“Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we're all in this together.”
Brene Brown

In an aging population good health is essential for the social and economic wellbeing of all.This report outlines 9 key areas the Ministry of Health in New Zealand will support over the next 3 years to maximise the health, independence and wellbeing of people with dementia.The report highlights initiatives that will lead to improved dementia services and support for people with dementia, their carers and family.

Source: Improving the lives of people with dementia, August 2014

An Australian-designed interactive app to assist dementia patients in aged care facilities is currently being trialled by current and former researchers from Swinburne University of Technology. The app creates a virtual 3D environment of familiar places which aged care residents can decorate.

Source: Virtual reality app for people living with dementia, Sept 2014

Examines a range of factors including age, gender, residential location and social disadvantage, that influence alcohol consumption and vulnerability to alcohol-related chronic disease in Victoria. Recent research has indicated that groups which more vulnerable to alcohol-related harms do not necessarily consume more alcohol than other groups and in some instances are drinking less that the average Australian. It is therefore important to focus beyond consumption.

Source: Inequities in alcohol-related chronic disease in Victoria, Sept 2014

A recent update of The COPD-X Plan has occurred and reflects the published evidence in COPD to April 2014.

The COPD-X Plan: Australian and New Zealand guidelines for the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are the outcome of a joint project of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and Lung Foundation Australia. The guidelines aim to effect changes in clinical practice based on sound evidence; and shift the emphasis from a predominant reliance on pharmacological treatment of COPD to a range of interventions which include patient education, self-management of exacerbations and pulmonary rehabilitation.

Source: COPD-X Guidelines Aug 2014

This project reports on the standardised data and agreed definitions that support consistent data collection and reporting practices required for developing National standards, guidelines and policy. It addresses the issues required to produce a national perinatal mortality report that is relevant to maternity services. In 2010 there were 2,609 perinatal deaths reported in Australia; equating to 1 in every 115 births.

Source: National perinatal mortality data reporting project - AIHW, Sept 2014

Related information:

• Maternal mortality: data linkage methodology - a report that presents a data linkage methodology to ascertain the number of maternal and late maternal deaths in Australia.

• Nomenclature for models of maternity care: literature review - a report that presents a literature review on the development of a nomenclature for models of maternity care in Australia. Report findings indicate that while there were a variety of models of maternity care in Australia, the dominant models involved medical care in either a private or public hospital, and consumers were dissatisfied with the lack of access to other models of care.

This OECD report Geographic variations in health care: what do we know and what can be done to improve health system performance? compares results from 13 participating countries. Australia “was observed to have a high knee replacement rate (more than 200 per 100,000 population), a high rate of caesarean section (more than 300 per 1,000 live births) and a relatively high hysterectomy rate (330 per 100,000 females) compared to other OECD countries”. Australian results were provided by Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care & Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Source: OECD Medical practice variations, 2014

Communication skills for nursing practice / Catherine McCabe and Fiona Timmins. 2^nd edition, 2013.

Ethics & law for Australian nurses / Kim Atkins, Sheryl de Lacey, Bonnie Britton. 2^nd edition, 2014.

Medicine at a glance / edited by Patrick Davey. 4^th edition, 2014.

The following journals titles received this week are only available in print format within the library:

Anaesthesia and intensive care Vol. 42, no. 5. September 2014.

Bioethics outlook. Vol. 25, no. 3, September 2014.

Nature. Vol. 513, no. 7516, 4 September; Vol. 513, no. 7516, 11 September 2014.

Nursing times. Vol.  110, no. 37 September 2014.

All our journal titles with electronic access are available via the A-Z Journal List.
(Please note: outside the Austin Health network you will need your Library barcode no. & PIN for access)