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Burnout in physiotherapists and occupational therapists working in the Australian community disability sector under the national disability insurance scheme: a qualitative study
No full textData source: Supplemental material, https://ndownloader.figstatic.com/files/53185707Aim(s)This study aimed to explore the experience and perceptions of burnout in Physiotherapists (PTs) and Occupational Therapists (OTs) working with adults under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in the community disability sector in Australia.
Materials and Methods: This study uses an exploratory qualitative design.
Participants: A total of ten clinicians: five OTs and five PTs working in the community disability sector who self-identified as having experienced burnout within the last two years.Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with ten clinicians via video conference lasting about 33 min, recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed manually using thematic analysis. COREQ research reporting checklist followed.
Results: Four themes and 11 sub-themes were identified including contributing factors, protective factors, consequences of burnout and proposed actions. There was consistency across all themes of a complex intersection between the individual Allied Health Professional (AHP), the workplace and the funding model of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Conclusion: This study provides insight into the experience of burnout in AHPs in the community disability sector in Australia, offering perspectives on the dynamics of the unique roles of OT’s and PT’s while offering practical and actionable recommendations for both AHPs and workplaces
Evaluation of the 'A walk can work wonders' mass media campaign in South Australia
No full textData source: Supporting information, https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.923Issue Addressed Few population-wide efforts have targeted physical activity in Australia. Mass media campaigns are used to promote physical activity and walking, and World Health Organisation recommends their linkage to broader cross-government initiatives. This project evaluates a South Australian (SA) walking mass media campaign linked to the overall SA Walking Strategy.
Methods: Between January and June 2022, Wellbeing SA (a SA government agency) conducted two waves of a mass media campaign, ‘A walk can work wonders’, to promote walking. The campaign was part of the SA Walking Strategy, targeting the goal to change the ‘community culture towards recognising walking’ as convenient, affordable and health-promoting. Evaluation was formative (pre-campaign), process (campaign implementation and delivery) and impact. Formative evaluation comprised concept and tagline testing with adult SAs to develop the campaign messages and theme. Process evaluation was comprised of media monitoring of social media, mainstream media and other media monitoring metrics. The process evaluation was dominated by social media marketing in Wave 1, with substantially more paid TV media and radio in Wave 2. The impact evaluation comprised two independent sample surveys of adult SAs (n = 800 each) following each wave of the campaign. Measures included generic and prompted campaign recall and attitudes to physical activity. An independent South Australian Population Health Survey (SAPHS) tracked walking and physical activity behaviours from 2021 to the end of 2022.
Results: Process evaluation showed intensive social media usage in Wave 1, and through increased paid television and radio in Wave 2. Generic recall of any walking message (23.9%) and prompted recall of the specific campaign message (27.8%) reached most socio-demographic groups, especially those with chronic health problems. Increases in intention to increase activity and increased self-reported activity were seen between the campaign Wave 1 and Wave 2 notable as the Wave 2 increase followed substantial television advertising. The SAPHS data showed increased population walking following the campaign waves, compared to the same period in 2021.
