Ministry of Health Library

Health Improvement and Innovation Digest

Issue 199 - 12 September 2019

Welcome to the fortnightly Health Improvement and Innovation Digest (formerly the HIIRC digest). The Digest has links to key evidence of interest, with access to new content arranged by topic.

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Have you heard about Grey Matter?

We'd like to introduce you to another newsletter that the Ministry of Health Library prepares.  The Grey Matter newsletter provides monthly access to a selection of recent NGO, Think Tank, and International Government reports related to health. Information is arranged by topic, allowing readers to quickly find their areas of interest.  If you'd like to subscribe to Grey Matter, email library@health.govt.nz.

Article access

For articles that aren't open access, contact your DHB library, or organisational or local library for assistance in accessing the full text. If your organisation has a subscription, you may be able to use the icon under full text links in PubMed to access the full article.

Health Equity (New Zealand)

The implications of different ethnicity categorisation methods for understanding outcomes and developing policy in New Zealand
Identifying with more than one ethnicity is becoming increasingly common in New Zealand. It is therefore important that the methods of categorising ethnicity used by government agencies and researchers effectively account for diverse ethnic identities. The aim of this research, published in Kōtuitui, was to assess the impact of using different methods of categorising ethnicity on understanding outcomes in New Zealand.

Challenges and adjustments in maintaining health and well-being of older Asian immigrants in New Zealand: An integrative review
There is a paucity of health-related research on older Asian immigrants in New Zealand. The aim of this review, published in the Australasian Journal on Ageing, was to critically examine literature on the health and well-being of this population group.

Cancer Services (International)

Follow‐up strategies for patients treated for non‐metastatic colorectal cancer
It is common clinical practice to follow patients with colorectal cancer for several years following their curative surgery or adjuvant therapy, or both. Despite this widespread practice, there is considerable controversy about how often patients should be seen, what tests should be performed, and whether these varying strategies have any significant impact on patient outcomes. The objective of this Cochrane Review was to assess the effect of follow‐up programmes (follow‐up versus no follow‐up, follow‐up strategies of varying intensity, and follow‐up in different healthcare settings) on overall survival for patients with colorectal cancer treated with curative intent. Secondary objectives are to assess relapse‐free survival, salvage surgery, interval recurrences, quality of life, and the harms and costs of surveillance and investigations.

Economics of Multicomponent Interventions to Increase Breast, Cervical, and Colorectal Cancer Screening: A Community Guide Systematic Review
The Community Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended multicomponent interventions to increase breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening based on strong evidence of effectiveness. This systematic review, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, examines the economic evidence to guide decisions on the implementation of these interventions.

Shorter Stays In Emergency Departments (International)

Effectiveness of the Manchester Triage System in time to treatment in the emergency department: a systematic review
The objective of this review, published in the JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, was to synthesize the best available evidence on the effectiveness of the Manchester Triage System on time to treatment for patients who visit the emergency department.

Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes (International)

Behaviour change, weight loss and remission of Type 2 diabetes: a community‐based prospective cohort study
The aim of this study, published in Diabetic Medicine, was to quantify the association between behaviour change and weight loss after diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, and the likelihood of remission of diabetes at 5‐year follow‐up.

Primary Health Care (New Zealand)

Patient expertise: Contested territory in the realm of long-term condition care
The aim of this study, published in Chronic Illness, was to describe the experience of people with multiple long-term conditions with particular reference to the notion of the ‘expert patient’ in the context of self-management.

Primary Health Care (International)

Self-management support for chronic disease in primary care: frequency of patient self-management problems and patient reported priorities, and alignment with ultimate behavior goal selection
To enable delivery of high quality patient-centred care, as well as to allow primary care health systems to allocate appropriate resources that align with patients’ identified self-management problems (SM-Problems) and priorities (SM-Priorities), a practical, systematic method for assessing self-management needs and priorities is needed. The current report, published in BMC Family Practice, presents patient reported data generated from Connection to Health (CTH), to identify the frequency of patients’ reported SM-Problems and SM-Priorities; and examine the degree of alignment between patient SM-Priorities and the ultimate Patient-Healthcare team member selected Behavioural Goal.

Community pharmacy medication review, death and re-admission after hospital discharge: a propensity score-matched cohort study
In-hospital medication review has been linked to improved outcomes after discharge, yet there is little evidence to support the use of community pharmacy-based interventions as part of transitional care. This study, published in BMJ Quality & Safety, was to determine whether receipt of a postdischarge community pharmacy-based medication reconciliation and adherence review is associated with a reduced risk of death or re-admission.

Primary Mental Health (New Zealand)

Brief Report. A qualitative study of maternal mental health services in New Zealand: Perspectives of Māori and Pacific mothers and midwives
Suicide is the leading cause of maternal death in New Zealand particularly amongst Māori and Pacific. In this study, published in Asia-Pacific Psychiatry, the authors explored current maternal mental health (MMH) screening practices and supports.

Primary Mental Health (International)

Factors associated with the identification of child mental health problems in primary care—a systematic review
Background: Although common and often with long-lasting effects, child mental health problems (MHPs) are still under-recognized and under-treated. A better understanding of the factors associated with the identification of MHPs in primary care may improve the recognition of MHPs. The objective of this study, published in the European Journal of General Practice, was to review studies on factors associated with the identification of child MHPs in primary care.

