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Introduction: The perinatal period is a time when provision of responsive care offers a life course opportunity for positive change to improve health outcomes for mothers, infants and families. Australian perinatal systems carry the legacy of settler-colonialism, manifesting in racist events and interactions that First Nations parents encounter daily. Objective(s): The dominance of a western risk lens, and conscious and unconscious bias in the child protection workforce, sustains disproportionately high numbers of First Nations infants being removed from their parents' care. Cascading medical interventions compound existing stressors and magnify health inequities for First Nations women. Design(s): Critical discourse was informed by Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing via targeted dialogue with a group of First Nations and non-Indigenous experts in Australian perinatal care who are co-authors on this paper. Dynamic discussion evolved from a series of yarning circles, supplemented by written exchanges and individual yarns as themes were consolidated. Result(s): First Nations maternity services prioritise self-determination, partnership, strengths and communication and have demonstrated positive outcomes with, and high satisfaction from First Nations women. Mainstream perinatal settings could be significantly enhanced by embracing similar principles and models of care. Conclusions and relevance: The Australian Anti-racism in Perinatal Practice (AAPP) Alliance calls for urgent transformations to Australian perinatal models of care whereby non-Indigenous health policy makers, managers and clinicians take a proactive role in identifying and redressing ethnocentrism, judgemental and culturally blind practices, reframing the risk narrative, embedding strength-based approaches and intentionally prioritising engagement and connectedness within service delivery.Copyright © 2022 The Authors

Study objective Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is considered to be the gold standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). CPAP monitoring systems allow tracking of patient CPAP adherence and treatment efficacy, by measuring residual sleep-disordered breathing, hours of CPAP use, and mask leak etc. The American Thoracic Society (ATS) published a position paper in 2013 highlighting issues of interpreting CPAP data such as a lack of consistency between CPAP manufacturers data algorithms, legal implications of CPAP data and implications for CPAP adherence. This paper extends on this work by investigating these issues in an Australasian context. Method A review of current literature on CPAP monitoring systems, privacy and security of CPAP data for major Australasian CPAP providers, and CPAP adherence was undertaken. A legal review was also commissioned for issues related to privacy and security of CPAP data. Results CPAP manufacturers' utilize different algorithms for respiratory event detection and clinicians need to be aware the implications for interpreting CPAP data. Australasian CPAP manufacturers have created security/privacy policies with the intent to follow relevant legislation to protect patients' CPAP data, however they do need to be constantly reviewed and updated to avoid data breaches and changes to agreements. No guarantees can be provided by the Australasian Sleep Association on CPAP manufacturers' compliance with these policies and there is the potential for some degree of liability for physicians and CPAP providers associated with CPAP data. Lastly, providing patients with feedback on their CPAP usage and OSA management appears to have positive influence CPAP adherence. Conclusions CPAP data provides many opportunities to increase OSA patient care and to help patients self-manage this chronic condition. However, issues relating to lack of standardization of CPAP parameters, privacy, security, and legal implications will need to be m

Study objective Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is considered to be the gold standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). CPAP monitoring systems allow tracking of patient CPAP adherence and treatment efficacy, by measuring residual sleep-disordered breathing, hours of CPAP use, and mask leak etc. The American Thoracic Society (ATS) published a position paper in 2013 highlighting issues of interpreting CPAP data such as a lack of consistency between CPAP manufacturers data algorithms, legal implications of CPAP data and implications for CPAP adherence. This paper extends on this work by investigating these issues in an Australasian context. Method A review of current literature on CPAP monitoring systems, privacy and security of CPAP data for major Australasian CPAP providers, and CPAP adherence was undertaken. A legal review was also commissioned for issues related to privacy and security of CPAP data. Results CPAP manufacturers' utilize different algorithms for respiratory event detection and clinicians need to be aware the implications for interpreting CPAP data. Australasian CPAP manufacturers have created security/privacy policies with the intent to follow relevant legislation to protect patients' CPAP data, however they do need to be constantly reviewed and updated to avoid data breaches and changes to agreements. No guarantees can be provided by the Australasian Sleep Association on CPAP manufacturers' compliance with these policies and there is the potential for some degree of liability for physicians and CPAP providers associated with CPAP data. Lastly, providing patients with feedback on their CPAP usage and OSA management appears to have positive influence CPAP adherence. Conclusions CPAP data provides many opportunities to increase OSA patient care and to help patients self-manage this chronic condition. However, issues relating to lack of standardization of CPAP parameters, privacy, security, and legal implications will need to be m

