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Data quality and sensitivity were determined by interviews and an audit of HOTspots data against available antimicrobial susceptibility data. B Background: b Timely, accurate and accessible antimicrobial susceptibility data are essential for effective clinical and public health responses. HOTspots (amrhotspots.com.au) is a regional, laboratory-based, passive surveillance system that aims to inform clinical management of patients, treatment guidelines and policies. [Extracted from the article]

The specialist field of intellectual disability nursing has been subjected to a number of changes since the move towards deinstitutionalisation from the 1970s. Government policies sought to change the nature of the disability workforce from what was labelled as a medicalised approach, towards a more socially oriented model of support. Decades on however, many nurses who specialise in the care of people with intellectual disability are still employed. In Australia, the advent of the National Disability Insurance Scheme offers an apt moment to reflect upon these decades of specialised nursing care as the context of this nursing care will continue to evolve. A review of the published literature was conducted to explore what has shaped the field in the past and how this might inform the future of this speciality area under new policy and service contexts. People with intellectual disability have specific health and support needs that require a specialised workforce. Specialist nurses continue to be needed for people with intellectual disability., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The aim of the project was to create a supervised professional experience placement model involving undergraduate nursing students, families of children with intellectual disabilities and nursing lecturers. Action research provided the methodological framework for developing a new placement model. Five families with children with disabilities, nine nursing students and two nurse academics worked together through the cycles of the action research process to develop a family health promotion intervention to improve the health and wellness of the family members and reduce risk for illness. Awareness, valuing and understanding were key themes derived from the qualitative data. Findings of this project indicate that this model of university-initiated, community-focused professional experience placement is effective in achieving the competency-based learning outcomes required of undergraduate nursing students and is worthy of ongoing exploration., (Crown Copyright 2009. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

People with an intellectual disability and their families experience poorer health care compared with the general population. Living with an intellectual disability is often challenged by coexisting complex and chronic conditions, such as gastrointestinal and respiratory conditions. A literature review was undertaken to document the needs of this vulnerable population, and consultation was undertaken with mothers of children with disabilities and with professionals working within disability services for people with an intellectual disability and their families. Based on this review, there is a need to increase the profile of people with an intellectual disability in the discourse surrounding chronic and complex conditions. Strategies such as guideline and competency development may better prepare health professions to care for people with disabilities and chronic and complex care needs and their families.