Rates of obesity have increased globally and weight stigma is commonly experienced by people with obesity. Feeling stigmatised because of one’s weight can be a barrier to healthy eating, physical activity and to seeking help for weight management. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of perceived weight among middle-older aged patients with obesity attending general practices in socioeconomically disadvantaged urban areas of Australia.

Implementing evidence-based chronic disease prevention with a practice-wide population is challenging in primary care.

Limited evidence exists regarding the relationship between health literacy and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Australian patients from primary care. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of health literacy on HRQoL in a large sample of patients without known vascular disease or diabetes and to examine whether the difference in HRQoL between low and high health literacy groups was clinically significant.

To examine the prognostic value of lymph node ratio (LNR) for patients with node-positive breast cancer with varying numbers of minimum nodes removed (>5, > 10 and > 15 total node count).

Objective To evaluate an intervention to improve implementation of guidelines for the prevention of chronic vascular disease.Setting 32 urban general practices in 4 Australian states.Randomisation Stratified randomisation of practices.Participants 122 general practitioners (GPs) and practice nurses (PNs) were recruited at baseline and 97 continued to 12months. 21848 patient records were audited for those aged 40-69years who attended the practice in the previous 12months without heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic renal disease, cognitive impairment or severe mental illness.Intervention The practice level intervention over 6months included small group training of practice staff, feedback on audited performance, practice facilitation visits and provision of patient education and referral information.Outcome measures Primary: 1. Change in proportion of patients aged 40-69years with smoking status, alcohol intake, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), blood pressure (BP) recorded and for those aged 45-69years with lipids, fasting blood glucose and cardiovascular risk in the medical record. 2. Change in the level of risk for each factor.Secondary change in self-reported frequency and confidence of GPs and PNs in assessment.Results Risk recording improved in the intervention but not the control group for WC (OR 2.52 (95% CI 1.30 to 4.91)), alcohol consumption (OR 2.19 (CI 1.04 to 4.64)), smoking status (OR 2.24 (1.17 to 4.29)) and cardiovascular risk (OR 1.50 (1.04 to 2.18)). There was no change in recording of BP, lipids, glucose or BMI and no significant change in the level of risk factors based on audit data. The confidence but not reported practices of GPs and PNs in the intervention group improved in the assessment of some risk factors.Conclusions This intervention was associated with improved recording of some risk factors but no change in the level of risk at the follow-up audit.Trial registration number Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register (ANZCTR): ACTRN12612000578808, results.

Aim To evaluate the utility of Ki67 as a prognostic marker in a series of patients with node-negative breast cancer untreated with adjuvant systemic therapy.Methods The cohort consisted of 203 cases treated with breast conserving surgery and radiation only; median follow-up was 183 months (range 156-277 months). An immunohistochemical panel of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), cytokeratin (CK) 5/6 and Ki67 and human epidermal growth factor 2 in situ hybridization (HER2-ISH) was performed on the tumour samples. Ki67 scores were evaluable in 193/203 patients (95.1%). The primary outcome was breast cancer specific survival (BCSS).Results Of the cohort, 29 (14.2%) died of breast cancer. A cut off of 10% separated tumours into a 'Ki67-low' (n=70) or 'Ki67-high' group (n=123). The breast cancer specific survival was 97.1% and 77.6% for Ki67-low and Ki67-high groups, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that in this lymph node-negative cohort, the predictors for BCSS were tumour size, Ki67, LVI, age and histological grade 3. Multivariable analysis showed that Ki67 index and lymphovascular space invasion were independent predictors of breast cancer death. To examine the utility of Ki67 in assignment of immunohistochemically molecular subtypes, cases were assigned into Luminal A (ER-positive, HER2-negative, Ki67 =14%), Luminal B (ER-positive, HER2-negative, Ki67 > 14%) and triple negative (ER/PR-negative and HER2-negative, any Ki67). The 15-year breast cancer specific survival was 91.7%, 79.4% and 75.8%, respectively.Conclusions A statistically significant difference in breast cancer specific survival is seen in groups defined using Ki67 and receptor status, whereas histological grading was not a significant predictor of survival. Ki67 immunostaining provides prognostic information beyond traditionally assessed clinicopathological variables.

