Topic: Research

GPs are invited to an online roundtable on Monday, 10 July at 7.30pm exploring their awareness and support for using social prescribing to refer patients to arts activities. Participants will receive a certificate for CPD hours.

Social prescribing is the referral of patients to non-medical interventions, programs and services in the community.

While arts engagement is only one referral option for social prescribing, it has demonstrated especially striking outcomes and is the focus of this Flinders University and University of Adelaide project.

Participation will involve answering questions during a one-hour online (Zoom) roundtable with other GPs.

You will be asked questions about your awareness of social prescribing, any past experience with social prescribing and potential needs or barriers to implementing social prescribing.

Contact Dr Alex Cothren via email at alexander.cothren@flinders.edu.au for information.

General practices are invited to participate in the Activating Primary Care COPD Patients with Multimorbidity (APCOM) Trial.

The APCOM Trial, funded by the Australian Government Medical Research Future Fund, is a primary healthcare implementation research study being conducted by Bond University, University of Queensland, UNSW Sydney, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Wollongong Australia, University of Sydney, Lung Foundation Australia, Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association, and the RACGP.

The trial aims to improve the quality of life of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other chronic health conditions through an innovative practice nurse-led, tailored self-management program in NSW and Queensland general practices.

A recompense of $500 each will be provided to all participating general practices for recruiting eligible patients for the trial. General practices allocated to the intervention arm of the trial will be provided a payment of $60/hour for the practice nurse’s time towards attending a one-day training workshop and delivery of the self-management program to participating patients in five personalised health coaching sessions.

Find more information

If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please contact the Lead Investigator Professor Nick Zwar at nzwar@bond.edu.au or 07 5595 5499, or the trial manager Dr Sameera Ansari at sameera.ansari@unsw.edu.au.

GPs are advised some of their patients may be invited to participate in the National Health Measures Study, a voluntary biomedical component of the Intergenerational Health and Mental Health Study.

Participants will be invited to provide biomedical samples which will be tested for chronic diseases and nutrients biomarkers. These results will help the Australian Bureau of Statistics to better understand the prevalence of major health issues and monitor the effectiveness of national food fortification programs.

 

Intergenerational Health and Mental Health Study

The Australian Government Department of Health has commissioned the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to conduct a multi-year Intergenerational Health and Mental Health Study (IHMHS) between 2020 and 2023. This is the largest and most comprehensive study of the physical and mental health of Australians ever undertaken. 

 

National Health Measures Study

The National Health Measures Study (NHMS), a voluntary biomedical component of the IHMHS, will start in 2022. This is the second NHMS run by the ABS, with the first in 2011 to 2013. Respondents in the IHMHS will be invited to participate in the NHMS to provide biomedical samples. Participants’ biomedical samples will be tested for chronic diseases and nutrients biomarkers. These results will help the ABS to better understand the prevalence of major health issues and monitor the effectiveness of national food fortification programs.

 

What does it involve?

Consenting participants will be asked to attend a pathology clinic to provide biomedical samples. Children aged five to 11 years will be asked to provide urine samples only, and blood and urine samples from those aged 12 years and over. A parent or guardian will be asked to provide consent for children under 18 years. Participants will receive their biomedical test results from the pathology provider within three weeks of providing samples. Participants may also nominate their health practitioner to receive a copy of their results.

 

How can health practitioners be involved?

Health practitioners may see patients in 2022 to 2023 who have been invited to take part in the NHMS. This presents an opportunity for practitioners to encourage participation in the NHMS and promote the benefits of the biomedical component for the individuals and the community. These benefits range from raising the participant’s awareness of their own health and encouraging preventive healthcare, through to providing objective information about the health of the nation.

The collection will highlight how these data vary for different population groups of interest, allowing health inequalities to be addressed and measure changes in health status over time. Objective national prevalence estimates of biomedical risk factors and some chronic diseases and conditions including high cholesterol and high blood sugar levels, will allow better informed policy decisions to allocate health services for Australians into the future.

 

ABS NHMS Information Session

The ABS will be presenting a virtual information session on NHMS in early 2022. The session outlines the NHMS and possible involvement of health practitioners.

 

Contact the ABS

To express your interest in attending the virtual information session or if you have any questions about the IHMHS and/or the NHMS, contact the ABS via email at health@abs.gov.au.