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  • Publication
    Report
    Health Workforce Assessment and Planning Models: Assessing Burden of Disease and Injury for Health Workforce Needs in the Northern Territory, 2014-2038
    This study shows that there was a 22% needs-based shortfall of health workforce in the Northern Territory (NT) relative to the burden of disease and injury between 2014-2018. The current health workforce level did not meet the needs for health protection, health care and maintenance of the NT population health. This important public health service issue is a matter of urgency.
  • Publication
    Journal Article
    Factors influencing the perceived importance of oral health within a rural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Australia.
    (2020-04-17)
    Tynan, Anna
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    Walker, David
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    Fisher, Barry
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    Fisher, Tarita
    Indigenous Australians suffer from higher rates of oral disease and have more untreated dental problems and tooth extractions than the general population. Indigenous Australians also have lower rates of accessing oral health services and are more likely to visit for a problem rather than a check-up. Multiple issues effect health service and prevention programs including: characteristics of health services such as distances to health services; existence of social and cultural barriers; available wealth and social support; and, characteristics of the individual and community including the importance given to the disease. This paper seeks to explore the perceived importance of oral health within a rural Indigenous community in Australia and the factors influencing this perception.The study used a phenomenology research design incorporating focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. It was undertaken in partnership with communities' Health Action Group who guided the focus, implementation and reporting of the research. A convenience sample was recruited from established community groups. Thematic analysis on the transcripts was completed.Twenty-seven community members participated in three focus groups and twelve in-depth interviews. The study found that the community gives high priority to oral health. Factors influencing the importance include: the perceived severity of symptoms of oral disease such as pain experienced due to tooth ache; lack of enabling resources such as access to finance and transport; the social impact of oral disease on individuals including impact on their personal appearance and self-esteem; and health beliefs including oral health awareness. Participants also noted that the importance given to oral health within the community competed with the occurrence of multiple health concerns and family responsibilities.This paper highlights the high importance this rural Indigenous community gives to oral health. Its findings suggest that under-utilisation of oral health services is influenced by both major barriers faced in accessing oral health services; and the number and severity of competing health and social concerns within the community. The study results confirm the importance of establishing affordable, culturally appropriate, community-based oral health care services to improve the oral health of rural Indigenous communities.
  • Publication
    Fact sheet
    Water-related injuries in the Northern Territory, 2023
    (NT Health, 2024-08-27) ;
    Tropical climates, expansive coastlines and an abundance of fresh waterways, all make the Northern Territory (NT) an extremely popular place for recreational water activities. Despite concerted efforts to promote general water safety1 and warn against the dangers of jellyfish and crocodiles,2 preventable water-related injury presentations to health services are not uncommon in the NT. To further inform and support water safety efforts, this fact sheet reports a descriptive analysis of all water-related injury cases that presented to a NT Government tertiary (public hospital) or primary health care service (community clinics) in 2023.
  • Publication
    Journal Article
    The Australasian Registry for Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions (AUS-SCAR) - Providing a roadmap for closing the diagnostic, patient, and healthcare gaps for a group of rare drug eruptions.
