuring, monitoring and comparing maternal mortality estimates remain a challenge. Due to lack of data, international agencies have to rely on mathematical models to assess its global burden. In order to assist in mapping the burden of reproductive ill-health, this paper talks...
It is essential that knowledge gained through health services research is collated and made available for evaluation, for policy purposes and to enable collaboration between people working in similar areas. The Australian Quality Use of Medicine QUM on-line, web-based project database, known as the QUMmap, was designed to meet these...
The Health of the Nation Outcome Scales HoNOS was developed to routinely measure outcomes for adults with mental illness. Comparable instruments were also developed for children and adolescents the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents and older people (the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales 65+)....
Delays in diagnosis and initiation of effective treatment increase morbidity and mortality from TuBerculosis TB as well as the risk of transmission in the community. The aim of this study was to determine the time taken for patients later confirmed as having TB to present with symptoms to the first...
In Australia, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme PBS has developed a set of arrangements to control access to high-cost medicines to ensure their use is cost-effective. These medicines include the Tumour Necrosis Factor-Alpha Inhibitors TNFIs for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of this study was to explore basic views...
Measures of multimorbidity are often applied to source data, populations or outcomes outside the scope of their original developmental work. As the development of a multimorbidity measure is influenced by the population and outcome used, these influences should be taken into account when selecting a multimorbidity index. The aim of...
The unprecedented global increase in the use of herbal remedies is set to continue apace well into the foreseeable future. This raises important public health concerns, especially as it relates to safety issues including adverse effects and herb drug interactions. Most Western-trained physicians are ignorant of the risks and benefits...
This two-part study examines primary care clinicians' chart documentation and attitudes when confronted by a positive waiting room screen for Intimate Partner Violence IPV. Patients at community hospital-affiliated health centers completed a screening questionnaire in waiting rooms that Primary Care Providers PCPs were subsequently given at the time of the...
The general practitioner in Norway is expected to ensure equity and effectiveness through fair rationing. At the same time, due to recent reforms of the Norwegian health care sector, both the role of economic incentives and patient autonomy have been strengthened. Studies indicate that modern general practitioners, both in Norway...
New Zealand's health sector has undergone three significant restructures within 10 years. Australia has much to learn from New Zealand's latest health sector and primary health care reforms. The paper depicts about : the need for a national primary health care strategy, active engagement of general practitioners and their professional...
The East/West gradient in health across Europe has been described, but not using metrics as comprehensive and comparable as those of the Global Burden of Disease 2000 and Comparative Risk Assessment studies. The paper depicts that the main requirements for reducing excess health losses in the east of Europe are:...
This article attempts to develop the debate on measuring research capacity building RCB. It highlights that traditional outcomes of publications in peer reviewed journals and successful grant applications may be important outcomes to measure, but they may not address all the relevant issues to highlight progress, especially amongst novice researchers....
A pivotal component in Automated External Defibrillators AEDs is the detection of ventricular fibrillation by means of appropriate detection algorithms. In the scientific literature there exists a wide variety of methods and ideas for handling this task. These algorithms should have a high detection quality, be easily implementable, and work...
The importance of evaluating the outcomes of health care from the standpoint of the patient is now widely recognized. The purpose of this study is to develop and test a Japanese version of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25). The paper concludes that with minor modifications from...
