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Sarah Simpson

Publications and source records attributed to Sarah Simpson.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Building healthy and equitable societies: what Australia can contribute to and learn from the Commission on Social Determinants of Health.

The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (the Commission) was launched by the World Health Organization in 2005. It aims to support countries and global health partners to act on social factors leading to ill-health and health inequalities. Taking action on the social determinants of health is not new for Australia. This paper provides a description of the work of the first 18 months of the Commission and relevant Australian examples. Taking action on the social determinants of health is never simple or easy even in the most supportive of policy environments. The global focus of the Commission should ensure that knowledge and examples of successful action will be collected from a diverse range of country and policy environments, particularly low to middle-income countries. Given Australia's experience, we encourage practitioners to contribute to the deliberations of the Commission. It is also critical that Australian practitioners engage with the Commission's different actors and stakeholders, particularly knowledge networks, to derive important policy lessons from the knowledge generated by the Commission.

Adult↗

Implementation of a SNAP intervention in two divisions of general practice: a feasibility study.

"SNAP" is a model for the general practice management of four common behavioural risk factors: smoking, nutrition, alcohol and physical activity. The SNAP program was developed for the Australian Government in 2002. In 2003 and 2004, a feasibility study was conducted in one urban and one rural division of general practice (DGP) in NSW, in partnership with their local area health services. Information technology support and referral directories were developed, based on an initial needs assessment, SNAP guidelines, a clinical summary chart, patient education materials, and general practitioner and staff training. GPs reported that the SNAP approach fitted general practice consultations well. After its implementation, they were more confident in using motivational interviewing and SNAP interventions and referred more frequently. The impact and sustainability of the SNAP program were limited by a lack of effective practice teamwork, poor linkages with referral services, and the lack of a business model to support SNAP in the practices. DGPs could play an important role in providing practice visits and resources to improve communication, education and collaboration to support SNAP programs.

Alcoholism↗