Membranous nephropathy, like many forms of glomerulonephritis, is an HLA-associated autoimmune disease that can recur in the transplanted kidney. In this issue of Kidney International, Berchtold and colleagues publish an intriguing and important paper on risk factors for recurrent post-transplant membranous nephropathy due to autoimmunity to PLA2R1. They found that the genetics of both the autoantigen and donor HLA are important determinants of the risk of recurrent disease in the graft.Copyright © 2020 International Society of Nephrology

Membranous nephropathy, like many forms of glomerulonephritis, is an HLA-associated autoimmune disease that can recur in the transplanted kidney. In this issue of Kidney International, Berchtold and colleagues publish an intriguing and important paper on risk factors for recurrent post-transplant membranous nephropathy due to autoimmunity to PLA2R1. They found that the genetics of both the autoantigen and donor HLA are important determinants of the risk of recurrent disease in the graft.Copyright © 2020 International Society of Nephrology

Background: Home births provide women a birth choice where they may feel more comfortable and confident in their ability to give birth. Problem: Most women in Victoria do not have publicly funded access to appropriately trained health professionals if they choose to give birth at home. Method(s): This paper describes the process of setting up a publicly funded home birth service and provide details of description of the set up and governance. We also report outcomes over 9 years with respect to parity, transfer to hospital, adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Result(s): Of the 191 women who were still booked into the home birth program at 36 weeks gestation, 148 (77.5%) women gave birth at home and 43 (22.5%) women were transferred into the hospital. The overall rate of vaginal birth was also high among the women in the home birth program, 185 (96.9%) with no added complications ascribed to home births. Such as severe perineal trauma [n = 1] 0.6% PPH [n = 4] 2.7%, Apgar score less than 7 at 5 min [n = 0] admissions post home birth to special care nursery [n = 2] 1.35%. Discussion(s): This unique study provides a detailed road map of setting up a home birth practice to facilitate other institutions keen to build a publicly funded home birth service. The birth outcome data was found to be consistent with other Australian studies on low risk home births. Conclusion(s): Well-designed home birth programs following best clinical practices and procedures can provide a safe birthing option for low risk women.Copyright © 2019 Australian College of Midwives

Study Objective: To show how the evaluation for endometriosis can be included in the routine pelvic ultrasound examination. Design(s): Stepwise narrated video demonstration of the sonographic evaluation for endometriosis in routine pelvic ultrasound following the recommended sonographic approach published in the 2016 consensus paper by the International Deep Endometriosis Analysis (IDEA) group [1]. Setting(s): Endometriosis is a common and often debilitating gynecological disorder that affects 5-10% of women [2]. The prevalence is even higher among women with symptoms of endometriosis [2], which include chronic pelvic pain, acquired dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, dyschezia, menorrhagia, abnormal bleeding, and infertility. Approximately 80% of women who have endometriosis have superficial lesions, whereas 20% have deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE; [3]). Laparoscopy is the gold standard for diagnosing endometriosis, because it allows the diagnosis of all forms of endometriosis and often immediate removal of superficial endometriosis. The removal of DIE is considerably more complicated and usually cannot be completed unless it was diagnosed preoperatively. The technique to diagnose DIE with transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) was first described in detail in 2009 [4]. Since then, the accuracy of TVUS for the prediction of DIE has been well established in the literature [5-7]. TVUS is widely used as a first-line investigation for women with gynecological symptoms. The inclusion of an assessment for endometriosis in the routine pelvic ultrasound allows earlier diagnosis and better surgical outcomes for all women with DIE. Intervention(s): The evaluation for endometriosis in routine pelvic ultrasound based on the IDEA consensus promotes a 4-step dynamic ultrasound approach [1]: (1) routine evaluation of uterus and adnexa with particular attention for sonographic signs of adenomyosis and the presence or absence of endometriomas; (2) evaluation of transvaginal sonographic 'soft

