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Biomedical subjects

D Jeffs

Publications and source records attributed to D Jeffs.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Tackling the tobacco challenge: achieving 'healthy public policy' in tobacco control in Guernsey.

Scientific evidence identifying smoking as the major cause of poor health and premature death in both industrialised and increasingly in developing countries is now overwhelming. Despite this, for a variety of reasons, there has been reluctance amongst many Governments including that of Britain, to take all logical action necessary to restrict and reduce smoking, especially amongst the young. The States of Guernsey in the Channel Islands has recently agreed to introduce an integrated package of measures designed specifically to make smoking less attractive and less accessible and less affordable to young people in an attempt to reduce the number of addicted adult smokers. These measures include a total ban of all public advertising of tobacco, apart from at point of sale, a substantial price rise followed by further price rises for a minimum period of five years, a raising of the minimum age for the purchase of tobacco from 16 to 18 years, an increase in the size and content of pack health warnings, and increased funding for specific nonsmoking health promotion activities. The various barriers to achieving these reforms are described.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Focus groups: a method for developing consensus guidelines in general practice.

The measurement of quality in any clinical discipline depends, in part, on a comparison with an accepted standard. Currently, such standards do not exist for the management of many common clinical situations in Australian general practice. As part of the General Practice Evaluation Programme, a group of Illawarra general practitioners (GPs) selected 'GP management of the menopause and asthma' for in-depth study, and were able to arrive at a consensus on 'principles of practice' and 'minimal acceptable care' for these conditions through a series of focus (research) group meetings. However, the process by which these standards were derived was felt, of itself, to be a valuable means of: (i) reducing professional isolation; (ii) promoting quality assurance; (iii) introducing peer review; (iv) introducing clinical audit; and (v) providing meaningful and targeted continuing medical education appropriate to Australian general practice. This paper describes the focus group methodology used in this process.

Curriculum↗
PubMed1994

Retention and use of personal health records: a population-based study.

A parent-held record has been issued to all children born in New South Wales (NSW), Australia since 1988. Five years after its introduction, an evaluation was undertaken to determine its retention rate over time, rate of documentation of immunization status and other important child health information, and its perceived usefulness to parents. The cross-sectional study comprised an interviewer administered questionnaire to 622 households derived from a stratified random sample of 25 local government areas, representative of 73% of all households containing children under 5 years of age in NSW. A concurrent postal survey assessed the attitudes and use of the Personal Health Record (PHR) among a stratified random sample of 911 health care providers. Results showed that the PHR was well retained, with 89% claimed retention at 4 years, and over 78% of parents able to produce the record for inspection at interview. Of the records examined, 91% had at least one immunization recorded while 68% had a complete regimen documented by age 4 years. Overall, 93% of parents expressed satisfaction with the PHR, while 64% of all health care providers also felt that the PHR was 'beneficial to the health care children received', although only 53% of these used it regularly to record their findings. It is concluded that the PHR currently issued in NSW is well retained and valued by parents, and used by and useful to a range of health professionals.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1993

Managing asthma in accident and emergency departments: an assessment in non teaching hospitals.

BACKGROUND: The management and follow-up of asthma patients presenting at Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments have mostly been studied in children's hospitals or specialised teaching hospitals. AIMS: To study the adequacy of assessment, treatment and follow-up of patients presenting at A&E departments in non-teaching hospitals. To compare the assessment and management of asthma in A&E departments among hospitals in a health region. METHODS: A twenty-five per cent sample of presentations to A&E departments in all public hospitals in the Illawarra for one year was selected for a case note audit. Information on demographics, assessment, management and referral was extracted from the A&E case notes and medical records of cases with documentation of a final diagnosis of asthma. Chi square and Fischer's Exact tests were used for comparisons among hospitals. RESULTS: Of 359 presentations with a final diagnosis of asthma, 88% were self referred and only 5% were first presentations. Objective measures of airways obstruction was not documented in 34% of admissions and 48% of nonadmissions. There was no documented follow-up in 28% of cases. The assessment and management of asthma in A&E was significantly poorer in smaller hospitals. CONCLUSION: Evidence of high use of A&E as a primary care facility by asthma patients was found in the study. There is a need to implement protocols to optimise assessment and treatment of asthma in smaller hospitals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Local injury information, community participation and injury reduction.

Better injury prevention is now a national health priority in Australia. Applying the health promotion strategies of the Ottawa Charter to injury prevention forms the basis of the World Health Organization's worldwide Safe Communities program. Taking such a community-focused approach has led to quantifiable reductions in injuries in several overseas countries, particularly in Scandinavia where falls of up to 30 per cent in particular injuries have been reported over a three-year period. In the Illawarra area of New South Wales, data from local hospital emergency departments have been used as the basis for a 'community information' strategy, in an attempt to replicate this overseas experience in an Australian setting. Reductions of 17 per cent in attendances by children for injuries (P < 0.001) and a 14 per cent fall in accident-related hospital admissions of children (not statistically significant) have been observed over the course of the four-year intervention. Problems of community definition and external confounding influences outside the control of the project make it difficult to confirm a causal relationship. However, community information forms one important component in a comprehensive local injury-reduction strategy.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1993

The personal health record. Making it work better for general practitioners.

Personal Health Records held by parents are an important initiative towards improved child health in Australia. Although they have now been introduced in most States and Territories, few general practitioners make full use of them. A recent major study conducted in New South Wales suggests ways in which their use and usefulness can be improved for general practitioners.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1989

Are herbal teas safe for infants and children?

The use of herbal teas is now widespread in our community--even among children. The effect of dosing children with these products is unknown. The authors feel that the potential hazards associated with herbal teas need to be exposed.

Beverages↗