An Interprofessional Clinical Placement in a Primary Healthcare Setting: A Pilot Study

Purpose: Internationally, and in Australia, interprofessional education (IPE) is becoming typical in primary healthcare delivery and is core to delivering patient-centred care. It is essential that primary healthcare education develop interprofessional capacity in order to produce a skilled workforce. An IPE clinical placement for undergraduate health students was developed and piloted in primary healthcare settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the IPE clinical placement in a primary healthcare setting on students’ perceptions of interprofessional education. Method: A pre-post placement validated questionnaire (n=19) indicated overall perceptions of IPE significantly increased over the course of the IPE clinical placement. Results: There was a significant increase in competency and autonomy and understanding of roles over time. There was no significant increase in the reported perception of need for interprofessional cooperation, however there was a significant increase in actual interprofessional cooperation. Conclusion: This was a successful pilot program that warrants further development and research to include longer-term follow up of students’ perceptions towards IPE and analyze whether collaboration and teamwork skills obtained during the IPE primary healthcare experience are transferrable to future professional practice

Understanding the utility of “Talk-to-Me” an online suicide prevention program for Australian university students

Background: Australian university students are at risk of experiencing poor mental health, being vulnerable to self-harm and suicidal ideation. Aim: “Talk-to-Me” is a suicide ideation prevention Massive open online course (MOOC) previously showing it can support Western Australian university students' knowledge of identifying and responding to suicide ideation in themselves and others. Methods: A multi-site one-group pre-test/post-test design with a 12-week follow-up explored the efficacy of “Talk-to-Me” for university students Australia-wide, evaluating the influence of COVID-19 and location. Overall, 217 students (55% female; mage = 24.93 years [18, 60]) enrolled in this study from 2020 to 2021. Participants' responses to suicidal statements, mental health literacy, generalized self-efficacy, help-seeking behavior, and overall utility of the program were collected at baseline, post-MOOC (10 weeks from baseline) and 12-week follow-up. The effect of time and location interaction was explored using a random-effects regression model. Results: Findings indicated significant improvement in participants' knowledge of positive mental health support strategies (ES = 0.42, p &lt; 0.001) and recognizing appropriate responses to suicidal statements (ES = 0.37, p &lt; 0.001) at 10-weeks, with further improvement at 12 weeks follow-up (ES = 0.47 and 0.46, p &lt; 0.001). Students reported higher generalized self-efficacy at the 12-week follow-up compared to baseline (ES = 0.19, p = 0.03) and an increased tendency to seek professional help for mental health issues (ES = 0.22, p = 0.02). Conclusion: These findings provide preliminary evidence of the efficacy of the “Talk-to-Me” program in supporting ‎university students across Australia to increase their suicide-related knowledge and skills, ‎general self-efficacy, and overall mental fitness.</p

Early intervention consortia: a collaborative community perspective

Introduction: The department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) has committed $190 million for 4 years up to June 2012 to deliver the Helping Children with Autism package. In 2010, early intervention therapists from the Gold Coast formed a consortium panel with the community non-profit group, Autism Gold Coast to coordinate multidisciplinary service delivery under the new FaHCSIA guidelines. The federal government has indicated that this funding model may be extended to children under the age of six diagnosed with hearing impairments, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and Fragile-X. Objective: To explore the implications of the consortium model and its impact on the delivery and outcomes of early intervention services on the Gold Coast. Approach: Consultation with key stakeholders in the com- munity was undertaken in order to understand the impact of this policy change on local practice. Caregivers of children with autism, occupational, speech, and behavioural therapists, as well as leaders of community groups and FaHCSIA officials were asked to describe their experience working under this new model. Implications for Practice: This presentation will inform early intervention service providers and policy makers about some of the benefits of a collaborative team approach and challenges such as reducing waiting lists for servic es when working in a consortium. Conclusion: Increased government funding for early intervention programs is great news for children and families. This project highlights issues facing local families and early interventionists in their efforts to effectively utilize this important funding to achieve optimal outcomes for children being served

Learn the signs. Act early: Translating Australian evidence into international policy

Introduction: Autism is a highly prevalent and complex group of neurodevelopmental conditions which affects1 in 100 children globally. Early detection of autism is important to improve developmental outcomes. There are a range of tools available to identify young children who are showing early signs of autism. Objective: This translational research aims to investigate the feasibility of implementing highly sensitive and specific developmental surveillance tools and systems that have been recently validated in Australia through large-scale studies, to be adapted and implemented internationally through influential policies such as the Centres for Disease Control’s (CDC) Learn the Signs, Act Early program in the United States. Method: Qualitative, semi-structured interviews, employing an elite interviewing methodology, were con-ducted with a purposive sample of participants who were selected due to their professional roles in contributing expert advice to the development of government policy guidelines related to population-based monitoring of the development of young children. Results: Results inform understanding of the enablers and barriers to application of best practice surveillance tools from the perspective of influential policy-makers and has provided an opportunity to share knowledge o best available evidence, tools and guidance for industry leaders when informing early childhood development policy and directives.Conclusion: Research to translate new evidence in alignment with international guidelines and recommendations broadens collaboration and capacity to build skills and knowledge of the workforce of a diverse range of early childhood professionals to utilise the most effective tools to accurately detect and support young children showing early signs of autism

Therapeutic Horticulture in Primary Health Care and community health: A scoping review

There are three aims for this study; to clarify the concept of therapeutic horticulture, to investigate how it is utilised in community health settings, and to identify what outcome measures are being used with therapeutic horticulture interventions. The scoping review will be completed using the PRISMA-ScR Checklist

Early detection for better outcomes: Monitoring development in early childhood education settings

Introduction/Rationale: One in five children are developmentally vulnerable. Efforts to provide supports to children with developmental challenges and to optimise performance at school are hindered when three-quarters of vulnerable children do not have their challenges identified nor receive early intervention supports prior to starting school. Objectives: To promote effective early detection and support of young children showing early signs of autism, this project aims to build capacity of the workforce of a range of early childhood professionals including maternal and child health nurses, early childhood education professionals, early intervention providers, and allied health professionals to utilise evidence-based methods. Method/Approach: A pre-/post-training evaluation was implemented to investigate impact on referral rates to early intervention and factors influencing the implementation of evidence-based universal developmental surveil-lance across health, early childhood, social, and community-based care settings. University students and professionals working with young children across sectors in NSW communities participated. Results/Practice Implications: Although community-based professionals are likely to be well positioned to follow up with families, the mechanisms for communication and interface between education, health, and the NDIS are not yet clear and require careful attention to ensure that children are not missing out on crucial supports. Conclusion: This translational research project implemented an effective approach to address recommendations that regional referral pathways between community health, early childhood partners, and early childhood education services be developed and that all early child-hood service providers can identify, refer, and provide inclusive care for children with developmental delays