The Burden of Musculoskeletal Conditions in Australia

This report from AIHW presents findings from the Australian Burden of Disease Study 2011 on the burden of musculoskeletal conditions in Australia. Musculoskeletal conditions were the fourth leading contributor to total burden of disease in Australia, with back pain and problems, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis being the greatest contributors to the musculoskeletal burden.

Download report: The burden of musculoskeletal conditions in Australia: a detailed analysis of the Australian Burden of Disease Study 2011
ISSN 2204-4108 (PDF) 2006-4508 (Print); ISBN 978-1-76054-150-7; Cat. no. BOD 14; 28p.

Respiratory Conditions in Australia

This report published by AIHW presents information on the disease burden of chronic respiratory conditions using data from the Australian Burden of Disease Study 2011. Respiratory conditions were the sixth leading contributor to total burden of disease in Australia, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and upper respiratory conditions being the greatest contributors to the respiratory burden.

Download report: The burden of chronic respiratory conditions in Australia: a detailed analysis of theAustralian Burden of Disease Study 2011
N 2204-4108 (PDF) 2006-4508 (Print); ISBN 978-1-76054-152-1; Cat. no. BOD 15; 32pp.  

Evidence Check

A Sax Institute Evidence Check involves conducting a rapid review of existing research and evidence that is tailored to  a policy agency�s individual needs. An Evidence Check review is a synthesis, summary and analysis of the best and most relevant research evidence to inform policy making
and program development. Evidence Check is used by a range of agencies, including government and statutory agencies, non-government organisations, and other policy making agencies.
Click here to read what is involved in an Evidence Check.

Health IT-Related Patient Safety Incidents

A new report, Literature Review and Environmental Scan on Approaches to the Review and Investigation of Health IT-Related Patient Safety Incidents, has been published by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.

The Australian Institute of Health Innovation (AIHI) at Macquarie University performed a literature review and environmental scan on investigating health IT-related patient safety incidents . The subsequent report identifies methods for monitoring hazards affecting health IT systems, and for investigating incidents resulting from the use of these systems.

Download the report here.  

Potentially Preventable Hospitalisations in 2015-16

This web update provides the latest rates of potentially preventable hospitalisations for Australia's 31 Primary Health Network areas and more than 300 smaller local areas.
It updates information for 22 conditions where hospitalisation may have been prevented by timely and appropriate provision of primary or community-based health care.
Results are highlighted for five conditions that contribute most to the number of days spent in hospital for potentially preventable hospitalisations: 
       - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
       - diabetes complications,
       - congestive heart failure,
       - cellulitis, and
       - kidney and urinary tract infections. 
This web update is accompanied by an interactive tool allowing users to explore the data in depth for their area and compare with other local communities.

AIHW. (2017). Web update: Potentially preventable hospitalisations in 2015�16

Childhood obesity quadruples risk of type 2 diabetes

The growing rate of childhood obesity is fuelling an increase in type 2 diabetes among UK children, say researchers who have found a fourfold greater risk of diabetes in obese children. A retrospective cohort study of 369,362 children aged 2 to 15 years between 1994 and 2013 identified 654 incident cases of type 2 diabetes, and 1318 cases of type 1 diabetes.
The study, published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, found an increasing incidence in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes over the study period. However, only type 2 diabetes was shown to have a linear association with obesity.

Ali Abbasi, Dorota Juszczyk, Cornelia H. M. van Jaarsveld, Martin C. Gulliford; Body Mass Index and Incident Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Young Adults: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J. Endocr. Soc. 2017; 1 (5): 524-537. doi: 10.1210/js.2017-00044
(if you cannot access the full text via the link, please contact your library)