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This paper contributes to the growing body of scholarship related to the impact of imprisonment on families, from the particular perspective of parents, siblings and other close relatives of people serving a life sentence. We argue that those family members are often overlooked in research and service provision, while bearing the burden of the association with the offender. This is particularly problematic for relatives of life sentenced prisoners, having to cope with the seriousness of the offence, and the uncertainty of the perspectives of release. Based on 17 interviews conducted in Western Australia, we discuss family members' confrontation with and experiences throughout the criminal justice system. We report on how they manage to "live with life" and which coping mechanisms they developed. Our findings call for more investment into the matter, to generate a scholarship for a better understanding of and supporting initiatives for those close relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents theoretical insights and empirical findings from research in Western Australia (WA) that explored the concept of 'integrated theory and practice' in the context of the introduction of a new examination physical education course. The lack of conceptual clarity associated with attempts to embed 'integration' into curriculum developments in examination physical education internationally provided a stimulus for this research. Focusing on a new Physical Education Studies course in WA, the research foregrounded the concept of policy enactment and used Arnold's framework of learning in, through and about movement as a critical frame to investigate the specific notions of integration that were embedded in the official curriculum text and expressed in pedagogical practices in schools implementing the new course. The paper reports findings from the investigation of the pedagogic meanings that four teachers gave to 'integrated theory and practice'. The data illustrate the varied meanings teachers gave to 'integration' and the differences consequently arising in their curriculum planning, teaching and assessment practices associated with the new Physical Education Studies course. Analysis of the data identified opportunistic, structured and investigative 'integrated' pedagogies. Data associated with each approach are presented and the expression of Arnold's dimensions within each approach explored. Discussion pursues the conditions enabling different pedagogical practices to emerge from the new Physical Education Studies course and the learning opportunities provided to students by the different pedagogical approaches. The paper presents a case for further engagement with the pedagogical expression of Arnold's framework by curriculum developers, researchers, teacher educators and teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a wealth of research that shows juvenile justice systems that utilize structured and validated assessment tools, such as the YLS/CMI, are far more effective at reducing rates of recidivism than those who do not. In line with this research, the Department of Justice (DoJ) in Western Australia adopted the YLS/CMI as the standard risk assessment tool for evaluating the criminogenic risk and needs of youth entering the justice system. While there is evidence supporting the utility of the YLS/CMI in predicting recidivism, there is little research demonstrating its effectiveness in Australian juvenile populations and no such research in a West Australian population. There is also a lack of research on the utility of the tool with young Indigenous offenders, which is particularly concerning given the significant overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the Australian criminal justice system. Our study was the first to examine the reliability and predictive validity of the YLS/CMI on a sample of West Australian juvenile offenders. In this paper, we present the results of two analyses. The first examines the properties of the YLS/CMI in a cohort of 4,653 juvenile offenders in Western Australia, including factor structure, internal consistency, and differences between male and female youth and between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth. Consistent with our hypotheses, the tool demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α =.91) and cross-validation analyses identified significant differences between groups on total YLS scores and risk domains. The second analysis examines the predictive validity of the YLS/CMI in a subsample of 921 youth with a minimum follow-up period of 2 years. The overall recidivism rate was 74.8% and there were differences in scores and recidivism rates for Indigenous compared to non-Indigenous youth, although the predictive accuracies in terms of AUC were similar (c. = 0.65 and 0.66, respectively). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing physical health monitoring for Indigenous Australians with mental health issues in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.Method: This longitudinal, within-groups investigation assessed physical health parameters such as blood pressure and blood glucose levels at baseline and at 18 months for the same cohort. No standardised intervention was in place, but action was taken if results were found to be abnormal.Results: Most measures of physical health remained stable, with mean lipid and fasting glucose levels remaining abnormal over the entire assessment period. Systolic blood pressure showed a significant improvement.Conclusions: More needs to be done to improve the physical health of Indigenous mental health patients - culturally appropriate and secure interventions incorporating holistic models of care are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Modular Morse tapered femoral arthroplasty stems have been used for many years with great success and minimal complications. 1 stem, the Accolade by Stryker is noted to have increased failure when used in combination with LFIT V40 CoCr or the MITCH CoCr femoral heads. The failure has been in the form of corrosion, metallosis, fretting and trunnion fracture. This paper explores 10 cases with trunnion failure. Methods: A retrospective retrieval analysis of ten femoral stems retrieved at four different centres across Western Australia over a 3-year time frame. Inclusion criteria for this analysis included the use of Accolade 1 TMZF femoral stem plus either a MITCH or LFIT modular head. Results: 10 Accolade I (Stryker) stems were retrieved as part of the analysis, 6 with the LFIT V40 36-mm femoral head and 4 with a MITCH TRH femoral head. Average in situ time was 8.9 years. The hips were revised for either trunnion dislocation (6 cases) or trunnion fracture (4 cases). A characteristic destructive wear pattern of the femoral taper (trunnion) a "bird beak" appearance was present in all stems. This wear pattern created excessive movement and loosening resulting in a trunnion/head dislocation or brittle fracture of the trunnion. Conclusions: Catastrophic femoral neck fracture was likely due to a combination of material composition mismatch and mechanically assisted fretting corrosion at the head-neck junction leading to gross metallosis and failure. We suggest a recall on patients with an Accolade 1 stems in combination with a 36-mm or above LFIT or MITCH head, and for these patients to have clinical and radiological review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the findings of a qualitative research project conducted in 2017 that explored practitioners' experiences and perceptions of the provision of play pedagogies in contemporary Western Australian early childhood education contexts. Interviews were conducted with four play-based learning teachers and an open-ended survey was completed by 40 early childhood educators who were members of the audience at a Western Australia conference in 2017. The study participants discussed beliefs and values pertaining to quality play-based learning and tensions associated with the diminishing role of play in the early years of schooling and its impact on young children. They also highlighted several enablers and barriers that influence and shape current early childhood education practice. The findings of this study provide further evidence for the issues identified in recent Early Childhood Australia (Western Australia) discussion papers and in other research surrounding play-based learning in the current social-political context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for all people with disability to have access to reliable information before they can make informed choices in individualised funding programmes is well documented. However, little guidance exists on how information can be provided to ensure it reaches its target audience. While information provision