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Introduction. The volume and quality of online health information requires consumers to be discerning. Aim. This study aimed to explore consumer Internet use for health information, preferred format and what factors helped them to trust the source. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016–2017 with adults attending three cardiology outpatient clinic sites using a short paper-based survey. The survey included questions regarding online health information use and perceived trustworthiness with opportunities for free text responses. Survey data were summarised with key questions adjusted by age group, gender and ethnicity using logistic regression. Results. Of the 708 respondents (51% women, 66% aged 45–74 years, 16% Māori, 12% Pacific), 73% had sought health information online (64% in the previous 12 months), commonly for medication side effects, their health condition and self-help. Most (65%) were successful, although Pacific respondents reported a lower likelihood of search success compared to Europeans. Younger age groups were more concerned about information quality. Fact sheets (80%) were the most popular format and for all ethnic groups, followed by short videos (31%) and discussion groups (23%). Trusting online information required many strategies with 72% wanting health professionals to recommend websites. Discussion. Online health information seeking is a norm for consumers, with simple fact sheets being the preferred format to build knowledge and skills. With the rising tide of misinformation, health portal providers need to offer accurate and easy-to-read fact sheets in their suite of formats and health professionals need to support consumers guiding them to trusted websites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primary care in Aotearoa New Zealand is largely delivered by general practices, heavily subsidised by government. Te Tiriti o Waitangi (1840) guarantees equal health outcomes for Māori and non-Māori, but differences are stark and longstanding. Seven models of primary care have evolved. We hypothesised that patient health outcomes would differ between models of care; and that Māori, Pacific peoples and those living in material deprivation would have poorer outcomes from primary care. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of patient-level data from national datasets and practices, at 30 September 2018, using multilevel mixed effects regression analyses (patients clustered within practices). Primary outcomes, considered to be measures of unmet need for primary care, were polypharmacy (≥ 65 years), HbA1c testing in adults with diabetes, childhood immunisations (6 months), ambulatory sensitive hospitalisations (0–14, 45–64 years) and emergency department attendances. Explanatory variables adjusted for patient and practice characteristics. Equity, by model of care, ethnicity and deprivation, was assumed if they showed no significant association with patient outcomes. Patient characteristics included: age, ethnicity, deprivation, multi-morbidity, first specialist assessments and practice continuity. Practice characteristics included: size, funding and doctor continuity. Clinical input (consultations and time with nurses and doctors) was considered a measure of practice response. Results: The study included 924 general practices with 4,491,964 enrolled patients. Traditional practices enrolled 73% of the population, but, on average, the proportion of Māori, Pacific and people living with material deprivation was low in any one Traditional practice. Patients with high health needs disproportionately enrolled in Māori, Pacific and Trust/NGO practices. There were multiple associations between models of care and patient health outcomes in fully adjusted regressions. No one model of care out-performed others across all outcomes. Patients with higher health need received more clinical input but this was insufficient to achieve equity in all outcomes. Being a Māori or Pacific patient, or living in material deprivation, across models of care, remained associated with poorer outcomes. Conclusions: Model-level associations with poor patient outcomes suggest inequity in measures that might be used to target investment in primary care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of a culturally diverse surgical workforce, largely on the basis of gender, has been highly promoted in Australasia in the last decade. Despite this, discussions of gender diversity in surgery have largely excluded Indigenous women. This study presents the experiences of wāhine Māori and Pasifika doctors in Aotearoa, who formed a surgical sisterhood to support them towards applying for advanced surgical training. Utilising mana wāhine and Masi methodologies, semi-structured interpersonal interviews were undertaken with five wāhine who formed the surgical sisterhood. Following transcription and analysis of all interviews, four key themes were identified. These were mana wāhine, unity, our why and change on the horizon. These themes illustrate the complex and varied experiences of wāhine Māori and Pasifika and how they have navigated their surgical pathways amidst multiple layers of discrimination towards being in a position to apply for advanced surgical training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To undertake an economic