Ministry of Health Library

Health Improvement and Innovation Digest

Issue 210 - 27 February 2020

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)

Is the use of health services by older adults in New Zealand associated with their housing tenure?
The aim of this study, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, was to explore associations between tenure and the health service use of older New Zealanders.

Quality Improvement (International)

The views and experiences of patients and health‐care professionals on the disclosure of adverse events: A systematic review and qualitative meta‐ethnographic synthesis
The objective of this systematic review, published in Health Expectations, was to synthesize the literature on the views and experiences of patients/family members and health‐care professionals (HCPs) on the disclosure of adverse events.

Cancer Services (New Zealand)

Experiencing breast cancer in the context of mental illness in New Zealand
This study, published in Kōtuitui, aimed to explore the experiences of women with mental illness who had also experienced breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, in particular, to identify barriers and facilitators to cancer treatment.

Primary Health Care (New Zealand)

Provision of palliative and end-of-life care in New Zealand residential aged care facilities: general practitioners’ perspectives
This exploratory study, published in the Australian Journal of Primary Health, examined general practitioners’ (GPs) perspectives on delivering end-of-life care in the New Zealand residential aged care context.

Primary Health Care (International)

Complexity as a factor for task allocation among general practitioners and nurse practitioners: a narrative review
General practitioner (GP) shortages and increasing demand for care led to the introduction of nurse practitioners (NPs) to primary care. Many concepts for task sharing among health professionals feature complexity. The aim of this narrative review, published in BMC Family Practice, was to examine how complexity is used as a factor for task allocation between GPs and NPs.

Better Help for smokers to Quit (New Zealand)

Role of flavours in vaping uptake and cessation among New Zealand smokers and non-smokers: a cross-sectional study
Concerns about the effects of vaping have prompted calls to restrict e-cigarette flavours. Vaping proponents have criticised these proposals, which they argue may discourage smokers from taking up vaping or trigger relapse to smoking. This study, published in Tobacco Control, explored the role flavours play in vaping uptake and cessation among New Zealand cigarette smokers and vaping-susceptible never smokers (VSNS), and examined current vapers' preferred flavours.

Better Help for smokers to Quit (International)

Using social media for smoking cessation interventions: a systematic review
Previous studies have shown that smoking tobacco significantly increases both incidence and mortality rates for many diseases. Social media has become one of the most influential platforms for various smoking cessation interventions. However, results from smoking cessation interventions have differed from study to study. Limited studies have summarised cessation outcomes from social media-based interventions. Therefore, the objective of this review, published in Perspectives in Public Health, is to explore the effectiveness of using social media for smoking cessation.

Childhood Obesity (International)

Sleep and obesity among children: A systematic review of multiple sleep dimensions
The objectives of this review, published in Paediatric Obesity, were to systematically investigate the multiple dimensions of sleep and their association with overweight or obesity among primary school‐aged children.

Oral Health (New Zealand)

Oral and dental health and health care for Māori with type 2 diabetes: A qualitative study
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and periodontal disease are two highly prevalent, directly and independently associated long‐term conditions that disproportionately impact Indigenous Māori in New Zealand (NZ). Although poorly understood, a number of social and biological mechanisms connect these conditions. This qualitative study, published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, explored experiences of T2DM and oral and dental (hereafter oral/dental) health; access to oral/dental health care; whether participants’ experiences supported or challenged existing evidence; and sought suggestions for improving oral/dental health in a high‐deprivation rural area of Northland, NZ.

Key Ministry of Health Publications

Pae tū, pae ora: Pathways to pae ora
This publication features diverse case studies of activity and innovation happening in our public health sector. The stories of Pae tū, pae ora highlight leadership, innovation and local solutions which together will help drive better outcomes for health and disability across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Ngai Māori Insights For A Kaupapa Māori Primary (Community) Mental Health And Addictions Service Model: The analysis
Expanding access to and choice of primary mental health and addiction services for whānau with mild to moderate need is a flagship initiative for the government and the cornerstone of the Wellbeing Budget 2019. The Ministry of Health carried out a series of hui Māori-a-motu from September through to November 2019 to gather information on the design and development of a Kaupapa Māori primary mental health and addiction service model with Māori in the sector. This external and independent analysis of data from all hui and information has been provided by Awa Associates. The analysis will inform Te Kawa o Aotearoa o ngā rātonga hāpori Kaupapa Māori Hauora Hinengaro, Hauora Wāranga (Aotearoa Kaupapa Māori Primary (Community) Mental Health and Addiction service specifications).

Biomedical results 2014/15: New Zealand Health Survey
The Biomedical Data Explorer presents results from blood and urine tests in the 2014/15 New Zealand Health Survey. Tests included biomarkers of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, liver function, nutrition, and immunity to measles and rubella.

District Health Board Initiative

Strata Health deploys automated referral system for Canterbury community services
Canterbury District Health Board has gone live with an automated system from Strata Health that directs referrals for home-based nursing care and community support automatically to the most appropriate provider. Strata Health has deployed its Prism patient flow and resource matching technology, which is integrated with the South Island's electronic request management system (ERMS) and with HealthPathways, to allow GPs to make a referral from within their practice management system.

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.