BACKGROUND:People with limited health literacy are more likely to be socioeconomically disadvantaged and have risk factors for preventable chronic diseases. General practice is the ideal setting to address these inequalities however these patients engage less in preventive activities and experience difficulties navigating health services. This study aimed to compare primary care patients with and without sufficient health literacy in terms of their lifestyle risk factors, and explore factors associated with receiving advice and referral for these risk factors from their GPs.METHODS:A mailed survey of 739 patients from 30 general practices across four Australian states was conducted in 2012. Health literacy was measured using the Health Literacy Management Scale. Patients with a mean score of <4 within any domain were defined as having insufficient health literacy. Multilevel logistic regression was used to adjust for clustering of patients within practices.RESULTS:Patients with insufficient health literacy (n = 351; 48%) were more likely to report being overweight or obese, and less likely to exercise adequately. Having insufficient health literacy increased a patient's chance of receiving advice on diet, physical activity or weight management, and referral to and attendance at lifestyle modification programs. Not speaking English at home; being overweight or obese; and attending a small sized practice also increased patients' chances of receiving advice on these lifestyle risks. Few (5%, n = 37) of all patients reported being referred to lifestyle modification program and of those around three-quarters had insufficient health literacy. Overweight or obese patients were more likely to be referred to lifestyle modification programs and patients not in paid employment were more likely to be referred to and attend lifestyle programs.CONCLUSION:Patients with insufficient health literacy were more likely to report receiving advice and being referred by GPs to attend lifestyle modification. Although the number of patients referred from this sample was very low, these findings are positive in that they indicate that GPs are identifying patients with low health literacy and appropriately referring them for assistance with lifestyle modification. Future research should measure the effectiveness of these lifestyle programs for patients with low health literacy.

Health worker (HW) performance is a critical issue facing many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The aim of this study was to test the effects of factors in the work environment, such as organizational culture and climate, on HW non-task performance in rural health work settings in a LMIC. The data for the study is from a sample of 963 HWs from rural health centres (HCs) in 16 of the 20 provinces in Papua New Guinea. The reliability and validity of measures for organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB), counterproductive work behaviour (CWB) and work climate (WC) were tested. Multilevel linear regression models were used to test the relationship of individual and HC level factors with non-task performance. The survey found that 62 per cent of HCs practised OCB "often to always" and 5 percent practised CWB "often to always". Multilevel analysis revealed that WC had a positive effect on organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and a negative effect on CWB. The mediation analyses provided evidence that the relationship between WC and OCB was mediated through CWB. Human resource policies that improve WC in rural health settings would increase positive non-task behaviour and improve the motivation and performance of HWs in rural settings in LMICs.

of an oral presentations that was presented at the Thoracic Society of Australia & New Zealand and the Australian & New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science 2014 Annual Scientific Meetings, 4-9 April 2014, Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide, Australia. Disciplines Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences Publication Details Zwar, N., Richmond, R., Halcomb, E., Furler, J., Smith, J., Hermiz, O., Blackberry, I., Jayasinghe, U. & Borland, R. (2014). Supporting smoking cessation in primary care: results of the quit in general practice study. Respirology, 19 (Suppl. S2), 23-23. Authors Nicholas Zwar, Robyn Richmond, Elizabeth J. Halcomb, John Furler, Julie Smith, Oshana Hermiz, Irene Blackberry, Upali Jayasinghe, and Ron Borland This journal article is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/1936 PRIMARY CARE SIG – ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Objective To evaluate the impact of a model of rural community health service (CHS) on the use and acceptability of primary healthcare services. Design Quasi-experimental. Setting Two adjacent rural counties in China. Participants 5842 residents in 2009 and 3807 in 2010 from 980 households in 7 intervention townships and 49 villages; 2232 residents in 2009 and 2315 in 2010 from 628 households in 3 comparison townships and 9 villages. All residents were approached to participate, with no significant differences in age or sex between groups. Intervention Multilevel intervention in 2009 including training rural practitioners, encouraging clinic improvements, providing clinical guidelines, standards and subsidies. Data collection Surveys of community members from randomly sampled households in 2009 and 2010. Primary outcome measures Satisfaction with and utilisation of outpatient and public health services. Analysis Factor analysis confirmed two components of satisfaction. Univariate and multilevel analysis was used. Results Satisfaction scores for intervention county respondents increased from 21.4 (95% CI 21.1 to 21.7) to 22.1 (95% CI 21.7 to 22.4) with no change in comparison area. In multilevel analysis, satisfaction with patient-centred care was associated with chronic disease, shorter waiting times and county. Satisfaction with clinic environment and cost was associated with female gender, shorter waiting times but not county. The proportion of children receiving immunisation in intervention village clinics increased from 42.5% (95% CI 27.9% to 47.1%) to 59.2% (95% CI 53.8% to 64.6%) whereas this decreased in comparison villages (16.5%; 95% CI 10.3% to 22.7% to 6.0%; 95% CI 1.3% to 10.7%). Antenatal visits increased in intervention villages (from 69.0%, 95% CI 65.8% to 73.1% to 75.8%, 95% CI 72.2% to 79.4%) with no change in comparison villages. Conclusions Introduction of a CHS model adapted to economically less-developed rural areas was associated with some improvements in satisfaction with care and use of some village-based public health services. Further research is needed to determine its public health impact and application to other areas.