Blood pressure (BP) and volume control are critical components of dialysis care and have substantial impacts on patient symptoms, quality of life, and cardiovascular complications. Yet, developing consensus best practices for BP and volume control have been challenging, given the absence of objective measures of extracellular volume status and the lack of high-quality evidence for many therapeutic interventions. In February of 2019, Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) held a Controversies Conference titled Blood Pressure and Volume Management in Dialysis to assess the current state of knowledge related to BP and volume management and identify opportunities to improve clinical and patient-reported outcomes among individuals receiving maintenance dialysis. Four major topics were addressed: BP measurement, BP targets, and pharmacologic management of suboptimal BP; dialysis prescriptions as they relate to BP and volume; extracellular volume assessment and management with a focus on technology-based solutions; and volume-related patient symptoms and experiences. The overarching theme resulting from presentations and discussions was that managing BP and volume in dialysis involves weighing multiple clinical factors and risk considerations as well as patient lifestyle and preferences, all within a narrow therapeutic window for avoiding acute or chronic volume-related complications. Striking this challenging balance requires individualizing the dialysis prescription by incorporating comorbid health conditions, treatment hemodynamic patterns, clinical judgment, and patient preferences into decision-making, all within local resource constraints.Copyright © 2020 International Society of Nephrology

Study Objective: To show how the evaluation for endometriosis can be included in the routine pelvic ultrasound examination. Design(s): Stepwise narrated video demonstration of the sonographic evaluation for endometriosis in routine pelvic ultrasound following the recommended sonographic approach published in the 2016 consensus paper by the International Deep Endometriosis Analysis (IDEA) group [1]. Setting(s): Endometriosis is a common and often debilitating gynecological disorder that affects 5-10% of women [2]. The prevalence is even higher among women with symptoms of endometriosis [2], which include chronic pelvic pain, acquired dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, dyschezia, menorrhagia, abnormal bleeding, and infertility. Approximately 80% of women who have endometriosis have superficial lesions, whereas 20% have deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE; [3]). Laparoscopy is the gold standard for diagnosing endometriosis, because it allows the diagnosis of all forms of endometriosis and often immediate removal of superficial endometriosis. The removal of DIE is considerably more complicated and usually cannot be completed unless it was diagnosed preoperatively. The technique to diagnose DIE with transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) was first described in detail in 2009 [4]. Since then, the accuracy of TVUS for the prediction of DIE has been well established in the literature [5-7]. TVUS is widely used as a first-line investigation for women with gynecological symptoms. The inclusion of an assessment for endometriosis in the routine pelvic ultrasound allows earlier diagnosis and better surgical outcomes for all women with DIE. Intervention(s): The evaluation for endometriosis in routine pelvic ultrasound based on the IDEA consensus promotes a 4-step dynamic ultrasound approach [1]: (1) routine evaluation of uterus and adnexa with particular attention for sonographic signs of adenomyosis and the presence or absence of endometriomas; (2) evaluation of transvaginal sonographic 'soft

Background: Home births provide women a birth choice where they may feel more comfortable and confident in their ability to give birth. Problem: Most women in Victoria do not have publicly funded access to appropriately trained health professionals if they choose to give birth at home. Method(s): This paper describes the process of setting up a publicly funded home birth service and provide details of description of the set up and governance. We also report outcomes over 9 years with respect to parity, transfer to hospital, adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Result(s): Of the 191 women who were still booked into the home birth program at 36 weeks gestation, 148 (77.5%) women gave birth at home and 43 (22.5%) women were transferred into the hospital. The overall rate of vaginal birth was also high among the women in the home birth program, 185 (96.9%) with no added complications ascribed to home births. Such as severe perineal trauma [n = 1] 0.6% PPH [n = 4] 2.7%, Apgar score less than 7 at 5 min [n = 0] admissions post home birth to special care nursery [n = 2] 1.35%. Discussion(s): This unique study provides a detailed road map of setting up a home birth practice to facilitate other institutions keen to build a publicly funded home birth service. The birth outcome data was found to be consistent with other Australian studies on low risk home births. Conclusion(s): Well-designed home birth programs following best clinical practices and procedures can provide a safe birthing option for low risk women.Copyright © 2019 Australian College of Midwives