is important everywhere, there is a pressing need in the Australian context to ensure all people have access to information as the National Disability Insurance Scheme is designed and introduced. The authors identified key principles of information provision documented in the literature and used these to analyse their data from Australian studies of individualised funding programmes. The data came from 143 transcripts and records of interview in five studies conducted from 2011 to 2013. The analysis confirmed the importance of the principles previously documented and identified two additional principles, these being related to gender and ‘hard to reach’ groups. This analysis informs a new framework to increase equity and improve people’s access to information in individualised funding programmes. Information needs to be: (i) accessible and diverse in format, mode, source and location; (ii) personalised and targeted; (iii) accurate, consistent and timely; (iv) from a trusted source; (v) independent; (vi) culturally appropriate; (vii) actively promoted to ‘hard to reach’ groups and (viii) gender appropriate. This paper provides a new framework to guide information in individualised funding programmes for professionals in roles ranging from policy makers to service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School nurses have reported stress and worry caring for young people experiencing mental health problems, but why this occurs and how they respond has not been well-explored. In this study researchers generated a substantive theory of the experiences of secondary school nurses who encountered young people with mental health problems using the original method of grounded theory. Thirty-one Western Australian school nurse participants reported that students presented with complex mental and social health needs that were not easily resolved. This was conceptualized as an untenable burden. Participants countered this by engaging in the three-stage process of tactical prioritizing. During an initial period of strategic assimilation into the school and broader community, participants referred students to external service providers. This was frequently inadequate, and participants found themselves grappling with unmet student mental health needs. Participants responded by implementing nursing strategies for optimizing outcomes in the lives of young people, while simultaneously engaging in managing self to support their own well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous research frameworks are key to enhancing cultural safety for participants, while facilitating capacity building for Indigenous researchers. Indigenous frameworks can address and balance out the potential harms of western research methods. This methodology article describes the experiences of an Indigenous research team in Western Australia (WA) and the developed research framework titled Moorditj Moort Boodja (Solid Family and Country) for the Next Generation Aboriginal Youth Well-being Project in WA. This project engaged 830 young Indigenous participants between 10 and 24 years of age from WA. This project collected key health data from youth and caregivers and resulted in the development and implementation of the On the Ground Community Relational Framework for research engagement. This article adds to the knowledge on cultural safety for Indigenous participants and researchers undertaking Indigenous focused research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Best medical therapy (BMT) for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), carotid artery stenosis (CAS) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) involving concomitant use of antiplatelets, lipid-lowering agents, and blood pressure control, improves patient survival and prevents clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD). We performed a single-center cross-sectional study, over a 4-year period, describing BMT use in Western Australian patients with symptomatic PAD, CAS and AAA in the community. Overall, 45.3% of our cohort (n = 1689) were on appropriate BMT (CAS, 58.1%; PAD, 43.1%; AAA, 41.1%). There was highest uptake of blood pressure control at 93.0% (lipid-lowering agents, 65.3%; antithrombotics 63.5%). PAD was associated with highest uptake of blood pressure control (PAD 93.9%; CAS, 91.4%; AAA, 91.1%, P =.092) whilst CAS had highest uptake of antithrombotics (CAS 76.3%; PAD, 61.0%; AAA 60.4%, P <.001) and lipid-lowering agents (CAS 78.7%; PAD, 63.1%; AAA, 60.4%, P <.001). Our study indicates suboptimal use of BMT in patients with vascular disease in the community. The risk of CVD in CAS is likely misperceived as higher than PAD and AAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Family caregivers of people with motor neurone disease (MND) experience adverse health outcomes as a result of their caregiving experience. This may be alleviated if their support needs are identified and addressed in a systematic and timely manner. The objective of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility and relevance of the Carers' Alert Thermometer (CAT) in home-based care, from the perspective of MND family caregivers. The tool provides a formal structure to facilitate discussions with caregivers to enable needs to be addressed. Methods: This mixed-method study was conducted in Western Australia (2020–2021). Forty-one caregivers and five MND Advisors participated in trialling the CAT intervention which consisted of two encounters with Advisors (6–8 weeks apart) to identify and address support needs through action plans. Caregivers' feedback was obtained via telephone interviews and a thematic analysis was undertaken. Results: Thirty caregivers completed two CAT assessments. Caregivers identified support priorities of managing their feelings and worries, providing emotional or spiritual care, information about the person's condition and how their care needs might change. Seventeen caregivers were interviewed and found that this assessment process adequately addressed their needs and it should be continued, it brought the focus onto them to clarify problems and work through solutions. The improvements that were suggested by them, including better information/education in palliative care, led to the development of an online support/information toolkit, which served to empower caregivers and staff by accessing relevant information and resources. Conclusions: The CAT demonstrated utility for triaging caregivers most in need of additional support and those whom signposting to additional information and self-directed access to support was most appropriate. For any tool to become an integrated part of care, service provider support is key for implementation, allowing for the time resource required and an appropriate education and support structure. MND Associations have an important role in building stronger partnerships with supportive community networks, through compassionate communities models of care, to address the identified needs of MND families in a more sustainable and wholistic manner. Needs assessment is a means towards building this capacity between formal and informal networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The postapocalypse as a mobilising discourse for climate action operates largely out of anger over experienced and anticipated injustices as well as paradoxical hope that fuses loss and grief with freed-up solidarities in support of liveable futures. However, negotiating this emotional tension can be both draining and isolating. Here, we examine how white settler populations in Western Australia balance grief and hope in places they hold dear and the role emotions such as sadness, worry, disappointment, joy, and pride play in relational place making. Through an innovative in situ and mobile methodology we call Walking Journeys, we trace how participants navigate their climatic-affective atmospheres and make sense of their agency in changing 'Places of the Heart'. We find evidence for emotional complexities of solastalgia where pessimistic outlooks for the future are wrapped up in prefigurative visions of a better world. By holding the tension between paralysis and restoration, urban and rural residents explore affective co-existence and differential belonging in their homes and the landscapes around them. We highlight the challenge of enfranchising emotions beyond individuals and conclude by endorsing entangled, reflexive, and (re-)generative responsibilities for hopeful postapocalyptic journeying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western Australia (WA) has recently assumed an unaccustomed centrality in the minds of Australian policymakers. The recent resource boom briefly propelled WA to the forefront of national economic affairs. While this proved a relatively short-lived prominence, the emergence of WA at the centre of a