There is evidence for a team-based approach in the management of chronic disease in primary health care. However, the standard of care is variable, probably reflecting the limited organisational capacity of health services to provide the necessary structured and organised care for this group of patients. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a structured intervention involving non-GP staff in GP practices on the quality of care for patients with diabetes or cardiovascular disease. A cluster randomised trial was undertaken across 60 GP practices. The intervention was implemented in 30 practices with staff and patients interviewed at baseline and at 12-15 months follow up. The change in team roles was evaluated using a questionnaire completed by practice staff. The quality of care was evaluated using the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care questionnaire. We found that although the team roles of staff improved in the intervention practices and there were significant differences between practices, there was no significant difference between those in the intervention and control groups in patient-assessed quality of care after adjusting for baseline-level score and covariates at the 12-month follow up. Practice team roles were not significantly associated with change in Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care scores. Patients with multiple conditions were more likely to assess their quality of care to be better. Thus, although previous research has shown a cross-sectional association between team work and quality of care, we were unable to replicate these findings in the present study. These results may be indicative of insufficient time for organisational change to result in improved patient-assessed quality of care, or because non-GP staff roles were not sufficiently focussed on the aspects of care assessed. The findings provide important information for researchers when designing similar studies.

Screening for vascular disease, risk assessment and management are encouraged in general practice however there is limited evidence about the emotional impact on patients. The Health Improvement and Prevention Study evaluated the impact of a general practice-based vascular risk factor intervention on behavioural and physiological risk factors in 30 Australian practices. The primary aim of this analysis is to investigate the psychological impact of participating in the intervention arm of the trial. The secondary aim is to identify the mediating effects of changes in behavioural risk factors or BMI.

BACKGROUND:Previous research suggests that lifestyle intervention for the prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are effective, however little is known about factors affecting participation in such programs. This study aims to explore factors influencing levels of participation in a lifestyle modification program conducted as part of a cluster randomized controlled trial of CVD prevention in primary care.METHODS:This concurrent mixed methods study used data from the intervention arm of a cluster RCT which recruited 30 practices through two rural and three urban primary care organizations. Practices were randomly allocated to intervention (n = 16) and control (n = 14) groups. In each practice up to 160 eligible patients aged between 40 and 64 years old, were invited to participate. Intervention practice staff were trained in lifestyle assessment and counseling and referred high risk patients to a lifestyle modification program (LMP) consisting of two individual and six group sessions over a nine month period. Data included a patient survey, clinical audit, practice survey on capacity for preventive care, referral and attendance records at the LMP and qualitative interviews with Intervention Officers facilitating the LMP. Multi-level logistic regression modelling was used to examine independent predictors of attendance at the LMP, supplemented with qualitative data from interviews with Intervention Officers facilitating the program.RESULTS:A total of 197 individuals were referred to the LMP (63% of those eligible). Over a third of patients (36.5%) referred to the LMP did not attend any sessions, with 59.4% attending at least half of the planned sessions. The only independent predictors of attendance at the program were employment status - not working (OR: 2.39 95% CI 1.15-4.94) and having high psychological distress (OR: 2.17 95% CI: 1.10-4.30). Qualitative data revealed that physical access to the program was a barrier, while GP/practice endorsement of the program and flexibility in program delivery facilitated attendance.CONCLUSION:Barriers to attendance at a LMP for CVD prevention related mainly to external factors including work commitments and poor physical access to the programs rather than an individuals' health risk profile or readiness to change. Improving physical access and offering flexibility in program delivery may enhance future attendance. Finally, associations between psychological distress and attendance rates warrant further investigation.TRIAL REGISTRATION:ACTRN12607000423415.

