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Many countries have ethnically diverse populations and marketing practitioners need to consider these diversities when undertaking research, particularly when exploring sensitive topics. In Australia, Indigenous Australians make up 3.3% of the population and are a commonly researched audience to gauge attitudes and ensure cultural offense does not occur due to unintended consequences of marketing activity. However, obtaining information from such a vulnerable group using quantitively based surveys is often inappropriate or insensitive. This paper introduces to Euro-western market researchers the concepts of flipping and yarning as a market research approach that has been used by Indigenous Australians for thousands of years. This circular market research approach demonstrates that ensuring a cultural understanding of the community can provide a foundation for a research approach that is 'considered' and respectful. It is hoped that this type of methodology can be used with other vulnerable communities as well as other diverse groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws together critical learnings from diverse qualitative health research projects in Australia that sought to shift power and focus on the strengths and expertise of people with lived experience who are involved as co-researchers. These projects have included exploring and challenging identities, understanding experiences in treatment programs, critiquing and designing/re-designing services, and sharing experiences with the wider community in novel and innovative ways. Lived experiences included alcohol and other drug dependency, mental health, domestic, family or sexual violence, and living with HIV. This paper provides important learnings and actions about partnering with co-researchers with lived experience. In this paper we draw on a process of reflective discussions that occurred over six months with fortnightly online meetings between co-researchers, including co-authors with lived experience external to academia and university-based researchers, some of whom also have lived-experience that intersects with their research. From this, we distilled key learnings across seven themes: (1) the ethics of ethics, which highlights a need for constant reflection on the ethical issues in co-research; (2) recruiting co-researchers, which focuses on ensuring and integrating a diversity of voices; (3) creating safety for all, which must be a priority of engagement and support self-determination; (4) supporting different ways of partnering, which emphasises the need for diverse roles and ways to contribute on research teams; (5) capacity building and training, which requires ongoing evaluation of needs and tailored responses; (6) positioning, which highlights the need to transition from the idea of vulnerability to a strengths-based perspective of lived experience; and (7) power plays, reflecting the need to disrupt the dynamics and established hierarchies of privileging certain forms of knowledge and expertise. The paper includes recommendations for action against these seven themes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the application of Constructivist Grounded Theory (C-GT) methodology for social work research. First, it argues that C-GT methodology is well aligned with social work as the two value the individual in the context of their environmental influences. Both also prioritise the importance of respecting and valuing the participant or individual, seeing their perspective as unique and significant. Finally, this research methodology's systematic yet flexible guidelines align with social work ethics, which also focus on the importance of professional integrity. The paper then provides an example of a C-GT PhD study in relation to an area of social work practice, that is, stability in statutory kinship care in Queensland, Australia. The paper details the specific recruitment and sampling of participants, data collection and coding analysis examples from the PhD study. The examples evidence the relevance of C-GT methodology and its application for research in the area of social work practice, specifically statutory kinship care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Rapid increases in the utility of vascular ultrasound combined with increasing expectations from reporting physicians have required a shift to a more defined professional role for the vascular sonographer in Australia. This has created increasing pressure on newly qualified sonographers to be more job-ready and better able to navigate the challenges of the clinical workplace early in their career. Topic Description: There is a distinct lack of structured strategies that newly qualified sonographers can utilise to assist their transition from student to employee. In our paper, we aimed to answer the question of 'What makes a sonographer a Professional?' with the view to extending understanding of how a structured framework can assist the development of a professional identity and can encourage participating in Continuing Professional Development by the newly qualified sonographer. Discussion: The authors reviewed their own clinical experiences and the current literature to source tangible and practical strategies that can be easily enacted by newly qualified sonographers to motivate their continuing growth. Through this review, the 'Domains of Professionalism in the role of the sonographer' framework was developed. In this framework, we describe the various domains of professionalism and their associated dimensions, making it specific to the discipline of sonography and to the point of view of a newly qualified sonographer. Conclusion: Our paper contributes to the discussion on Continuing Professional Development using a purposeful and targeted approach to support newly qualified sonographers across all discipline areas of ultrasound specialisation to navigate the often challenging pathway to becoming a professional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little Haven is a rural, community-based specialist palliative care service in Gympie, Australia. Its goals are to provide highest quality of care, support and education for those experiencing or anticipating serious illness and loss. Families and communities work alongside clinical services, with community engagement influencing compassionate care and support of dying people, their families and communities. Public Health Palliative Care promotes community engagement by community-based palliative care services and is grounded in equal partnerships between civic life, community members, patients and carers, and service providers. This takes many forms, including what we have termed the 'citizen organization'. Objectives: This paper reports on an evaluation of Little Haven's model of care and explores the organization's place as a 'citizen' of the community it services. Design: A co-designed evaluation approach utilizing mixed-method design is used. Methods: Multiple data sources obtained a broad perspective of the model of care including primary qualitative data from current patients, current carers, staff, volunteers and organizational stakeholders (interviews and focus groups); and secondary quantitative survey data from bereaved carers. Thematic analysis and descriptive statistics were generated. Results: This model of care demonstrates common service elements including early access to holistic, patient/family-centred, specialized palliative care at little or no cost to users, with strong community engagement. These elements enable high-quality care for patients and carers who describe the support as 'over and above', enabling good quality of life and care at home. Staff and volunteers perceive the built-in flexibility of the model as critical to its outcomes; the interface between the service and the community is similarly stressed as a key service element. Organizational stakeholders observed the model as a product of local activism and accountability to the community. Conclusion: All participant groups agree the service model enables the delivery of excellent care. The construction of a community palliative care service as a citizen organization emerged as a new concept. Plain language summary: 'Citizen organization': an Australian community-based palliative care service model Little Haven is a rural, community-based specialist palliative care service in Gympie, Australia. It aims to provide highest quality of care, support and education for those experiencing or anticipating serious illness and loss. Families and communities work alongside clinical services, with community engagement influencing compassionate care and support of dying people, their families and communities. Public Health Palliative Care promotes community engagement by community-based palliative care services in equal partnerships between civic organizations, community members, patients and carers, and service providers. We undertook an evaluation of Little Haven's model of care by speaking with current patients, current and past carers, staff, volunteers and stakeholders about their experiences of Little Haven. We found that Little Haven's model contains the essential elements of a palliative care service and provides early access to holistic, patient/family-centred, specialized palliative care at little or no cost to users. They have strong community engagement with a strong background in community activism. We identified that Little Haven's 'being in the community' goes beyond service provision or even sentiment. We observed a symbiotic relationship between the organization and the community it supports in what we have termed the 'citizen organization'. The distinctive characteristic of the citizen organization is its inseparability from the community in which it dwells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faced with a series of COVID-19 related lockdowns in Australia across 2020 and 2021, and anxious about the safety of our research participants, we developed a novel approach to body mapping, an arts-based research method typically undertaken in-person. We produced a facilitated body mapping workshop hosted via an online videoconferencing platform. Workshops brought together 29 participants with disability, mental distress and/or refugee background who used body mapping to represent their embodied experiences of stigma and discrimination. These workshops generated rich data, and participants reported a high level of satisfaction with the process. In this paper we describe our novel approach to body mapping, and share practical tips for others who wish to undertake body mapping remotely. We outline strengths associated with this method: increased accessibility, enhanced connection between participants, the formation of a space to explore challenging subject matter, the production of rich data, and the creation of diverse body maps. We also discuss shortcomings and challenges which those considering the method should be aware of: increased logistical burden, demands related to space, IT difficulties, the danger of over-sharing, and diminished cohort sizes. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to report on body mapping facilitated via web-based workshops. Here, we seek to provide practical advice and useful insights for others hoping to utilise body mapping online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this methodological paper is to discuss the challenges of conducting fieldwork, using reflections from our experiences of accessing a research site for ethnographic data collection. The research project aimed to explore nurses' social relations in their workplace and the inequities between and within these relations among nurses of diverse social positions. Due to the sensitive nature of this topic, access to the research site posed several challenges and was further complicated by the bureaucratic ethics process that governs clinical sites in Australia. Although this study was considered a low and negligible risk research, negotiating the ethics process was full of hitches and hindrances resulting in the refusal of access. This paper offers ethnographers a reflection on challenges in accessing clinical sites to conduct research and a discussion of strategies that may be useful to navigate and counter these challenges by managing social relations in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicide has a devasting and far-reaching effect on our communities. In developed countries, most people who die by suicide are male. Understanding men's mental health and what they experience in a suicidal state is key to preventing future attempts. Our paper explores how a group of 37 men in Australia describe the leadup to their suicidality. Underpinned by interpretive phenomenological analysis, interview transcripts were examined for phrases that the investigative team subjectively identified as profound. Our approach considered language and expression that evoke reactions to the sometimes contradictory nature of suicide. The process enabled our team to identify the emotions, rationales, and motivations for and against suicide that give rise to and arise during suicidal states. One man's source of strength may be another's cause of anguish, so any single, one-size-fits-all pathway to suicide prevention is unlikely to succeed, signaling the need for a tailored approach to suicide prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have found that many post-secondary music students suffer from physical and mental health issues. However, researchers have mainly studied these problems at the individual level, with little investigation of how music students' work is shaped by the coordinating effects of policies, texts, and discourses at and beyond their local site. This paper describes a protocol for an international project that will explore the health of music students in the context of their daily work. Using an institutional ethnography approach, we will examine the social organization of music students' work at three universities: two in Canada and one in Australia. This will be the first set of studies that use institutional ethnography specifically for the purpose of understanding how the social organization of music students' work shapes their health. Data will be collected using several methods common to institutional ethnography: interviews, focus groups, observations, and collecting texts. Data analysis will begin during the data collection process and proceed in two fluid stages. The first stage will involve a detailed investigation of the pertinent work activities at each music school. The second will involve linking that work to specific social relations within and beyond the institution. After data analysis has been completed at all three sites, findings will be compared to one another to identify commonalities and differences in how students' work is organized. Findings of the entire project may inform policy-making and lead to positive change at the institutions studied, as well as others where similar social organization may occur. The novel approach described here will provide opportunities to expand current knowledge about music students' work and health beyond what has been learned through approaches that focus on students' individual behaviours and attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Doctors with a history of mental health or substance use challenges face barriers accessing treatment and are difficult to recruit for research. This makes understanding their experiences challenging, yet essential. Overcoming barriers to research participation among unwell doctors is critical to advancing their overall health and wellbeing. Methods: A qualitative interview study of 21 allegedly impaired doctors in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand who were subject to regulatory processes relating to their health. Based in an interpretative phenomenological paradigm, this paper examines participants' motivations for participation in this study and their reactions to participating. It highlights wider implications for sensitive research involving doctors and marginalised groups. Results: Participants were strongly motivated to participate in our research for their own benefit (desire to be heard, catharsis, and empowerment) and to benefit others (to change the system, and to avoid other doctors experiencing what they experienced). Careful planning and communication of unique legal risks fostered a trusting researcher-participant relationship. To assist other researchers undertaking sensitive qualitative research with vulnerable participants, we describe our research protocol, challenges, and successes in detail. Conclusions: Despite ethical concerns about research risk, researchers can and should pursue qualitative research into the experiences of under-represented groups, including allegedly impaired doctors. Without involving them in research that examines issues directly impacting on them, we may be inadvertently perpetuating the barriers and stigma that also hinder them from accessing treatment and support. This also deprives us of knowledge that can be used to improve doctors' health. This paper has broader relevance for anyone doing research with doctors, people in vulnerable positions, people disempowered by institutional or social systems, people who are stigmatised or shamed, and people who have experienced trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports part of a doctoral study which investigated the resettlement experiences of African migrants in Australia (N= 115), and focuses upon the findings of those who participated in individual face-to-face interviews (N= 30). It examines the resettlement challenges facing African migrants in Western Australia (WA), such migration having increased in recent years. Although migrating to relatively wealthy countries such as Australia may be a cause for optimism among African migrants, the challenges associated with resettlement may have a negative effect on their well-being. The findings indicate that participants experienced a variety of resettlement challenges including separation experiences, language difficulties, parenting and cultural issues, under-employment and unemployment, financial problems, and racial discrimination. The study confirms the limited existing research, contributes to a better understanding of the major challenges affecting African migrants in Australia, and has implications for the formulation of effective policies and practices aimed at mitigating resettlement challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Participatory research involves academic partners working together with the community that is affected by research to make decisions about that research. Such approaches often result in research that is more respectful of, and responsive to, community preferences – and is vital in the context of autism research with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. Whilst participatory approaches are becoming more commonplace within CALD autism research, no studies have explored the experiences of being involved in autism research from the perspectives of CALD community partners over the course of a study. This paper intended to address this gap by reporting on the experiences of CALD parents of autistic children who were community partners in a 1-year Australian research project exploring home–school partnerships for CALD parents of autistic children. We aimed to: (1) report on how parents' involvement in the research process shaped the home–school partnerships study over time and (2) understand their experiences of being community partners on the home–school partnerships project. Methods: Using key principles of participatory approaches, we established Chinese and Vietnamese parent advisory groups to contribute to a project exploring home–school partnerships for parents of autistic children from CALD backgrounds in Australia. Advisory groups included parents of autistic children from Chinese/Vietnamese backgrounds, as well as interpreters, professionals and researchers. We documented how parents' participation as community partners shaped the home–school partnerships study over the course of the project. We also elicited parents' own views and experiences of being community partners through informal, open-ended questions at the beginning and end of the study. Results: We found that parents' input fundamentally shaped the broader home–school partnership study, from meaningful, accurate translation of interview schedules through to making decisions regarding community-specific recommendations and dissemination plans. Parents themselves reported being keen to collaborate and to hear and share opinions for the purpose of the home–school partnership study – although they noted how emotionally difficult sharing their stories could be. While they initially had some concerns about combining being involved as a community partner