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Introduction: Australians in rural areas experience limited access to services and poorer health outcomes than residents of metropolitan areas. Nurse practitioners (NPs) were introduced in 2000 to reduce pressure on the health system, address workforce shortages and improve rural populations' access to health care services. Objective: This scoping review sought to identify, examine and synthesise research evidence of NP practice in Australian rural primary health care services to better understand how NPs are addressing service gaps in rural areas and to identify existing gaps in our knowledge. Design: Peer‐reviewed and grey literature from July 2012 to June 2022 was accessed from seven electronic databases, grey literature and hand searching of reference lists and citations. Findings: From 154 articles, 19 articles of relevance were identified. Several projects describe the processes required for success, whilst others reported the challenges and barriers encountered. Limited research evidence of rural NP practice exists with a significant gap about how roles operate and their value in primary health care. Discussion: Uptake and envisaged benefits of rural primary health care NP roles have yet to be realised, with barriers to implementing and sustaining NP roles persisting. Low‐level awareness with ambiguity at health service and community level adversely impact on systematic implementation of NP roles. Conclusions: Robust evaluations demonstrating the value of NP skills and practice are needed in combination with bipartisan support from all levels of health care and government providing adequate funding to enable effective implementation of NP roles in poorly resourced rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research was to explore social connectedness and associations with self‐perceived health amongst older adults in New Zealand at a population level. The data for this analysis were derived from the 2016 Health and Lifestyle Survey, a nationally representative survey administered via face‐to‐face interviews. The findings from this analysis of 1,374 respondents, all of whom were over the age of 55 years, highlight that being female, belonging to older age groups (above 70 years), being employed full‐time or part‐time, connecting online with known people, considering cultural connections to be important and not feeling isolated from others are significantly and positively associated with positive self‐perceived health. The findings underscore the resilience potential of older adults and importance of social connectedness for positive health and well‐being. In addition, the findings reveal target areas that would benefit by intervention and support by health professionals and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses benefits of green tea in the prevention of cancer. Topics discussed include associations between green tea consumption and the development of cancer involving prostate, gynecologic, and nonmelanoma skin cancer and cancer death; role of green tea catechins to disrupt iron absorption; and role of polyphenols found in green tea as antioxidants and protective effect on Alzheimer's disease.

The article focuses on use of vitamins, which undergo safety testing before entering the consumer market, and supplements, which are considered food and thus have only limited regulation, has become part of contemporary self-care. Topics include the vitamins and supplements have limited value in preventing pathophysiological processes, and the vitamins A, E, C, and supplemental selenium, for example, have not been found to protect against lung cancer.

The article discusses the adverse effects of dexamethasone, commonly administered for postoperative nausea and vomiting, in postsurgical patients. Topics discussed include drug is also considered effective in analgesia and in prolonging the duration of peripheral nerve blocks; and the impact of dexamethasone on postoperative infections, possibly delaying wound healing and potentially increasing blood glucose in people with diabetes, which may impact wound healing.

The demand for whiter teeth has been increasing, and home-based remedies are a popular way of whitening the teeth. These products may be prescribed by the dentist or purchased over the counter and comprise different modes to whiten the teeth and are administered in a range of ways by the person. This review found that the evidence was insufficient to draw reliable conclusions about the intervention, i.e., the use of these whitening products. The results indicated that people may experience side effects that irritate the mouth and gums. Therefore, nurses should direct people who are interested in teeth whitening to their dental professional for a discussion., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)