Issue 326 - 10 July 2025

Welcome to the fortnightly Health Improvement and Innovation 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 Health NZ district 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.

Māori Innovation

In-community vision testing device development using a Kaupapa Māori framework
This study, published in Kōtuitui, reports on a 2019 project in which ran in-community testing of a novel device for measuring visual acuity.

Ngā Kare-ā-Roto: Māori Cultural Understandings and Emotional Expression
This article ‘Ngā Kare-ā-roto: The Ripples Within’, published in Genealogy, provides an overview of findings related to Māori views, understanding and expressions of emotions through a Māori cultural lens.

Health Equity (New Zealand)

Te hāpai i te mana wāhine, te takahi i te mana wāhine: Māori women's experiences of empowerment and disempowerment in sexual and reproductive healthcare
Māori have poorer sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes compared to non-Māori New Zealanders. Patient experiences of SRH services affect how they access, utilise, and benefit from services. Learning about how wāhine Māori (Māori women) experience care related to SRH could inform improvements in how services provide care for wahine. This study, published in the Journal of Primary Health Care, aimed to explore the experiences wāhine have when accessing SRH services.

An overview of culturally adapted health education programmes for Pacific People: A narrative review
Aotearoa New Zealand’s (NZ) Pacific communities face health inequities, poorer health outcomes and a higher prevalence of chronic conditions. This narrative review, published in Pacific Health Dialog, aims to explore Pacific peoples’ (PP) lived experiences and the need for intentional and targeted culturally appropriate education programs and interventions.

Health Equity (International)

Can health information and decision aids decrease inequity in health care? A systematic review
This systematic review, published in BMJ Public Health, explores studies evaluating evidence-based health information (EBHI) and patient decision aids (PtDAs) and was conducted in order to ascertain the extent to which inequity-producing factors have been considered, and in how far people from different sociodemographic groups benefit equally from them in terms of informed decision-making.

TALANOA Building a network of Pasifika health professionals in Australia: a community approach using talanoa
This article, published in Pacific Health Dialog, is premised on the use of “talanoa” amongst several health professionals in the greater Sydney area to build a network of Pacific Islander (Pasifika) health professionals in Australia. Through talanoa, the group was able to document a snapshot of Pasifika health professionals working in Australia at the height of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Nutrition & Physical Activity (New Zealand)

Randomised waitlist-controlled trial of a 10-week community programme using a plant-based diet in a predominantly Māori population in Tairāwhiti (Gisborne)
The objective of this study, published in BMJ Open, was to investigate the impact of a 10-week whole-food plant-based (WFPB) community programme on weight and type 2 diabetes up to 36 months postintervention.

Enablers and Challenges of Dietary Interventions and Change for Pacific Peoples Living in Aotearoa, New Zealand: A Scoping Review
Pacific Peoples face increasing rates of metabolic diseases, yet interventions for healthy dietary change are rarely focused on Pacific communities or centered around the cultural values and socio-cultural environment of Pacific Peoples. In this scoping review, published in Nutrition Reviews, the authors aimed to systematically identify enablers and challenges of dietary change for Pacific Peoples in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Australia.

Hospital Productivity (New Zealand)

Providing equitable access to planned care treatment
Planned care covers a broad range of medical and surgical care services for people who do not need to be treated right away, such as operations to remove cataracts or tonsils, replace joints (like hips, knees, and ankles), and repair hernias. Planned care is sometimes called “elective”, “arranged”, or “scheduled” care. The way that treatment is provided is often not equitable or timely. People waiting longer for treatment are disproportionately those living in rural areas, those who experience social deprivation, Māori, Pacific peoples, and disabled people. The Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 requires Health New Zealand to ensure that Māori and other population groups have equitable access to the health services they need. This means ensuring that access to treatment is based on people’s clinical need – not their background, circumstances, or where they live. Given the importance of equitable and timely access to planned care, and the challenges in providing health care more generally, this report by the Office of the Auditor-General, wanted to see how well Health New Zealand is supporting greater equity in access to treatment.

