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Practice Incentives Program Quality Improvement Measures: data update 2021-22
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released a 2021/22 data update for the Practice Incentives Program Quality Improvement Measures (PIP QI). General practices participating in PIP QI provide data on service counts against certain measures to their regional Primary Health Network (PHN) data custodian. Each PHN collates and aggregates PIP QI data extracts from the general practices in their catchment and submits it to the AIHW.
The report aims to provide nationally consistent, comparable data against specified measures that contribute to the assessment of needs, and to the improvement of regional and national health outcomes. PIP QI provides data across 10 measures including:
- QIM 1: Diabetes types with HbA1c recorded;
- QIM 2: Smoking status recorded and result;
- QIM 3: Height and weight recorded and BMI;
- QIM 4 Influenza immunisation recorded in 65 years+;
- QIM 5: Diabetes with influenza immunisation recorded;
- QIM 6: COPD with influenza immunisation recorded;
- QIM 7: Alcohol consumption status recorded;
- QIM 8: Risk factors recorded for CVD assessment;
- QIM 9: Cervical screening test recoded; and
- QIM 10: Diabetes with blood pressure recorded.
These improvement measures are intended to act as supporting material for greater understanding of chronic disease management in areas of high need. There are no set targets for the improvement measures.
For further data on each measure, click here.
Independent review of paracetamol overdose
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has published an independent expert report in relation to the frequency of serious injury and death from intentional paracetamol overdose. The TGA is now undertaking consultations and is seeking recommendations for ways to amend the Poisons Standard (October 2022).
The report was commissioned by the TGA to examine the rate of serious injury and death from intentional paracetamol overdose. The report found that adolescents and young adults, females in particular, were the largest group to overdose on paracetamol. The TGA is looking to develop a response plan to prevent such incidents from occurring, including limiting access for purchasing paracetamol products, particularly with young persons.
The report made seven recommendations to minimise harm from intentional paracetamol overdose:
- reducing the size of packs of paracetamol sold in supermarkets, convenience stores, and pharmacies without the advice of a pharmacist;
- limiting the number of packs of paracetamol that can be purchased in one transaction;
- requiring a prescription for the purchase of modified-release paracetamol;
- allowing children under the age of 18 to purchase paracetamol with a prescription only;
- education on the potential harms from paracetamol; and
- increasing awareness about safer storage of medicines and reducing stockpiling of unwanted medicines.
The TGA opened a public consultation into the report, including to consider amendments to the Poisons Standard, which closed on 14 October 2022.
To read the full report, click here.
Trialhub project offers cancer patients in rural communities better access to clinical trials
The Trialhub project, a federally funded pilot, has seen the Alfred Hospital partner with rural and regional hospitals as part of an initiative to improve access to clinical trials for people located outside metropolitan Melbourne. The project is focussed on trials for melanoma, prostate cancer and rare forms of cancer.
Speaking on the purpose of the initiative, Dr Anne Woollett, the director of the project, has emphasised the important role of clinical trials in improving patient outcomes, many of which have led to “life-saving therapies”.
Dr Woollett explained that people in regional and rural areas have been found to experience “poorer outcomes” than people in metropolitan health services, and that this disparity can be attributed in part to the fact that people in rural and regional areas are not able to access the same level of treatment. Many participants in clinical trials have been forced to travel hundreds of kilometres from their rural homes to the hospital offering the treatment.
The project has so far recruited 165 patients for trials in rural and regional hospitals in the Bendigo, Latrobe, Mildura, Peninsula and Northern Regions.
To learn more about the Trialhub project, click here.
AI to detect COVID-19 infection in people's voices
The European Respiratory Society International Congress has found that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can now be used to detect COVID-19 infection in people's voices.
Researchers in the Netherlands have investigated the use of AI in detecting the infection in a person's voice, which is tracked through the upper respiratory track and vocal cords. The test will be in the form of an app installed on a user's phone and will offer a basic questionnaire regarding demographics, medical history and smoking status prior to recording respiratory sounds such as coughing and deep breathing.
Researchers will use the Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) model to detect infection in people’s voices. LTSM relies on neural networks that aim to mock the operation of human brain through sequences, allowing it to store data in its memory.
Testing has produced an 89% accuracy rate, drawing a strong correlation between a person exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms and test accuracy.
Researcher Wafaa Aljbawi explained that "such tests can be provided at no cost and are simple to interpret. Moreover, they enable remote, virtual testing and have a turnaround time of less than a minute."
As the test is not 100% accurate, researchers are encouraging those who test positive via the app to undertake a PCR test for confirmation.
Further testing and analysis will improve and validate the accuracy of the LTSM model.
To learn more, find the article here.
FAST: New wearable device monitors tumour size
Researchers have created a small, autonomous device with a stretchable and flexible sensor that can be adhered to the skin to measure the changing size of tumours. The device is called FAST which stands for ‘Flexible Autonomous Sensor measuring Tumours’.
Engineers, Yasser Khan and Naoji Matsuhisa created the non-invasive FAST device. FAST’s sensor is connected to a small electronic backpack, which measures how much it stretches or shrinks, and transmits that data to a smartphone. Potential therapies linked to tumour size regression can quickly and confidently be excluded as ineffective or fast-tracked for further study.
FAST also overcomes the shortcomings of existing measuring approaches. Currently, tumours are observed by measuring with metal calipers which do not deliver continuous data needed for real-time assessment and can often require weeks-long observation periods to read out changes in tumour size.
FAST has the potential to expedite, automate and lower the cost of screening cancer therapies as it costs around US$60 to assemble.
To learn more about the device, click here.
Michael Gorton AM features in Safer Care Victoria's e-learning module on statutory duty of candour
Safer Care Victoria has released an e-learning module on the Statutory Duty of Candour (SDC). Russell Kennedy Principal Michael Gorton AM was invited to feature in the free online module, providing legal perspective on a range of the SDC related topics. Michael previously chaired the Expert Advisory Committee which made recommendations to the Victorian Government for SDC legislation.
To read the article, please click here.
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