putative ‘Indo-Pacific’ region promises to give it a more enduring strategic significance. This paper details how geopolitical and geoeconomic forces have shaped WA’s developmental history, and why they are likely to do so in the future as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on findings from four case studies, as part of a large-scale study undertaken to evaluate the KindiLink initiative across Western Australia in remote, regional and metropolitan communities. KindiLink is an educator-led playgroup initiative in public school sites in Western Australia targeted at Aboriginal children and their families. KindiLink aims included the cultivation of Aboriginal families' and children's developing sense of belonging and engagement at their local primary school. A constructivist paradigm was used to describe the subjective experiences of individuals, which was important to ascertain if the aims of KindiLink had been met. To complement the meaning-making of the experience, qualitative data were collected via detailed studies of four KindiLink sites to capture similarities and differences of the settings and gain depth of experience through the voices of the participants. The study found KindiLink successfully connected Aboriginal children and families to schools and built a sense of belonging and productive relationships between families, staff, school and the community in a culturally safe space. Furthermore, KindiLink developed the capacity and confidence of parents as their children's first teachers and supported the home learning environment. The Aboriginal Indigenous education officer in each programme was critical to the engagement of Aboriginal families and acknowledgement of cultural aspects important to children's growing cultural identities. The relationships built between KindiLink staff and families, and between families, were important for children's and their families' growing sense of belonging to the school, which assisted participation at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mandated early childhood framework in Australia requires educators working in early childhood services to attend to children's spirituality. Also, one of the five outcomes in this framework tasks educators with promoting children's connectedness with and contribution to the world, including natural environments. In this paper I present findings from a qualitative investigation to determine educators' understandings and practices around promoting young children's spirituality in the context of religious childcare centres in Western Australia aligned with a focus on nature engagement. A social constructivist theoretical perspective with a phenomenological and interpretivist paradigm framed the research. Interview and observational data were collected and analysed through interpretative phenomenological analysis revealing that educators were able to articulate the connection between spirituality and engagement with nature in childhood. However, in practice, educators rarely offered opportunities for children to experience nature. Recommendations include the provision of professional development in the area of children's spirituality and its connection with nature along with the creation of guidelines on pedagogical practices that afford children opportunities to engage with their spirituality through nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a pulmonary vascular disease caused by a variety of causes and has a poor prognosis. Hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) is one of the types of PH. Cordyceps sinensis could treat a variety of lung diseases; its pharmacological active ingredients mainly include cordycepin, nucleosides, cordyceps polysaccharides, sterols, and amino acids. Fermented cordyceps powder (FCP) is an alternative to C. sinensis. In order to investigate the effect of FCP on HPH in rats, we established the HPH rat model. Materials and Methods: Forty-two male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a control group, hypoxia group, hypoxia + FCP (0.1 g.kg−1.d−1), hypoxia + FCP (0.2 g.kg−1.d−1), hypoxia + FCP (0.4 g.kg−1.d−1), and hypoxia + sildenafil (30 mg.kg−1.d−1) group. Except for the control group, the other five groups of rats were fed in the hypobaric chamber. The corresponding dose was given by intragastric administration, once a day, for 28 days. The mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) and right ventricle hypertrophy index (RVHI) were measured; hematological parameters white blood cells (WBC), neutrophils (Neu), Lymphocytes (Lym), monocytes (Mon), red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), and platelets (PLT) levels were detected; serum levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); the morphological changes of pulmonary arterioles were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, and the vascular remodeling indexes, vessel wall thickness as a percentage of vascular outer diameter (WT%), vascular wall area as a percentage of total vessel area (WA%), and lumen area as a percentage of the total vascular area (LA%) were calculated; the protein expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, p-p38, p38, p-IκBα, IκBα, p-p65, and p65 were determined by western blotting. Results: FCP could significantly downregulate mPAP, improve pulmonary arteriole remodeling, and reduce the serum levels of IL-1β and IL-6 in HPH rats. In addition, FCP downregulated the protein levels of IL-1β, IL-6, p-p38, p-IκBα, and p-p65. Conclusion: FCP could alleviate mPAP and vascular remodeling in HPH rats. Its mechanism could be through inhibiting the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway and by downregulating the expression of inflammatory factors. Our study might provide a research basis for the therapeutic potential of FCP in HPH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing demand for natural fibres worldwide due to their renewable and biodegradable nature. This paper reviews many aspects of natural fibres, focusing on the bast fibres of plants including hemp, flax, kenaf, jute, and ramie. Important characteristics of these plant fibres include physical, mechanical, dielectric, degradation, hygroscopic, and surface properties. These properties are highly variable, depending on both the chemical composition of the fibre and the environmental conditions. Retting and mechanical are the two main fibre extraction methods. When executed properly, retting produces the highest purity fibre; however, it is time-consuming and generates large amounts of wastewater. In contrast, mechanical extraction is faster and more environmentally friendly but results in low-purity fibre. Despite the drawbacks of bast fibres (e.g. low thermal stability, low hygroscopicity, low surface energy), they have been successfully used in insulation, composite, and geotextiles and many further applications are currently being explored. Abbreviations: AFM: Atomic force microscopy; CSA: Cross-section area; ρ: Density; DTG: Derivative thermogravimetric; γsd: Dispersive (d) component of surface free energy; γsp: Polar (p) component of surface free energy ; EMC: Equilibrium moisture content ; FACF: Fibre area correction factor; f: Fibre fineness; IGC: Inverse gas chromatography; LCA: Life cycling assessment; LLG: Limited life geotextile; LDPE: Low-density polyethylene ; MFA: Microfibril angle; RTM: Resin transfer moulding; γs: Surface free energy; WA: Thermodynamic work of adhesion; TGA: Thermogravimetric [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) disorders are a major public health problem in Australia, especially outside metropolitan areas. The issue is compounded by a shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPs). CAMH receives minimal coverage in health professional training, training opportunities are scarce, and support for generalist health professionals, who treat most cases, is lacking. Novel approaches to early medical education and teaching are required to strengthen the available skilled workforce in rural and remote settings. Method: This qualitative study explored the factors influencing medical student engagement in a CAMH videoconferencing workshop as part of the Rural Clinical School of WA. Results: Our results confirm the priority of personal characteristics of medical educators, over clinical and subject matter expertise, on student learning. This research affirms that general practitioners are well-placed to facilitate recognition of learning experiences, especially given that students may not readily recognise exposure to CAMH cases. Conclusion: Our findings support the effectiveness, efficiencies, and benefits of utilising general medical educators in supporting child and adolescent psychiatry expertise in delivering subspecialty training within medical school curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Children of