UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Conciliation: From a Topic of Possible Discussion to Approval by the General Assembly

By no means a Pulitzer Prize winner, for those interested enough to inquire, the story of the creation of the Model Law is remarkable. The purpose of this Note is to give a snapshot of how, what began in the shadow of Arbitration as a possible work topic considered by the Commission . . . Conciliation, in the space of two and one-half years became the Model Law. As a secondary and intentional focus of this note, this author (conceding his own bias) hopes to allow the Secretariat of UNCITRAL to enjoy its well-deserved moment in the spotlight for its monumental efforts in the creation of the Model Law

Digital Memories Based Mobile User Authentication for IoT

The increasing number of devices within the IoT is raising concerns over the efficiency and exploitability of existing authentication methods. The weaknesses of such methods, in particular passwords, are well documented. Although alternative methods have been proposed, they often rely on users being able to accurately recall complex and often unmemorable information. With the profusion of separate online accounts, this can often be a difficult task. The emerging digital memories concept involves the creation of a repository of memories specific to individuals. We believe this abundance of personal data can be utilised as a form of authentication. In this paper, we propose our digital memories based two-factor authentication mechanism, and also present our promising evaluation results. Keywords—Digital memories, authentication, IoT, securit

Variations in Long-term Opioid Therapy Definitions: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies Using Routinely Collected Data (2000-2019)

Routinely collected data have been increasingly used to assess long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) patterns, with very little guidance on how to measure LTOT from these data sources. We conducted a systematic review of studies published between January 2000 and July 2019 to catalogue LTOT definitions, the rationale for definitions and LTOT rates in observational research using routinely collected data in nonsurgical settings. We screened 4056 abstracts, 210 full-text manuscripts and included 128 studies, mostly from the United States (81%) and published between 2015 and 2019 (69%). We identified 78 definitions of LTOT, commonly operationalised as 90 days of use within a year (23%). Studies often used multiple criteria to derive definitions (60%), mostly based on measures of duration, such as supply days/days of use (66%), episode length (21%) or prescription fills within specified time periods (12%). Definitions were based on previous publications (63%), clinical judgment (16%) or empirical data (3%); 10% of studies applied more than one definition. LTOT definition was not provided with enough details for replication in 14 studies and 38 studies did not specify the opioids evaluated. Rates of LTOT within study populations ranged from 0.2% to 57% according to study design and definition used. We observed a substantial rise in the last 5 years in studies evaluating LTOT with large variability in the definitions used and poor reporting of the rationale and implementation of definitions. This variation impacts on research reproducibility, comparability of findings and the development of strategies aiming to curb therapy that is not guideline-recommended

Interventions encouraging the use of systematic reviews by health policymakers and managers: A systematic review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Systematic reviews have the potential to inform decisions made by health policymakers and managers, yet little is known about the impact of interventions to increase the use of systematic reviews by these groups in decision making.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We systematically reviewed the evidence on the impact of interventions for seeking, appraising, and applying evidence from systematic reviews in decision making by health policymakers or managers. Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Methodology Register, Health Technology Assessment Database, and LISA were searched from the earliest date available until April 2010. Two independent reviewers selected studies for inclusion if the intervention intended to increase seeking, appraising, or applying evidence from systematic reviews by a health policymaker or manager. Minimum inclusion criteria were a description of the study population and availability of extractable data.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>11,297 titles and abstracts were reviewed, leading to retrieval of 37 full-text articles for assessment; four of these articles met all inclusion criteria. Three articles described one study where five systematic reviews were mailed to public health officials and followed up with surveys at three months and two years. The articles reported from 23% to 63% of respondents declaring they had used systematic reviews in policymaking decisions. One randomised trial indicated that tailored messages combined with access to a registry of systematic reviews had a significant effect on policies made in the area of healthy body weight promotion in health departments.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The limited empirical data renders the strength of evidence weak for the effectiveness and the types of interventions that encourage health policymakers and managers to use systematic reviews in decision making.</p

Reductions in emergency department presentations associated with opioid agonist treatment vary by geographic location: A retrospective study in New South Wales, Australia