Blood pressure (BP) and volume control are critical components of dialysis care and have substantial impacts on patient symptoms, quality of life, and cardiovascular complications. Yet, developing consensus best practices for BP and volume control have been challenging, given the absence of objective measures of extracellular volume status and the lack of high-quality evidence for many therapeutic interventions. In February of 2019, Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) held a Controversies Conference titled Blood Pressure and Volume Management in Dialysis to assess the current state of knowledge related to BP and volume management and identify opportunities to improve clinical and patient-reported outcomes among individuals receiving maintenance dialysis. Four major topics were addressed: BP measurement, BP targets, and pharmacologic management of suboptimal BP; dialysis prescriptions as they relate to BP and volume; extracellular volume assessment and management with a focus on technology-based solutions; and volume-related patient symptoms and experiences. The overarching theme resulting from presentations and discussions was that managing BP and volume in dialysis involves weighing multiple clinical factors and risk considerations as well as patient lifestyle and preferences, all within a narrow therapeutic window for avoiding acute or chronic volume-related complications. Striking this challenging balance requires individualizing the dialysis prescription by incorporating comorbid health conditions, treatment hemodynamic patterns, clinical judgment, and patient preferences into decision-making, all within local resource constraints.Copyright © 2020 International Society of Nephrology

Background: The development, monitoring, and reporting of indicator measures that describe standard of care provide the gold standard for assessing quality of care and patient outcomes. Although indicator measures have been reported, little evidence of their use in measuring and benchmarking performance is available. A standard set, defining numerator, denominator, and risk adjustments, will enable global benchmarking of quality of care. Objective(s): To develop a set of indicators to enable assessment and reporting of quality of care for men with localised prostate cancer (PCa). Design, setting, and participants: Candidate indicators were identified from the literature. An international panel was invited to participate in a modified Delphi process. Teleconferences were held before and after each voting round to provide instruction and to review results. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Panellists were asked to rate each proposed indicator on a Likert scale of 1-9 in a two-round iterative process. Calculations required to report on the endorsed indicators were evaluated and modified to reflect the data capture of the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Registry-Australia and New Zealand (PCOR-ANZ). Results and limitations: A total of 97 candidate indicators were identified, of which 12 were endorsed. The set includes indicators covering pre-, intra-, and post-treatment of PCa care, within the limits of the data captured by PCOR-ANZ. Conclusion(s): The 12 endorsed quality measures enable international benchmarking on the quality of care of men with localised PCa. Reporting on these indicators enhances safety and efficacy of treatment, reduces variation in care, and can improve patient outcomes. Patient Summary: PCa has the highest incidence of all cancers in men. Early diagnosis and relatively high survival rates mean issues of quality of care and best possible health outcomes for patients are important. This paper identifies 12 important measurable quality indica

Background: The development, monitoring, and reporting of indicator measures that describe standard of care provide the gold standard for assessing quality of care and patient outcomes. Although indicator measures have been reported, little evidence of their use in measuring and benchmarking performance is available. A standard set, defining numerator, denominator, and risk adjustments, will enable global benchmarking of quality of care. Objective(s): To develop a set of indicators to enable assessment and reporting of quality of care for men with localised prostate cancer (PCa). Design, setting, and participants: Candidate indicators were identified from the literature. An international panel was invited to participate in a modified Delphi process. Teleconferences were held before and after each voting round to provide instruction and to review results. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Panellists were asked to rate each proposed indicator on a Likert scale of 1-9 in a two-round iterative process. Calculations required to report on the endorsed indicators were evaluated and modified to reflect the data capture of the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Registry-Australia and New Zealand (PCOR-ANZ). Results and limitations: A total of 97 candidate indicators were identified, of which 12 were endorsed. The set includes indicators covering pre-, intra-, and post-treatment of PCa care, within the limits of the data captured by PCOR-ANZ. Conclusion(s): The 12 endorsed quality measures enable international benchmarking on the quality of care of men with localised PCa. Reporting on these indicators enhances safety and efficacy of treatment, reduces variation in care, and can improve patient outcomes. Patient Summary: PCa has the highest incidence of all cancers in men. Early diagnosis and relatively high survival rates mean issues of quality of care and best possible health outcomes for patients are important. This paper identifies 12 important measurable quality indica

