Ministry of Health Library
Health Improvement and Innovation Digest
Issue 140 - 13 April 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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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.
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Quality Improvement (New Zealand)
Safe Surgery NZ programme evaluation - interim findings report
This report by Sapere for the Health Quality and Safety Commission, evaluates the Safe Surgery NZ programme. It reviews the effectiveness or success of the Commission's programme against its aims. It checks whether the programme provides value-for-money, realises its intended benefits and whether it is a strategic fit for the Commission, to inform the future of the programme.
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Hospital Productivity (International)
Time to wait: a systematic review of strategies that affect out-patient waiting times
Out-patient waiting times pose a significant challenge for public patients in need of specialist evaluation and intervention. The aim of this study, published in Australian Health Review, was to identify and categorise effective strategies to reduce waiting times for specialist out-patient services with a focus on the Australian healthcare system.
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Shorter Waits for Cancer Treatment (International)
Evaluating wait times from screening to breast cancer diagnosis among women undergoing organised assessment vs usual care
Timely coordinated diagnostic assessment following an abnormal screening mammogram reduces patient anxiety and may optimise breast cancer prognosis. Since 1998, the Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP) has offered organised assessment through Breast Assessment Centres (BACs). For OBSP women seen at a BAC, an abnormal mammogram is followed by coordinated referrals through the use of navigators for further imaging, biopsy, and surgical consultation as indicated. For OBSP women seen through usual care (UC), further diagnostic imaging is arranged directly from the screening centre and/or through their physician; results must be communicated to the physician who is then responsible for arranging any necessary biopsy and/or surgical consultation. This study, published in
British Journal of Cancer, aims to evaluate factors associated with diagnostic wait times for women undergoing assessment through BAC and UC.
Straight-to-test colonoscopy for two-week wait referrals improves time to diagnosis of colorectal cancer and is feasible in a high-volume unit
The authors of this study have introduced "straight-to-test" (STT) colonoscopy as part of our two-week wait (2WW) pathway to address increasing numbers of urgent referrals for colorectal cancer (CRC) with in the National Health Service. In this study, published in Colorectal Disease, the authors evaluated the ability of this initiative to shorten the time to diagnosis of CRC.
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Primary Health Care (New Zealand)
‘By the way….how’s your sex life?’ – A descriptive study reporting primary health care registered nurses engagement with youth about sexual health
Youth rates of sexually transmitted infections in New Zealand are among the highest in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development). Registered nurses employed in primary healthcare settings (PHC RNs) may lack confidence engaging with youth about their sexual health. The aim of this study, published in the Journal of Primary Health Care, was to identify what facilitates PHC RNs to discuss sexual health with youth.
Changing perspectives of the role of community pharmacists: 1998 – 2012
In New Zealand, extended medicines management roles proposed for pharmacists include the optimisation and monitoring of medicines in patients with long-term conditions through greater collaboration with general practitioners (GPs). Although some collaborative roles have been successfully implemented in hospitals, barriers for both pharmacists and GPs hinder interprofessional working relationships in the community. This study, published in the Journal of Primary Health Care, aimed to compare data from a 2012 study with two previous studies (1998, 2002) examining perceptions of community pharmacists and GPs of the expanding medicines management roles of community pharmacists.
Prevalence and predictors of disability for Māori 24 months after injury
The objective of this study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, was to investigate post-injury disability prevalence and identify pre-injury and injury-related predictors 24 months post-injury among Māori Prospective Outcomes of Injury Study participants.
Usual primary care of older people in New Zealand: association between practice characteristics and practice activities
Information on the processes used by primary care practices to help identify older patients in need of assistance are limited in New Zealand. The aim of this study, published in the Journal of Primary Health Care, was to describe the processes used to promote early problem detection in older patients in primary care and the practice characteristics associated with the use of these proactive processes.
Maternal health in pregnancy and associations with adverse birth outcomes: Evidence from Growing Up in New Zealand
The objective of this study, published in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, was to examine prospectively multiple indicators of pregnancy health and associations with adverse birth outcomes within a large, diverse sample of contemporary women.
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Primary Mental Health (New Zealand)
Family Meals and Adolescent Emotional Well-Being: Findings From a National Study
The objective of this study, published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, was to describe the relationship between family meals and adolescent mental health and determine whether the relationship differs by sex.
Drinker Types, Harm, and Policy-Related Variables: Results from the 2011 International Alcohol Control Study in New Zealand
The aim of this study, published in Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research, was to identify a typology of drinkers in New Zealand based on alcohol consumption, beverage choice, and public versus private drinking locations and investigate the relationship between drinker types, harms experienced, and policy-related variables.