Introduction and Aims: It is not known if the reduction in ED use during periods of OAT occurs across urgent and low acuity presentations. We aimed to compare the incidence and costs of urgent and low acuity ED presentations of people with opioid use disorder (OUD) in and out of opioid agonist treatment (OAT). Design and Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study (N=24,875), using linked administrative health data from New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Urgent and low acuity ED incidence and associated costs were calculated for periods in and out of OAT. GEE models estimated the adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) for ED presentations. Average costs per person-day were calculated with bootstrap confidence intervals. Results: Incidence of urgent presentations was lower in OAT compared to out of OAT [IRR (95%CI): 0.65 (0.61-0.69)]. In major cities, low acuity presentations were lower during OAT compared to timeout of OAT [IRR (95%CI): 0.82 (0.70-0.96)], in regional/remote areas, low acuity presentations were higher during OAT [IRR (95%CI): 2.65 (1.66-4.21)]. In major cities, average costs for low acuity presentations in OAT were 28% lower atA$0.50 (95$0.48-A$0.52) and A$0.69 (95%CI: A$0.66-A$0.71) out of OAT, but 103% higher in regional/remote NSW, at A$2.12 (95$1.91-A$2.34) in OAT and A$1.04 (95%CI: A$0.91-A$1.16) out of OAT. Discussion and Conclusions: OAT was associated with reductions in urgent ED presentations and associated costs among people with OUD. Geographical variation was evident for low acuity ED presentations, highlighting the need to increase access to OAT in regional/remote areas

Combating escalating harms associated with pharmaceutical opioid use in Australia: The POPPY II study protocol

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2018. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. Introduction Opioid prescribing has increased 15-fold in Australia in the past two decades, alongside increases in a range of opioid-related harms such as opioid dependence and overdose. However, despite concerns about increasing opioid use, extramedical use and harms, there is a lack of population-level evidence about the drivers of long-term prescribed opioid use, dependence, overdose and other harms. Methods and analysis We will form a cohort of all adult residents in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, who initiated prescribed opioids from 2002 using Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme dispensing records. This cohort will be linked to a wide range of other datasets containing information on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, health service use and adverse outcomes (eg, opioid dependence and non-fatal and fatal overdose). Analyses will initially examine patterns and predictors of prescribed opioid use and then apply regression and survival analysis to quantify the risks and risk factors of adverse outcomes associated with prescribed opioid use. Ethics and dissemination This study has received full ethical approval from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Ethics Committee, the NSW Population and Health Services Research Committee and the ACT Health Human Research Ethics Committee. This will be the largest postmarketing surveillance study of prescribed opioids undertaken in Australia, linking exposure and outcomes and examining risk factors for adverse outcomes of prescribed opioids. As such, this work has important translational promise, with direct relevance to regulatory authorities and agencies worldwide. Project findings will be disseminated at scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed journals. We will also conduct targeted dissemination with policy makers, professional bodies and peak bodies in the pain, medicine and addiction fields through stakeholder workshops and advisory groups. Results will be reported in accordance with the REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely collected Data (RECORD) Statement

All-cause and cause-specific mortality in individuals with an alcohol-related emergency or hospital inpatient presentation: A retrospective data linkage cohort study

Background and Aims: Alcohol consumption is a leading risk factor for premature mortality globally, but there are limited studies of broader cohorts of people presenting with alcohol-related problems outside of alcohol treatment services. We used linked health administrative data to estimate all-cause and cause-specific mortality among individuals who had an alcohol-related hospital inpatient or emergency department presentation. Design: Observational study using data from the Data linkage Alcohol Cohort Study (DACS), a state-wide retrospective cohort of individuals with an alcohol-related hospital inpatient or emergency department presentation. Setting: Hospital inpatient or emergency department presentation in New South Wales, Australia, between 2005 and 2014. Participants: Participants comprised 188 770 individuals aged 12 and above, 66% males, median age 39 years at index presentation. Measurements: All-cause mortality was estimated up to 2015 and cause-specific mortality (by those attributable to alcohol and by specific cause of death groups) up to 2013 due to data availability. Age-specific and age–sex-specific crude mortality rates (CMRs) were estimated, and standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated using sex and age-specific deaths rates from the NSW population. Findings: There were 188 770 individuals in the cohort (1 079 249 person-years of observation); 27 855 deaths were recorded (14.8% of the cohort), with a CMR of 25.8 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 25.5, 26.1] per 1000 person-years and SMR of 6.2 (95% CI = 5.4, 7.2). Mortality in the cohort was consistently higher than the general population in all adult age groups and in both sexes. The greatest excess mortality was from mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol use (SMR = 46.7, 95% CI = 41.4, 52.7), liver cirrhosis (SMR = 39.0, 95% CI = 35.5, 42.9), viral hepatitis (SMR = 29.4, 95% CI = 24.6, 35.2), pancreatic diseases (SMR = 23.8, 95% CI = 17.9, 31.5) and liver cancer (SMR = 18.3, 95% CI = 14.8, 22.5). There were distinct differences between the sexes in causes of excess mortality (all causes fully attributable to alcohol female versus male risk ratio = 2.5 (95% CI = 2.0, 3.1). Conclusions: In New South Wales, Australia, people who came in contact with an emergency department or hospital for an alcohol-related presentation between 2005 and 2014 were at higher risk of mortality than the general New South Wales population during the same period