analysis of the Take Charge intervention as part of the Taking Charge after Stroke (TaCAS) study. Design: An open, parallel-group, randomised trial comparing active and control interventions with blinded outcome assessment Setting: Community. Participants: Adults (n = 400) discharged to community, non-institutional living following acute stroke. Interventions: The Take Charge intervention, a strengths based, self-directed rehabilitation intervention, in two doses (one or two sessions), and a control intervention (no Take Charge sessions). Measures: The cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) saved for the period between randomisation (always post hospital discharge) and 12 months following acute stroke. QALYs were calculated from the EuroQol-5D-5L. Costs of stroke-related and non-health care were obtained by questionnaire, hospital records and the New Zealand Ministry of Health. Results: One-year post hospital discharge cost of care was mean (95% CI) $US4706 (3758–6014) for the Take Charge intervention group and $6118 (4350–8005) for control, mean (95% CI) difference $ −1412 (−3553 to +729). Health utility scores were mean (95% CI) 0.75 (0.73–0.77) for Take Charge and 0.71 (0.67–0.75) for control, mean (95% CI) difference 0.04 (0.0–0.08). Cost per QALY gained for the Take Charge intervention was $US −35,296 (=£ −25,524, € −30,019). Sensitivity analyses confirm Take Charge is cost-effective, even at a very low willingness-to-pay threshold. With a threshold of $US5000 per QALY, the probability that Take Charge is cost-effective is 99%. Conclusion: Take Charge is cost-effective and probably cost saving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the rehabilitation experiences of Māori who were still reporting disability 24 months after an injury resulting in hospitalisation. Participants had been hospitalised for an Accident Compensation Corporation (New Zealand's no-fault injury compensation insurer) entitlement claim injury between 2007 and 2009, and were experiencing disability 24 months post-injury. In-depth kanohi ki te kanohi (face-to-face) qualitative interviews with 12 participants aged between 37 and 71 years at the time of interviews were conducted. Interpretive analyses of interview transcripts, focused on the impacts of injury was conducted with the aid of NVivo software. The overarching theme identified during the analysis was "Impact" with four sub-themes of: Impact on daily life; Impact on relationships, Impact on employment; and, long-term or ongoing impacts. For Māori living with disability 24 months after hospitalisation for injury, adjusting to life after the injury and the rehabilitation process was challenging. Participants discussed frustration with feeling dependent on others, being bored and feeling unfulfilled after their injury, and that many aspects of their lives were impacted on and not always in the expected directions. Many reported longer lasting impacts even after rehabilitation was completed. Implications for rehabilitation programmes e.g., strengthening programmes by taking into account issues discussed by participants, recognising the long-term impacts on both those injured and their whānau (family), and further investigations required are also discussed. Disability after injury can have long term impacts for injured Māori and their relationships. Social impacts can be perceived as more debilitating than the physical impacts after injury. Experiences of employment changes and future prospects are often difficult to navigate for Māori returning to work after an injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To use secondary data from the Taking Charge after Stroke study to explore mechanisms for the positive effect of the Take Charge intervention on physical health, advanced activities of daily living and independence for people after acute stroke. Design: An open, parallel-group, randomised trial with two active and one control intervention and blinded outcome assessment. Setting: Community. Participants: Adults (n = 400) discharged to community, non-institutional living following acute stroke. Interventions: One, two, or zero sessions of the Take Charge intervention, a self-directed rehabilitation intervention which helps a person with stroke take charge of their own recovery. Measures: Twelve months after stroke: Mood (Patient Health Questionnaire-2, Mental Component Summary of the Short Form 36); 'ability to Take Charge' using a novel measure, the Autonomy-Mastery-Purpose-Connectedness (AMP-C) score; activation (Patient Activation Measure); body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP) and medication adherence (Medication Adherence Questionnaire). Results: Follow-up was near-complete (388/390 (99.5%)) of survivors at 12 months. Mean age (SD) was 72.0 (12.5) years. There were no significant differences in mood, activation, 'ability to Take Charge', medication adherence, BMI or BP by randomised group at 12 months. There was a significant positive association between baseline AMP-C scores and 12-month outcome for control participants (1.73 (95%CI 0.90 to 2.56)) but not for the Take Charge groups combined (0.34 (95%CI −0.17 to 0.85)). Conclusion: The mechanism by which Take Charge is effective remains uncertain. However, our findings support a hypothesis that baseline variability in motivation, mastery and connectedness may be modified by the Take Charge intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Gout remains a health equity issue; Māori and Pacific peoples are disproportionately afflicted, with increased burden and loss of quality of life, yet are less likely to receive appropriate management, which mainly occurs in primary care. AIM: This study aims to understand the perspectives of the mainly Māori and Pacific clinicians and staff at an urban marae practice about barriers and challenges to delivering effective care to a Māori and Pacific community with high burden of gout. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 staff members delivering health care to a mostly Indigenous community. Interviews sought to ascertain staff views of enablers and barriers to optimal gout management and analyse them thematically. RESULTS: Three themes were identified: community disadvantage; demands unique to Indigenous providers; and challenges and opportunities for optimising gout management. High prevalence and heavy impact of gout on wellbeing in the community was intertwined with socioeconomic disadvantage, precariousness of employment and entrenched inaccurate (yet pliable) patient views on gout, to the detriment of focused, effective care. Structural and funding demands on providers inhibited staff focus on the clear community need. Providers saw the culturally safe and competent approach necessary for improvement as requiring community empowerment with appropriate clinical tools and adequate resourcing. DISCUSSION: Despite provider intent to deliver culturally appropriate and safe care and equitable health outcomes for patients suffering from gout, general practice initiatives without aligned resourcing or incentives are inhibited when inequity is pervasive. Simply asking Māori providers to do more for the same amount of resource may not be effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Experiences of aphasia are shaped by culture. Therefore, to provide appropriate services for people with aphasia (PWA), speech-language therapists (SLTs) must understand aphasia from their potential clients’ cultural perspective. Aims:This study aimed to describe and interpret the experiences of Māori with aphasia and their whānau (extended family), to inform service delivery for this population. Methods & Procedures:This study is kaupapa Māori research (KMR), an Indigenous research approach that privileges Māori culture and knowledge. A qualitative methodology, interpretive description (ID), was incorporated to produce clinically relevant findings that will benefit SLTs and Māori. In-depth interviews were undertaken with 11 Māori with aphasia and their nominated whānau members. Participants spoke about aphasia-related changes in relationships, health, spirituality, activities and family and community roles. Analysis was informed by interpretive description (ID) and kaupapa Māori. Outcomes & Results:Participants described a range of positive and negative experiences of aphasia. These developed into two pairs of themes: (1) “Grieving for what is lost” and “Recognising what we have got” (2) “It is hard” and “Choosing how to respond”. Conclusions:Aphasia can have a profound effect on Māori families and bring many changes in family roles and relationships. Despite difficulties, whānau can actively manage their situation, and enable the person with aphasia to participate in the whānau and community. The findings of this study will inform clinical practice and provide the basis for the development of resources for use in speech-language therapy services for Māori with aphasia and their whānau. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: Few community interventions following stroke enhance activity, participation or quality of life. We tested two novel community interventions designed to promote self-directed rehabilitation following stroke.Design: This was a randomized, controlled parallel group 2×2 trial.Setting: Community.Participants: Maori and Pacific New Zealanders, >15 years old, randomized within three months of a new stroke.Interventions: A DVD of four inspirational stories by Maori and Pacific people with stroke and a ‘Take Charge Session’ – a single structured risk factor and activities of daily living assessment, designed to facilitate self-directed rehabilitation.Main measures: Primary outcomes were Health-related Quality of Life (Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores of the Short Form 36 (SF-36)) 12 months from randomization. Secondary outcomes were Barthel Index, Frenchay Activities Index, Carer Strain Index and modified Rankin score.Results: One hundred and seventy-two people were randomized with 139 (80.8%) followed up at 12 months post randomization. The effect of the Take Charge Session on SF-36 PCS at 12 months was 6.0 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.0 to 10.0) and of the DVD was 0.9 (95% CI −3.1 to 4.9). Participants allocated to the Take Charge Session were less likely to have a modified Rankin score of >2 (odds ratio (OR) 0.42, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.89) and their carers had lower (better) Carer Strain Index scores (−1.5, 95% CI −2.8 to −0.1).Conclusion: A simple, low-cost intervention in the community phase of stroke recovery aiming to promote self-directed rehabilitation improved outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]