BACKGROUND:Conventional wisdom suggests that a patient with a positive sentinel node requires a completion axillary clearance to obtain full staging and durable regional control. However, this dictum has been challenged by the recent American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z0011 Trial demonstrating that women with node-positive breast cancer who underwent sentinel node biopsy only, and were treated with breast conserving surgery and radiation, had equivalent locoregional recurrence and survival rates to those who had a completion axillary clearance. The aim of our study was to determine what the clinical impact of the Z0011 findings might be if patients were managed according to the Z0011 criteria in an Australian teaching hospital setting.METHODS:We performed a retrospective review, using prospectively collected data, of all female patients with breast cancer assessed at the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute in 2010 and identified the subgroup who would potentially have fulfilled all Z0011 criteria. The characteristics and management of this group were compared with node-positive and to mastectomy patient subgroups.RESULTS:A total of 280 patients with invasive breast cancer were identified. Twenty-six patients satisfied all Z0011 criteria, representing 9.3% of all patients and 21.5% of node-positive patients. Twenty-two (84.6%) patients had a subsequent axillary clearance, with six (27.3%) having additional positive nodes.CONCLUSIONS:The Z0011 study is relevant to 9.3% of all breast cancer patients and 21.5% of node-positive breast cancer patients treated in a major Australian teaching hospital.

Background Lifestyle risk factors, in particular smoking, nutrition, alcohol consumption and physical inactivity (SNAP) are the main behavioural risk factors for chronic disease. Primary health care (PHC) has been shown to be an effective setting to address lifestyle risk factors at the individual level. However much of the focus of research to date has been in general practice. Relatively little attention has been paid to the role of nurses working in the PHC setting. Community health nurses are well placed to provide lifestyle intervention as they often see clients in their own homes over an extended period of time, providing the opportunity to offer intervention and enhance motivation through repeated contacts. The overall aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of a brief lifestyle intervention delivered by community nurses in routine practice on changes in clients' SNAP risk factors. Methods/Design The trial uses a quasi-experimental design involving four generalist community nursing services in NSW Australia. Services have been randomly allocated to an 'early intervention' group or 'late intervention' (comparison) group. 'Early intervention' sites are provided with training and support for nurses in identifying and offering brief lifestyle intervention for clients during routine consultations. 'Late intervention site' provide usual care and will be offered the study intervention following the final data collection point. A total of 720 generalist community nursing clients will be recruited at the time of referral from participating sites. Data collection consists of 1) telephone surveys with clients at baseline, three months and six months to examine change in SNAP risk factors and readiness to change 2) nurse survey at baseline, six and 12 months to examine changes in nurse confidence, attitudes and practices in the assessment and management of SNAP risk factors 3) semi-structured interviews/focus with nurses, managers and clients in 'early intervention' sites to explore the feasibility, acceptability and sustainability of the intervention. Discussion The study will provide evidence about the effectiveness and feasibility of brief lifestyle interventions delivered by generalist community nurses as part of routine practice. This will inform future community nursing practice and PHC policy. Trial Registration ACTRN12609001081202

