19683 research outputs found
Sort by
Aphasia PRevention Intervention and Support in Mental health (Aphasia PRISM): Therapy Program Manual (Version 1.1)
No full textApproximately one third of stroke survivors experience aphasia. Aphasia is a communication disability which can affect the person's ability to talk, understand, read and write. It can negatively impact relationships, mood and quality of life. People with aphasia are at high risk of depression and anxiety. They need to be promptly matched to the appropriate level of care using the Stepped Psychological Care framework. Based on level 1 preventative interventions, we developed the Aphasia PRevention Intervention and Support in Mental health program (Aphasia PRISM). Aphasia PRISM offers a choice of individual-based psychological interventions - either behavioural activation, problem solving therapy or relaxation therapy, delivered by trained stroke clinicians (non-psychologists). The purpose of this research was to assess the acceptability, feasibility and potential clinical outcomes of Aphasia PRISM. Two pragmatic, complementary studies using parallel, convergent, mixed methods designs were conducted in community settings: a metropolitan site (Study A, pre-post case series with qualitative interviews); and two regional/rural sites (Study B, feasibility RCT design with qualitative interviews). Measures of acceptability, feasibility and clinical outcomes were collected at time points up to 3 (Study A) and 6 months (Study B) post-intervention. Across both studies 10 people with aphasia, six support people and eight trained stroke clinicians were recruited and involved. Interviews and acceptability survey scores (>80%) showed that the intervention was acceptable to participants across both studies. It was feasible to train stroke clinicians to deliver Aphasia PRISM using a therapy manual, in person or via telehealth to a small sample of participants. Aphasia PRISM is an acceptable way to offer psychological support delivered by stroke clinicians. Future phase II research is warranted and should explore the efficacy of the intervention and address barriers and facilitators to therapy provision and study processes.Copyright in this title and published edition vests jointly in La Trobe University, Monash University, Curtin University, The University of Nottingham and The University of Technology Sydney.Copyright in the work contributed to this published edition vests in the co-authors (C Baker, M Rose, D Wong, B Ryan, S Thomas, D Cadilhac and I Kneebone).Except for the University’s names and logos and any third party content noted or referenced in this publication, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution, NonCommercial, Share Alike licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).Published by La Trobe University, 2025.</p
A Hope for Hope: Refocusing Health Promotion on Hopefulness to Reduce Alcohol Consumption and Breast Cancer
No full textOur perspective paper focuses on the sociology of hope and is a call to action for health promotion policy makers to create the conditions for hopefulness in alcohol reduction policy, advocacy and programs for/with midlife women. Alcohol is a major risk factor for breast cancer, and high proportions of midlife women in most high-income countries drink at "risky" levels, increasing the chances of breast cancer (due to both age and alcohol consumption). At present, alcohol reduction approaches convey mostly individualised risk messages and imply personal responsibility for behaviour change, stripped from contexts, and heavy drinking persists among groups. New approaches that address the social norms, identities and practices that operate to sustain heavy drinking are necessary considering alcohol harms. We argue that focusing on changing these factors to support hopeful futures may create hope for midlife women to reduce alcohol consumption. We synthesise contemporary theories on the sociology of hope and analyse how these might help to refocus health promotion policy on hopefulness in the context of alcohol reduction and breast cancer prevention. We will draw on Freire's notions of a Pedagogy of Oppression and a Pedagogy of Hope to show how enabling people to recognise and respond to the "oppressive forces" shaping their alcohol consumption might lead to more hopeful futures with reduced alcohol consumption for priority populations. Our focus on building hope into health-promoting alcohol reduction approaches intends to shift policy focus from the individual as the "problem" towards hope being a "solution".</p
Aligning Open Education Programs with Academic Reward and Recognition
No full textOpen Education Practice (OEP) programs often wrestle with a key dilemma: how do we attract academic project participation in an institutional environment that doesn’t reward open educational practices (OEP)? Standard academic reward and recognition is tied closely to research publication outputs. By contrast, publishing teaching texts is unrewarded at best and often actively discouraged.For teaching staff, investing time into open education initiatives will only become a priority if these projects will:advance a greater purpose beyond the open educational resource (OER) itselfactively solve existing problems in learning & teaching practicesalign with academic reward and recognition program criteria.This case study explores how the La Trobe eBureau, an open education program, tackled this problem. It focuses on how librarians used reflexive and reflective thinking to draw upon the experiences of academic open practitioners and develop solutions to this dilemma.We suggest that the most effective way to align OEP with institutional incentives is to target award, grant, and promotion programs that are learning and teaching focused (rather than research publication focused). Our experiences highlight that the key avenues for achieving this are empowering teaching staff as open practitioners and equipping them to engage in OER-enabled scholarship of learning and teaching.</p
Valuing Vases: Ancient Greek and South Italian Pottery in Early Modern European Collections
No full textSubmitted in total fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.</p