Cancer Services (New Zealand)

'I felt so empowered, respected and shame free.' Let's test for HPV participants' experience of HPV primary screening
Aotearoa New Zealand's National Screening Unit (NSU) moved to use of human papillomavirus (HPV) primary screening in November 2023. This study, published in the Journal of Primary Health Care, aimed to evaluate participants' views on favourable and unfavourable elements of HPV primary screening and to seek suggestions for potential improvements.

Child and adolescent/young adult cancer incidence and survival for Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand
Cancer does not occur equally within populations, and this is also true within children and young adults. In this study, published in Cancer Epidemiology, we draw-together comprehensive national health record data to describe cancer incidence and survival for Māori children and adolescents/young adults (AYA), and compare this with the experience of Europeans.

Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes (New Zealand)

“They not only value a patient but a person”: exploring the views of Samoan, Tongan and Niuean people receiving heart healthcare and families, on the role of community pharmacists
In Aotearoa New Zealand, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of differences in life expectancy between Pacific and non-Māori non-Pacific people. Pharmacists have expertise in medicine management and are often described as one of the most accessible healthcare providers. However, their role in supporting equity in heart health outcomes is not well explored. This research, published in Pacific Health Dialog, explored the experiences and perspectives of Pacific people and families living with CVD regarding how community pharmacists did and could support them to manage their CVD, as well as their ideas for improving this support.

Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes (International)

Evolution of a sustained health promotion programme exploring adolescent metabolic health in the Cook Islands
The non-communicable disease (NCD) burden in the Cook Islands is severe. Understanding NCD complexity and developing evidence-based actions to mitigate this burden is crucial. This article, published in Health Promotion International, reports on the evolution of a sustained health promotion programme contributing to understanding adolescent metabolic health in Rarotonga.

Primary Health Care (New Zealand)

The Perspectives of Young Indigenous People on Chronic Disease Prevention Programs: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies
This review, published in The Journal of Adolescent Health, explores the perspectives of Indigenous young people aged 10 to 24 on programs aimed at preventing chronic diseases. This study synthesises findings from 13 qualitative studies conducted across Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, involving 441 participants.

Pharmacy practice and First Peoples health equity: A scoping review
First Peoples health inequity is observed globally in higher rates of chronic disease compared to non-First Peoples. Pharmacy practice is an essential component of chronic disease management; achieving a good health-related quality of life and the best clinical outcomes requires optimal pharmaceutical care. The aim of this review, published in Research in Social & Administrative Pharmacy, was to identify pharmacy practice strategies and interventions, across the globe, contributing to achieving First Peoples health equity; including reported outcomes, impact, implementation barriers/enablers and identification of practice gaps.

Primary Health Care (International)

Access or continuity: a zero sum game? A systematic review of the literature examining the relationship between access and continuity in primary healthcare
In recent years there has been a policy drive in the UK to improve patients’ access to appointments in primary care. However, the focus on timely access could undermine continuity of care. This paper, published in BMC Primary Care, aims to investigate how continuity of care and access to care are interrelated and their relative importance for patients and healthcare professionals.

Primary Mental Health (New Zealand)

Pacific peoples’ conceptualisations of depression in Aotearoa New Zealand: Findings from a cross-sectional survey
The aim of the present study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, is to provide a snapshot of how depression is understood and addressed by Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Smoking Cessation (New Zealand)

Nicotine e-cigarettes for smoking cessation following discharge from smoke-free inpatient alcohol and other drug withdrawal services: a pragmatic two-arm, single-blinded, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial
Nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been shown to be effective for smoking cessation among general populations, but there is little evidence in people with substance use disorders (SUDs). This study, published in The Lancet - Public Health, aimed to assess the effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking abstinence in people with SUD following discharge from smoke-free inpatient withdrawal services.

Smoking Cessation (International)

The impact of gamification on smoking cessation: A systematic review and meta-analysis
The rise of mobile health (mHealth) has led to increased adoption of mobile apps for smoking cessation. The integration of gamification has been found to be positively associated with higher app engagement, smokers' self-efficacy and motivation to quit. This systematic review and meta-analysis, published in Tobacco Induced Diseases, aimed to identify and assess the game elements incorporated into smoking cessation applications and evaluate the effectiveness of gamified interventions on smoking cessation outcomes.