    (2024-08-01)
    James, Fiona
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    Goh, Michelle S
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    Vogrin, Sara
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    Ng, Irvin
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    Douglas, Abby P
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    Holmes, Natasha E
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    Chua, Kyra Yl
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    De Luca, Joseph
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    Sharma, Pooja
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    Zubrinich, Celia
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    Aung, Ar K
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    Gin, Douglas
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    Lambros, Belinda
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    Baker, Chris
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    Foley, Peter
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    Chong, Alvin H
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    Thien, Francis
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    Fok, Jie S
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    Su, John
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    Scardamaglia, Laura
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    Awad, Andrew
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    Tong, Steven
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    Johnson, Douglas
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    Godsell, Jack
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    Arasu, Alexis
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    Barnes, Sara
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    Ojaimi, Samar
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    Mar, Adrian
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    Yun, James
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    Ange, Nikhita
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    Tong, Winnie W Y
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    Carr, Andrew
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    Loprete, Jacqueline
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    Katelaris, Constance H
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    Slape, Dana
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    Keat, Karuna
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    West, Timothy A
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    Lee, Monique
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    Smith, William
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    Hissaria, Pravin
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    Sidhu, Shireen
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    ; ; ;
    Lane, Michael J
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    Redmond, Andrew M
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    Robertson, Ivan
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    Legg, Amy
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    Fernando, Suran
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    Boyle, Therese
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    Li, Jamma
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    Phillips, Elizabeth J
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    Cleland, Heather
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    Kern, Johannes S
    ;
    Trubiano, Jason A
    Severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCAR) are a group of delayed presumed T-cell mediated hypersensitivities associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite their shared global healthcare burden and impact, the clinical phenotypes, genomic predisposition, drug causality, and treatment outcomes may vary. We describe the establishment and results from the first Australasian registry for SCAR (AUS-SCAR), that via a collaborative network advances strategies for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of SCAR.Prospective multi-center registry of SCAR in Australian adult and adolescents, with planned regional expansion. The registry collects externally verified phenotypic data drug causality, therapeutics and long-term patient outcomes. In addition, biorepository specimens and DNA are collected at participating sites.we report on the first 100 patients enrolled in the AUS-SCAR database. DRESS (50%) is the most predominant phenotype followed by SJS/TEN (39%) and AGEP (10%), with median age of 52 years old (IQR 37.5, 66) with 1:1 male-to-female ratio. The median latency for all implicated drugs is highly variable but similar for DRESS (median 15 days IQR 5,25) and SJS/TEN (median 21 days, IQR 7,27), while lowest for AGEP (median 2.5 days, IQR 1,8). Antibiotics (54.5%) are more commonly listed as primary implicated drug compare with non-antibiotics agent (45.5%). Mortality rate at 90 days was highest in SJS/TEN at 23.1%, followed by DRESS (4%) and AGEP (0%).In the first prospective national phenotypic and biorepository of SCAR in the southern hemisphere we demonstrate notable differences to other reported registries; including DRESS-predominant phenotype, varied antibiotic causality and low overall mortality rate. This study also highlights the lack of standardised preventative pharmacogenomic measures and / diagnostic strategies to ascertain drug causality.ANZCTR ACTRN12619000241134. Registered 19 February 2019.
  • Publication
    Journal Article
    Countering stereotypes: Exploring the characteristics of Aboriginal Australians who do not drink alcohol in a community representative sample.
    (2024-09-01)
    Conigrave, James H
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    Wilson, Scott
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    Conigrave, Katherine M
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    Perry, Jimmy
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    Hayman, Noel
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    Chikritzhs, Tanya N
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    ;
    Zheng, Catherine
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    Weatherall, Teagan J
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    Lee, K S Kylie
    Contrary to stereotypes, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are more likely to abstain from drinking than other Australians. We explored characteristics and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who do not drink alcohol.We conducted a cross-sectional, representative survey of 775 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (16+ years) in remote and urban South Australia. We explore correlates of not drinking alcohol using multi-level logistic regression. We describe reasons for non-drinking and harms participants experienced in past 12 months from others' drinking.Non-drinking participants were more likely to be older (OR 1.35 [95% CI 1.21, 1.50] per decade) and unemployed (OR 2.72 [95% CI 1.77, 4.20]). Participants who spoke Aboriginal Australian languages at home were three times more likely to be lifetime abstainers from drinking (OR 3.07 [95% CI 1.52, 6.21]). Common reasons for not drinking alcohol were health and family. Most did not report harms from others' alcohol consumption (79.6%, 76.9%, urban and remote respectively). Stress from others' alcohol consumption was the most reported harm by non-drinkers (14.5% and 23.1%, urban and remote, respectively).Culture such as speaking Aboriginal Australian languages might have protective effects that promote abstaining but was rarely explicitly cited as a reason for not drinking. A greater understanding of local values held by people who do not drink alcohol could help inform health messaging and other interventions to reduce alcohol-related harms. Understanding local reasons for abstaining can help tailor health messaging to suit local contexts.
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