Local Government oral health advocacy for Victorian communities with limited access to fluoride in 2025
No full textThis report, developed by the Victorian Oral Health Alliance (VOHA), outlines a strategic advocacy project aimed at improving oral health in communities at highest risk of oral disease across Victoria, in rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and non-fluoridated areas. Despite overwhelming evidence supporting community water fluoridation (CWF) as a safe, effective, and equitable public health intervention, ~10% of regional and rural Victorians remain without access to fluoridated water. These populations are disproportionately affected by dental disease, with significantly higher rates of early childhood caries, preventable dental related hospitalisations, and delayed access to care.This project aligns with the Victorian Action Plan to Prevent Oral Disease (VAPPOD) and the National Oral Health Plan (NOHP) 2015–2024, both of which prioritise water fluoridation as a core public health strategy to reduce oral health inequities. The Victorian Government has committed to increasing fluoridation coverage to regional and rural Victorians from 87% to 95% by 2030 through the VAPPOD goals; however, there is currently no funded pipeline to support water fluoridation implementation in rural and regional areas. In response, VOHA developed and implemented a targeted advocacy campaign between late 2024 and early 2025 to engage ten priority Local Government Areas (LGAs) with the largest non-fluoridated populations. These LGAs were selected based on population size, socio-economic disadvantage, and rurality measured by Modified Monash Model (MMM) scores. The campaign focused on raising awareness among local government officers, encouraging the inclusion of oral health priorities, particularly fluoridation, during the review stage of their Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plans (MPHWPs), and promoting alternative fluoride strategies where water fluoridation was not available.Key components of the project included:» Development of a tailored LGA engagement guide (supported by the Victorian Department of Health’s LGA Action Guide and Local Oral Health Profiles) with evidence-based messaging» Coordination of meetings with LGA staff, resulting in engagement from 7 of 10 target LGAs» Provision of suggested MPHWP wording, oral health promotion materials, and fluoride advocacy tools» Advocacy for Maternal and Child Health (MCH) nurse training, improving uptake of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS), removal of sugary drink vending machines in public venues, and community education about fluoride.Despite facing barriers such as limited funding, anti-fluoridation sentiment, and siloed local government structures, the project demonstrated strong receptivity from LGA staff and a willingness to incorporate oral health into strategic planning. The report concludes with recommendations for ongoing engagement, monitoring of MPHWP implementation post-July 2025, and expanded collaboration with other stakeholders such as VicHealth, Public Health Units (PHUs), and the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV). Ultimately, this project represents a critical step toward achieving equitable oral health outcomes across Victoria. It reinforces the importance of strategic advocacy, intersectoral collaboration, and systems-level support to ensure that all Victorians, regardless of geography, benefit from the preventive power of fluoride.</p
Geriatric oncology in the Instagram era: A pilot randomised controlled trial of adjunct PhotoVoice versus usual care to enable cancer supportive care
No full textIntroduction: PhotoVoice is a research methodology that facilitates an insight and dialogue into a person's identity, goals, and life using photographs. It is widely used in social sciences and healthcare, including cancer, but has not been explored in geriatric oncology. We examined the feasibility and acceptability of implementing PhotoVoice in older adults at a regional cancer centre in Australia. Materials and Methods: We conducted a pilot feasibility randomised controlled trial from 1 April to 30 August 2021. Inclusion criteria were age ≥ 70, a cancer diagnosis, newly referred to a regional cancer centre, Geriatric-8 score ≤ 14, and informed consent. Patient participants were randomised to PhotoVoice with enhanced supportive care (ESC) or ESC alone. Feasibility of PhotoVoice was defined by patient engagement (submission of four photographs, completion of interviews) and logistical integration into the multidisciplinary team (MDT) process. Acceptability was assessed through inductive thematic analysis of patient interviews and MDT member survey. Summary reports for patients in the PhotoVoice group were discussed at geriatric oncology MDT meetings. Treatment intent was a proxy measure of care decisions. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts was guided by Bronfenbrenner's socioecological framework to understand PhotoVoice with respect to healthcare-seeking behaviours. MDT members completed a feasibility, acceptability, and utility survey on PhotoVoice. Results: Eighteen patients (n = 9 per arm) participated, mean age 79.3 (SD 5.6) years, and six were female. Four of seven MDT members completed the survey. As indicators of feasibility, four patient participants provided four photographs each, four provided more, and one provided two. PhotoVoice complemented ESC but was resource-intensive and time-consuming. Practical considerations for implementation in a busy cancer centre include reducing the number of photographs, streamlining time, and assigning a facilitator for interviews. Acceptability was supported by positive patient reflections and survey responses from MDT members, who valued PhotoVoice's holistic approach but noted timing and efficiency challenges. Patient summary reports were praised for offering richer patient insight, supporting the intervention's relevance and perceived utility. Discussion: PhotoVoice to enhance supportive care in real-world geriatric oncology is feasible and acceptable. Patients and MDTs reported its benefits to enhance patient-centred care. Future research should mitigate the practical constraints of integrating PhotoVoice in practice and optimize effective implementation.</p