with their existing responsibilities, ultimately, parents were surprised by the scope of the home–school partnership study and their level of involvement as community partners. Through hearing others' stories and sharing their own in advisory group meetings, parents reported ancillary benefits of their involvement, including increased self-advocacy and well-being. Conclusions: These findings show how research that is conducted in partnership with diverse members of the autism community has the capacity to improve the quality of the research and benefit community partners. Implications: This study clearly documents the benefits and potential challenges of participatory approaches with CALD communities. These findings emphasise to researchers and funders the importance of including extra time and money within budgets in order to produce meaningful research that is respectful and responsive to communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When researching with or about families in home-based research, there are numerous unexpected ethical issues that can emerge, particularly in qualitative research. This paper is based on reflective accounts of four homed-based research projects, two in the UK and two Australia, which examined ethical dilemmas identified when engaged in home-based research with young children. Using a synergy of ecocultural theory and Foucauldian ideas of Heterotopia as theoretical conceptualisations, the authors employed reflective lenses to guide their approach, and examine dilemmas and complexities when conducting research in the home. We argue that, to address ethical dilemmas, researchers need to problematise and reflect upon the nature of respectful approaches and the ethical implications of their behaviours. We conclude that, although ethical codes are valuable when researching families at home, researchers should plan for and forefront their methodological approaches in ways that are family-centred, whilst also framed by practices that are ethical, respectful and reflective to the situated contexts of family's ecologies and heterotopias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A lack of patient safety research hampers capacity to improve safety in healthcare. Ultrasound is often considered 'safe' as it does not use ionising radiation, a simplistic view of patient safety. Understanding sonographers' actions towards patient safety is crucial; however, self-reported measures cannot always predict behaviour. This study is part of a PhD exploring patient safety in medical diagnostic ultrasound. The aim of this paper is to explore sonographers' responses to the patient safety concerns identified in Part one of this study. The ultimate aim of the study is to inform the final phase of the doctoral study which will consider the next steps in improving the quality and safety of healthcare experienced by patients. Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured, one-on-one interviews. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) explained how sonographers respond to perceived patient safety risks in practice. Results: Thirty-one sonographers were interviewed. Based on the seven themes identified in Part one of the study, results showed that incongruences exist between identifying patient safety risks and the actions taken in practice to manage these risks. Conclusion: The TPB showed that behavioural, normative and control beliefs impact sonographers' responses to perceived patient safety risks in practice and can lead to risk avoidance. Lack of regulation in ultrasound creates a challenge in dealing with Fitness to Practice issues. Collective actions are required to support sonographers in taking appropriate actions to enhance patient safety from multiple stakeholders including accreditation bodies, regulatory authorities, educational institutions and employers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Patient safety has been an undervalued component of quality healthcare but is a challenging area of research. Ultrasound is the most common imaging modality in the world. Research on patient safety in ultrasound is generally focused on bioeffects and safe operation of ultrasound equipment. However, other safety issues exist in practice that warrant consideration. This paper forms the first part of a PhD study exploring patient safety in medical diagnostic ultrasound, beyond the notion of bioeffects. The ultimate aim of the study is to inform the final phase of the research study which will consider the next steps in improving the quality and safety of healthcare experienced by patients. Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured, one-on-one interviews. A thematic analysis categorised data into codes and generated final themes. Results: A heterogeneous mix of 31 sonographers, who reflected the profile of the profession in Australia, were interviewed between September 2019 and January 2020. Seven themes emerged from the analysis. These were bioeffects, physical safety, workload, reporting, professionalism, intimate examinations and infection control. Conclusion: This study presents a comprehensive analysis of sonographers' perceptions of patient safety in ultrasound imaging, not previously available in the literature. Consistent with the literature, patient safety in ultrasound tends to be viewed in technical terms through the potential for bioeffects of tissue damage or physical harm to the patient. However, other patient safety issues have emerged, and while not as well recognised, have the potential to negatively impact on patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper contributes to studies of Indigenous organizing and organizations. We draw on Indigenous knowledge which recognizes that everything is connected within networks of relationships to extend post-colonial theory on hybridity. Our case study research with Australia's only Indigenous-owned credit union identifies how hybridity is co-constituted through 'friction' in the 'contact zone' where local kinship relations and audit practices meet and grapple. Focusing on the 'contact zone' allows us to better understand the everyday organizing that produces hybridity. We build on existing work on hybridities in organizations which predominately focus on issues of language and knowledge by focusing on the organizational interactions themselves, especially the embedded interactions between humans and objects. Seeing these interactions as 'friction' means not trying to solve or dissolve them – but to acknowledge them as lived realities of an Indigenous organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of games for social skill development in the classroom is accelerating at a tremendous rate. At the same time, the research surrounding games designed for teaching social skills remains fragmented. This systematic review summarizes the current existing literature on social skill serious games for young people ages 5 to 19 and is the first review of serious games to note the demographic and geographic component of these studies. Method: This review included papers that: evaluated a game designed to teach social skills ; included measurable, quantitative outcomes; have a translation or be published in English; were peer-reviewed; date from January 2010 to May 2020; and have a nonclinical study population between ages of 5 to 19. Keywords were obtained from the CASEL 5 framework. Results: Our findings are mixed but suggest that serious games may improve social skills when used alongside in-person discussion. We also found potential effects of the length of time of gameplay, intervention, and follow-up on social skill serious game effectiveness. Although this review found promising research conducted in East Asian countries and with minority samples in the United States, the majority of social skill serious game research takes place in the United States and Australia, with unreported demographic information and white-majority samples. Conclusions: Due to the limited number of published studies in this area and studies lacking methodological rigor, the effectiveness of using games to teach social skills and the impact of background on social skill learning require further discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Even before COVID-19, enrolments in online postgraduate nursing and midwifery courses were growing globally. Teaching into planned online courses requires pedagogical considerations unique to the context. Objective: The objective of this descriptive mixed methods study was to understand the experiences and needs of Australian online educators who taught into planned online postgraduate nursing or midwifery courses. Methods: A 55-item online survey captured the experiences and needs of participants. This paper reports on the analysis of participants' qualitative responses in this survey, analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Forty-nine postgraduate educators participated in this study. Results: Five core themes were identified: time is precious; redefining the educator role; understanding the pedagogical shift; online and alone; and learning to teach online. Many educators report lacking the skills and confidence to deliver high-quality education to postgraduate students through their fingertips. Conclusion: This research highlighted that online educators need support through resources, education, and professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of methamphetamine or amphetamine stimulant drugs has been identified by authoritative public health bodies as a global health issue, with a worrying trend towards production and consumption of a higher purity crystalline form methamphetamine (ice) over the past decade. This trend has been well documented within Australia, resulting in a public perception of there being an 'ice' epidemic in regional/rural areas. Considering the illicit nature of ice, monitoring it is challenging and as such little information is available regarding the actual extent of methamphetamine use, harms and patterns in regional/remote Australia. Aim: To collate the available literature regarding methamphetamine use in regional/rural Australia and identify gaps in the literature. Methods: A literature search was conducted by searching 6 databases (PUBMED, Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO and SCOPUS) following which exclusion/inclusion criteria were applied. Included papers were appraised with the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical appraisal tools and synthesised in light of the sociocultural, ethnic and geographic differences in methamphetamine use in Australia. Results: Regarding rural/regional Australia there is a significant lack of research into methamphetamine use, patterns and epidemiology since the rise of crystalline methamphetamine in 2013. The existing literature available suggests great variability in methamphetamine harms in rural communities. This can be a double-edged sword however, as the introduction of ice into a remote/rural community may result in greater harms if it becomes ingrained in local customs. Similarly, there is a lack of research into the specific factors within Indigenous communities leading to an increased rate of methamphetamine use amongst members. Recommendation: Future research should address the causes of variance in methamphetamine harms in rural/remote regions. Although the scope of this paper was the Australian context, a wider international approach may yield useful information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home telemonitoring has been used as a solution to support the care of individuals living with chronic disease. While effectiveness of telemonitoring have been widely studied, more research is needed to understand the perceptions among patients and clinicians in incorporating telemonitoring into their daily routine and practices. This paper presents an investigation of patients’ and clinicians’ experiences in a care augmenting telemonitoring service, their perceived impact delivered through the service, and clinicians’ perceptions on how the service was introduced in their organizations. This work was embedded in a large multi-site trial of home telemonitoring using a mixed method approach for evaluation. Interviews with clinicians involved in the study were conducted at multiple time points during the trial. Questionnaires were administered to clinicians and patients at the end of the trial. Results showed that both patients and clinicians recognized the benefits of patient empowerment through telemonitoring, and patient-clinician interactions. Results identified the needs of a dedicated telemonitoring clinical care coordinator role, guidelines that translate telemonitoring services into clinical pathways and engagement of different healthcare providers, especially general practitioners, to support the integration of telemonitoring into chronic disease management programs and long-term organizational strategic plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to explain the relationship between high frequency electricity demand, intra-day temperature variation and time. Using the Generalised Additive Model (GAM) framework we link high frequency (5-minute) aggregate electricity demand in Australia to the time of the day, time of the year and intra-day temperature. We document a strong relationship between high frequency electricity demand and intra-day temperature. We show a superior model fit when using Daylight Saving Time (DST), or clock time, instead of the standard (solar) time. We introduce the time weighted temperature model that captures instantaneous electricity demand sensitivity to temperature as a function of the human daily activity cycle, by assigning different temperature signal weighting based on the DST time. The results on DST and time weighted temperature modelling are novel in the literature and are important innovations in high frequency electricity demand forecasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia responded to the emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic in 2020 by initiating a border and bio-security zone lockdown and policies emphasising social distancing and hand hygiene. To understand the public response to this, Southern Queensland Rural Health commenced a two-phase research project exploring attitudes and practices towards the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. An initial online survey foreshadowed 90 qualitative interviews with respondents to explore what the pandemic meant for everyday life. This paper details use of a qualitative approach by a national collaborative of investigators from 9 rural university departments in Australia who came together to research the qualitative phase of the project. Our methodological approach aligned with extant literature describing the management of large-scale interviewing and coding in the context of unfolding and dynamic contexts. The 'RITA' model (Rapid Identification of Themes from Audio recordings) entails a five-step process designed to progress from identifying research foci, through deductive and iterative coding to identify key concepts. We used a combination of coding templates, organisation and tagging of field notes and real-time sharing through a secure cloud drive to create a data set for immersive analysis and generation of ideas. Use of this method has added to the collective knowledge about successful rapid research investigations, recognising the inherent tension between speed and rigour. This is not a binary but a dialectic; trustworthiness is integral to qualitative research. However, use of fresh approaches is accommodated by new technologies and can preserve adequate rigour while enabling collaboration, research capacity building and increasing the pace of data collection and analysis. This project has presented methodological challenges and highlights some strengths of such an approach. It is hoped that reporting our approach and experiences is useful for the broader health and research community considering large-scale qualitative research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: To determine the prevalence of epileptic seizures in multiple sclerosis (MS) at an Australian tertiary hospital and to define their clinical features. Methods: We retrospectively analysed adult patients at the Royal Melbourne Hospital electronically identified to have ICD codes for MS and seizures and/or epilepsy between 1996 to 2019, utilising paper and electronic-based records. Results: Of the 2,125 MS patients identified, 16 (0.75%) experienced epileptic seizures during a mean follow-up period of 12.9 years. Median age of MS diagnosis (SD) was 38 (9.3) years. Four patients had relapsing remitting MS (25%), 10 secondary progressive MS (63.5%), and 2 primary progressive MS (12.5%). More than two-thirds of patients had seizure onset following the diagnosis of MS, and the majority of these had advanced disease (approximate EDSS >6) at the time of seizure onset. Focal onset-seizures occurred in 87.5% of patients with seizures. Conclusion: The estimated prevalence of seizures in our cohort was lower than in previous studies (0.75 vs 2–4%). In most cases, seizures occurred after the diagnosis of MS in the context of advanced disease. Further studies are required to determine if MS disease modifying treatments reduce the risk of seizures in this cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2012, the Australian Commonwealth Government introduced a series of reforms for the aged care sector including the implementation of the National Prioritisation System for a flexible, accessible and demand-driven approach to home care services for older people. Nevertheless, an increasing number of older people continue to wait for months to be assigned home care packages on the national prioritisation queue, a component of the National Prioritisation System. There is limited evidence on the impact of the national prioritisation queue on discharge planning practices of social workers in supporting older people returning home from hospital admission. The aim of the research described in this paper is to explore the perceptions of social workers from rural and urban health services areas on how the introduction of the national prioritisation queue has influenced discharge planning of older people who are still waiting assignment of home care packages. This study protocol establishes the need for this qualitative study and provides an overview of the theoretical framework underpinning the research; discusses and describes the methods for sampling/recruitment and data collection, the approach to be utilised for qualitative analysis and the planned dissemination strategy. Understanding how social workers respond to the perceived challenges to discharge planning posed by the national prioritisation queue and the implications arising from the research have the potential to inform the development of best practice approaches and further enhance social work response to identified issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we ask how interpersonal connectivity can be achieved at a geographic distance. This is in contrast with extant literature that focuses on states of connectivity rather than the work needed to achieve it. We draw on phenomenological ideas of embodiment, presence and distance, in combination with empirical material from an extreme remote work context – telenursing in Australia. The nurses we interviewed triage patients entirely by telephone. We argue that even with low social and technical connectivity, interpersonal connectivity is achievable through skilful work with technology. We explore the work that goes into 'being there with and for distant others' by combining the phenomenological concepts of 'maximal grip' and 'intentional arc' with empirical examples. We propose that interpersonal connectivity is oriented empathetically towards both the other person and agentically towards the joint situation. We thereby develop a conceptual model of interpersonal connectivity work, which argues that distributed workers need to skilfully balance the dualities of freedom/control and nearness/farness to achieve interpersonal connectivity. Achieving and maintaining interpersonal connectivity is an important skill, particularly for leaders who operate in work contexts that are increasingly distributed, flexible and temporary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gaining accurate information on illicit drug use and policing in real-world settings is a challenge. This study examines the utility of a smartphone app ('Going Out In Sydney') to prospectively follow up illicit drug use and policing encounters at music festivals and licensed entertainment precincts in Sydney, Australia. In all, 38 regular festival and licensed entertainment venue attendees used the app to log nights out over a 3-month period, including (1) where they went (eg, festival, nightclub), (2) the prevalence of