Biomedical subjects

K Tribe

Publications and source records attributed to K Tribe.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Demographic, migration status, and work-related changes in Asian female sex workers surveyed in Sydney, 1993 and 2003.

OBJECTIVE: To compare demography, sexual health awareness, migration and workplace conditions of Asian female sex workers in Sydney in 1993 and 2003. METHOD: A Chinese interpreter and a Thai-speaking health education officer (HEO) were used to administer a questionnaire survey to Thai- and Chinese-speaking sex workers attending sexual health clinics in 1993. A follow-up survey, which included some women contacted at work as well as clinic attenders, was administered by Thai- and Chinese-speaking HEOs in 2003. RESULTS: Ninety-one female sex workers were surveyed in 1993 and 165 in 2003. Median age increased (26 years vs. 33 years, p=0.000), as did numbers of Chinese- versus Thai-speakers (1993, 25.3% Chinese vs. 2003, 58.2% Chinese, p=0.000). In 2003, the women reported more years of schooling and better English skills. Fewer reported previous sex work (48.4% vs. 17.6%, p=0.000). Numbers currently or ever on a contract decreased sharply (27.5% vs. 9.1%, p=0.000) and the majority were apparently working legally. Condom use at work for vaginal (51.6% vs. 84.8%) and oral sex (39.6% vs. 66.1%) increased significantly (p=0.001). Chinese-speaking sex workers were less informed about HIV transmission and safer sex practices than were Thai sex workers. Drug and alcohol use was low. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Positive changes have occurred in the conditions of Asian female sex workers surveyed over 10 years in Sydney. Maintaining current levels of health service delivery will ensure continued improvements in health and workplace conditions and address inequalities between language groups.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Use of complementary medicines for osteoarthritis--a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with osteoarthritis commonly use complementary and alternative medicines (CAM), either as an adjunct to or in place of conventional analgesics. OBJECTIVES: To undertake a prospective investigation of the prevalence of CAM use for osteoarthritis and the direct costs incurred. METHODS: The subjects were 341 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip drawn from central and northern Sydney, Australia, and comprising 83 community based patients and 258 awaiting joint replacement. Information on CAM use was obtained from prospective three monthly diaries. Variables of interest included health related quality of life scores. Prospective out of pocket costs were recorded over a 12 month follow up period. RESULTS: The prevalence of CAM use was 40%, which falls within the range of previous studies. Average annual expenditure on CAM was 32.25 Australian dollars (range 0 to 603.30). CAM users were more likely to be female (odds ratio (OR) 1.8 (95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 3.0)), reported a higher level of bodily pain (OR 0.97 (0.95 to 0.99)), and were less likely to purchase conventional analgesics (OR 3.3 (1.6 to 7.0)), either prescribed or over the counter. Vitamin supplementation was the most common CAM reported, followed by celery extract, fish oils, and garlic extracts. CONCLUSIONS: There are no good quality clinical trials to support the use of most preparations purchased by patients with osteoarthritis. There is a need for patient education on the risks and benefits of complementary medicine in osteoarthritis.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Characterisation of nanoparticulate systems by hydrodynamic chromatography.

Particle size and particle size distribution can have a fundamental effect on the physical properties of colloidal dispersions. For many systems the measurement of average particle size is not sufficient, the presence of different size populations will have a strong influence on properties and could be related to the production process. Hydrodynamic chromatography (HDC) provides a method for the separation of polymers in solution or particles in suspension based on their size. In a packed column, the separation takes place in the inter-particle channels and the elution order is from large to small, analogous to gel permeation chromatography. The dynamic range of packed column HDC is from molecular size up to particles of greater than 1 microm. New instrumentation which can be used to determine the particle size distribution of a range of colloidal dispersions by packed column HDC is described. Data to support accuracy and precision of average particle size determination is presented as well as a number of case studies to illustrate the applicability of the technique to samples with polydisperse or multi-modal particle size distributions.

Chromatography↗

PubMed2000

Deinstitutionalisation for long-term mental illness: cost differences in hospital and community care.

OBJECTIVE: This project studied the cost analysis of psychiatric hospital and then community care for long-stay patients with chronic mental illness discharged during the closure of a psychiatric hospital in Sydney. METHOD: Expenditure and income data in both settings were collected. Costs were analysed on an occupied bed-day basis. RESULTS: The hospital setting cost more per patient per day compared with the various community costs which were one-third to one-half of the comparable hospital costs. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis demonstrated overall that hospital care was nearly twice as expensive as care in the community setting. The factors which may have influenced, although not necessarily altered, the substance of the findings largely related to 'organisational efficiency'. The mental hospital as an older, more rigid system was likely to be less efficient than the newer community service provision which was under intensive scrutiny both clinically and financially by all interested parties.

Australia↗

PubMed2000

Deinstitutionalisation for long-term mental illness: an ethnographic study.

OBJECTIVE: Deinstitutionalisation of seriously mentally ill people in the developed world, including Australia, has occurred since the middle of this century. Evaluation of the effects of this change on the lives of individuals is of paramount importance to ensure that policies are acceptable and effective. Increasingly, multifaceted studies are considered essential for comprehensive health research. The qualitative aspect of this study complements the clinical and economic components. METHOD: An ethnographic approach enabled contextual, qualitative data to be gathered from within the social world of 47 hospital residents as they moved to the community. A social anthropologist acting explicitly as a participant observer undertook fieldwork over two and a half years both pre- and post-discharge. Qualitative data were collected, stored and analysed separately from quantitative and economic data. RESULTS: Ethnographic findings generally supported and, in many cases, mirrored clinical results. Of the total cohort of 47 patients transferred to the community, the 40 who continue to live outside of hospital all reported a preference for community living. The importance of freedom and simple liberties cannot be underestimated as factors that enabled this resilient group of people to work creatively through difficult periods. CONCLUSION: Properly planned and resourced deinstitutionalisation not only maintains people with a prolonged mental illness outside of hospital, it also enhances their quality of life. Subjective descriptive material focusing on personal experiences adds meaning to quantitative research data allowing health professionals to more fully understand the implications of health policy on the lives of individuals.

Anthropology↗

PubMed2000

Deinstitutionalisation for long-term mental illness: a 2-year clinical evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: The closure of a long-stay psychiatric hospital in Sydney caused the transfer of an initial 40 very long-term patients to four community residences, each with 10 beds, for a continuing process of deinstitutionalisation. Community psychiatric service support and 24-h supervision were provided. This paper describes the residents' clinical progress which was assessed over a 2-year period. METHOD: This study employed a quasi-experimental longitudinal design. Evaluation commenced prior to discharge and continued for 2 years following community relocation using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Life Skills Profile, Social Behaviour Scale, Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale and Quality Of Life measures. Readmission, demographic, case history and medication data were also collected. RESULTS: Of the 40 patients initially transferred to the community, seven required long-term readmission to hospital (either prior to or after amalgamation) and one patient died of medical causes. Additional patients transferred from the hospital to the community following the readmissions. Three of these additional patients had achieved a 2-year community tenure during the study period and were included in the clinical evaluation. The 35 residents in total who remained in the community for 2 years, demonstrated a significant improvement in psychotic symptoms, without significant change in the level of neuroleptic medication. Importantly, the 2 years of community living resulted in a significant increase in the residents' life satisfaction. There were no statistically significant changes in residents' living skills, depressive symptoms or social behaviour problems over the 2 years, indicative of the need for supervision and community service support following deinstitutionalisation. Over the 2-year period, some 37% of the residents required temporary readmission. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the clinical effectiveness of deinstitutionalisation, when planned within a mental health system with adequate community resources.

Adolescent↗