Digital Twins of Patients: A Cohort Matching Interpretation
No full textDigital Twins (DTs) are essentially virtual replicas of physical entities. DTs have evolved significantly over time. They have been applied in various fields. Very recently, their application in the field of healthcare is also being explored. In healthcare, the creation of DTs of patients is of interest. DTs of patients show potential to perform as clinical decision support tools to enhance precision and personalization of treatment. An essential part of this role of DTs involves deriving sense from health and medical data. Personalization in this context requires looking at data of a present patient and identifying records of cohorts of past patients that are closely matching the present patient. Such matching cohorts allow for decision support on more personalized grounds. This paper presents an attempt to achieve such personalization through cohort matching. As part of an ongoing study, we do this to assist with immunotherapy treatment planning for triple-negative breast cancer as a case study.</p
Development of the World Health Organization Global competency and outcomes framework for the Essential Public Health Functions
No full textBackground: Competency-based education has variable uptake in public health, despite calls for effective education-to-employment pathways. A WHO and partners’ Roadmap to strengthen the public health and emergency workforce called for a holistic globally-relevant competency-based framework oriented to practice and delivery of the Essential Public Health Functions (EPHFs). This research answers the question: What are the relevant competencies and practice activities for the breadth of the public health workforce to deliver the 12 globally-relevant EPHFs? Methods: A mixed methods approach was used to build the competency framework, informed by literature review; content analysis of existing frameworks and curricula using the WHO competency model as an organizing framework; and an iterative approach to drafting, consultation and consensus about the framework content. Results: Twenty competencies were identified as relevant to the public health workforce across contexts, geographies and role responsibilities, organized into six domains: community-centeredness; decision-making; communication; collaboration; evidence-informed practice; and personal conduct. Forty practice activities that describe the work required to deliver the EPHFs are organized into five domains: health systems enablers; public health intelligence; public health programs and services; management of resources for public health programs and services; and public health emergency management. Discussion: Whilst the 20 competencies unite the public health workforce, irrespective of occupational group, public health priority or context, practice activities are role-specific and require contextualization. Competencies and practice activities must be interpreted together to provide a holistic approach to competence. The value of the framework is in its contextualization and application. Different components of the framework provide a common language but can be adapted to inform education and employment. Reflections on the methodology and the framework construct and organization are offered, confirming the WHO competency model application as a lens to interpret content from multiple sources to provide clarity about learning and assessment of educational content.</p
Ensuring Trustworthiness Using an Inductive Approach in Qualitative Educational Research: An Autoethnographic Investigation of Two Early Career Researchers Reflecting on PhD Data Analysis
No full textEnsuring the trustworthiness of qualitative research remains a critical challenge in educational research. However, early career researchers often lack structured guidance on enhancing the credibility of qualitative data analysis. A key issue is the limited discussion on inductive approaches that support systematic theme generation and theory development. To address this gap, this study examines how two early-career researchers employed a three-level inductive methodology during their PhD studies to strengthen the trustworthiness of their findings. Using an autoethnographic approach, the study finds that this methodology deepened their understanding of participants’ experiences, facilitated the emergence of valid themes, and reinforced credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. These findings offer concrete strategies for researchers undertaking similar approaches to ensure trustworthiness in their qualitative inquiry. This study also highlights the importance of equipping PhD researchers in education with strategies to navigate qualitative research rigorously, ultimately enhancing the quality of their studies.</p
Navigating the Nexus of Financial Crime Prevention and Financial Inclusion in the Age of Technology and FinTech
No full textKey PointsIllicit financial flows and rising compliance costs are major concerns in Asia and the Pacific, with 700 billion lost to scams in 2024.Stricter anti-money laundering regulations and regulations to combat the financing of terrorism are excluding vulnerable groups and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises from financial services, highlighting the need for simplified due diligence and a risk-based approach to enhance financial inclusion.Financial Action Task Force guidance on risk-based approaches lacks sufficient clarity, leading to inconsistent risk assessments and challenges in applying simplified due diligence for low-risk customers.Fintech, RegTech, and SupTech offer opportunities to lower compliance costs and improve financial inclusion, but they also introduce new risks like identity fraud and misuse of advanced technologies.Policy recommendations emphasize closer collaboration between regulators and technologists, clearer Financial Action Task Force guidance on financial inclusion, and stronger measures to address peer-to-peer, crypto, and virtual asset misuse.</p