Conclusions Detailed and structured evaluation of a comprehensive mass media campaign showed good reach, and population changes in intentions and walking behaviour amongst SAs
So What?: It is likely that comprehensive approaches are needed to support mass media campaigns and amplify their effects. Serial, sustained campaigns are needed to monitor ongoing effects
Work integrated learning in sonography: Barriers, enablers, and comparative perspectives
No full textIntroduction: Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) is a core component of all sonographer education pathways, requiring students to undertake intensive, hands-on clinical training to achieve professional competency. To enhance training quality and student experience, a holistic, student-centered approach and deeper understanding of discipline-specific challenges are essential. Research into the complexities of sonography WIL and its impact on student emotional, social, and psychological wellbeing remains limited. This study addresses that gap. Methods: An anonymous online survey was distributed via Qualtrics between 29 July and 8 November 2024 to sonography trainees and clinical supervisors across Australia who had participated in WIL within the past 12 months. Recruitment occurred through professional networks, social media, and industry channels. The survey explored perceptions of training-related challenges, support needs, and wellbeing indicators. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics to identify key patterns and relationships. Results: The survey was completed by 431 participants, including 266 clinical supervisors (61.7 %) and 165 trainee sonographers (38.3 %). Results revealed many students struggle with poor work-life-study balance and face significant financial and logistical pressures. Competing personal and academic demands are often overwhelming. Clinical supervisors frequently underestimated the extent and impact of these challenges. There is strong demand for diverse support beyond financial aid. While professional identity development trends positively during training, it is not a universal protective factor for students. Notably, 24 % of trainees were identified as at risk of serious mental illness due to elevated psychological distress. Conclusion: A broader range of support strategies is urgently needed. Recommendations include financial support, improved access to mental health resources, structured mentorship, and more flexible academic pathways. Implications for practice: Without such changes, the profession risks unsustainability, increased trainee exploitation, and compromised patient outcomes
Comprehensive Assessment of Electric Vehicle Charging Impact on Distribution Networks: Integrating Diversity in Fleet and Electricity Tariffs
No full textWith the ongoing trend of electrification in transportation, the charging demand from electric vehicles (EVs) is imposing an increasingly significant additional load on the existing power grid, especially on distribution networks. To reduce the short-term high peak demand of the distribution network, cost-effective electricity prices, such as time-of-use (TOU) tariffs, have been introduced to encourage EV customers to shift their load demand to off-peak periods. However, no existing studies have comprehensively analyzed the impacts of EV charging on distribution networks considering the effects of key parameters such as the proportion of customers on TOU tariffs, EV penetration levels, various daily charging frequencies and charging power levels. To address this gap, this paper proposes an innovative modelling approach that incorporates various proportions of these parameters. Critical analyses are presented for a real distribution network in South Australia with year-round smart meter data. The results indicate that this approach enhances the ability to assess the impact of EV charging on distribution networks by integrating the combined effects of key parameters. At 80% EV penetration, the evening peak demand under 100% Flat tariff increases by over 30%. If 25% of the customers charge EVs using TOU tariffs, the maximum transformer utilization during the evening peak can be reduced by approximately 8.5%; however, this results in a new demand peak at the beginning of the TOU off-peak period. For most load scenarios, the existing TOU tariffs exacerbates network load fluctuations and increases maximum transformer utilization
Techno-economic evaluation of vegetated swales for urban stormwater management in South Australia
No full textUrban stormwater runoff continues to challenge cities worldwide due to increasing impervious surfaces and intensified rainfall from climate change. Swales—vegetated conveyance channels designed to manage runoff volume and quality—offer a nature-based solution that integrates hydrological function, ecological enhancement, and cost-effectiveness. This study investigates the performance and lifecycle economics of swale systems using a case study in South Australia. A MUSICX model simulation was conducted to quantify pollutant removal and flow reduction, and lifecycle costing was performed to evaluate construction and annual maintenance requirements. Results indicate exceptionally high treatment efficiencies, with over 99% removal of total suspended solids, nitrogen, phosphorus, and gross pollutants, and a 99.09% reduction in runoff volume. The total capital cost of the swale network was estimated at 6157.49. Economic benefits from pollutant removal and avoided downstream treatment were valued at $14,874 per year, demonstrating a favorable benefit-cost profile. The findings underscore the potential of well-designed swales to function as cost-effective, modular components of decentralized stormwater management systems. These results contribute evidence supporting the broader integration of swales into urban planning, particularly in water-sensitive design frameworks seeking to achieve sustainability, climate adaptation, and SDG-aligned outcomes
Detection of Adverse Medicine Events by Pharmacists in Residential Aged Care Facilities: secondary Analysis of Data From ReMInDAR Trial
No full textBackground: Pharmacists often identify symptoms during medication reviews that may or may not be adverse medicine events (AMEs), but these have not yet been quantified. This study aimed to quantify the extent of these symptoms representing AMEs by comparing them with a known set of AMEs and symptoms listed in existing medicine-related symptom assessment tools.
