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Biomedical subjects

Garth Alperstein

Publications and source records attributed to Garth Alperstein.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Towards better practice in primary health care settings for young people.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: To identify and describe elements of accessibility and other dimensions of quality of primary health care for Australian young people. METHODS: Five sampling frames identified relevant services and programs across New South Wales (NSW) which were then selected using purposive, convenience or snowball sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted with senior staff members, tape-recorded, transcribed, entered into the qualitative software package NUD*IST and coded under seven theme headings. RESULTS: Interviews with 77 services across five sectors in NSW identified seven principles of better practice in youth health. These were: accessibility, evidence-based practice, youth participation, collaboration, professional development, sustainability and evaluation. Accessibility was the principle most frequently addressed and evaluation was the least frequently addressed. Many seemingly effective programs and services had been minimally evaluated for impact or outcome related to young people's access or health. CONCLUSIONS: Principles of better practice in promoting or delivering adolescent health care have strong face validity across a range of sectors and service types in a heterogeneous primary health care system. These principles are applied to varying degrees in a vast array of health and health promotion programs. Despite this, there is a clear need for impact and outcome evaluation among the majority of programs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Social paediatrics.

Social paediatrics is an approach to child health that focuses on the child, in illness and in health, within the context of their society, environment, school, and family. The glossary clarifies the range of terms used to describe aspects of paediatric practice that overlap or are subsumed under social paediatrics and defines key social paediatric concepts. The glossary was compiled by a process of consultation and consensus building among the authors who are all members of the European Society for Social Paediatrics. Social paediatricians from outside Europe were included giving a more international perspective.

Child↗
PubMed2004

Access to health care among Australian adolescents young people's perspectives and their sociodemographic distribution.

PURPOSE: To identify the health concerns for which adolescent residents in New South Wales, Australia, do not receive health care, and the associated factors, including their sociodemographic distribution. METHODS: Purposive sampling was used to recruit school students who were stratified by gender and age (12-14, 14-16 and 16-17 years), from schools stratified by socioeconomic status and urban/rural location. Out-of-school young people were recruited through youth health services. Qualitative methods were used to collect and analyze data. RESULTS: Eighty-one focus groups were conducted. Most young people defined health solely in terms of their physical well-being, but still identified a broad range of situations, conditions, or behaviors which they believed might affect their health. One-third of females and two-thirds of males said they would not seek help for their health concerns, and when they did, were most likely to seek help from family, friends, or others they trusted. When professional help was sought, young people again preferred someone they knew and trusted. The three groups of barriers to accessing health care were: concerns about confidentiality, knowledge of services and discomfort in disclosing health concerns, and accessibility and characteristics of services. Factors related to use of health care services were associated with age, gender, and location, but rarely with socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of these young people in New South Wales (particularly males) do not seek health care despite identifying a broad range of issues that affect their health.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Access to primary health care for Australian adolescents: how congruent are the perspectives of health service providers and young people, and does it matter?

OBJECTIVE: To explore the extent of congruence between the views of service providers and young people (on adolescents' health concerns, barriers to accessing health services and ideal service model) in order to improve and increase the appropriateness, quality and usage of primary health care services. METHODS: A qualitative data collection technique was used. During 2001/02, focus groups were conducted in urban and rural locations with adolescents (in and out of mainstream education), general practitioners, community health staff and youth health workers. RESULTS: Service providers and young people identified a similar range of health concerns for young people, with young people adding additional issues of great importance to them that service providers felt were not in their 'domain of treatment'. There was reasonable congruence in regard to 'ideal service model' with some differences relating to methods of information delivery. However, for 'barriers to accessing services' there were major discrepancies. CONCLUSIONS: While there is some common understanding between young people and service providers on certain aspects of health services, there are clearly areas where perceptions differ. This discrepancy matters because it may adversely affect the quality of provider-adolescent interaction and the willingness of adolescents to access services. IMPLICATIONS: To deliver optimal health services to young people, the differences in understanding regarding services need to be addressed. Strategies could include promotion to, and encouragement of, young people to seek help, continuing professional education of providers and changes in remuneration policies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Access to primary health care for Australian young people: service provider perspectives.

BACKGROUND: To adequately address the complex health needs of young people, their access to services, and the quality of services received, must be improved. AIMS: To explore the barriers to service provision for young people and to identify the training needs of primary healthcare service providers in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. DESIGN OF STUDY: A cross-sectional, qualitative study of the perspectives of a range of health service providers. SETTING: A range of primary healthcare organisations across NSW. METHODS: Samples of general practitioners (GPs), youth health workers, youth health coordinators, and community health centre staff were drawn from urban and rural clusters across NSW. Focus groups and interviews were used to identify barriers to service provision and the training needs of service providers. Data were tape recorded, transcribed, and analysed. RESULTS: Barriers to service provision among GPs and community health centre staff included inadequate time, flexibility, skills, and confidence in working with young people, and poor linkages with other relevant services. Training needs included better knowledge of and skills in adolescent health requirements, working with adolescents, and working with other services. Barriers to service provision for youth health workers and coordinators included lack of financial resources and infrastructure. There were few linkages between groups of service providers. CONCLUSION: Models of service provision that allow stronger linkages between service providers, sufficient time for consultation with young people, adequate training and support of health professionals, and flexibility of service provision, including outreach, should be explored and evaluated.

Adolescent↗