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Ministry of Health Library

Health Improvement and Innovation Digest

Issue 155 - 9 November 2017

Welcome to the fortnightly Health Improvement and Innovation Digest (formerly the HIIRC digest). The Digest has links to key evidence of interest, with access to new content arranged by topic.

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Have you heard about Grey Matter?

We'd like to introduce you to another newsletter that the Ministry of Health Library prepares.  The Grey Matter newsletter provides monthly access to a selection of recent NGO, Think Tank, and International Government reports related to health. Information is arranged by topic, allowing readers to quickly find their areas of interest.  If you'd like to subscribe to Grey Matter, email library@moh.govt.nz

Article access

For articles that aren't open access, contact your DHB library, or organisational or local library for assistance in accessing the full text. If your organisation has a subscription, you may be able to use the icon under full text links in PubMed to access the full article.

Quality Improvement (New Zealand)

Quality improvement: no quality without equity?
This ‘think piece’ from the Health Quality & Safety Commission signals their intention to tackle health inequities.

The state of quality improvement and patient safety teaching in health professional education in New Zealand
The aim of this article, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, was to investigate how quality and patient safety domains are being taught in the pre-registration curricula of health profession education programmes in New Zealand.


Quality Improvement (International)

The impact of patient advisors on healthcare outcomes: a systematic review
Patient advisory councils are a way for healthcare organizations to promote patient engagement. Despite mandates to implement patient advisory councils through programs like the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), there is a paucity of data measuring the impact of patients functioning in advisory roles. The objective of this study, published in BMC Health Services Research, was to investigate whether patient engagement in patient advisory councils is linked to improvements in clinical quality, patient safety or patient satisfaction.


Hospital Productivity (International)

Slick scripts: impact on patient flow targets of pharmacists preparing discharge prescriptions in a hospital with an electronic prescribing system
Inpatient bed access decreases when ward discharge is delayed. This contributes to prolonged emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS) which has been associated with increased hospital LOS and mortality. Delays in preparation of discharge medication prescriptions by ward doctors may contribute to delayed ward discharge. This study, published in Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, aimed to evaluate the effect on patient flow of having a pharmacist collaborate with ward doctors to prepare discharge prescriptions at a hospital with an electronic prescribing system.


Shorter Waits for Cancer Treatment (New Zealand)

Targeting general practitioners: Prospective outcomes of a national education program in radiation oncology
This study, published in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology, reported on learning outcomes of a standardized national education program aimed at improving general practitioner knowledge about radiation therapy and referral pathways to radiation oncologists.


Shorter Waits for Cancer Treatment (International)

Interventions to Improve Follow-up of Positive Results on Fecal Blood Tests: A Systematic Review
Fecal immunochemical testing is the most commonly used method for colorectal cancer screening worldwide. However, its effectiveness is frequently undermined by failure to obtain follow-up colonoscopy after positive test results. The purpose of this study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, was to evaluate interventions to improve rates of follow-up colonoscopy for adults after a positive result on a fecal test.


Shorter Stays In Emergency Departments (International)

Concepts, antecedents and consequences of ambulance ramping in the emergency department: A scoping review
Patients arriving at the Emergency Department (ED) via ambulance can experience a delay in receiving definitive care. In Australia, this phenomenon is referred to as 'Ambulance Ramping', 'Patient Off Stretcher Time Delay' or 'Offload Delay'. As a direct consequence of crowding, and in the context of a worldwide increase in ED and ambulance usage, hospital and ambulance service function is hampered. The aim of this review, published in the Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal, was to synthesise the literature with respect to the conceptualisation, meaning, antecedents and consequences of Ambulance Ramping.

Validity of triage systems for paediatric emergency care: a systematic review
The aim of this study, published in the Emergency Medicine Journal, was to present a systematic review on the validity of triage systems for paediatric emergency care.


