Issue 292 - 25 January 2024

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

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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.

Māori Innovation

He Taonga Te Wareware: Connecting Older Māori Experiences of Wairuatanga with Mate Wareware (Dementia)
Mate wareware (dementia) is a complex disease of the brain that progressively inhibits memory and cognitive ability, affecting many Māori (the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand) kaumātua (elderly persons) in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Mate wareware care aims to protect and sustain wellbeing, yet Māori perspectives of wellbeing that consider wairuatanga (Māori spirituality) are often neglected within current treatment planning. This study, published in Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, investigates the presence of wairuatanga within kaumātua lives, drawing upon 61 interviews with kaumātua to glean a Māori understanding of mate wareware and to develop a diagnostic screening tool for mate wareware.

Health Equity (New Zealand)

Health System Enablers and Barriers to Continuity of Care for First Nations Peoples Living with Chronic Disease
Failings in providing continuity of care following an acute event for a chronic disease contribute to care inequities for First Nations Peoples in Australia, Canada, and Aotearoa (New Zealand). This narrative review, published in the International Journal of Integrated Care, included studies concerning chronic diseases and explored barriers and enablers to continuity of care for First Nations.

Holistic health for Pacific seniors from a weekly group gathering run by a Pacific health provider
Pacific Trust Otago (PTO) provides a weekly seniors' group gathering that has evolved over the years and incorporates exercise, health information and cultural activities. This study, published in the Journal of Primary Health Care, aims to explore what Pacific seniors are learning about their health and wellbeing, and what factors contribute to sustained engagement with this weekly group activity.

Situating Health Experiences: A Culture-Centered Interrogation
Culture-centered studies of health communication de-centre the theorisation of health as an individual behaviour and reveal the structural conditions that shape inequalities in health outcomes. This study, published in Health Communication, examines the ways in which space and housing shape experiences of health in a low-income site in Auckland undergoing radical redevelopment.

Quality Improvement (New Zealand)

Code of expectations for health entities' engagement with consumers and whānau
The code of expectations for health entities’ engagement with consumers and whānau, published by the Health Quality & Safety Commission, sets the expectations for how health entities must work with consumers, whānau and communities in the planning, design, delivery and evaluation of health services.

Quality Improvement (International)

Population‐based interventions for preventing falls and fall‐related injuries in older people
The objective of this Cochrane Review was to review and synthesise the current evidence on the effects of population‐based interventions for preventing falls and fall‐related injuries in older people.

Primary Health Care (New Zealand)

Developing a model for primary care quality improvement success: a comparative case study in rural, urban and Kaupapa Māori organisations
Primary care is under pressure to achieve accessible, equitable, quality health care, while being increasingly under resourced. This study, published in the Journal of Primary Health Care, explored the factors that influence quality improvement to support a high-performing primary care system.

Primary Health Care (International)

Evidence on bringing specialised care to the primary level—effects on the Quadruple Aim and cost-effectiveness: a systematic review
To achieve the Quadruple Aim of improving population health, enhancing the patient experience of care, reducing costs and improving professional satisfaction requires reorganisation of health care. One way to accomplish this aim is by integrating healthcare services on different levels. This systematic review, published in BMC Health Services Research, aims to determine whether it is cost-effective to bring a hospital specialist into primary care from the perspectives of commissioners, patients and professionals.

A comparison of social prescribing approaches across twelve high-income countries
Social prescribing connects patients with community resources to improve their health and well-being. It is gaining momentum globally due to its potential for addressing non-medical causes of illness while building on existing resources and enhancing overall health at a relatively low cost. The COVID-19 pandemic further underscored the need for policy interventions to address health-related social issues such as loneliness and isolation. This paper, published in Health Policy, presents evidence of the conceptualisation and implementation of social prescribing schemes in twelve countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, the Netherlands, the United States and Wales.

Primary Mental Health (International)

Mindfulness‐enhanced parenting programmes for improving the psychosocial outcomes of children (0 to 18 years) and their parents
The objective of this Cochrane Review was to assess the effectiveness of mindfulness‐enhanced parent training programmes on the psychosocial functioning of children (aged 0 to 18 years) and their parents.

Smoking Cessation (International)

Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation
The objective of this Cochrane Review was to examine the safety, tolerability and effectiveness of using electronic cigarettes (ECs) to help people who smoke tobacco achieve long‐term smoking abstinence, in comparison to non‐nicotine EC, other smoking cessation treatments and no treatment.

Weight Management (International)

Spillover effects of childhood obesity prevention interventions: A systematic review
Childhood obesity prevention initiatives are complex interventions that aim to improve children's obesity-related behaviours and provide health promoting environments. These interventions often impact individuals, communities, and outcomes not primarily targeted by the intervention or policy. To accurately capture the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of childhood obesity prevention interventions, an understanding of the broader impacts (or spillover effects) is required. This systematic review, published in Obesity Reviews, aims to assess the spillover effects of childhood obesity prevention interventions.

Oral Health (International)

Nudging oral habits; application of behavioral economics in oral health promotion: a critical review
Oral health disorders significantly contribute to the global incidence of chronic diseases. Nudge interventions have demonstrated effectiveness in enhancing people's decision-making and self-management capacities in a cost-efficient manner. As a result, these interventions could be valuable tools for fostering improved oral care habits. This critical review, published in Frontiers in Public Health, explores potential behavioural nudges applicable to promoting oral health.

Disability Services (New Zealand)

Prioritized strategies to improve diagnosis and early management of cerebral palsy for both Māori and non-Māori families
The aim of this study, published in Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, was to identify prioritised strategies to support improvements in early health service delivery around the diagnosis and management of cerebral palsy (CP) for both Māori and non-Māori individuals.

Key Ministry of Health Publications

Te Mana Ola Engagement Report
The Te Mana Ola Engagement Report provides a summary of the knowledge and insights shared by Pacific peoples, throughout the Te Mana Ola engagement process.

Ministry of Health Consultations & Events

Proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) - New Zealand Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health is seeking the views of New Zealanders on amendments proposed by Member States to the International Health Regulations (2005). This will help inform New Zealand’s position as we contribute to the ongoing negotiations in the Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations. The consultation will be open until Sunday, 18 February 2023.

Health Sector Initiative

Thousands of people living and holidaying rurally use new rural telehealth service over the festive season
Ka Ora, was awarded the rural telehealth support contract by Te Whatu Ora in November 2023 and has quickly put in place its services and supported 3973 patients in the weeks between 22 December and 7 January. The Ka Ora rural telehealth service brings together the combined resources of three well-known organisations – Practice Plus, Reach Aotearoa and Emergency Consult – with years of experience offering telehealth consultations to New Zealanders. The service is available overnight from 5pm to 8am on weekdays, and 24 hours weekends and public holidays. This greater access to rural telehealth helps support those living in rural areas who may not have easy access to afterhours primary healthcare and see a kaiāwhina or clinician from the comfort of their own homes.

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.