illicit drug use, and (3) the incidence and nature of police encounters. A survey and interview were then conducted about the utility of the app. The app enabled rich data collection (n = 353 entries) about illicit drug use and policing at both target settings. Follow-up surveys indicated that most participants were extremely satisfied with the ease of use of the app and privacy afforded, and compared with other data collection modes, such as paper-based logs and online surveys, rated the app the most desirable method of data collection. This suggests smartphone apps may be a viable option for future studies on illicit drug use and policing of drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small stocks tend to reverse, whereas large stocks tend to trend over a one-month horizon, which explains the lack of short-term reversals in the Australian market as a whole. However, large stocks exhibit intra-industry reversals, in which industry winners underperform industry losers in the subsequent month, when controlling for price momentum. Conversely, once this intra-industry reversal is neutralised, large stocks display momentum behaviour, in which market winners outperform market losers. These conditional strategies generate positive, significant risk-adjusted returns on large stocks in Australia. This paper documents significant industry momentum, as winning industries outperform losing industries in the following month. This industry momentum effect dominates the intra-industry reversal. The paper also finds evidence that conditional reversals are driven by illiquidity and are inhibited by stock prices under-reacting to earnings announcements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/Objective: The objective of the study was to develop an understanding of the perceptions of people with Parkinson's disease and clinical academics on the implementation of a regional interdisciplinary model of care. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was undertaken. A PD interdisciplinary clinic was conducted in an Australian regional location. As a novel variation, in this clinic, 4 clinical academics consulted simultaneously offering a long, 3-h appointment. Following the clinic, we conducted 2 focus groups with all clinical academics and 6 semi-structured interviews with people with PD and carers. Data were analyzed using Elo & Kyngäs' inductive content analysis approach. Results: An overarching main category namely, "interdisciplinary care proved valuable to regional people with PD and clinical academics," and 3 generic-categories including "identifying interdisciplinary care as a viable option in regional locations," "current care provision is disempowering and burdensome," and "regional residing people with PD and their carers seek locally accessible healthcare with PD skilled clinicians" were identified. Conclusion: Our findings suggest the implementation of interdisciplinary care to regional healthcare systems is valued by clinical academics and people with PD and carers. Further research is required to establish how interdisciplinary care can be implemented in regional Australia and its effects on practice changes, patient outcomes, and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Midlife, beginning at 40 years and extending to 65 years, a range that encompasses the late reproductive to late menopausal stages, is a unique time in women's lives, when hormonal and physical changes are often accompanied by psychological and social evolution. Access to sexual health and sexual well-being (SHSW) services, which include the prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, contraception and the support of sexual function, pleasure and safety, is important for the health of midlife women, their relationships and community cohesion. The objective was to use the socio-ecological model to synthesise the barriers and enablers to SHSW services for midlife women in high-income countries. A systematic review of the enablers and barriers to women (including trans-gender and non-binary people) aged 40–65 years accessing SHSW services in high-income countries was undertaken. Four databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Google Scholar) were searched for peer-reviewed publications. Findings were thematically extracted and reported in a narrative synthesis. Eighty-one studies were included; a minority specifically set out to study SHSW care for midlife women. The key barriers that emerged were the intersecting disadvantage of under-served groups, poor knowledge, about SHSW, and SHSW services, among women and their healthcare professionals (HCPs), and the over-arching effect of stigma, social connections and psychological factors on access to care. Enablers included intergenerational learning, interdisciplinary and one-stop women-only services, integration of SHSW into other services, peer support programmes, representation of minoritised midlife women working in SHSW, local and free facilities and financial incentives to access services for under-served groups. Efforts are needed to enhance education about SHSW and related services among midlife women and their healthcare providers. This increased education should be leveraged to improve research, public health messaging, interventions, policy development and access to comprehensive services, especially for midlife women from underserved groups. Plain language summary: Sexual health and sexual wellbeing services for midlife women in high income countries Midlife, beginning at 40 years and extending to 65 years, a range that encompasses the late reproductive to late menopausal stages, is a unique time in women's lives. Access to Sexual Health and Sexual Wellbeing (SHSW) services, which include the prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, contraception and the support of sexual function, pleasure and safety, is important for the health of midlife women, their relationships and community cohesion. The objective of this systematic review was to use the socio-ecological model to synthesise the barriers and enablers to SHSW services for midlife women in high income countries. Eighty-one studies were included; a minority specifically set out to study SHSW care for midlife women. The key barriers that emerged were the intersecting disadvantage of under-served groups, poor knowledge, about SHSW, and SHSW services, among women and their HealthCare Professionals (HCPs), and the over-arching effect of stigma, social connections, and psychological factors on access to care. Enablers included intergenerational learning, interdisciplinary and one-stop women-only services, integration of SHSW into other services, peer support programmes, representation of minoritised midlife women working in SHSW, local and free facilities, and financial incentives for under-served groups to access services. The appetite for education about SHSW and SHSW services among midlife women and their HCPs should be capitalised upon, and utilised to improve research, public health messaging, interventions and access to holistic services, particularly for midlife women from under-served groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a large multi-country multi-industry sample of over 158,000 companies, the early-stage company sector is documented to have sizable destruction of revenues and jobs and as well as sizable gross creation of revenues and jobs. The creation aspect has captured the dominant attention of researchers, commentators, and policy makers. Destruction, despite its large magnitude, has long been a backwater of research and most commentary on this sector. Destruction is not simply non-growth but rather prior growth that is subsequently reversed. This paper analyzes creation and destruction evidence across 10 different countries and across eight different major industry groups. Yearly growth/decline rates using revenues and headcount for Years 2 to 5 are analyzed. In each of the three growth years examined there are large amounts of destruction as well as creation simultaneously occurring. For example, in Year 5 gross revenue destruction is 34% of gross revenue creation whilst gross job destruction is 65% of gross job creation. A small percentage of companies accounts for a large percentage of the total job and revenue destruction each year. This small percentage of large destroyers is especially interesting because they had to have had, by necessity, prior sizable creation. This rapid rise and subsequent rapid fall has been very much ignored in the research literature. Regression analysis highlights this aspect for the sample of destroyers. The diverse sources of revenue and job destruction are discussed and potential fruitful research directions highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Hepatitis B infection has been associated with the development of gestational diabetes but the underlying mechanism is not known. Objective: To examine associations between viral activity, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and insulin resistance in pregnant people with chronic hepatitis B infection (HBV). Design: Prospective cohort study across three tertiary maternity centres in Melbourne, Australia, between May 2021 and April 2023. Methods: Participants were followed prospectively through pregnancy to evaluate subsequent GDM diagnosis. Demographics, pregnancy outcomes, and markers of viral activity were compared between those with GDM versus those without. Logistic regression analysis was performed pre- and post-adjustment for known confounders. Sub-group analysis of participants from South East Asia (SEA) was performed. Outcome measures included GDM diagnosis, insulin resistance (Homeostatic Model Assessment Insulin Resistance score (HOMA-IR) score), HBV activity as measured by liver function tests, HBV viral load, hepatitis B e antigen, and quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen (quantHBsAg). Results: A total of 113 women were recruited. One third (38/112, 33.9%) developed GDM, mostly diagnosed on isolated postprandial hyperglycaemia (25/38, 65.8%). Over half were born in SEA (66/113, 58.4%). Mean quantHBsAg was significantly lower in those with GDM (p = 0.044). No other associations were identified between GDM or HOMA-IR and markers of hepatic activity on multivariate logistic regression analysis and on sub-group analysis of those born in SEA. Conclusions: QuantHBsAg was significantly lower in those with GDM; otherwise, no association between GDM and measures of HBV viral activity was found. QuantHBsAg may be useful as an early pregnancy marker for GDM risk and warrants further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Workplace violence is endemic, destructive, and escalating in frequency and severity in healthcare. There is a paucity of research on workplace violence in regional and remote hospital emergency departments (EDs). Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the perpetrator and situational characteristics associated with violent incidents in the ED across five regional and remote Australian sites. Method: This study audited hospital summary data, incident reports, and medical records for a 12-month period in 2018 to examine the perpetrator and situational characteristics of workplace violence incidents in five regional and remote Australian EDs. Results: Violent incidents were evenly spread throughout the week and across shifts. Most incidents were triaged as urgent, occurred within the first 4 hr, and had multidisciplinary involvement. Almost one in every six incidents resulted in an injury. Perpetrators of violence were predominantly young and middle-aged males and almost always patients, with most presenting with mental and behavioral disorders, or psychoactive substance use. Conclusions: Understanding the characteristics of perpetrators of violence can help in seeking to tailor interventions to reduce further violent behaviors. These findings carry implications for optimizing patient care, staff safety and resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, contributing to approximately 20 000 deaths in 2021 in Australia. Importantly, progression of CKD can be substantially reduced if it is detected and treated early. Here we present the perspectives of a general practitioner (primary care physician), a nephrologist and a patient advocate on how the diagnosis and management of CKD in primary care could be improved. Early detection and treatment of CKD are impeded by limited patient awareness and knowledge, communication challenges between patients and doctors, and psychosocial issues, with these factors also interacting with, and exacerbating, each other. We make the following recommendations to help improve outcomes in patients with CKD: (1) identifying people at increased risk of CKD and ensuring they have a complete kidney health check (including estimated glomerular filtration rate, urine albumin-creatinine ratio and a blood pressure check) every 1−2 years; (2) using simple, nonconfrontational language and supportive resources to communicate with patients about kidney health; (3) implementing early treatment to slow the progression of CKD and avoid adverse cardiovascular disease outcomes; and (4) asking patient-orientated questions to support shared decision-making and empower patients to be active partners in their healthcare. We acknowledge that limited time is a major barrier to implementing these recommendations in primary care. Utilizing the expertise of the whole practice team, and adopting supportive technology to introduce efficiencies, are likely to be of benefit. By adopting these recommendations, we believe general practitioners have the opportunity to drive improved outcomes and quality of life for people living with CKD in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many consumers do not take advantage of lower energy prices available in liberalized retail markets. We provide evidence to explain why consumers may leave substantial amounts of "money on the table" in this way. We observe real decisions made by over 7,000 consumers in a collective switching auction, supplemented by their responses to a survey. We identify factors which may inhibit switching and show that expectations of high switching rates in an unregulated market may be unrealistic. Our findings have important implications for the design and regulation of energy markets, including imposition of price caps on "default" retail tariffs in 2019 in the UK and parts of Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across disciplines, qualitative researchers have documented epistemological and practical tensions in the ethical review of community-based and participatory research, with many arguing that ethics committees' decisions perpetuate the exclusion of marginalised communities from research engagement. In the existing literature, the research team and the ethics committee are often characterised as staunch opponents. Conversely, in our recent qualitative research addressing communication about sexuality with young people with cerebral palsy who use communication methods other than speech (augmentative and alternative communication), we found that constructive collaboration between researchers and committee members yielded novel insights. Co-authored by a multi-disciplinary research team and the former chair of a Human Research Ethics Committee, this reflexive case study identified three key tensions which arose in the ethical review of research involving this purportedly marginalised population, which reflected the wider importance of trust. We propose a series of practical recommendations to support productive collaboration in the pursuit of safe, inclusive and community-driven research. Plain language summary: Introduction: In Australia, researchers follow rules and policies to make sure their research is safe, fair, and correct. Before a research project starts, a group of experts called an ethics committee checks the researchers' plan, to make sure it is safe. Sometimes, ethics committees are worried that people with a disability could be hurt or upset by a research project. To protect people with a disability, ethics committees may say: • that the research activities need to change, or • that children with disability or people with intellectual disability can't participate in the research, or • that other people (e.g., a parent or guardian) should always give their permission for the person with a disability to participate. Sometimes these changes are sensible and safe. But sometimes they make research unfair or hard to access for people with a disability. This is frustrating when a research plan has been designed by people with a disability, or by people who know them well. What We Did: We did research with young people who have cerebral palsy who use methods other than speech to communicate (like gestures, communication books, or communication devices). Our research was about private topics like relationships and sex. When we applied to do our research, the ethics committee had lots of concerns. They asked us to change a lot of things. They even asked us to change some of the things that people with disability told us they wanted or needed. It was a long and frustrating process. We talked with the leader of the ethics committee and decided to write this article together. We wanted to help other researchers, ethics committees, and people with disabilities to work better together. What We Found: It is important that people with a disability be included in research that is fair and safe. Ethics committees have a big responsibility to keep people safe, but the experts who work on an ethics committee may not know a lot about disability. Stories and videos of people with disabilities participating in research can help the ethics committee to understand what is possible. Ethics committees can also talk to people with a disability, to learn more about their research needs and experiences. All research participants with a disability are unique. Every person will have different risks and different needs. Some people will have more than one accessibility need. For example, a young person with physical disability like cerebral palsy may also have difficulty reading and may not use speech to communicate. When ethics paperwork asks about each need separately, it can be hard to explain how a person with a lot of access needs will be supported. When research participants have complex needs, ethics committees can feel confused and worried. If this happens, they should have a conversation with the researchers about it, instead of saying "no" to the research. Sometimes researchers want to use special or creative research methods to involve people with disabilities. These need to be explained clearly, so the ethics committee can trust that they are safe. Researchers and ethics committees can also use research rules and resources that are created for, and by, people with a disability. These are written by large organisations like the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (https://iassidd.org/). By following these steps, we think that research can be safer and more inclusive for everyone. Contact: If you want more information about this article, you can email Megan Walsh at mcwalsh@deakin.edu.au. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over the past two decades, there has been an increase of immigrants in Australia. Despite this, the availability of culturally responsive resources and services that cater to their needs remains insufficient. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the resources used and trusted by Mongolian- and Arabic-speaking migrant mothers in Australia for child health information and examine how they navigate and overcome challenges they encounter accessing this information. Design: Semi-structured telephone interview Methods: A theory informed semi-structured 60-min telephone interview was conducted in Arabic and Mongolian with 20 Arabic- and 20 Mongolian-speaking migrant mothers of children younger than 2 years or currently pregnant and living in Australia. Data were analysed thematically using the framework method. Results: The reliance on digital platforms such as google emerged as a common trend among both groups of mothers when seeking child health information. Notably, there were differences in resources selection, with Mongolian mothers showing a preference for Australian-based websites, while Arabic-speaking mothers tended to opt for culturally familiar resources. There were various barriers that hindered their access to health services and resources, including language barriers, cost, and limited knowledge or familiarity with their existence. Negative encounters with healthcare professionals contributed to a perception among many mothers that they were unhelpful. Both groups of mothers employed a cross-checking approach across multiple websites to verify trustworthiness of information. Acculturation was shown only among the Mongolian-speaking mothers who adapted their cultural practices in line with their country of residence. Conclusion: The findings of this study highlight the importance of addressing the needs of migrant mothers in accessing child health information. Health professionals, government agencies, and researchers have an opportunity to provide culturally responsive support by fostering a culturally inclusive approach to developing and promoting equitable access to services and resources, ultimately enhancing the wellbeing of migrant families. Plain language summary: Barriers and enablers to accessing child health resources and services: Findings from qualitative interviews with Arabic and Mongolian immigrant mothers in Australia Mothers may experience barriers accessing resources and services related to child health behaviours after migration to Australia. Studies have found that parents actively seek health information and have a significant impact on their child's health behaviours, which can have long-term effects. Various factors influence parental decision-making regarding child health, including the socio-cultural environment, life experiences, and access to services and resources. This study reveals that both Arabic- and Mongolian-speaking migrant mothers heavily depend on online sources for accessing health information, primarily due to various barriers they face when accessing in person services, such as language constraints, financial limitations, and challenges in accessing healthcare services. This article also provides recommendations for future research and initiatives to be considered addressing the challenges faced by migrant mothers in accessing healthcare resources and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely appreciated that population forecasts are inherently uncertain. Researchers have responded by quantifying uncertainty using probabilistic forecasting methods. Yet despite several decades of development, probabilistic forecasts have gained little traction outside the academic sector. Therefore, this article suggests an alternative and simpler approach to estimating and communicating uncertainty which might be helpful for population forecast practitioners and users. Drawing on the naïve forecasts idea of Alho, it suggests creating "synthetic historical forecast errors" by running a regular deterministic projection model many times over recent decades. Then, borrowing from perishable food terminology, the "shelf life" of forecast variables, the number of years into the future the forecast is likely to remain "safe for consumption" (within a specified error tolerance), is estimated from the "historical" errors. The shelf lives are then applied to a current set of forecasts and presented in a simple manner in graphs and tables of forecasts using color-coding. The approach is illustrated through a case study of 2021-based population forecasts for Australia. It´s concluded that the approach offers a relatively straightforward way of estimating and communicating population forecast uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Effective primary healthcare services have been identified by the World Health Organization as the most equitable approach to enhancing universal healthcare. Robust models of mentoring for registered nurses (RNs) transitioning to primary healthcare roles have yet to be described in the Australian context. A robust mentoring model can support RNs to fulfill their potential, bridging the gap between theory and practice. In 2015, the peak body for nurses in primary health care (PHC) began developing a transition to practice program, including embedded mentoring to support newly graduated and more experienced registered and enrolled nurses. This quality improvement study reports the experiences and perspectives of nurses participating as mentors in two separate offerings of the program delivered between 2019 and 2021. Method: A two-phase concurrent mixed methods evaluation utilized data from pre- and post online surveys and post program meetings. Quantitative items underwent descriptive analyses. Thematic analysis of free-text responses and comments was conducted independently by two researchers. Mentors voluntarily provided self-report data and were informed that data is routinely collected to support continuous quality improvement processes for all programs. An Information Sheet informed mentors of data usage, confidentiality, and options to withdraw without penalty from the program at any time. Results: Seventy-nine mentors were recruited to support two groups of nurses (N = 111). Mentor self-rated overall satisfaction with program participation was 86.67% (very or extremely satisfied). Mentors described being "witness to mentee growth," "having facilitated access to learning" and receiving "unexpected benefits" including personal and professional growth and enhanced enthusiasm for their role in PHC. Conclusion: The embedded mentoring reported in this article combined a focus on skills acquisition and professional identity with the provision of a range of resources and support activities. Sustainable mentoring programs will be an important mechanism for supporting the expanding roles required of nurses working in primary health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: This article provides insights into stakeholders' challenges while bringing educational accountability to private tutoring providers through a self-regulation model. There is no participant involved in this narrative inquiry study. Policymakers may be ambivalent about bringing accountability as their families may benefit from private tutoring. This account is written from the perspective of a teacher-trained tutor who has worked with policymakers to address some of the challenges. This first-person narrative describes the experience of establishing a national peak body to bring greater accountability to private tutoring providers. This peak body is unique because it positions the educational interests of students as at least equal to providers' commercial interests. The author believes that greater accountability for tutoring businesses is required in all markets and that issues will not resolve through self-regulation alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population health data, collected worldwide in an effort to monitor mortality and morbidity of mothers and babies, namely, perinatal data, are mandated at a federal level within Australia. The data are used to monitor patterns in midwifery, obstetric and neonatal practice, health outcomes, used for research purposes, funding allocation and education. Accuracy in perinatal data is most often reported via quantitative validation studies of perinatal data collections both internationally and in Australia. These studies report varying levels of accuracy and suggest researchers need to be more aware of the quality of data they use. This article presents findings regarding issues of concern identified by midwives relating to their perceptions of how technology affects the accuracy of perinatal data records. Perinatal data records are perceived to be more complete when completed electronically. However, issues regarding system functionality, the inconsistent use of terminology, lack of data standards and the absence of clear, written records contribute to midwives’ perceptions of the negative influence of technology on the quality of perinatal data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonprobability online panels are commonly used in the social sciences as a fast and inexpensive way of collecting data in contrast to more expensive probability-based panels. Given their ubiquitous use in social science research, a great deal of research is being undertaken to assess the properties of nonprobability panels relative to probability ones. Much of this research focuses on selection bias, however, there is considerably less research assessing the comparability (or equivalence) of measurements collected from respondents in nonprobability and probability panels. This article contributes to addressing this research gap by testing whether measurement equivalence holds between multiple probability and nonprobability online panels in Australia and Germany. Using equivalence testing in the Confirmatory Factor Analysis framework, we assessed measurement equivalence in six multi-item scales (three in each country). We found significant measurement differences between probability and nonprobability panels and within them, even after weighting by demographic variables. These results suggest that combining or comparing multi-item scale data from different sources should be done with caution. We conclude with a discussion of the possible causes of these findings, their implications for survey research, and some guidance for data users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effect of a carbon price on wholesale electricity prices and carbon-pass-through rates in the states comprising the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM). The methodology utilize an agent-based model, which contains many features salient to the NEM including intra-state and inter-state transmission branches, regional location of generators and load centres and accommodation of unit commitment features. The model uses a Direct Current Optimal Power Flow (DC OPF) algorithm to determine optimal dispatch of generation plant, power flows on transmission branches and wholesale prices. The results include sensitivity analysis of carbon prices on wholesale prices and carbon pass-through rates for different states within the NEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market researchers and the market research industry more generally have paid little attention to the history of market research. This inattention to the past has not only resulted in a significant gap in our knowledge of market research and history more generally, it has also obscured the benefits that can be derived from an understanding of history. Using letters, reports and survey contained in the Ashby Research Service archive at the State Library of New South Wales in Australia, this article seeks to illustrate the benefits to be derived from undertaking historical research on market research and those involved in the market research business. By examining some of the cultural factors informing market research business practices and the ways that the marketing and the media industries have interacted with market researchers, this article not only takes step in addressing the gap in our knowledge of market research history, it also demonstrates the relevance and importance of market research history for business and marketing historians and, indeed, market research scholars and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries, including Australia, have established a national scheme that supports the recognition of a single ethical review for multi-centre research conducted in publicly funded health services. However, local site-specific governance review processes remain decentralised and highly variable. This short report describes the ethics and governance processes required for a negligible risk national survey of physiotherapy-led airway clearance services in Australia. We detail inconsistencies in research governance document preparation and submission (platforms, processes, forms and signatories) and report the time cost and likely impact of these inconsistencies on health services research outcomes. Processes and strategies that facilitated success in this project are identified and summarised as helpful hints to other researchers looking to embark on negligible risk research in public health facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients from ethnic minority backgrounds often experience disparities in healthcare quality and outcomes. This study aimed to compare the patient-reported experiences of patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) to general patients in the Australian healthcare setting. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey was used to evaluate patient experiences from patients in a metropolitan public healthcare network, spanning three hospitals. Level of English proficiency was based on primary language spoken at home. To identify disparities in experience ratings between patients with LEP and the general cohort, independent t -tests were employed. Data was analysed from 2,291 patients, collected over a five-year period (2017–2022), with 490 patients identified as LEP (i.e. speaking a language other than English at home). Statistically significant differences were identified between the cohorts, with LEP patients rating their experiences higher in three areas: doctors listening carefully, doctors explaining in a way they could understand, and quietness at night. Conversely, patients with LEP scored lower in areas regarding nursing respect and responsiveness to call bells. Although patients with LEP had a more positive overall experience, this difference was not statistically significant. The findings indicate potential misalignment between the often poorer health outcomes among people from ethnic minority backgrounds and their experiences in hospital. Additional research is crucial to delve into the unique experiences of ethnic minority patients, including those with LEP, to understand the differences influencing perceptions of care and contributing to disparities in health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key issue for policy makers and practitioners is finding a way to identify what constitutes a rehabilitative prison. In this study, aspects of a carceral experience that successfully ignite desistance journeys, or that "assist" desistance are identified and measured. We report the findings of a measure to do this, the Macquarie Assisted Desistance Instrument (MADI), which was co-designed with staff and residents in two correctional centers in New South Wales, Australia. Analysis of data from both prison staff and residents (N = 604) revealed that the measure was generally coherent (unidimensional), internally consistent, and stable across time. In addition, those who felt their desistance journeys were being more strongly assisted reported a greater sense of self-efficacy, providing support for the idea that custodial experiences can lead to better rehabilitative outcomes. Suggestions for how to improve prison practice and more meaningfully to assist people to desist from crime are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions in a manner consistent with limiting anthropogenic climate change to no more than 2 degrees Celsius. One of the ways in which this commitment is being realised is through a shift towards variable renewable energy (VRE) within Australia's National Electricity Market (NEM). Substituting existing dispatchable thermal plant with VRE requires consideration of long-term energy resource adequacy given the unpredictability of solar and wind resources. While pumped hydro and battery storage are key technologies for addressing short-term mismatches between resource availability and demand, they may be unable to cost effectively address 'energy droughts'. In this article, we present a time sequential solver model of the NEM and an optimal firming technology plant mix to allow the system to be supplied by 100% VRE. Our conclusion is that some form of fuel-based technology (most likely hydrogen) will probably be required. This has important implications for Australian energy policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Public health approaches to palliative and end-of-life care focus on enhancing the integration of services and providing a comprehensive approach that engages the assets of local communities. However, few studies have evaluated the relative costs and benefits of providing care using these service models. Objectives: To assess the effect on healthcare usage of a community-based palliative care program ('Compassionate Communities Connectors') where practical and social support was delivered by community volunteers to people living with advanced life-limiting illnesses in regional Western Australia. Design: Controlled before-and-after study/Cost-consequence analysis. Methods: A total of 43 community-based patients participated in the program during the period 2020–2022. A comparator population of 172 individuals with advanced life-limiting illnesses was randomly selected from usage data from the same set of health services. Results: Relative to controls, the intervention group had lower hospitalizations per month [Incidence rate ratio (IRR): 0.37; 95% CI: 0.18–0.77, p = 0.007], less hospital days per month (IRR: 0.23; 95% CI: 0.11–0.49, p < 0.001) and less emergency presentations (IRR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.34–0.94, p = 0.028. The frequency of outpatient contacts overall was two times higher for the intervention group (IRR: 2.07; 95% CI: 1.11–3.86, p = 0.022), indicating the Connector program may have shifted individuals away from the hospital system and toward community-based care. Estimated net savings of $AUD 518,701 would be achieved from adopting the Connector program, assuming enrollment of 100 patients over an average 6-month participation period. Conclusion: This combined healthcare usage and economic analysis of the 'Compassionate Communities Connectors' program demonstrates the benefits of optimizing palliative care services using home-based and community-centered interventions, with gains for the health system through improved patient outcomes and reduced total healthcare costs (including fewer hospitalizations and readmissions). These findings, coupled with the other published results, suggest that investment in the Connectors program has the capacity to reduce net health sector expenditure while also improving outcomes for people with life-limiting illnesses. Trial Registration: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry: ACTRN12620000326998. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries mandated social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 to 2022 that variously included opening hours restrictions on hospitality and retail, economy-wide closures, and additional international border controls. We analyzed whether more restrictive (hereafter, closures) or less restrictive (hereafter, openings) social distancing measures changed the short-term trends in the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and ICU patients in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Our analysis uses a "before-and-after" trend analysis (decremental/incremental and growth/decay trends) to compare the trends of epidemic indicators before and after each closure or opening event. Results show that, in general, and for these three countries: (a) closures resulted in reduced trend growth in adverse COVID-19 public health outcomes and (b) openings resulted in increased trend growth for the three selected measures of public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a wide range of literature on patellar tendon injury, making it increasingly difficult to stay informed on the most influential studies in this field. It is essential to be familiar with the foundational articles of patellar tendon injury research to understand the current state of the literature and deliver high quality care. Purpose: To objectively identify the 50 most influential articles relating to patellar tendon injury and conduct a bibliometric analysis to identify key features of these articles. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The Clarivate Analytics Web of Knowledge database was utilized to gather metrics on the 50 most cited articles on patellar tendon injury on June 27, 2022. The information extracted from each article included publication year, number of citations, author information, article type, level of evidence, country of origin, journal name, study focus, and industry influence. Results: The top 50 studies were cited a total of 8543 times and published between 1977 and 2015. The majority of articles were published after 2003, and the majority of citations were accrued after 2011. The most prevalent article types were cohort studies (n = 23), and the majority of studies were of evidence level 2 (n = 14) or 4 (n = 13). Australia and the United States (US) each published the most studies (n = 11). Only 4 (8%) studies focused on patellar tendon rupture, and 12 (24%) of the top 50 studies were associated with industry. Conclusion: The majority of the top 50 most influential articles in patellar tendon injury were published and accumulated citations in the past 10 to 20 years. Non-US countries, institutions, and journals published many of the top 50 studies, reflecting a global interest and commitment to research in this field. Patellar tendon rupture and surgical repair represents a minority of research in the top 50 studies and could be a point of growth in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]