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Alix Hall,1– 3 Jamie Bryant,1– 3 Robert Sanson-Fisher,1– 3 Alice Grady,2– 4 Anthony Proietto,1– 3 Christopher M Doran5 1Health Behaviour Research Collaborative, School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; 2Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; 3Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia; 4Hunter New England Local Health District, Population Health, Wallsend, NSW, Australia; 5Centre for Indigenous Health Equity Research, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD, AustraliaCorrespondence: Jamie Bryant Email Jamie.Bryant@newcastle.edu.auObjective: To determine among a sample of Australian cancer patients receiving outpatient oncology care: 1) the most frequently endorsed general health service improvements selected by patients; 2) for the three most endorsed general health service improvements, the proportion of participants endorsing specific health service changes; and 3) sociodemographic, disease and treatment characteristics associated with the most frequently endorsed general health service improvements.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted across six outpatient oncology treatment units located in New South Wales, Australia. Patients receiving chemotherapy for any cancer diagnosis at any of six oncology services were recruited. Participants completed an online survey which included the Consumer Preferences Survey. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify sociodemographic, disease and treatment characteristics associated with frequently endorsed health service improvements.Results: A total of 879 eligible patients initiated the survey (72% consent rate). Participants selected a median of two health service improvements. The three most wanted improvements were car parking (56%), up-to-date information about treatment or condition progress (19%), and hospital catering (17%). Age was the only characteristic significantly associated with identifying car parking as a needed improvement.Conclusion: Achieving high quality cancer care requires understanding of the views and experiences of patients about the quality of care they receive. Car parking and access to information were the two most frequently endorsed general health service changes desired by this sample of participants.Practice Implication: Future studies could examine whether enacting changes as per patient feedback improves patient perceptions of quality of care, and health outcomes.Keywords: patient-centered care, cancer, quality of healthcare, patient identified change

Jamie Bryant,1,2 Elise Mansfield,1,2 Allison W Boyes,1,2 Amy Waller,1,2 Rob Sanson-Fisher,1,2 Timothy Regan1,2 1Health Behaviour Research Group, Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, 2Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia Abstract: Caregivers of individuals with COPD have a key role in maintaining patient adherence and optimizing patient function. However, no systematic review has examined how the caregiver role has been operationalized in interventions to improve outcomes of individuals with COPD or the quality or effectiveness of these interventions. The aims of this review were to 1) determine whether caregivers have been involved as part of interventions to improve outcomes of individuals with COPD; 2) determine the risk of bias within included intervention studies; and 3) examine the effectiveness of interventions that have involved caregivers in improving outcomes of individuals with COPD. The electronic databases of Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library were searched from January 2000 to November 2015. Experimental studies testing interventions that involved a caregiver to improve COPD patient outcomes were eligible. Nine studies involving caregivers met inclusion criteria. No studies reported any intervention components targeted solely at caregivers, with most instead including caregivers in dyadic or group education sessions about COPD delivered by health care professionals. The risk of bias identified in included studies was mixed. Seven of the nine studies were effective in improving a broad range of outcomes. These findings highlight that there is an urgent need for methodologically rigorous interventions to examine the effectiveness of strategies to assist caregivers to provide direct care, encourage adherence to health care provider recommendations, act as a health care advocate, and provide emotional and psychosocial support to individuals with COPD. Keywords: COPD, carer, support persons, intervention studies

A study of first-year medical students' evaluations of faculty shows higher ratings for teachers following set routines in class. Caring for students and facilitating learning were seen as the most important teacher qualities. Regular, intermittent criterion-based observations were preferred to a single semester rating. (MSE)