Australian health review : a publication of the Australian Hospital Association
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Climate change will affect human health, mostly adversely, resulting in a greater burden on the health care system, in addition to any other coexistent increases in demand (e.g. from Australia's increasingly ageing population). Understanding the extent to which health is likely to be affected by climate change will enable policy makers and practitioners to prepare for changing demands on the health care system. ⋯ Research is needed to understand the relationship of climate change to health promotion, policy evaluation and strategic financing of health services. Training of health care professionals about climate change and its effects will also be important in meeting long-term workforce demands.
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Despite 42 years progress since the 1967 referendum enabling laws to be made covering Aboriginal Australians their poor health status remains and is extensively documented. This paper presents results of a study into Cultural Awareness Training (CAT) in New South Wales and specifically South West Sydney Area Health Service (SWSAHS) with the aim of improving long-term health gains. ⋯ In SWSAHS staff attendance at training is poor and training is fragmented across the Area. The paper proposes actions to improve Aboriginal cultural awareness for health professionals including incorporating Aboriginal CAT into broader based Cross Cultural Training (CCT).
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Review Meta Analysis
Preventing the rebound: improving care transition in hospital discharge processes.
Unplanned readmissions of recently discharged patients impose a significant burden on hospitals with limited bed capacity. Deficiencies in discharge processes contribute to such readmissions, which have prompted experimentation with multiple types of peridischarge interventions. ⋯ Peridischarge interventions are highly heterogenous and reported outcomes show considerable variation. However, multicomponent interventions targeted at high-risk populations that include pre- and postdischarge elements seem to be more effective in reducing readmissions than most single-component interventions, which do not span the hospital–community interface.