parents with severe mental illness have an increased risk of offending. Studies suggest that risk factors such as parental offending and social disadvantage may be associated with the increased risk. This paper assesses the impact of these risk factors on offending rates in the offspring of women with severe mental illness compared to offspring of unaffected women. Methods: This is part of a longitudinal record-linked whole-population study of 467,945 children born in Western Australia from 1980 to 2001 to mothers with severe mental illness and mothers with no recorded psychiatric illness. These data were linked to Western Australia corrective services data producing a dataset of 12,999 people with at least one offence (3.7% of birth cohort). Cox proportional hazard was used to calculate incidence rate ratios of offspring offending. Results: The offending rate for offspring of mothers with severe mental illness (cases) was almost three times the rate for offspring of unaffected mothers (comparison) with an unadjusted incidence rate ratio of 2.75 (95% confidence interval: [2.58, 2.93]). Adjusting for sex, indigenous status, socio-economic status and geographical remoteness reduced the rate ratio by 24% to incidence rate ratio 2.10, 95% confidence interval: [1.97, 2.23]. Adjusting for parental offending further reduced the rate ratio by 23% to incidence rate ratio 1.62, 95% confidence interval: [1.52, 1.72]. The mean age at first recorded offence was significantly lower for cases compared to comparison offspring. Conclusion: Children of mothers with a severe mental illness have a higher rate of offending than children of unaffected mothers, and social disadvantage and parental offending have a major impact on this rate. Services supporting these vulnerable children need to focus on improving the social environment in which they and their families live in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patches Paediatrics is a specialised private multidisciplinary service in Western Australia (WA), offering a range of developmental diagnostic assessments such as foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Many FASD assessments occur in children and youth who are engaged with the justice system in WA and the Northern Territory (NT). There are currently no studies outlining the types of clinical recommendations and management strategies made or implemented by clinicians for this clinical population within Australia. This study outlines therapeutic recommendations made as part of the youth justice FASD diagnostic process within Patches Paediatrics to ultimately refine recommendations to inform therapeutic strategies. This was a retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study of those aged 10 years to 17 years 11 months (N = 64) who were diagnosed with FASD within Patches Paediatrics; and referred from the youth justice system in WA and the NT between January 2017 and February 2019. Information on FASD recommendations was gathered by reviewing participants' source documents, such as FASD diagnostic reports. 'FASD recommendations' categories were divided into subdomains: medical, mental health, developmental, lifestyle, future goals and others. In the various categories of recommendations, the most prominent were referral for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding (75%) followed by education support (67.2%), occupational therapy (56.3%), and drug and alcohol services (45.3%). Significant correlations between impaired neurocognitive domains and recommendations were also observed. Similarly, there were significant correlations between comorbidities and recommendations. Our study highlighted gaps in recommendations for those with comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), rural communities and access to NDIS, therapeutic rehabilitation programmes as well as community work programmes. Other gaps included making adequate recommendations for speech/language therapy, education support, life skills advice and staff/clinician education. This study was the first to describe therapeutic recommendations for the youth cohort assessed by Patches Paediatrics in WA and the NT. It also showed significant correlations between the neurocognitive/comorbidity profile and clinical recommendations. This highlights areas within the recommendations that can be individualised as well as ways to improve community integration. A discussion of limitations and suggestions for future research is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Estimate impact of socioeconomic factors and remoteness from tertiary hospital on incidence/duration of Australian mental health admissions. Methods: Retrospective analysis of incidence/duration of public mental health unit admissions (2018–19). Covariates included Indigenous population, potentially preventable hospitalisations (PPH) and socioeconomic disadvantage. Results: Regional distance from hospital was correlated with socioeconomic disadvantage (ρ : p < 0.01). Population identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander was associated with distance from hospital, socioeconomic disadvantage and PPH (ρ : p < 0.01). Bed days per capita was explained (R 2adj: 0.48) by distance and socioeconomic disadvantage (p < 0.0001). A 1% increase in distance from hospital was associated with a 0.37% decrease in per capita bed days. Admission rate per capita across Queensland and WA was explained (R 2adj: 0.36) by distance, education/occupation and state (p < 0.05). Across Queensland and WA a 1% increase in distance from hospital was associated with a 0.05% decreased incidence of admission. Conclusions: Rural Australians face high mental illness burden, socioeconomic disadvantage and limited service provision. Overcoming the additional disadvantages of reduced likelihood of admission to and reduced time in hospital with increasing distance from hospital will require increased outreach proportional to remoteness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses how the criminalisation and imprisonment of Aboriginal people operated as tools of colonisation in Western Australia (WA) in the nineteenth century, and how this shaped the postcolonial criminal justice system. The racialised double standard embedded in the colonial foundations of state institutions, including the criminal justice system, rippled across generations of Aboriginal people: a reiterative and disruptive process that we dub the 'postcolonial churn'. This term, adapted from the 'carceral churn', describes the destabilising mobilisations embedded in carceral and settler-colonial logics over the long term. It uses data from archival prison registers (Rottnest Island 1838-1931 and Roebourne Prison 1908-1961), as well as historic court, police and newspaper data to map the use of the criminal code in protecting and expanding colonial property rights in the original waves of settler-colonisation. WA is an outlier among the Australian colonies: it was the largest in terms of size (2,642,753 km²), the last colony to receive European convicts (1850-1868), and the last to be awarded self-government (1890). This created a situation where the British government dictated policy for legal forms of subjugation of Aboriginal people at the frontier (first for resisting pastoral industry, later as workers in it) which butted up against localised extra-legal violence by police and settlers. We can trace this dichotomy between policy and practice in the development of surveillance and policing of Aboriginal populations across time and settler-colonial space due to the protracted pace of frontier 'development'. Revealing the mediated historical aspects of structural racism is crucial to analysing the persistence of racialised policing in postcolonial settings and understanding why, despite repeated inquiries into mistreatment of Aboriginal people, institutional inertia remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children have a universal right to live free from exposure to family and domestic violence (FDV). Children exposed to FDV can experience long-term effects on their physical and psychological health and their social competencies including social, emotional, and cognitive skills and behaviours that underpin successful social adaptation and academic achievement. The aim of this study was to investigate if children exposed to FDV were more likely to be vulnerable on school readiness measures compared to those children who were not exposed. Our cohort study used de-identified individual-level administrative data of children born during 2002–2010, in Western Australia, who were identified in police and hospital records as being exposed to FDV during 2002–2015. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of vulnerability in Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) outcomes of children exposed to FDV compared to a non-exposed cohort. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, children exposed to FDV had higher odds than non-exposed children of being vulnerable in all five AEDC domains: physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills (school-based) and communication skills and general knowledge. Exposed children have an increased likelihood of vulnerability in all five AEDC domains: physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills (school-based) and communication skills and general knowledge. Comprehensive multiagency early intervention for children exposed to FDV is required to mitigate the impact on outcomes, and ultimately the need to prevent FDV is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Lurasidone is a new second generation (atypical) antipsychotic agent with unique receptor affinity and side-effect profiles, but limited literature is available on its use in adolescent populations. Contrasting with research treatment trials which typically recruit patients by stringent selection criteria, this case series examined the effects and tolerability of using lurasidone in adolescents within real-life clinical settings in treating complex cases who had not responded to other therapy options. Methods: We conducted a retrospective case-note audit of 6 adolescents aged 14 to 17 years old attending community child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) who were prescribed lurasidone. Results: Lurasidone had been prescribed for a range of "hard-to-manage" conditions with complex comorbidities, in adolescents in relation to specific use of lurasidone on the basis of clinical and pharmacological indications after exhausting more conventional treatment options. Case-note review suggested response to lurasidone was clinically positive in 3 cases, equivocal/marginal in 2 cases, and ineffective in 1 case. There were no cases of poor tolerance or adverse effects. Notably, positive responses for depressive and irritable mood symptoms were specifically recorded by prescribing clinicians, indicative of benefits on symptom improvement. No lurasidone attributed weight gain, galactorrhoea, metabolic abnormalities, sexual dysfunction or intolerance were reported. Pro-cognitive effects were not detected; but our findings were constrained by the non-systematic and incomplete information ascertainment, typical in retrospective case-note review. Conclusion: This case series provides preliminary data supporting lurasidone's potential use in adolescents of complex clinical needs (but without a clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder) within real-life clinical settings. Lurasidone appears to show a weight-sparing effect, in addition to improving mood symptoms in some cases. Lurasidone deserves further study for its use in the adolescent population (outside the remit of FDA) given its potential more favorable risk-benefit profile in young people. The favorable tolerability appear to be borne out by the pharmacodynamic predictions in our complex patients who would be excluded in formal clinical trial studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that many domestic violence (DV) offenders also commit violent and nonviolent offences that are not domestic in nature. Stalking frequently evolves from DV contexts. The present study used police data to explore (i) the extent to which stalking offenders in Western Australia specialize in stalking, (ii) the frequency of involvement in DV offending by stalking offenders, and (iii) the types of offences that co-occur with stalking offences. The dataset covered 404 individuals who were identified by the Western Australia Police Force as the offender for a stalking offence between January 1st, 2003 and July 30th, 2017. Only a minority of the offenders specialized in stalking, with the majority offending in other ways against the index victim and also offending against others via a broad range of offences. Although less than 10% were recorded as having carried out domestic assaults, more than half had broken restraining orders. Like DV offenders, the stalkers in this sample were largely generalist offenders. It was not clear, however, what proportion of offences against the same index victim were directly related to stalking. Stalking is a course of conduct that often involves individual acts that may be offences in themselves. What is clearer is the finding that for many stalkers, stalking forms part of a wider pattern of antisocial activity. Those stalkers who do not specialize in stalking may be less likely to benefit from intervention efforts that are focused solely on stalking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery and development of world-class Lithium–Caesium–Tantalum (LCT) spodumene-bearing pegmatites in Western Australia underpins growth of a significant new sector of its mining industry. Recently, several new spodumene discoveries have been delineated in the Yilgarn and Pilbara Cratons. Contrary to exploration narratives that new economic mineral discoveries will generally be made at increasingly greater depths, beneath barren cover rocks, or in remote geological environments, all new lithium discoveries have clear surface expressions in relatively 'mature' greenstone belts. The exploration implication is that the search space for pegmatite-hosted spodumene deposits in Western Australia remains immature. These recently discovered LCT pegmatites have geological features relevant to exploration including their age, amphibolite-facies metamorphic setting and syn-metamorphic timing, and 3D geometry, particularly their typically gentle dips, that match other such world-class pegmatites globally. Further spodumene discoveries within pegmatites at or near surface are likely in the Archean terranes of Western Australia based on these consistent exploration criteria and supportive capital market conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As attempts to combat partisan gerrymandering transition from proposals to the Supreme Court to state-based districting commissions, it is time to ask two questions. First, how well did commissions in the 2010 round of redistricting perform as neutral decision makers? We answer that question with applications to each of the three independent commissions (AZ, CA, and WA) and four other commission forms (IA, NJ, NY, and VA) in place for post-2010. We take as the neutrality criterion the idea that a commission would produce a district plan that comports with a partisan outcome that could be expected from a set of approximately 10,000 computer generated plans adhering to minimalist constraints of contiguity, compactness, and equal populations. Our results indicate three of seven commissions produced suspect results that redounded to the benefit of one party or the other: pro- Democrat in Arizona; pro-Republican in New Jersey and Virginia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The criminal offense of stalking is somewhat different to other offenses due to the repetitive, innocuous, and often multifaceted nature of the crime. Given that stalking constitutes a number of different behaviors, such as violence and threats, research on stalking recidivism becomes difficult as recidivism can be defined in a number of ways. This study utilized a dataset of Western Australia Police Force incident reports, comprising a sample of 404 stalking offenders. Survival curves and a binomial logistic regression were used to determine time to recidivism and predictors of recidivism, using four different definitions of recidivism. Predictor variables included age of the offender, prior history of criminal charges, and offender ethnicity. The four definitions ranged from narrow (a new stalking charge) to broad (any new criminal charge). The results of the study show that stalkers reoffend quickly, however our understanding of how fast and which offender characteristics predict recidivism, is dependent on how we define recidivism. This highlights the importance of considering how stalking recidivism is defined in future works and may explain current differences in stalking recidivism findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the role of Dr Victor Henry Webster (1905-1980) in the introduction of cardiazol therapy to Western Australia in November 1937.Method: A range of primary and secondary sources were consulted.Results: Webster experimented with cardiazol treatment at Heathcote Reception Home, and published his findings in April 1938, at the same time as Ellery and Lear, but was not able to publish his results in a nationally-recognised journal. As a result, his contribution to early cardiazol treatment in Australia has been largely forgotten.Conclusions: Webster made a genuine contribution to the introduction of cardiazol treatment in Australia, and his story illustrates the need to publish early findings of new