Background: According to a recent position paper by the American Heart Association, it remains unclear whether depression is a risk factor for incident Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). We assessed whether a depressive disorder independently predicts 18-year incident CHD in women. Method A prospective longitudinal study of 860 women enrolled in the Geelong Osteoporosis Study (1993-2011) was conducted. Participants were derived from an age-stratified, representative sample of women (20-94 years) randomly selected from electoral rolls in South-Eastern Australia. The exposure was a diagnosis of a depressive disorder using the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Outcomes data were collected from hospital medical records: (1) Primary outcome: a composite measure of cardiac death, non-fatal Myocardial Infarction or coronary intervention. (2) Secondary outcome: any cardiac event (un/stable angina, cardiac event not otherwise defined) occurring over the study period. Results Seven participants were excluded based on CHD history. Eighty-three participants (9.6%) recorded >=1 cardiac event over the study period; 47 had a diagnosis that met criteria for inclusion in the primary analysis. Baseline depression predicted 18-year incidence, adjusting for (1) anxiety (adj. OR:2.39; 95% CIs:1.19-4.82), plus (2) typical risk factors (adj. OR:3.22; 95% CIs:1.45-6.93), plus (3) atypical risk factors (adj. OR:3.28; 95% CIs:1.36-7.90). This relationship held when including all cardiac events. No relationship was observed between depression and recurrent cardiac events. Conclusion The results of this study support the contention that depression is an independent risk factor for CHD incidence in women. Moreover, the strength of association between depression and CHD incidence was of a greater magnitude than any typical and atypical risk factor.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Background: According to a recent position paper by the American Heart Association, it remains unclear whether depression is a risk factor for incident Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). We assessed whether a depressive disorder independently predicts 18-year incident CHD in women. Method A prospective longitudinal study of 860 women enrolled in the Geelong Osteoporosis Study (1993-2011) was conducted. Participants were derived from an age-stratified, representative sample of women (20-94 years) randomly selected from electoral rolls in South-Eastern Australia. The exposure was a diagnosis of a depressive disorder using the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Outcomes data were collected from hospital medical records: (1) Primary outcome: a composite measure of cardiac death, non-fatal Myocardial Infarction or coronary intervention. (2) Secondary outcome: any cardiac event (un/stable angina, cardiac event not otherwise defined) occurring over the study period. Results Seven participants were excluded based on CHD history. Eighty-three participants (9.6%) recorded >=1 cardiac event over the study period; 47 had a diagnosis that met criteria for inclusion in the primary analysis. Baseline depression predicted 18-year incidence, adjusting for (1) anxiety (adj. OR:2.39; 95% CIs:1.19-4.82), plus (2) typical risk factors (adj. OR:3.22; 95% CIs:1.45-6.93), plus (3) atypical risk factors (adj. OR:3.28; 95% CIs:1.36-7.90). This relationship held when including all cardiac events. No relationship was observed between depression and recurrent cardiac events. Conclusion The results of this study support the contention that depression is an independent risk factor for CHD incidence in women. Moreover, the strength of association between depression and CHD incidence was of a greater magnitude than any typical and atypical risk factor.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) causes substantial global morbidity and increases cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Unlike other chronic diseases with established strategies for screening, there has been no consensus on whether health systems and governments should prioritize early identification and intervention for CKD. Guidelines on evaluating and managing early CKD are available but have not been universally adopted in the absence of incentives or quality measures for prioritizing CKD care. The burden of CKD falls disproportionately upon persons with lower socioeconomic status, who have a higher prevalence of CKD, limited access to treatment, and poorer outcomes. Therefore, identifying and treating CKD at the earliest stages is an equity imperative. In 2019, Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) held a controversies conference entitled "Early Identification and Intervention in CKD." Participants identified strategies for screening, risk stratification, and treatment for early CKD and the key health system and economic factors for implementing these processes. A consensus emerged that CKD screening coupled with risk stratification and treatment should be implemented immediately for high-risk persons and that this should ideally occur in primary or community care settings with tailoring to the local context.Copyright © 2020 Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO)

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) causes substantial global morbidity and increases cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Unlike other chronic diseases with established strategies for screening, there has been no consensus on whether health systems and governments should prioritize early identification and intervention for CKD. Guidelines on evaluating and managing early CKD are available but have not been universally adopted in the absence of incentives or quality measures for prioritizing CKD care. The burden of CKD falls disproportionately upon persons with lower socioeconomic status, who have a higher prevalence of CKD, limited access to treatment, and poorer outcomes. Therefore, identifying and treating CKD at the earliest stages is an equity imperative. In 2019, Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) held a controversies conference entitled "Early Identification and Intervention in CKD." Participants identified strategies for screening, risk stratification, and treatment for early CKD and the key health system and economic factors for implementing these processes. A consensus emerged that CKD screening coupled with risk stratification and treatment should be implemented immediately for high-risk persons and that this should ideally occur in primary or community care settings with tailoring to the local context.Copyright © 2020 Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO)