scholarly journals Management rates of sexually transmissible infections by Australian general practitioners, 2000–2012

Sexual Health ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Santella ◽  
Allan Pollack ◽  
Christopher Harrison ◽  
Shailendra N. Sawleshwarkar ◽  
Helena C. Britt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Practitioners ◽  
Genital Warts ◽  
Risk Identification ◽  
National Study ◽  
Major City ◽  
Sexually Transmissible Infections ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Simplex Virus ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Risk Communities

Background In Australia, general practitioners (GPs) manage the majority of sexually transmissible infections (STIs). Most STIs are diagnosed and treated by GPs as a result of symptom recognition or risk identification. We aimed to determine how frequently six common STIs were managed by GPs, the characteristics of the GPs and patients, and any changes over time. Methods: Data from the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) program for April 2000–March 2012 were analysed. BEACH is a national study of GP activity. The overall management rates of genital herpes (herpes simplex virus, HSV), genital warts, HIV, chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis), gonorrhoea (Neisseria gonorrhoeae) and syphilis were calculated. Results: In total, 11 784 GPs recorded details of 1 178 400 patient encounters. These included: 115 cases of genital HSV per 100 000 encounters, 92 of genital warts, 67 of HIV, 39 of chlamydia, 6 of gonorrhoea and 7 of syphilis. Higher management rates occurred among patients who were male, 15–24 years old, more socially advantaged, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, resident in a major city or of English-speaking background. GPs who were female and those aged under 60 years had higher STI management rates than their counterparts. Conclusions: HSV and warts were the most common STIs managed. Lower management rates for the other STIs may reflect lower incidence or lower testing rates, because these other STIs are frequently asymptomatic. It is important to determine whether existing approaches effectively target the most at-risk communities and what barriers to presentation exist.

A RCT Testing If a Storybook Can Teach Children About Home Safety

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara A Morrongiello ◽  
Alexandra R Marquis ◽  
Amanda Cox
Keyword(s):  
Risk Behaviors ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Risky Behaviors ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Home Safety ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Safety Knowledge ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Intervention Condition

Abstract Objective Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for children under 19 years of age. For preschoolers, many injuries occur in the home. Addressing this issue, this study assessed if a storybook about home safety could be effective to increase preschoolers’ safety knowledge and reduce their injury-risk behaviors. Methods Applying a randomized controlled trial design, normally developing English speaking preschool children (3.5–5.5 years) in Southwestern Ontario Canada were randomly assigned to the control condition (a storybook about healthy eating, N = 30) or the intervention condition (a storybook about home hazards, N = 29). They read the assigned storybook with their mother for 4 weeks; time spent reading was tracked, and fidelity checks based on home visits were implemented. Results Comparing postintervention knowledge, understanding score, and risk behaviors across groups revealed that children who received the intervention were able to identify more hazards, provide more comprehensive safety explanations, and demonstrate fewer risky behaviors compared with children in the control group (ηp2 = 0.13, 0.19, and 0.51, respectively), who showed no significant changes over time in safety knowledge, understanding, or risk behaviors. Compliance with reading the safety book and fidelity in how they did so were very good. Conclusions A storybook can be an effective resource for educating young children about home safety and reducing their hazard-directed risk behaviors.

scholarly journals Rankings Season is Here

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Altbach
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Research Productivity ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Zero Sum ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Over Time

The major international rankings of higher education have appeared in recent months. The ranking is an inevitable result of the massification and commercialization of higher education worldwide. Ranking presumes a zero-sum game, but in reality, improvement is taking place everywhere. The current rankings are largely measured by research productivity, and they are advantageous for major English-speaking countries. Each ranking use different measures, and also changes over time. The user must be aware of the uses and problems of rankings.

National Study of Obliterative Arterial Disease of the Lower Limbs Involving General Practitioners in France

1995 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. S51-S57 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Vray ◽  
J. Chwalow ◽  
O. Charansonney ◽  
D. Vasmant ◽  
L. Capron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Practitioners ◽  
Arterial Disease ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
National Study

Condoms for sexually transmissible infection prevention: politics versus science

Sexual Health ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Mindel ◽  
Shailendra Sawleshwarkar
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Data ◽  
Case Control Studies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sti Prevention ◽  
Degree Of Protection ◽  
Sexually Transmissible Infections ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Simplex Virus ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Abstinence Only

The present review assesses the protection that condoms offer against sexually transmissible infections (STI) and the impact that social, political and religious opinion in the USA has had in the past 8 years on promoting condoms for safer sex. Condoms offer protection against most STI. However, the degree of protection depends on correct and consistent use, the type of sexual activity and the biological characteristics of different infections. Cross-sectional and case-control studies and other observational data provide the majority of evidence for STI prevention. Condoms provide a high level of protection against those infections that are transmitted mainly via infected secretions, including HIV, gonorrhoea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis. Protection against those infections transmitted via skin and mucous membrane contact, including Herpes simplex virus infection and human papilloma virus, appears to be less. The Bush administration, driven by conservative political, social and religious elements in the USA, has mounted a concerted campaign to undermine the role of the condom in health-promotion activities in the USA and overseas by undervaluing and misrepresenting scientific data, and through a sustained and well-funded promotion of abstinence-only education. However, this has lead to considerable controversy and disillusionment with abstinence-only education, both at home and abroad, and there is now incontrovertible evidence that abstinence-only programs are ineffectual.