physical therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A central question for the exploratory Aboriginal and LGBTQ+ researcher led project 'Breaking the Silence: Being Indigenous and identifying LGBTQ+' (Breaking the Silence) is how provision of genuinely inclusive service responses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people identifying as LGBTQ+ can be developed. This article presents the qualitative findings of this mixed-methods research project to show how organizational staff working in health, education and social support services in Western Australia consider the Aboriginal LGBTQ+ identity/experience. Analysis of the written, interview and focus group responses to a question about the relevance of LGBTQ+ identity show that these questions need to be considered and evaluated within diverse service cultures and philosophies of services. Staff views are diverse and organizational consensus on the relevance (or not) of LGBTQ+ identity needs to be the precursor before the development or consideration of changes to service delivery and models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a serious autoimmune disease often resulting in major end-organ damage and increased mortality. Currently, no data exists focussing on the presentation, long-term management and progression of SLE in the Australian paediatric population. We conducted the first Australian longitudinal review of childhood SLE, focussing on response to treatment and outcomes. Methods: Detailed clinical and laboratory data of 42 children diagnosed with SLE before 16 years from 1998 to 2018 resident in Western Australia was collected. Data was collected at diagnosis and key clinical review time points and compared using the Systemic Lupus Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) criteria. End organ damage was assessed against Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index (SDI). Incidence rates of disease complications and end organ damage were determined. Results: Of the 42 children, 88% were female with average age at diagnosis of 12.5 years. Indigenous Australians were over represented with an incidence rate 18-fold higher than non-Indigenous, although most children were Caucasian, reflecting the demographics of the Australian population. Median duration of follow-up was 4.25 years. On final review, 28.6% had developed cumulative organ damage as described by the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index (incidence rate: 0.08/PY (95% CI 0.04–0.14)), and one child died. Twenty-nine children had renal involvement (incidence rate: 0.38/PY (95% CI 0.26–0.56)). Of the 27 patients with biopsy proven lupus nephritis, 70% had Class III or IV disease. Average length of prednisolone use from diagnosis was 32.5 months. Hydroxychloroquine (n = 36) and mycophenolate mofetil (n =21) were the most widely used steroid sparing agents. 61.9% received rituximab and/or cyclophosphamide. Conclusion: This is the first longitudinal retrospective review of Australian children with SLE, with a markedly higher incidence in Indigenous children. Although improving, rates of end organ complications remain high, similar to international cohort outcomes. Longitudinal multi-centre research is crucial to elucidate risk factors for poor outcomes, and identifying those warranting early more aggressive therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study reports on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lived experiences of people with substance use problems in accessing services in the Southwest region of Western Australia, and its implications for preparedness in a context of rural adversity. Method: This was a qualitative study informed by the principles of phenomenology. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and subjected to thematic analysis. Results: Twenty-two participants were interviewed. Two main themes were identified: disruption to supportive connections; and bridging the connection gap: local service response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions exacerbated social isolation and mental health issues, and disrupted services and treatment in the Southwest. Our results demonstrate that local alcohol and other drug services in rural areas can successfully respond to crises by assertively and flexibly adapting their service provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the rates and characteristics of self-harm across the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Method: Retrospective, cross-sectional audit. We obtained and descriptively analysed routinely collected self-harm data from the Kimberley District of the Western Australia Police Force (2014–2018) and the Emergency Department Data Collection (June 2017–December 2018). Variables included age, sex, Indigenous status, time of incident, and alcohol and drug use. Results: The rate of emergency department attendance for self-harm was three times higher in the Kimberley than the rest of Western Australia. Both emergency department and police data showed a disproportionately high percentage of incidents involving Aboriginal people, with highest rates in the 15–19 and 20–24 year age groups. Almost 80% of self-harm events recorded by police involving individuals aged 25–50 years involved alcohol. Many self-harm incidents occurred in the evening and at night. Conclusions: The rates of self-harm across the Kimberley region from 2014–2018 are unacceptably high. Increased funding and alignment of services to meet regional need are required as part of a holistic effort to reduce regional rates of self-harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate trends in admissions to the state forensic hospital (Western Australia (WA)) from court on hospital orders from 2007 to 2016. Method: A retrospective survey was undertaken. Demographic, clinical and legal data were obtained from hospital records. Hospital orders referred on less serious charges or without a primary diagnosis of major mental illness were identified as 'non-forensic'. Results: There were 890 hospital orders representing 40% of total admissions. Eighty-one per cent were male and 50% had a diagnosis of schizophrenia; 22% were Indigenous; 421 (47%) were admitted on less serious (non-Schedule 1) charges; 199 (22%) did not have a primary diagnosis of a major mental illness recorded on the discharge summary; 82 (9%) had neither major mental illness nor serious charges. Overall, 539 hospital orders (60%) were identified as non-forensic; 243 (45%) of these were made with no input from the Court Liaison Service (CLS). Conclusions: Hospital orders make up a significant proportion of admissions to the forensic unit in WA. Many do not require secure forensic care. Developing alternative diversion pathways is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Private practice psychiatry in Australia was largely office-based until the Commonwealth Government introduced new psychiatrist Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) telehealth items in response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigate the uptake of (1) video and telephone telehealth consultations in April–May 2020, and (2) the overall changing rates of consultation, i.e. total telehealth and in-person consultations across the larger states of Australia. Method: MBS item service data were extracted for COVID-19 psychiatrist video- and telephone-telehealth item numbers and compared with a baseline of the 2018−2019-financial-year monthly average of in-person consultations for New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia. Results: Total psychiatry consultations (telehealth and in-person) rose during the first wave of the pandemic by 10%−20% compared to the previous year. The majority of private practice was conducted by telehealth in April but was lower in May as new COVID-19 case rates fell. Most telehealth provision was by telephone for short consultations of ⩽15−30 min. Video consultations increased from April into May. Conclusions: For large states, there has been a rapid adoption of the MBS telehealth psychiatrist items, followed by a trend back to face-to-face as COVID-19 new case rates reduced. There was an overall increased consultation rate (in-person plus telehealth) for April−May 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to high levels of psychological distress in the community. This study aimed to examine whether emergency departments (EDs) also recorded a rise in mental health presentations. Method: Changes in the number, and type, of mental health presentations to Western Australia EDs were examined between January and May 2020, and compared to 2019. Results: Data showed an unexpected decrease in the number of mental health presentations, compared to 2019, which was temporally coincident with the rise in local COVID-19 cases. Presentations for anxiety and