Oral Health (New Zealand)

Assessing dental caries experiences and dental service delivery for children with disabilities in Auckland, New Zealand: a mixed-method study
Despite free dental care for children under 18 in New Zealand, children with disabilities face significant barriers to accessing these services, leading to disproportionately poorer oral health outcomes. A detailed understanding of the oral health status and service delivery for children with disabilities is essential to identify existing gaps and areas for improvement. This study, published in the Journal of Primary Health Care, aims to examine the oral health status of children with disabilities in Auckland, New Zealand and explore the perspectives of clinicians and service managers working in the community dental service regarding oral health care for these children.

Disability Services (New Zealand)

Aotearoa New Zealand cochlear implant programmes equity audit: addressing disparities and equity for Māori with severe and profound hearing loss
This study, published in The New Zealand Medical Journal, examined equity in the provision of cochlear implant services for New Zealand Māori compared with other New Zealanders.

Key Ministry of Health Publications

Funding to Māori Health Providers 2019/20 to 2023/24
This report shows information on funding to Māori health providers by the Ministry of Health, Health New Zealand, and the disestablished Māori Health Authority for the period 2019/20 to 2023/24. This report follows on from our reports in 2017 and every year from 2021, on the same topic. These reports are part of our monitoring of Whakamaua: Māori Health Action Plan 2020-2053 and the proposed Māori Health Strategy.

Ministry of Health Consultations & Events

Consultation on the Code of Practice for Irradiating Apparatus: ORS C10 2020
The Director for Radiation Safety (the Director) intends to review the Code of Practice for Irradiating Apparatus: ORS C10 2020 (ORS C10 2020). The review will be conducted in accordance with section 90 of the Radiation Safety Act. The review will consider information on the operation, technical accuracy and clarity of the code of practice. Before reviewing the code of practice, the Director invites public submissions on the review question: ‘Are changes required to improve the Code of Practice for Irradiating Apparatus: ORS C10 2020’? To make a submission, please email ors.codes@health.govt.nz by 5pm, Friday 18 July 2025.

Consultation on the Code of Practice for Unsealed Radioactive Material: ORS C11 2020
The Director for Radiation Safety (the Director) intends to review the Code of Practice for Unsealed Radioactive Material: ORS C11 2020 (ORS C11 2020). The review will be conducted in accordance with section 90 of the Radiation Safety Act 2016. The purpose of the review is to enable the Director to decide whether changes are required to improve ORS C11 2020. The review will consider information on the operation, technical accuracy and clarity of the code of practice. Before reviewing the code of practice, the Director invites public submissions on the review question: ‘Are changes required to improve the Code of Practice for Unsealed Radioactive Material: ORS C11 2020’? To make a submission, please email ors.codes@health.govt.nz by 5pm, Tuesday 22 July 2025.

Consultation on the Code of Practice for Sealed Radioactive Material: ORS C12 2020
The Director for Radiation Safety (the Director) intends to review the Code of Practice for Sealed Radioactive Material: ORS C12 2020 (ORS C12 2020). The review will be conducted in accordance with section 90 of the Radiation Safety Act 2016. Before reviewing the code of practice, the Director invites public submissions on the review question: ‘Are changes required to improve the Code of Practice for Sealed Radioactive Material: ORS C12 2020’? To make a submission, please email ors.codes@health.govt.nz by 5pm, Friday 25 July 2025.

Health Sector Initiative

Improving response times for people arriving at Wellington ED in mental health crisis
People arriving at Wellington Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) in mental distress or experiencing a crisis are now being seen more quickly as a result of two recent changes. The changes – led by Mental Health, Addiction and Intellectual Disability Service (MHAIDS) – include the introduction of Specialist Clinical Nurse (SCN) roles in ED and the relocation of the Wellington Crisis Resolution Service to Wellington Hospital’s campus.

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.