Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience a disproportionate burden of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy. A multi-component health systems intervention aiming to improve antenatal and postpartum care was implemented across Australia's Northern Territory (NT) and Far North Queensland (FNQ) between 2016 and 2019. Components included clinician education, improving recall systems, enhancing policies and guidelines, and embedding Diabetes in Pregnancy (DIP) Clinical Registers in systems of care. This program was evaluated to determine impacts on clinical practice and maternal health.Data for women with hyperglycaemia in pregnancy from primary care clinical records and the DIP Clinical Registers were analysed to assess changes in: antenatal and postpartum diabetes testing; HbA1c/glucose levels; medication use; weight checks performed, weight and body mass index; and postpartum contraception, smoking and breastfeeding.Clinical practice in the NT improved, including increased uptake of the recommended first trimester 75 g oral glucose tolerance test among women with hyperglycaemia risk factors (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women 11.7% to 26.5%, p < 0.001; non-Indigenous women 6.2% to 19.3%, p < 0.001). In the NT, postpartum diabetes monitoring (56% to 68%, p = 0.039) and contraceptive use (41% to 60%, p = 0.001) increased among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. In FNQ, postpartum glucose monitoring increased among women with T2D (26% to 68% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, p = 0.002; 50% to 100% non-Indigenous, p = 0.008), although there were no improvements in antenatal care indicators.Aspects of care for women with hyperglycaemia in pregnancy improved in the NT and FNQ following a multi-component health systems intervention.This study is funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases Grant 1092968.

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is a common commensal and opportunistic canine pathogen with emerging pathogenicity in humans. We describe the first case of invasive S. pseudintermedius infection causing aortitis and mycotic aneurysm in an 83-year-old patient, treated successfully with flucloxacillin. This case highlights the potential for S. pseudintermedius to cause serious endovascular infection in humans.

Melioidosis is an endemic tropical disease caused by . It typically causes pulmonary disease and bacteraemia but can disseminate to cause multi-organ disease. 18-F FDG PET/CT has an evolving role in diagnosing other infectious diseases, especially where the pathogen or extent of infection is challenging to elucidate clinically and with conventional imaging (CT, US and MRI). We present a case series of patients diagnosed with melioidosis who also underwent 18-F FDG PET/CT from December 18th 2018 to September 30th 2022. Indications for imaging were categorised and analysed as to whether 18-F FDG PET/CT changed management over conventional imaging. Twenty-one 18-F FDG PET/CT scans were performed for sixteen patients. Two scans (9.5%) performed for pyrexia of unknown origin changed management in both cases. Twelve scans (57.1%) performed to ascertain the extent of dissemination of melioidosis changed management in only three (25%) cases. Five scans (23.8%) performed to monitor the response to treatment of known foci changed management in all five cases. Five scans (23.8%) performed for suspected or known malignancy changed management in three (60%) cases. 18-F FDG PET/CT is an emerging tool which improves diagnosis and changes the management of melioidosis when applied judiciously and for well-selected indications.

Aims: The were two research questions in this PhD. In what ways do Aboriginal service users, Aboriginal staff and non-Aboriginal staff experience intercultural communication at Alice Springs Hospital (ASH)? Do initiatives, policies and practices foster intercultural communication between these groups? Setting: The ASH catchment area covers 872,861 square kilometres and includes six local government areas (LGAs) with a total population of 45,161. There are 10 remote communities in SA, 10 in WA and 34 communities in the NT serviced by ASH. In the top responses of languages other than English, there were 13 Aboriginal languages and seven non-English languages in these LGAs. There are 25 known language groups surrounding Alice Springs within three main Aboriginal language families: Western Desert, Ngaarkic and Arandic. These language family groups have multiple dialects, often with commonalities between vocabulary and grammar. Results: Referral data were collected from the Aboriginal Engagement and Strategy Unit (AESU) within ASH and the Aboriginal Interpreter Service ( AIS), an external Territory Government department. Categories included types of requests and who utilised the services between July 2018 and June 2019. The top three reasons for referral data to the AESU (n=4,462) were interpreting (41.4%), transport (29.7%) and cultural brokerage (16.8%). The AIS (n=270) primarily managed mental health related referrals (27%), medical reviews (17%) and general discussions (16%). Overarching themes emerged from the participant interviews. An effort was made not to deliver the same story about deficits in healthcare communication in the Northern Territory, as this is well documented. Instead, the focus shifted towards the impact on human feelings which will be demonstrated through dramaturgical analysis. In general, three themes focus on procedural mechanisms and processes. Hard or challenging situations; education, knowledge, learning, and understanding; workflow, resources, protocols, and approaches. Themes about interpersonal aspects of communication include personalities, emotions, and expressed feelings; trust and relationships; cultural influences, differences, and explanations. This research found that support service structures often do not align with staff expectations and needs. The PhD acknowledged certain shortcomings then provided recommendations and propositions as a means to address these issues.

PS5 Standard for Pharmacy Based Immunisation Programs

Application for registering a radiation apparatus