A retrospective case note review of sex worker attendees at sexual health clinics in the western suburbs of Sydney

Sexual Health ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheena Rajesh Kakar ◽  
Karen Biggs ◽  
Charles Chung ◽  
Shailendra Sawleshwarkar ◽  
Adrian Mindel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Health ◽  
Case Note ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Common Symptom ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Health Clinics ◽  
Sexually Transmissible Infections ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Sexual Health Clinics ◽  
Case Note Review

Background: Sex workers (SWs) are globally recognised to be at high risk for the acquisition and transmission of sexually transmissible infections (STIs). There is a paucity of published data concerning SWs from the western suburbs of Sydney, with the last published study conducted in 1988. Therefore, we conducted a study to determine the demographics, sexual practices and health care needs of SWs attending Sexual Health Clinics (SHCs) in the region. Methods: Self-identified SWs presenting to SHCs in western Sydney between April 2007 and March 2008 were identified using clinic databases. A case note review was then undertaken. Results: One hundred and eighty-five female SWs were included in the analysis. Ninety-eight (54.5%) were born overseas (predominantly China) and 82 (45.6%) were born in Australia. One hundred and seventeen (68%) were English speaking backgrounds (ESB), while 55 (32%) were from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB). Seventy-two (38.9%) were symptomatic on attendance, with vaginal discharge the most common symptom. Chlamydia was the most commonly reported STI in the previous 12 months with 28 cases (15.1%). SWs from NESB were significantly more likely to be older, symptomatic, have a hepatitis B diagnosis in the previous year and work more shifts per week, compared with SWs from ESB. SWs born overseas were more likely to be symptomatic than Australian born SWs who, in turn, were more likely to have a hepatitis C diagnosis in the previous year. Conclusion: SWs from NESB would potentially benefit from evidenced-based, culturally and linguistically appropriate interventions and targeted health promotion.

Sexual practices and dental dam use among women prisoners - a mixed methods study

Sexual Health ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine Yap ◽  
Juliet Richters ◽  
Tony Butler ◽  
Karen Schneider ◽  
Kristie Kirkwood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Practices ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Women Prisoners ◽  
Oral Sex ◽  
Latex Gloves ◽  
Women's Prisons ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Sexually Transmissible Infections ◽  
Sex Toys ◽  
Simplex Virus

Background: Dental dams have been distributed to women prisoners for protection against HIV and other sexually transmissible infections (STIs) in some Canadian and Australian prisons for over a decade. However, we do not know whether they serve any useful public health purpose. Objective: To determine how dental dams are used in women’s prisons in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Method: Using quantitative and qualitative methods, we investigated women’s sexual practices with a focus on how dental dams are used in NSW prisons. Results: Although 71 of the 199 (36%) women reported having had sex with another inmate, with oral sex involved in most encounters, only eight (4%) had ever used a dental dam. The main sources of STI transmission risk among women prisoners were oral sex, manual sex and sharing dildos. Furthermore, sharing razors could also allow the transmission of blood-borne viruses, which could occur during sex in the presence of cuts or menstrual fluid. The high rates of hepatitis B and C among incarcerated women compound this risk. Conclusion: Dental dams are not widely used by women prisoners and we question their utility in women’s prisons. Oral sex is an important risk factor for acquisition of herpes simplex virus type 1, but most women in NSW prisons (89%) are already infected. Condoms and latex gloves may have more use. Condoms could be used as a barrier on shared dildos and sex toys, while latex gloves could be used to protect cut and grazed hands from vaginal and menstrual fluids.

scholarly journals Current Issues in the Management of Genital Herpes

1995 ◽  
Vol 6 (6_suppl) ◽  
pp. 3-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. Barton
Keyword(s):  
General Practitioners ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Best Interest ◽  
First Results ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Simplex Virus ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Antibody Tests