More Heart and Diabetes Checks (International)

Different methods and settings for glucose monitoring for gestational diabetes during pregnancy
Incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing worldwide. Blood glucose monitoring plays a crucial part in maintaining glycaemic control in women with GDM and is generally recommended by healthcare professionals. There are several different methods for monitoring blood glucose which can be carried out in different settings (e.g. at home versus in hospital). The objective of this Cochrane Review was to compare the effects of different methods and settings for glucose monitoring for women with GDM on maternal and fetal, neonatal, child and adult outcomes, and use and costs of health care.


Primary Health Care (New Zealand)

Beginners in prescribing practice: Experiences and perceptions of nurses and doctors
The aim of this study, published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing, was to investigate and compare the experiences and perceptions of nurses and doctors in becoming prescribers.


Primary Health Care (International)

Health professionals’ views on health literacy issues for culturally and linguistically diverse women in maternity care: barriers, enablers and the need for an integrated approach
The objective of this study, published in the Australian Health Review, was to identify health literacy issues when providing maternity care to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women, and the strategies needed for health professionals to collaboratively address these issues.


Primary Mental Health (New Zealand)

Family violence in a sample of treatment-seeking gamblers: the effect of having dependent children
This study, published in the Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health, investigated the effect of problem gambler gender on the relationship between the gambler having dependent children (younger than 18 years) living at home and the gambler perpetrating or being a victim of family violence.


Primary Mental Health (International)

Effectiveness of General Practitioner training to improve suicide awareness and knowledge and skills towards depression
General Practitioners (GPs) are well placed as gatekeepers for managing depression and suicidal ideation but not always well prepared. Capacity building has therefore been recommended as a useful strategy for suicide prevention. This study, published in Journal of Affective Disorders, aimed to examine whether GPs' knowledge and attitudes towards and confidence to deal with depression and suicide improve after following a training program.


Better Help for smokers to Quit (New Zealand)

Analysis of the logic and framing of a tobacco industry campaign opposing standardised packaging legislation in New Zealand
The tobacco industry routinely opposes tobacco control policies, often using a standard repertoire of arguments. Following proposals to introduce standardised packaging in New Zealand (NZ), British American Tobacco New Zealand (BATNZ) launched the ‘Agree–Disagree’ mass media campaign, which coincided with the NZ government's standardised packaging consultations. This study, published in Tobacco Control, examined the logic of the arguments presented and rhetorical strategies employed in the campaign.


Weight Management (New Zealand)

What are the associations between neighbourhood walkability and sedentary time in New Zealand adults? The URBAN cross-sectional study
This study, published in BMJ Open, assessed the association between objectively determined neighbourhood ‘walkability’ attributes and accelerometer-derived sedentary time (ST) by sex, city or type of day.


Childhood Obesity (International)

How effective are family-based and institutional nutrition interventions in improving children's diet and health? A systematic review
Effective strategies to improve dietary intake in young children are a priority to reduce the high prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases in adulthood. This study, published in BMC Public Health, aimed to assess the impact of family-based and school/preschool nutrition programs on the health of children aged 12 or younger, including the sustainability of these impacts and the relevance to socio-economic inequalities.

Factors Influencing Early Feeding of Foods and Drinks Containing Free Sugars—A Birth Cohort Study
Early feeding of free sugars to young children can increase the preference for sweetness and the risk of consuming a cariogenic diet high in free sugars later in life. This study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, aimed to investigate early life factors influencing early introduction of foods/drinks containing free sugars.

Interventions to prevent global childhood overweight and obesity: a systematic review
In view of the prevalence, health consequences, and costs of childhood obesity, there has been substantial interest in identifying effective interventions to prevent excess weight gain in young people. In this systematic review, published in the Lancet: Diabetes & Endocrinology, expanded on previous reviews of obesity prevention interventions by including recent studies from all parts of the world.


The information available on or through this newsletter does not represent Ministry of Health policy. It is intended to provide general information to the health sector and the public, and is not intended to address specific circumstances of any particular individual or entity.

Ministry of Health - Manatū Hauora
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