panic symptoms, and social and behavioural issues, increased by 11.1% and 6.5%, respectively, but suicidal and self-harm behaviours decreased by 26%. Conclusion: A rise in local COVID-19 cases was associated with a decrease in mental health presentations to EDs. This has important implications for the planning and provision of healthcare services in the current pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining operations demand accurate 3D geological models for resource estimation and production. The industry-wide accepted method for constructing such domains is to use exploration-based wireframes, limiting the accuracy of the domains by the sparsity of the exploration holes. Update of the domains using blast-hole data is highly desirable to increase the accuracy of the models and enable better decision making for downstream mining processes. We discuss some of the practical and theoretical problems of using existing boundaries created using exploration drill-hole data. We also propose using the blast-hole data to adjust ore to waste boundaries. The proposed methodology is evaluated on a dataset from an iron ore deposit located in the Brockman Iron Formation of the Hamersley Province, Western Australia, demonstrating important changes in multiple boundaries in this real-world mining dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Determining the effect of caregiving and bereavement remains a challenge. To date, no study has employed a comparison group to investigate caregivers' grief, quality of life and general health in relation to non-caregivers. Aim: We aimed to determine how caregivers' grief, quality of life and general health changed following death compared to non-caregivers and whether pre-death grief predicted these outcomes. Design: A prospective, longitudinal study of family caregivers and a comparison group matched for age, gender and postcode was conducted. All participants completed questionnaires at four points – once pre-death and three times post-death (3–4 months, 6–7 months and 9–10 months). Setting/participants: Participants (N = 70) were family caregivers of persons receiving palliative care, mostly for cancer, recruited from three palliative care providers in Western Australia and matched comparisons recruited from advertisements. Results: There were significant differences between the caregivers' and comparisons' grief, general health and quality of life at pre-death, 3–4 months and 6–7 months post-death, but not at 9–10 months post-death. The rate of progression in these constructs following death was independent from the intensity of pre-death grief. However, caregiver prolonged grief score significantly predicted prolonged grief score at 6–7 and 9–10 months post-death. Conclusion: It took 9–10 months for the caregivers' grief, general health and quality of life to correspond to the comparison group. These findings present an opportunity for palliative care research and practice to consider how best to support the majority of caregivers without grief complications so that their pre- and post-death support needs are realised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 920 km2 Archean Sandstone greenstone belt lies in the central-northern part of the Southern Cross Domain of the Youanmi Terrane, Western Australia. The belt, forming an arrow-head geometry, is bounded by the Youanmi and Edale shear zones on its eastern and western margins, respectively. The belt has a total gold endowment, including historic production, resources and reserves, of approximately 62 t (2.0 Moz). Most known deposits are situated within a central-southern ultramafic domain, although this is likely a function of exploration focus. The distribution of historical exploration efforts and domaining of deposit types, based on litho-structural controls on ore formation, highlight the potential for significant undiscovered deposits, hosted within arrays of shear zones parallel and adjacent to the lithosphere-scale Youanmi and Edale shear zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine what benefits and challenges are associated with a cost-neutral organisational change within a rural Community Mental Health Service from a Traditional Care model to a Youth Stream model.Method: Retrospective descriptive analysis of the last 18 months of the Traditional Care model and first 18 months of the Youth Stream model.Results: There was a 17% increase in the number of referrals once the service moved to a Youth Stream model. The increased referral numbers did not lead to a proportionate increase in the number of service contacts, but rather more single assessments were performed. The increased engagement was not reflected across all demographics, with vulnerable youth groups continuing to have below average engagement. Key aspects of data that would allow for further analysis by diagnosis and illness severity were missing from the dataset.Conclusions: Cost-neutral changes to services can create change, if that change is based on need identified within the service. As much care needs to be taken with data entry and evaluation if the service is aiming to perform a retrospective analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of nursing assistants has increased across health systems in the past 20 years, to alleviate licensed nurses' workload and to meet rising health care demands at lower costs. Evidence suggests that, when used as a substitute for licensed nurses, assistants are associated with poorer patient and nurse outcomes. Our multimethods study evaluated the impact of a policy to add nursing assistants to existing nurse staffing in Western Australia's public hospitals, on a range of outcomes. In this article, we draw the metainferences from previously published quantitative data and unpublished qualitative interview data. A longitudinal analysis of patient records found significantly higher rates adverse patient outcomes on wards that introduced nursing assistants compared with wards that did not. These findings are explained with ward-level data that show nursing assistants were added to wards with preexisting workload and staffing problems and that those problems persisted despite the additional resources. There were also problems integrating assistants into the nursing team, due to ad hoc role assignments and variability in assistants' knowledge and skills. The disconnect between policy intention and outcomes reflects a top-down approach to role implementation where assistants were presented as a solution to nurses' workload problems, without an understanding of the causes of those problems. We conclude that policy makers and managers must better understand individual care environments to ensure any new roles are properly tailored to patient and staff needs. Further, standardized training and accreditation for nursing assistant roles would reduce the supervisory burden on licensed nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from this article are derived from responses to questionnaires provided by 232 frontline workers and team leaders from a range of organizations across four Australian states who participated in The Invisible Practices Project: Engaging With Fathers Who Use Violence. This project was designed to explore the practices of workers who see perpetrators of domestic violence outside the relative safety of group-work programs. Thematic analysis was employed to examine the research question: What is the organizational context that contributes to, or constrains, the practices of frontline workers intervening with fathers who use violence? This article reports the ways that agencies increase the visibility of, and practices with, fathers who use violence. Increasing the visibility of fathers who use violence is posited as a crucial driver of policy and practice reform aligned with feminist goals of eliminating sexist institutional practices. It is argued that such practices render fathers who use violence invisible, reinforce patriarchal views of family roles and responsibilities, intensify the scrutiny on the mothering of women survivors, and compound the impact of domestic violence. This article documents emerging practices that seek to redress practices that support patriarchal views of family roles and responsibilities and has implications for understanding the capacity of social workers and other professionals to intervene with fathers who use violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many policy interventions have attempted to address the entrenched disadvantage of Aboriginal Australians1; however, sustained improvement in social, cultural, physical, and emotional well-being is not evident. This disadvantage is compounded by paternalistic practices which do not promote Aboriginal self-determination or empowerment. This article presents the lived experience and voice of Aboriginal Australians