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  • Publication
    Journal Article
    A clinical approach to chronic respiratory disorders in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in primary care.
    (2024-12-01)
    Chen, Winnie
    ;
    Heraganahally, Subash 
    ;
    Howarth, Timothy
    Chronic respiratory disorders in the adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population are common, but there is a sparsity of literature detailing an approach to clinical management.This paper describes a clinical approach to chronic respiratory disorders for clinicians working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly in the remote Australian context.There are significant differences in the way chronic respiratory diseases manifest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people compared with non-Indigenous Australians. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiectasis and asthma often overlap in clinical features, and can be present concurrently. Restrictive impairment on spirometry is common. The presence of bronchodilator response might indicate asthma, but can also be observed in patients with asthma/COPD/bronchiectasis overlap. Because the management of each of these conditions differs, accurate diagnosis and disease severity classification are important, particularly in the prescribing of guideline-recommended inhaled pharmacotherapy.
  • Publication
    Report
    Report on the review of Forensic Mental Health and Disability Services within the Northern Territory
    (David McGrath Consulting, 2019-01)
    Department of Health
    ;
    David McGrath Consulting
    "The review examines services to different groups of people related by a central experience of involvement with the criminal justice system. However, the individuals at the centre of this review may be receiving health care in a variety of settings, from different organisations, from different practitioners and have different legal frameworks influencing their care. The review examined forensic mental health service delivery, forensic disability services, health services in youth justice detention, community mental health and disability services for people leaving the criminal justice system, relevant legislation and court processes and interfaces between these elements. This review was a system and policy review and not a clinical case file review. " - excerpt from the Executive Summary, page 7.
  • Publication
    Report
    Evaluation of Minimum Unit Price of Alcohol in the Northern Territory
    (Northern Territory Government, 2022-07-06)
    Department of Health
    ;
    Frontier Economics
    ;
    Yarning
    The NT Government is required under the Liquor Act 2019 (NT) to undertake a review of the MUP (Minimum Unit Price) every 3 years. The review is required to assess the impact of the MUP against its main objectives: reducing the harmful consumption of alcohol while minimising the effect of the MUP on moderate consumers of alcohol. This report evaluates the impacts of the MUP on alcohol consumption trends, alcohol related harm and other impacts in the NT as a whole, as well as in individual regions. We recognise that it is difficult to directly attribute changes in alcohol related harms or other impacts to any individual alcohol related policy intervention such as the MUP, Banned Drinkers Register (BDR) and PALIs (Police Auxiliary Licensing Inspectors), since these were all introduced around the same time. The impact of COVID-19 is another important consideration for this evaluation. (Taken from executive summary)
  • Publication
    Journal Article
    Is Respiratory Viral Infection an Inciting Event in the Development of Melioidosis? A Systematic Evaluation of Co-infection With and SARS-CoV-2 or Influenza.
    (2024-12-04)
    Martin, Genevieve 
    ;
    Chen, Jerry 
    ;
    Woerle, Celeste
    ;
    Hinchcliff, Alexandra
    ;
    Baird, Robert 
    ;
    Davies, Jane 
    ;
    Currie, Bart 
    Respiratory viral infection may increase infection with progressing to clinical disease (melioidosis). This data linkage study evaluated associations between melioidosis and SARS-CoV-2 or influenza. Among 160 melioidosis cases, there was no difference in risk factors, vaccine status, or disease severity between 17 with viral co-infection and 143 without.
  • Publication
    Journal Article
    Alcohol-related injury hospitalisations in relation to alcohol policy changes, Northern Territory, Australia, 2007-2022: A joinpoint regression analysis.
    (2024-12-10)
    Chen, Jerry 
    ;
    Zhang, Xiaohua 
    ;
    Draper, Anthony 
    ;
    Kaur, Guddu
    ;
    Field, Emma
    ;
    Boffa, John
    ;
    Liddle, Leanne 
    ;
    Burgess, Paul 
    ;
    Wright, Alyson 
    The Northern Territory (NT) of Australia has the highest rates of alcohol consumption and injury in the country. We aimed to: (i) describe the epidemiology of alcohol-related injury (ARI) hospitalisations in the NT; (ii) estimate the proportion of alcohol involvement in injury hospitalisations; and (iii) consider the influence of alcohol policies on ARI hospitalisation trends.We conducted a retrospective time-series study using coded hospitalisation data from NT public hospitals between 2007 and 2022. ARI hospitalisation was defined combining indicators for injury and acute alcohol use. We undertook descriptive analyses and calculated alcohol involvement against all injury hospitalisations. Annual percent changes (APC) were computed using joinpoint regression to examine the influence of alcohol policies on ARI hospitalisation trends by NT geographical regions (Central Australia and Top End).Alcohol use was associated with 22.6% of all injury hospitalisations. The most common cause of ARI hospitalisations was assault (46%). In Central Australia, a significant trend decline (APC -12.2; p = 0.011) was observed after 2017 following alcohol policies implemented between 2017 and 2018 (Banned Drinkers Register v2; Minimum Unit Price; and Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors). Consecutive years with the greatest decrease in Central Australia were 2013-2014 (APC -25.8) and 2018-2019 (APC -35.1); likely influenced by alcohol policies in effect at the time. In the Top End, a non-significant trend decline (APC -26.1; p = 0.186) was observed after 2020.Alcohol policies implemented between 2017 and 2018 were associated with reduced ARI hospitalisations in Central Australia. Alcohol policies that demonstrated reduced harm should be sustained.
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