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Introduction and Aims: Stroke survivors with aphasia (impaired language/communication) have poor outcomes and gaps in the clinical implementation of best practice contribute to this. Little is known, however, about speech pathologist perspectives on the touchpoints (key moments shaping experiences) in the clinical care pathway that have the greatest impact on service delivery nor how this varies by geographical location. We explored the experiences of speech pathologists who provide aphasia services to establish priorities for improvement and design. Methods and Analysis: This is the initial experience gathering and priority identification stage of an experience‐based co‐design (EBCD) project. Speech pathologists were recruited from 21 geographically diverse Hospital and Health Services in Queensland, Australia. Speech pathologists working in acute, rehabilitation and community services shared positive and negative experiences of delivering aphasia care in interviews and focus groups. Experiential data were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis to determine touchpoints. Priorities for service design were identified using an adapted nominal group technique. Results: Speech pathologists (n = 62) participated in 16 focus groups and nine interviews and shared 132 experiences of delivering aphasia care. Providing care in teams with poor awareness of the impacts of aphasia was identified as a key challenge, as poor patient‐provider communication was perceived to increase risk of adverse outcomes for patients. Speech pathologists identified areas for improvement related to their own professional needs (e.g., greater access to clinical supervision); collaborative health care (e.g., better coordination and interdisciplinary care to increase therapy time); and the service context and environment (e.g., psychological services able to support diverse communication needs). Conclusions: Speech pathologist delivery of aphasia services could be improved through increased access to clinical supervision, opportunities for peer debriefing and interdisciplinary care. Priorities for service design varied by geographical location and included: education to support care transitions (remote areas), improved referral pathways and service linkage (regional areas) and dedicated aphasia staffing (metropolitan areas). Patient or Public Contribution: A consumer advisory committee comprising people with aphasia (n = 3, authors K.M., K.D. and B.A.), their significant others (n = 2, authors J.D. and P.M.), and a Cultural Capability Officer (author G.B.) guided this research. The team: (1) reviewed participant information; (2) co‐designed surveys and workshop resources; (3) copresented research outcomes and contributed to publications. Research questions and study design (e.g., analysis methods and assessment measures) were developed by the research team (authors L.A., V.J.P., D.A.C. and S.J.W.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with spinal cord damage (SCD) report a high level of GP use. There is a dearth of research investigating factors that contribute to GP identification and retention for people with SCD. Furthermore, a GP satisfaction measure developed specifically for people with SCD is non-existent. This preliminary study sought to identify factors contributing to GP identification and retention. A total of 266 people with SCD primarily based in Queensland, Australia, completed a cross-sectional survey that aimed to fill these knowledge gaps. Descriptive statistics and correlational analyses clarified the factors contributing to GP identification and GP retention respectively. An exploratory factor analysis utilising the principal components analysis method clarified a set of items that could underpin key domains for a SCD-specific GP satisfaction measure. The findings confirm that knowledge about SCD, physically accessible services, and trust are seminal considerations aligned with GP identification and retention for people with SCD. A dearth of research investigates GP satisfaction among people who have experienced neurotrauma, with specific measures of GP satisfaction being non-existent. This study identifies the factors contributing to GP retention for people with spinal cord damage and establishes domains for a GP satisfaction measure, and model of GP satisfaction. The findings clarify that knowledge of condition and trust are factors important to include in a future measure and model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a survey conducted among doctors in Queensland, Australia, to determine their attitudes towards voluntary assisted dying (VAD) and willingness to participate. Topics include a majority of respondents agreed that patients have access to VAD as the minority were willing to participate as the coordinating practitioners; and Mental health diagnosis was identified as a significant barrier to doctors' participation, and respondents believed that a mental health assessment.

Suicide in Australian rural communities has received significant attention from researchers, health practitioners and policymakers. Farmers and agricultural workers have been a focus of particular interest, especially in relation to levels of help seeking for mental health concerns. A less explored area, however, is the level of contact that Australian farming and agriculture workers who die by suicide have had with health providers for physical, rather than mental, health conditions. It is often assumed that farmers and agricultural workers have lower levels of contact with health care services than other rural residents, although this assumption has not been well tested. Using data from the Queensland Suicide Register, this paper describes levels of contact with health care providers in the 3 months before death by suicide among men in farming and agriculture occupations and other occupations in rural Queensland. No significant differences were found in farming and agricultural workers' levels of contact with a general practitioner when compared with other rural men in Queensland. The current findings lend weight to the view that rural general practitioners represent an important intervention point for farming and agriculture workers at risk of suicide (whether or not those individuals exhibit accompanying psychiatric illness). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]