Impact of rural address and distance from clinic on depression outcomes within a primary care medical home practice
Depression is the second leading cause of death among young adults and a major cause of disability worldwide. Some studies suggest a disparity between rural and urban outcomes for depression. Collaborative Care Management (CCM) is effective in improving recovery from depression. This study, published in BMC Family Practice, explores CCM’s effect on depression within rural and urban populations.

Increased Immunisation (New Zealand)

Influences and policies that affect immunisation coverage - a review of literature
This evidence-based review produced for the Immunisation Advisory Centre, was conducted to identify and examine core drivers that potentially affect vaccine uptake and immunisation coverage of the National Immunisation Schedule childhood vaccines. The literature reviewed was published primarily between January 2012 and July 2018.

Increased Immunisation (International)

Efficacy of a Web-Based Intervention to Increase Uptake of Maternal Vaccines: An RCT
Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) and influenza vaccines are recommended for pregnant women in each pregnancy, yet uptake is suboptimal. This study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, tested the efficacy of an online vaccine resource in increasing uptake of Tdap and influenza vaccines among pregnant women.

MomsTalkShots: An individually tailored educational application for maternal and infant vaccines
This article, published in Vaccine, describes the development and initial assessment in a clinical setting of a theory-driven, individually tailored educational application (app), MomsTalkShots, which focused on increasing uptake of maternal and infant vaccines.

Better Help for smokers to Quit (New Zealand)

Plain packaging: legislative differences in Australia, France, the UK, New Zealand and Norway, and options for strengthening regulation
By July 2018, five countries (Australia, France, the UK, New Zealand and Norway) had fully implemented plain (standardised) packaging. This study, published in Tobacco Control, reviewed the key legislative differences between these five countries to identify best practice measures and potential gaps. It also discuss how governments planning to introduce plain packaging could strengthen their legislation.

Better Help for smokers to Quit (International)

Cost-effectiveness of smoking cessation programs for hospitalized patients: a systematic review
This systematic review, published in the European Journal of Health Economics, examined the characteristics of published cost-effectiveness analyses of inpatient smoking cessation programs and assessed the methodological quality of the selected studies, to provide policymakers with economic evidence for this type of program.

Weight Management (International)

Altering the availability or proximity of food, alcohol, and tobacco products to change their selection and consumption
Overconsumption of food, alcohol, and tobacco products increases the risk of non‐communicable diseases. Interventions to change characteristics of physical micro‐environments where people may select or consume these products ‐ including shops, restaurants, workplaces, and schools – are of considerable public health policy and research interest. This Cochrane Review addresses two types of intervention within such environments: altering the availability (the range and/or amount of options) of these products, or their proximity (the distance at which they are positioned) to potential consumers.

Childhood Obesity (New Zealand)

Efficacy of a compulsory homework programme for increasing physical activity and improving nutrition in children: a cluster randomised controlled trial
Most physical activity interventions in children focus on the school setting; however, children typically engage in more sedentary activities and spend more time eating when at home. The primary aim of this cluster randomised controlled trial, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, was to investigate the effects of a compulsory, health-related homework programme on physical activity, dietary patterns, and body size in primary school-aged children.

Childhood Obesity (International)

The effectiveness of health professional-delivered interventions during the first 1000 days to prevent overweight/obesity in children: A systematic review
Childhood obesity is a global public health challenge. Early prevention, particularly during the first 1000 days, is advocated. Health professionals have a role to play in obesity prevention efforts, in part due to the multiple routine contacts they have with parents. This review, published in Obesity Reviews, synthesized the evidence for the effectiveness of obesity prevention interventions delivered by health professionals during this time period.

Key Ministry of Health Publications

Every Life Matters - He Tapu te Oranga o ia Tangata: Suicide Prevention Strategy 2019–2029 and Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2019–2024 for Aotearoa New Zealand
This Suicide Prevention Strategy describes what Every Life Matters – He Tapu te Oranga o ia Tangata: Suicide Prevention Strategy 2019–2029 and Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2019–2024 for Aotearoa New Zealand (Every Life Matters) aims to achieve over the next 10 years and what is needed to support such achievements.

New Zealand Cancer Action Plan 2019–2029
The Ministry of Health has developed the cancer action plan (the Plan) in consultation with a number of sector stakeholders to ensure we work collaboratively to prevent cancer and improve detection, diagnosis, treatment and care after treatment for all New Zealanders.

Information Sharing Guidance for Health Professionals from 1 July 2019
This is a practical guide for health professionals to support decision making regarding the sharing of information. From 1 July 2019 new information sharing provisions in the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 and the Family Violence Act 2018 will enhance sharing of information between agencies. These changes will impact on health professionals’ practice. The provisions allow health sector representatives to share information and request information from other designated agencies. These new provisions need to be understood by individual health practitioners and organisations that provide health services.

The information available on or through this newsletter does not represent Ministry of Health policy. It is intended to provide general information to the health sector and the public, and is not intended to address specific circumstances of any particular individual or entity.