Method: A secondary analysis of data from the Reducing Medicine-Induced Deterioration and Adverse Reactions (ReMInDAR) trial was conducted. Adverse events or symptoms were extracted from pharmacists' progress notes, and their frequency and Medicine Likeliness Ratio (probability of being medicine-related) were determined. Pharmacist-recorded adverse events were compared to a subset of AMEs identified by a clinical panel, and agreement was assessed using Cohen's κ. Pharmacist-recorded adverse events or symptoms were also compared with those in the PHArmacotherapeutical Symptom Evaluation-20 questions (PHASE-20), and the Patient Reported Outcome Measure, Inquiry into Side Effects (PROMISE).
Result: Pharmacists recorded 3.1 symptoms per person; 68.8% of the symptoms had a medicine-likeness ratio ≥ 40.0%. The most prevalent medicine-related events recorded by pharmacists included falls (13.6%), swelling (7.1%), constipation (5.4%), nocturia (4.2%), shortness of breath (4.0%), bleeding (4.0%), nausea and vomiting (3.1%), dizziness (2.8%), drowsiness (2.3%), and rash (2.0%). Of the subset of 273 AMEs identified by the panel, 14.7% corresponded to adverse events recorded by pharmacists. The agreement between pharmacist-recorded and panel-identified AMEs was significant but low (κ = 0.074, p = 0.008). The majority of frequently detected medicine-related symptoms were in PROMISE (56.4% of recorded AMEs) and PHASE-20 (81.3% of recorded AMEs).
Conclusion: While pharmacists recorded a notable number and variety of adverse events or symptoms, underreporting and discrepancies were still observed. As items in the PHASE-20 aligned with most recorded events, further research is warranted to determine if it can help pharmacists in improving the detection and monitoring of AMEs
African Communities Response (ACR) program evaluation
No full textThis is a research report based on a research evaluation undertaken of a state government program
Withdrawal of antihypertensive drugs in older people
No full textData source: Download data, https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD012572.pub3/media/CDSR/CD012572/supinfo/CD012572-dataPackage.zip?content-disposition=attachment&mime-type=application/octet-streamHypertension is an important risk factor for subsequent cardiovascular events, including ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke, myocardialinfarction, and heart failure, as well as chronic kidney disease, cognitive decline, and premature death. Overall, the use of antihypertensive medications has led to a reduction in cardiovascular disease, morbidity rates, and mortality rates. However, the use of antihypertensive medications is also associated with harms, especially in older people, including the development of adverse drug reactions and drug-drug interactions, and can contribute to increasing medication-related burden. As such, discontinuation of antihypertensives may be considered appropriate in some older people
An integrated photothermal-photocatalytic strategy for in situ treatment and water reuse of landfill leachate
No full textData source: supplementary material, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.139914Landfill leachate (LFL) typically contains a wide range of potential pollutants, making it difficult to treat and inefficient in resource utilization. This work developed a new multifunctional evaporator that integrated photothermal evaporation with photocatalytic degradation to enable in situ purification and water recovery. The device was fabricated by immobilizing a hydrothermally synthesized Nickel Oxide- Titanium Dioxide- Carbon Nanotube (NiO-TiO₂-CNT) composite on a melamine sponge via sodium alginate crosslinking, forming a synergistic evaporation–degradation interface. Under 1 kW·m⁻² solar irradiation, the system achieved an evaporation rate of 2.25 kg·m⁻²·h⁻¹, where the addition of 1 mmol·L⁻¹ PMS boosted phenol removal efficiency to 90 %. When applied to real LFL, COD was reduced from 4266 to 53 mg·L⁻¹, and phosphate was completely removed to below detection limits (<0.01 mg·L⁻¹). Although ammoniacal nitrogen levels remained relatively high at 354 mg·L⁻¹, post treatment phytotoxicity tests involving irrigation of wheat with leachate resulted in a 90 % germination rate, which increased to 100 % after dilution. This indicated the treated leachate was safe and could potentially be used as a nitrogen-rich liquid fertilizer. A techno-economic analysis showed that the system could be operated at a cost of only 10.33 USD per metric ton, significantly lower than conventional treatments. This work thus provides a cost-effective sustainable strategy for simultaneous pollutant control, water reuse, and ecological restoration of landfill sites