spending time in parks in Perth, Western Australia. A community-based participatory action research approach informed by critical Indigenous methodologies involving collaboration between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal service providers was used. Participants experienced disconnection from kin and country, serious risk to personal safety, homelessness, and problematic health; all related to, and intersecting with, time spent in the parks. The participants' narratives highlight the enduring impacts of colonization, dispossession, and racism. These lived experiences are situated within contexts of rising moral panic from politicians, residents and mass media, and siloed policy and service delivery responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To determine who provides bereavement support in the community, what sources are perceived to be the most or least helpful and for what reason, and to identify the empirical elements for optimal support in developing any future compassionate communities approach in palliative care. Design: A population-based cross-sectional investigation of bereavement experiences. Sources of support (informal, community and professional) were categorised according to the Public Health Model of Bereavement Support; most helpful reasons were categorised using the Social Provisions Scale, and least helpful were analysed using inductive content analysis. Setting and participants: Bereaved people were recruited from databases of funeral providers in Australia via an anonymous postal survey (2013-2014). Results: In total, 678 bereaved people responded to the survey. The most frequently used sources of support were in the informal category such as family, friends and funeral providers. While the professional category sources were the least used, they had the highest proportions of perceived unhelpfulness whereas the lowest proportions of unhelpfulness were in the informal category. The functional types of helpful support were Attachment, Reliable Alliance, Social Integration and Guidance. The five themes for least helpful support were: Insensitivity, Absence of Anticipated Support, Poor Advice, Lack of Empathy and Systemic Hindrance. Conclusion: A public health approach, as exemplified by compassionate communities policies and practices, should be adopted to support the majority of bereaved people as much of this support is already provided in informal and other community settings by a range of people already involved in the everyday lives of those recently bereaved. This study has provided further support for the need to strengthen the compassionate communities approach, not only for end of life care for dying patients but also along the continuum of bereavement support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to consider the implications of a recent Western Australia Court of Appeal decision in which an indigenous youth who had been sentenced for the manslaughter of his neonate child was later diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder.Conclusion: The increased use of the 2016 Australian guide to the diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder should be encouraged to enable clinicians to not only diagnose and manage Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder, but also counsel families to prevent it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies aiming to identify palliative care populations have used data from death certificates and in some cases hospital records. The size and characteristics of the identified populations can show considerable variation depending on the data sources used. It is important that service planners and researchers are aware of this. Aim: To illustrate the differences in the size and characteristics of a potential palliative care population depending on the differential use of linked hospital records and death certificate data. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting/participants: The cohort consisted of 23,852 people aged 20 years and over who died in Western Australia between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2010 after excluding deaths related to pregnancy or trauma. Within this cohort, the number, proportion and characteristics of people who died from one or more of 10 medical conditions considered amenable to palliative care were identified using linked hospital records and death certificate data. Results: Depending on the information source(s) used, between 43% and 73% of the 23,852 people who died had a condition potentially amenable to palliative care identified. The median age at death and the sex distribution of the decedents by condition also varied with the information source. Conclusion: Health service planners and researchers need to be aware of the limitations when using hospital records and death certificate data to determine a potential palliative care population. The use of Emergency Department and other administrative data sources could further exacerbate this variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to find out whether registered nurses read research articles, understand them and translate the research to practice. There is a problem with research knowledge translation in the clinical setting. Despite exposure to research, registered nurses often distance themselves from reading nursing research. A point-prevalence survey was conducted on a sample of registered nurses in a peripheral hospital in Western Australia. The survey was distributed to all wards of the hospital (n=7). One-hundred and five (n=105) registered nurses were eligible to participate. Ninety-five (n=95) completed and the survey. The survey consisted of 11 general questions and an open-ended question. The majority of registered nurses in clinical practice found research articles difficult to understand because of research jargon. Most indicated that they sometimes or never understood what they are reading. Almost all nurses revealed that if research articles were in a 'simpler' language they would read them more and apply what they had learned. Promoting a common, user-friendly language in a research abstract or summary which is targeted to the registered nurse audience may assist in finding a common knowledge exchange between researchers and nurses and so help bridge the gap between research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine the rate of presentations for suicidal ideation and deliberate self-harm in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, characterized in terms of age, gender, rates of repetition and engagement with community mental health services.Methods: An observational study of health service presentations over 12 months.Setting: 10 sites across the region with police services were included, capturing the overwhelming majority of self-harm presentations in the region.Participants: all Indigenous presentations were analyzed. Of the 433 individuals who presented, 361 were Indigenous.Main Outcome Measures: suicidal phenomena, including suicidal ideation and any type of deliberate self-harm regardless of intent.Results: Analysis suggests a broadly similar age and sex stratification of self-harm in this population compared with international reports. The rates, however, are 5-20 times higher than those reported in non-Indigenous populations in Australia and abroad, depending on whether the comparison rate is calculated from population surveys or hospital presentations.Conclusions: Prevalence of suicidal phenomena is very high and is likely to be much higher than estimated by this hospital based study. Such high prevalence suggests that a population level intervention is required in addition to interventions involving clinical services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With not much to do in their neighborhood, youth may spend more time in the home engaged in screen-based activities. Screen time data from 2,790 youth in the Western Australian Health and Wellbeing Survey were linked to objectively measured count of types of neighborhood “services,” “convenience goods,” “public open space,” and “youth-related” destinations. On average, youth accrued 801 mean min/week screen time and had access to seven different types of neighborhood destinations. A larger number of different types of neighborhood “youth-related,” “service,” and “total” destinations were associated with less screen time (all p ≤ .05). A significant gender interaction was observed. Girls with access to ≥12 youth-related destinations had 109 fewer mean min/week screen time, compared with girls with 0 to 3 youth-related destinations. Providing alternatives to screen use by ensuring access to a variety of neighborhood places for structured and unstructured activities may be an important strategy for decreasing youth screen time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]