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Primary Mental Health (International)
Evaluating government health and substance abuse programs for indigenous peoples: a comparative review
Most health and substance abuse programs for indigenous peoples in Australia are funded by government. Over the past decade there have been calls for greater accountability in the conduct of these programs. Initial attempts focused on the development of standardised performance indicators, an approach that has been criticised on both political and methodological grounds. Recently, some government agencies have sought to identify culturally appropriate models for the evaluation of programs for indigenous peoples. This comparative review, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, aims to evaluate indigenous programs in Australia and Canada.
The Efficacy of Internet-Based Mindfulness Training and Cognitive-Behavioral Training With Telephone Support in the Enhancement of Mental Health Among College Students and Young Working Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial
College students and working adults are particularly vulnerable to stress and other mental health problems, and mental health promotion and prevention are needed to promote their mental health. In recent decades, mindfulness-based training has demonstrated to be efficacious in treating physical and psychological conditions. The aim of our study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, was to examine the efficacy of an Internet-based mindfulness training program (iMIND) in comparison with the well-established Internet-based cognitive-behavioural training program (iCBT) in promoting mental health among college students and young working adults.
Children’s Physical Activity and Depression: A Meta-analysis
Research regarding the protective effects of early physical activity on depression has yielded conflicting results. The objective of this study, published in Pediatrics, was to synthesize observational studies examining the association of physical activity in childhood and adolescence with depression.
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Better Help for smokers to Quit (New Zealand)
Economic evaluation of an exercise-counselling intervention to enhance smoking cessation outcomes: The Fit2Quit trial
In the Fit2Quit randomised controlled trial, insufficiently-active adult cigarette smokers who contacted Quitline for support to quit smoking were randomised to usual Quitline support or to also receive ≤10 face-to-face and telephone exercise-support sessions delivered by trained exercise facilitators over the 24-week trial. This paper, published in Tobacco Induced Diseases, aims to determine the cost-effectiveness of an exercise-counselling intervention added to Quitline compared to Quitline alone in the Fit2Quit trial.
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Better Help for smokers to Quit (International)
Group behaviour therapy programmes for smoking cessation
Group therapy offers individuals the opportunity to learn behavioural techniques for smoking cessation, and to provide each other with mutual support. The objective of this Cochrane Review was to determine the effect of group-delivered behavioural interventions in achieving long-term smoking cessation.
Individual behavioural counselling for smoking cessation
This Cochrane Review explores the use of individual counselling with a smoking cessation specialist and how this may help smokers to make a successful attempt to stop smoking.
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Weight Management (International)
Maintenance of Weight Loss after Initiation of Nutrition Training: A Randomized Trial
Weight regain after successful weight loss interventions is common. The objective of this study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, was to establish the efficacy of a weight loss maintenance program compared with usual care in obese adults.
Social inequality in adolescents' healthy food intake: the interplay between economic, social and cultural capital
Current explanations of health inequalities in adolescents focus on behavioural and economic determinants and rarely include more meaningful forms of economic, cultural, and social capital. The aim of the study, published in European Journal of Public Health, was to investigate how the interplay between capitals constitutes social inequalities in adolescent healthy food intake.
The mediating role of social capital in the association between neighbourhood income inequality and body mass index
Neighbourhood income inequality may contribute to differences in body weight. The authors of this study, published in European Journal of Public Health, explored whether neighbourhood social capital mediated the association of neighbourhood income inequality with individual body mass index (BMI).
A systematic review of lifestyle counseling for diverse patients in primary care
Prior research and systematic reviews have examined strategies related to weight management, less is known about lifestyle and behavioural counselling interventions optimally suited for implementation in primary care practices generally, and among racial and ethnic patient populations. Primary care practitioners may find it difficult to access and use available research findings on effective behavioural and lifestyle counselling strategies and to assess their effects health behaviours among their patients. This systematic review, published in Preventive Medicine, compiled existing evidence from randomized trials to inform primary care providers about which lifestyle and behavioural change interventions are shown to be effective for changing patients' diet, physical activity and weight outcomes.
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Key Ministry of Health Publications
Health Workforce New Zealand Annual Report to the Minister of Health 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016
A growing and ageing population and an ageing health workforce creates challenges for New Zealand to have the right health professionals in the right place, at the right time for our future needs. Health Workforce New Zealand’s mandate is to build a sustainable, fit-for-purpose health workforce. Our attention is on health professional education and training, training investment, removing barriers to innovation and projecting future workforce supply and demand. Achieving this needs the commitment and input from the health sector. This publication shows the involvement of professions and health-sector organisations working together for a common goal.
Review of Adult Palliative Care Services in New Zealand
This review presents a refreshed strategic direction for adult palliative care and proposes a suite of initiatives to help manage future increases in demand for palliative care.
Palliative Care Action Plan
This action plan details each of the five priority areas recommended in the Review of Adult Palliative Care Services in New Zealand. The Review identifies challenges that will make it difficult to meet future palliative care demands. It recommends a refreshed strategic direction for palliative care to meet those demands.
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