Ministry of Health Library

Health Improvement and Innovation Digest

Issue 161 - 15 February 2018

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 (International)

Intraoperative interventions for preventing surgical site infection: an overview of Cochrane Reviews
Surgical site infection (SSI) rates vary from 1% to 5% in the month following surgery. Due to the large number of surgical procedures conducted annually, the costs of these SSIs can be considerable in financial and social terms. Many interventions are used with the aim of reducing the risk of SSI in people undergoing surgery. The objective of this Cochrane Review was to present an overview of Cochrane Reviews of the effectiveness and safety of interventions, delivered during the intraoperative period, aimed at preventing SSIs.

Barriers and facilitators related to the implementation of a physiological track and trigger system: A systematic review of the qualitative evidence
The purpose of this study, published in the International Journal for Quality in Health Care, was to identify the barriers to, and facilitators of, the implementation of physiological track and trigger systems, perceived by healthcare workers, through a systematic review of the extant qualitative literature.

Shorter Waits for Cancer Treatment (New Zealand)

Disease recurrence following surgery for colorectal cancer: five-year follow-up
In this article, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, the authors describe the patterns of disease recurrence in patients having curative surgery for colorectal cancer at a hospital in New Zealand over a three-year period.

Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes (New Zealand)

Effect of a health literacy intervention trial on knowledge about cardiovascular disease medications among Indigenous peoples in Australia, Canada and New Zealand
The objective of this study, published in BMJ Open, was to assess the effect of a customised, structured cardiovascular disease (CVD) medication health literacy programme on medication knowledge among Indigenous people with, or at high risk of, CVD.

Intermittent fasting in Type 2 diabetes mellitus and the risk of hypoglycaemia: a randomized controlled trial
The aim of this study, published in Diabetic Medicine, was to establish whether the risk of hypoglycaemia is greater with 2 consecutive days of very-low-calorie diet compared with 2 non-consecutive days of very-low-calorie diet in people with Type 2 diabetes.

Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes (International)

Built environmental characteristics and diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
The built environment influences behaviour, like physical activity, diet and sleep, which affects the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study, published in BMC Medicine, systematically reviewed and meta-analysed evidence on the association between built environmental characteristics related to lifestyle behaviour and T2DM risk/prevalence, worldwide.

Increased Immunisation (International)

Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy adults
The objective of this Cochrane Review was to assess the effects (efficacy, effectiveness, and harm) of vaccines against influenza in healthy adults, including pregnant women.

Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy children
The objective of this Cochrane Review was to assess the effects (efficacy, effectiveness, and harm) of vaccines against influenza in healthy children.

Vaccines for preventing influenza in the elderly
The objective of this Cochrane Review was to assess the effects (efficacy, effectiveness, and harm) of vaccines against influenza in the elderly.

Barriers to immunization among newcomers: A systematic review
Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive evidence exploring vaccine decision-making among newcomers. This systematic review of qualitative studies, published in Vaccine, aimed at identifying factors that influence newcomers’ decision-making with regards to vaccination.

Better Help for smokers to Quit (New Zealand)

An Online Survey of New Zealand Vapers
Using electronic cigarettes (vaping) is controversial, but is increasingly widespread. This paper, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, reports the results of an electronic survey of vapers in New Zealand.

Better Help for smokers to Quit (International)

Family and carer smoking control programmes for reducing children's exposure to environmental tobacco smoke
Children's exposure to other people's tobacco smoke (environmental tobacco smoke, or ETS) is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes for children. The objective of this Cochrane Review was to determine the effectiveness of interventions designed to reduce exposure of children to environmental tobacco smoke, or ETS.

Weight Management (International)

Long-Term Weight Loss Effects of a Behavioral Weight Management Program: Does the Community Food Environment Matter?
This study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, examined whether community food environments altered the longer-term effects of a nationwide behavioural weight management program on body mass index (BMI).

Childhood Obesity (New Zealand)

Pre-school nutrition-related behaviours at home and early childhood education services: findings from the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study
Pre-school nutrition-related behaviours influence diet and development of lifelong eating habits. This study, published in Public Health Nutrition, examined the prevalence and congruence of recommended nutrition-related behaviours (RNB) in home and early childhood education (ECE) services, exploring differences by child and ECE characteristics.

Childhood Obesity (International)

Maintenance interventions in overweight or obese children: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Childhood obesity is associated with significant health consequences. Although several intervention programmes for children result in weight loss or stabilization in the short-term, preventing relapse after treatment remains an important challenge. This systematic review, published in Obesity Reviews, summarises the evidence about maintenance interventions after treatment in childhood obesity.

Sleep Duration and Incidence of Obesity in Infants, Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies
The objective of this study, published in Sleep, was to assess the prospective relationship between sleep and obesity in a paediatric population.

Oral Health (New Zealand)

Inequalities in dental caries experience among 4-year-old New Zealand children
The objective of this study, published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, was to investigate ethnic-specific deprivation gradients in early childhood dental caries experience considering different domains of deprivation.

Oral Health (International)

Dental caries prevention strategies among children and adolescents with immigrant - or low socioeconomic backgrounds- do they work? A systematic review
The objective of this systematic review, published in BMC Oral Health, was to uncover the most reliable evidence about the effects of caries preventive strategies in children and adolescents of immigrant or low socioeconomic backgrounds.

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.