Browsing by Autor "Peter Hill"

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Interdisciplinary perspectives on the management of the unsettled baby: key strategies for improved outcomes
(CSIRO Publishing, 2011) Pamela S. Douglas; Renata E. Mares; Peter Hill
The objectives of this study were to analyse the perspectives of key informants with clinical expertise in the care of unsettled babies in the first few months of life and their families, concerning changes required to improve outcomes. The research used a purposive selection strategy and thematic analysis of key informant interviews of24 health professionals from 11 disciplines. Informants were selected for extensive experience in the management of unsettled babies and their families. Participants corroborated existing evidence that post-birth care in Australia is fragmented. All held the view that, first, early primary care intervention for unsettled infants and their families, and second, improved cross-professional communication, are vital if the burden of this problem to the infant, family and health system are to be minimised. There was consensus, third, that significant gaps exist in health professionals' knowledge base and management behaviours. The development of education resources, best practice guidelines, shared assessment frameworks for primary care practitioners and strategies for improved cross-professional communication are necessary to improve the health outcomes and decrease the burden of this common yet complex post-birth problem.
Invisible populations: parallels between the health of people with intellectual disability and people of a refugee background
(CSIRO Publishing, 2011) Claire E. Brolan; Robert S. Ware; Nicholas Lennox; Miriam Taylor Gomez; Margaret Kay; Peter Hill
When considering the delivery of primary health care in the community, some populations remain virtually invisible. While people with intellectual disability might seem to share few characteristics with refugees and humanitarian entrants, there are a number of difficulties that both groups share when accessing and receiving primary health care. Commonalities include communication barriers, difficulties accessing past medical records and the complexity of health needs that confront the practitioner providing health care. These issues and additional systemic barriers that prevent the delivery of optimal health care to both groups are explored. Integrated multidisciplinary care is often required for the delivery of best practice care; however, such care can be difficult for each group to access. In May 2010, the specific Medicare Health Assessment Item numbers for both of these groups were incorporated into a group of more generic Item numbers. This has resulted in a lost opportunity to enhance the evidence surrounding health care delivery to these vulnerable populations. This paper recognises the importance of health policy in leading affirmative action to ensure these populations become visible in the implementation of the National Primary Health Care Strategy.