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Objective(s): To understand Australian health professionals' perceptions of their knowledge and previous training about frailty, as well as barriers to frailty assessment and management in their practice. Methods: A cross‐sectional online survey was developed and distributed to health professionals (medical, nursing and allied health) engaged in clinical practice in Australia through convenience and snowball sampling techniques from March to May 2022. The survey consisted of five sections: frailty training and knowledge; confidence in recognising and managing adults with frailty; the importance and relevance of frailty; barriers to assessing and managing frailty in practice; and interest in further frailty training. Responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: The survey was taken by 736 health professionals. Less than half of respondents (44%, 321/733) reported receiving any training on frailty, with 14% (105/733) receiving training specifically focussed on frailty. Most respondents (78%, 556/712) reported 'good' or 'fair' understanding of frailty. The majority (64%, 448/694) reported being 'fairly' or 'somewhat' confident with identifying frailty. Almost all respondents (>90%) recognised frailty as having an important impact on outcomes and believed that there are beneficial interventions for frailty. Commonly reported barriers to frailty assessment in practice included 'lack of defined protocol for managing frailty' and 'lack of consensus about which frailty assessment tool to use'. Most respondents (88%, 521/595) were interested in receiving further education on frailty, with a high preference for online training. Conclusions: The findings suggest frailty is important to health professionals in Australia, and there is a need for and interest in further frailty education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Medication Action Plan ( MAP) form was introduced in Queensland Health to communicate accurate medication histories and interventions between pharmacists and other clinicians. Concerns have been raised about the utilisation of this form at the Princess Alexandra Hospital ( PAH). Aim To identify how frequently the MAP form was utilised at PAH for documenting medication histories and pharmacists' interventions, and to evaluate category, clinical appropriateness, wording, outcome and significance of the documented interventions. Method One hundred patients were retrospectively audited to identify whether a MAP form was completed. Interventions were categorised according to their significance, wording and clinical appropriateness. Notification and acceptance by the Medical Officer ( MO) and their documentation in iPharmacy™ were also evaluated. Results Sixty-five patients (65%) had a MAP form and 100 interventions were documented on these forms. 'Proposing change of dose' was the most frequent type of intervention. The majority of interventions (59%) were low risk. Eighty-five per cent of interventions were deemed to be clinically appropriate; however, 65% of interventions were considered to be poorly worded. Fifty-eight per cent had documentation of notification of the MO and 67% were acted on by clinicians mostly (58%) within 24 hours. Only 17% of interventions were documented in iPharmacy™. Conclusion Although the MAP form is used by pharmacists for documenting medication histories and interventions, they are often documented using poor wording, and many are not acted on by clinicians. Standards for documenting recommendations on the MAP form and notifying MOs have subsequently been developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the introduction of systematic population-based cervical cancer screening in Australia in 1991, age-standardized incidence of cervical cancer has halved. Given recent advances in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and screening, cervical cancer may be eliminated nationally within 20 years. However, immigrant women are not equitably reached by screening efforts. This study systematically reviewed evidence on cervical cancer screening practices among immigrant women in Australia. A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO and gray literature for English language studies published till March 1, 2019, was conducted. Observational and qualitative studies evaluating cervical cancer screening awareness and participation of immigrant women were screened. Of 125 potentially relevant studies, 25 were eligible: 16 quantitative (four cohort, 12 cross-sectional), six qualitative, and three mixed-methods studies. Quantitative studies indicated 1% to 16% lower screening rates among migrant women compared with Australian-born women, with participation of South Asian women being significantly lower. Qualitative studies illustrated factors affecting women's willingness to participate in screening, including insufficient knowledge, low-risk perception, and unavailability of a female health professionals being key barriers. Future studies should focus on South Asian women, due to recent increase in their immigration.

Background: Medication review can be delivered using telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure ongoing provision of care to vulnerable patient populations and to minimise risk of infection for both patients and health professionals., Objective: The aim of this article is to discuss the evidence related to telehealth medication reviews and provide practical considerations for conducting successful medication reviews by telehealth., Discussion: Leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth technologies had been increasingly used to deliver medication review services, mainly to patients in rural and remote areas, and were accepted by patients. Available evidence suggests telehealth medication reviews may positively affect clinical and cost outcomes, but there are ongoing challenges. When delivering these services, appropriate preparation - using support people, maintaining patients' privacy, selecting the most suitable technology on the basis of individual circumstances and ensuring good communication between healthcare professionals involved in medication review cycle of care - can help produce best results for patients.