Background: There are significant gaps in the implementation and uptake of evidence-based guideline recommendations for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes in Australian general practice. This study protocol describes the methodology for a cluster randomised trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a model that aims to improve the implementation of these guidelines in Australian general practice developed by a collaboration between researchers, non-government organisations, and the profession. Methods: We hypothesise that the intervention will alter the behaviour of clinicians and patients resulting in improvements of recording of lifestyle and physiological risk factors (by 20%) and increased adherence to guideline recommendations for: the management of CVD and diabetes risk factors (by 20%); and lifestyle and physiological risk factors of patients at risk (by 5%). Thirty-two general practices will be randomised in a 1:1 allocation to receive either the intervention or continue with usual care, after stratification by state. The intervention will be delivered through: small group education; audit of patient records to determine preventive care; and practice facilitation visits adapted to the needs of the practices. Outcome data will be extracted from electronic medical records and patient questionnaires, and qualitative evaluation from provider and patient interviews. Discussion: We plan to disseminate study findings widely and directly inform implementation strategies by governments, professional bodies, and non-government organisations including the partner organisations.

Background Guidelines for management of hypertension and lipids recommend using cardiovascular absolute risk (CVAR) to manage patients. This randomized controlled trial investigated the impact of CVAR assessment in family practice on management of cardiovascular risk, including prescription of antihypertensive and lipid-lowering medication.Methods A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted from 2008 to 2010 in Sydney, Australia. Family practices were randomized, and patients aged 45 to 69 years were invited to participate. Intervention family physicians (FP) were trained in use of CVAR, provided with an electronic CVAR calculator, and assessed their patients' absolute risk in a dedicated consultation. Control practice patients received a general health check. Primary outcome analyzed was the proportion of patients in each group on antihypertensive and/or lipid-lowering medication at 12 months. Multilevel logistic regression was performed to explore variables influencing changes in pharmacologic therapy.Results The study recruited 36 FPs from 34 practices and 1,074 patients, of which 906 (84.4%) completed 12-month follow-up. At 12 months, there was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups in proportion of patients on antihypertensives (31.2% vs 34.3%, P = .31), but control group patients were more likely to be on lipid-lowering medications (30.2% vs 22.7%, P = .01). After multilevel analysis, this difference was not present. Intensification or reduction of pharmacologic therapy was associated with meeting treatment targets for blood pressure and lipids but not with the CVAR or intervention group.Conclusions Single-risk factor management remains a strong influence on FP prescribing practices. Shifting to an approach based on CVAR will require more intensive intervention.

BACKGROUND:The aims of this study were to explore the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a large sample of Australian chronically-ill patients (type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension/ischaemic heart disease), to investigate the impact of characteristics of patients and their general practitioners on their HRQoL and to examine clinically significant differences in HRQoL among males and females. METHODS:This was a cross-sectional study with 193 general practitioners and 2181 of their chronically-ill patients aged 18 years or more using the standard Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) version 2. SF-12 physical component score (PCS-12) and mental component score (MCS-12) were derived using the standard US algorithm. Multilevel regression analysis (patients at level 1 and general practitioners at level 2) was applied to relate PCS-12 and MCS-12 to patient and general practitioner (GP) characteristics. RESULTS:Employment was likely to have a clinically significant larger positive effect on HRQoL of males (regression coefficient (B) (PCS-12) = 7.29, P < 0.001, effect size = 1.23 and B (MCS-12) = 3.40, P < 0.01, effect size = 0.55) than that of females (B(PCS-12) = 4.05, P < 0.001, effect size = 0.78 and B (MCS-12) = 1.16, P > 0.05, effect size = 0.16). There was a clinically significant difference in HRQoL among age groups. Younger men (< 39 years) were likely to have better physical health than older men (> 59 years, B = -5.82, P < 0.05, effect size = 0.66); older women tended to have better mental health (B = 5.62, P < 0.001, effect size = 0.77) than younger women. Chronically-ill women smokers reported clinically significant (B = -3.99, P < 0.001, effect size = 0.66) poorer mental health than women who were non-smokers. Female GPs were more likely to examine female patients than male patients (33% vs. 15%, P < 0.001) and female patients attending female GPs reported better physical health (B = 1.59, P < 0.05, effect size = 0.30). CONCLUSIONS:Some of the associations between patient characteristics and SF-12 physical and/or mental component scores were different for men and women. This finding underlines the importance of considering these factors in the management of chronically-ill patients in general practice. The results suggest that chronically ill women attempting to quit smoking may need more psychological support. More quantitative studies are needed to determine the association between GP gender and patient gender in relation to HRQoL.