Who knows what \u27healthy weight\u27 looks like?

Background: Obesity is a global epidemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975. In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight and had corresponding increases in well-recognised, associated chronic diseases. Aims: This study aimed to explore whether the general population is able to identify a healthy BMI and accurately perceive their own BMI using a visual scale. Method: A cross-sectional, population-based survey of 103 participants were shown a visual scale of computer-generated images representing different BMIs and asked to identify: (1) which images represented a healthy body weight; (2) which image best represented their body; and (3) whether they thought they were a healthy or unhealthy body size. Conclusion: Overweight participants were significantly less likely to correctly identify their own BMI on a visual scale (38.9 per cent,

Patterns of sickness absence from a secondary hospital in Melbourne: A 10-year longitudinal study

Background/aims: There has been significant concern in recent years regarding increases in absenteeism in the healthcare sector, leading to lost productivity and projected workforce shortages. This study aimed to identify patterns of sickness absence over a 10-year period in a single-site secondary hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Methods: Data regarding sickness absences were extracted from anonymised payroll records from 2007 to 2016. The patterns of sickness absence analysed included seasonality, amount of leave and category of leave. These were explored both for individuals and in the aggregate. Results: Compared to the Australian average of 9.7 days, this cohort of employees took less sick leave, averaging at 8.81 days each. As a group, a consistent proportion of staff took no sick leave, 1–3 days, 4–6 days, or 7–9 days each year in the 10-year timespan. Only a small proportion took more than 9 days of sickness leave per year. Conclusions: The pattern of leave-taking was consistent for the group as a whole, however, individual leave patterns vary

RCTs in general practice: consider the influence of patient expectation on your recruitment strategy

Although warts is a common problem presenting in general practice, the researchers' study failed to recruit the requisite numbers. The attrition rate was difficult to interpret, however, patient expectation and the perceived pressure to acquiesce to patient demands in primary care greatly affected the recruitment potential of this trial

Symptom profile of patients receiving antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections in general practice: An observational study using smartphone technology

Background: Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are a common presentation in general practice and are linked to high rates of inappropriate antibiotic prescription. There is limited information about the trajectory of patients with this condition who have been prescribed antibiotics. Objective: To document the symptom profile of patients receiving antibiotics for URTIs in Australian general practice using smartphone technology and online surveys. Methods: In total, 8218 patients received antibiotics after attending one of the 32 general practice clinics in Australia from June to October 2017: 4089 were identified as URTI presentations and were the cohort studied. Patients completed the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS-24) 3 and 7 days after visiting their general practitioner (GP). Results: Six hundred fourteen URTI-specific patients responded to at least one symptom survey (RR 15%). The majority of patients reported moderate to mild symptoms at 72 hours [median global symptom severity score 37 (IQR 19, 59)] post-GP visit which reduced to very mild symptoms or not sick by day 7 [11 (IQR 4, 27)]. Patients receiving antibiotics for URTI reported the same level of symptom severity as patients in previous studies receiving no treatment. Conclusions: The recovery of most patients within days of receiving antibiotics for URTI mimics the trajectory of patients with viral URTIs without treatment. Antibiotics did not appear to hasten recovery. Monitoring of patients in this context using smart phone technology is feasible but limited by modest response rates

Who knows what ‘healthy weight’ looks like?

This study aimed to explore whether the general population can identify a healthy BMI and accurately perceive their own BMI using a visual scale. Overweight people were much less likely to identify their own BMI correctly and were also most likely to incorrectly think that they are a healthy size

RCTs in general practice: consider the influence of patient expectation on your recruitment strategy

Despite the focus on a common condition presenting frequently in general practice, our study failed to recruit the requisite numbers. The attrition rate was difficult to interpret. It is plausible that people presenting with warts to general practitioners have already decided that they need cryotherapy and are reluctant to consider alternative experimental treatments even though the evidence for effective treatment with cryotherapy is poor. Patient expectation and the perceived pressure to acquiesce to patient demands in primary care greatly affected the recruitment potential of this trial

Why don’t promising innovations always change healthcare behaviours?

This editorial examines why promising innovations do not always influence healthcare behaviours. The authors suggest that motivation, ability and trigger are important considerations when creating effective tools for behaviour change

How to trigger sun smart behaviors

Skin cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Australia, and it is preventable. Previously, the public had limited awareness for the risks associated with ultraviolet radiation. Today Australian public health campaigns urge sun safety. Why then are Australians still not complying with the message and especially in sport? It may be that focusing on skin cancer as the long-term risk factor of excess sun exposure is not triggering sun smart behaviours. Targeting the risk to physical appearance may be a more effective strategy. Sun protective measures should also be easy to adopt and become an integral part of the sporting uniform

How to trigger sun smart behaviours

Skin cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Australia, and it is preventable. Although Australian public health campaigns urge sun safety, Australians are still not complying with the message, and especially in sport. Targeting the risk to physical appearance may be a more effective strategy

Patients\u27 attitudes and intentions towards taking medical advice for type 2 diabetes mellitus: A theory of planned behaviour analysis

Purpose: A key component of effective diabetes care is understanding patients’ perceptions about diabetes management. Patients’ attitudes and intentions towards taking medical advice may predict the outcomes for effective diabetes care. This study aims to measure participants’ attitudes, beliefs and intentions towards following medical advice to manage their diabetes using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). The domains of the TPB are correlated with clinical measures of diabetes to determine if these attitudes and intentions are predictive of better diabetes control. Methods: A pilot study was conducted. A 34-item survey was designed using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) framework and administered via mail by four general practice clinics. Included participants (N = 104; response rate 29.5%) had a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and were taking medication for glycaemic control. Scores for each domain of the TPB survey were correlated with participants’ clinical indicators for diabetes: HbA1c, blood pressure, lipid profile, cholesterol, and kidney health (eGFR and albumin: creatinine ratio) and BMI. Results: Participants surveyed generally reported positive attitudes and intention to follow medical advice. Medical advice was perceived to be beneficial and useful by the majority. However, in general, there was no correlation between positive intentions and improved clinical indicators of disease. Clinical indicators did not improve with duration of illness. The burden of illness is likely a mitigating factor for positive intention as participants perceive medical advice as difficult and inconvenient to follow. Conclusions: Patients’ individual capacity to implement medical advice should be addressed in shared-decision making models to potentially improve patient outcomes towards therapeutic targets