Genital infection by herpes simplex virus (HSV) produces a variety of clinical manifestations, patient presentations and management problems which differ in their severity and complexity. In the UK the currently available data for the incidence of genital HSV have been provided predominantly by the KC60 returns from diagnoses made in genitourinary (GU) medicine clinics. The increasing availability and recent publication of the first results, using HSV type-specific antibody tests within GU and non-GU patient populations, provide a tool to monitor trends in the epidemiology of HSV. It is, however, important to understand that the sexual behaviour which leads to this infection is variable and not necessarily general. The clinical availability of type-specific HSV antibody tests also gives rise to the possibility of screening individuals and informing those who test positive of their, previously undiagnosed, condition. The practicalities and problems of this approach need to be fully assessed. The possibility of uncovering previously undiagnosed cases through general practitioners is being considered, first, in terms of surveys of the general practitioners' management of genital HSV and, secondly, because the funding of health care in the UK has put the cost-effectiveness in GU medicine clinics under the spotlight. This paper will explore the new developments in the management of genital HSV and suggests adherence to the clear principles of diagnosis and treatment that is in the patient's best interest. This has the clear aim of improving the patient's quality of life, a factor which must remain paramount as new technologies, healthcare strategies and therapies become available.

scholarly journals Are printed sexually transmissible infection materials for patients appropriate? A physician perspective

Sexual Health ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asaduzzaman Khan ◽  
David Plummer
Keyword(s):  
General Practitioners ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Postal Survey ◽  
Physician Perspective ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Sexually Transmissible Infections ◽  
Information Materials ◽  
Sexually Transmissible Infection ◽  
Transmissible Infection

The data from a postal survey of 409 general practitioners (GPs) practicing in New South Wales are analysed to explore GPs’ concerns, if any, about available printed information materials on sexually transmissible infections (STI) for patients. Just over half (55%) of GPs considered the materials for patients to be inadequate and/or inappropriate with 18% considering the materials as too technical for many patients and 13% considering the materials mostly out of date. Over a fifth reported that either STI materials were not available in their clinic or they did not know where to get those materials.

Communication Between General Practitioners and their Non-English Speaking Patients in Melbourne

1995 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Pirkis ◽  
Graham Tallis
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Language Barriers ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Common Language ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Patient Load ◽  
Common Strategy ◽  
Patient Groups ◽  
English Speaking

In this paper, the degree of correspondence between languages spoken by general practitioners (bilingual and monolingual) and their patients; the proportion of general practice consultations at which language is a barrier; ethnic health issues faced by general practitioners; and the extent to which general practitioners make use of interpreters and/or use other strategies to address language barriers, are investigated. The information for the descriptive study was elicited through self-completion questionnaires from general practitioners in the Melbourne Division of General Practice. Of the respondents, 41% were bilingual. However, only 24% of respondents shared a common language with their largest patient language group (other than English). 35% of respondents stated that they came into contact with patients with whom they found it difficult to communicate in English at least once per day. The specific ethnic mix of respondents' practices varied considerably, and respondents who shared a common language with their largest patient group were significantly more likely to have high proportions of their total patient load accounted for by that group. However, 11% of respondents' largest patient groups accounted for over 25% of their total consultations, despite their sharing no common language with this group. The most common strategy for dealing with language barriers was asking a friend or relative to interpret. The use of professional interpreters was relatively uncommon, primarily because of cost and lack of availability.

scholarly journals Requirements Engineering of a Herpes Simplex Virus Patient Registry: Alpha Phase

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svitlana Surodina ◽  
Ching Lam ◽  
Svetislav Grbich ◽  
Madison Milne-Ives ◽  
Michelle van Velthoven ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Herpes Simplex Virus ◽  
Herpes Simplex ◽  
Real World ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Risk Identification ◽  
Third Party ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Model Learning ◽  
Simplex Virus

Abstract Background Collecting data from people with herpes simplex virus is challenging because of poor data quality, low user engagement, and concerns around stigma and anonymity. This project aimed to improve data collection for a real-world HSV registry by identifying predictors of HSV infection and selecting a limited number of relevant questions to ask new registry users in order to determine the HSV infection risk group. Methods. The US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2015-16) database has confirmed HSV1 and HSV2 status of American participants (14-49 years) as well as a wealth of demographic and health-related data. Two datasets – for HSV1 and HSV2 – were formed using this database, and an anonymous lifestyle-data based questionnaire with a Random Forest algorithm was devised using Python. The algorithm was optimised to reduce the number of questions and to identify risk groups for HSV. Data was split into subsets to train and test the model. Results The model selected a reduced number of questions from the NHANES questionnaire that predicted HSV infection risk with high accuracy scores of 0.91 and 0.96 and high recall scores of 0.88 and 0.98 for HSV1 and HSV2 datasets, respectively. The number of questions was reduced from 150 to an average of 40, depending on age and gender, that together provides high predictability of the infection Conclusions This machine-learning algorithm for risk identification of people infected with HSV can be used in a real-world evidence registry to collect relevant lifestyle data. A current limitation is the absence of real user data and integration with electronic medical records that would enable model learning and improvement. Future work will explore model adjustments, anonymisation options, explicit permissions and standardised data schema that meet GDPR, HIPAA and third-party interface connectivity requirements.

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