Dental workforce 2012

Summary: Access to reliable, comprehensive, timely and nationally consistent trend data is required to understand the current health workforce and for its future planning. There is particular interest in changes to the size and composition of the various health professions, and the potential impacts of these changes on health-care delivery. This report provides data on the Australian dental practitioner workforce in 2012. Size of the dental workforce In 2012, there were 19,462 dental practitioners registered in Australia. Three-quarters of these practitioners (14,687) were dentists. The number of employed dentists increased by 5.3%, from 12,599 in 2011 to 13,266 in 2012. There were 1,330 dentists working as specialists. Orthodontics was the most common specialty (518 dentists). In 2012, there were also 1,425 dental hygienists, 1,117 dental therapists, 1,100 dental prosthetists and 675 oral health therapists employed in their fields. Sex and age of the dental workforce Sex Dentistry is a male dominated profession; however, the proportion of female dentists increased to 36.5% in 2012 from 35.2% in 2011. Employed dental therapists, dental hygienists and oral health therapists, were predominantly women (96.9, 94.6% and 84.7%, respectively). Dental prosthetists were much more likely to be men. Women made up 14.7% of this workforce, an increase from 13.9% in 2011. Age The average age of dentists employed in 2012 was 43.4 (the same as in 2011) and 23.4% were aged 55 and over. Employed dental prosthetists, dental therapists, dental hygienists and oral health therapists were aged 49.1, 46.4, 37.4 and 31.0, on average, respectively. Working arrangements Dentists worked, on average, 37.0 hours per week in 2012, a slight decrease from 2011 (37.3 hours per week). In 2012, 31.7% dentists worked part time (less than 35 hours per week). The majority of employed dentists were working in private practice (79.7% of clinicians and 77.3% of all dentists). Most specialists worked in private practice (75.0%) and in Major cities (89.1%). Major cities had more dentists per capita than other areas in 2012 at 64.3 full-time equivalent (FTE) dentists per 100,000 population, and more than the Australian rate of 56.9 FTE dentists

Optimising nutrition in residential aged care: A narrative review

In developed countries the prevalence of protein-energy malnutrition increases with age and multi-morbidities increase nutritional risk in aged care residents in particular. This paper presents a narrative review of the current literature on the identification, prevalence, associated risk factors, consequences, and management of malnutrition in the <i>residential aged care (RAC)</i> setting. We performed searches of English-language publications on <i>Medline, PubMed, Ovid and the Cochrane Library</i> from January 1 1990 to November 25 2015. We found that, on average, half of all residents in aged care are malnourished as a result of factors affecting appetite, dietary intake and nutrient absorption. Malnutrition is associated with a multitude of adverse outcomes, including increased risk of infections, falls, pressure ulcers and hospital admissions, all of which can lead to increased health care costs and poorer quality of life. A number of food and nutrition strategies have demonstrated positive nutritional and clinical outcomes in the <i>RAC</i> setting. These strategies extend beyond simply enhancing the nutritional value of foods and hence necessitate the involvement of a range of committed stakeholders. Implementing a nutritional protocol in <i>RAC</i> facilities that comprises routine nutrition screening, assessment, appropriate nutrition intervention, including attention to food service systems, and monitoring by a multidisciplinary team can help prevent decline in residents’ nutritional status. Food and nutritional issues should be identified early and managed on admission and regularly in the <i>RAC</i> setting

Effects of Accurate and Inflated Employee Performance Self-Evaluations on Memory Accuracy

Previous research has emphasized the value of carrying out performance appraisals at work. Both employers and employees can benefit from utilizing such measurement tools (Huselid, 1995). While conducting performance appraisals is critical to the success of an organization, companies must also be wary of the misinformation effect and the impact it can have on different parts of an appraisal, especially an employee\u27s self-evaluation. Due to the lack of existing research on the memory for self-evaluations, I designed the present study to identify the effects of both accurate and inflated self-evaluations on memories for the original event. After watching a video describing an employee\u27s work performance and reading a self-evaluation written by that same employee, participants rated the employee\u27s performance based exclusively on the video. Participants\u27 memory was then tested one week later to determine if the misleading information resulted in any alterations in memory for the original event. Although the results were not significant, the inflated self-evaluation did produce a slight increase in positive ratings over time, providing potential support for the hypothesis. Future implications and current study limitations are also discussed

Far Right, Left Out: European Far Right Parties and the Implications for Refugees

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Dietetic care of hip fracture patients across Australia: Are we doing enough?

Author version made available in accordance with the publisher's policy. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Milte R and Miller M, 2011 ‘Dietetic care of hip fracture patients across Australia: Are we doing enough?’ Nutrition and Dietetics, 68 (3), 214-220., which has been published in final form at doi:10.1111/j.1747-0080.2011.01538.x. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.Aim: To determine the composition of usual nutrition care provided by Australian dietitians to patients with a falls related femoral neck fracture. Methods: A cross-sectional survey administered via the World Wide Web using Survey Monkey to dietitians across Australia. Results: One hundred and sixty eight dietitians working with patients with a femoral neck fracture in Australia responded to the survey. Few dietitians (n=7) indicated they worked in the community setting. Nutritional screening was used among respondents (n=93), but 32/93 indicated they did not use a validated tool. Most commonly used interventions included strategies to increase intake of nutrients, such as provision of nourishing meals, snacks, and oral supplements. Conclusions: Some concerns remain regarding provision of optimal nutritional care of femoral neck fracture patients in Australia. There were few respondents workin

The role of sleep and sleep disorders in the development, diagnosis, and management of neurocognitive disorders

It is becoming increasingly apparent that sleep plays an important role in the maintenance, disease prevention, repair, and restoration of both mind and body. The sleep and wake cycles are controlled by the pacemaker activity of the superchiasmic nucleus in the hypothalamus but can be disrupted by diseases of the nervous system causing disordered sleep. A lack of sleep has been associated with an increase in all-cause mortality. Likewise, sleep disturbances and sleep disorders may disrupt neuronal pathways and have an impact on neurological diseases. Sleep deprivation studies in normal subjects demonstrate that a lack of sleep can cause attention and working memory impairment. Moreover, untreated sleep disturbances and sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnoe (OSA) can also lead to cognitive impairment. Poor sleep and sleep disorders may present a significant risk factor for the development of dementia. In this review, the underlying mechanisms and the role of sleep and sleep disorders in the development of neurocognitive disorders [dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)] and how the presence of sleep disorders could direct the process of diagnosis and management of neurocognitive disorders will be discussed