Innovation in Indigenous Health and Medical Education: The Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME) Network as a Community of Practice

Problem: The Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME) Network aims to improve the quality and effectiveness of Indigenous health in medical education as well as best practice in the recruitment, retention, and graduation of Indigenous medical students. Intervention: In this article we explore the utility of Etienne Wenger's “communities of practice” (CoP) concept in providing a theoretical framework to better understand the LIME Network as a form of social infrastructure to further knowledge and innovation in this important area of health care education reform. Context: The Network operates across all medical schools in Australia and New Zealand. Outcome: Utilizing a model of evaluation of communities of practice developed by Fung-Kee-Fung et al., we seek to analyze the outcomes of the LIME Network as a CoP and assess its approach and contribution to improving the implementation of Indigenous health in the medical curriculum and the graduation of Indigenous medical students. Lessons Learned: By reflecting on the Network through a community of practice lens, this article highlights the synthesis between the LIME Network and Wenger's theory and provides a framework with which to measure Network outputs. It also posits an opportunity to better capture the impact of Network activities into the future to ensure that it remains a relevant and sustainable entity.     

Exploring the impacts of organisational structure,policy and practice on the health inequalities of marginalised communities: Illustrative cases from the UK healthcare system

This paper explores how organisational structure, policies and practices in healthcare can inadvertently disadvantage marginalised populations (e.g. individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds) and reinforce health inequalities. We draw upon three diverse UK healthcare settings (long term care institutions, high security hospitals and community pharmacies) to illustrate how systemic injustices negatively impact on access to care, treatment and health outcomes. The first case study considers the care of older people within nursing homes; specifically the disempowering effects of this service structure and impacts of choice reduction upon health and their access to health provision. The second case study explores the impact of security restrictions upon patients within high security hospitals, focusing particularly on the maintenance of relationships and support networks outside of the hospital. The third and final case study, draws upon a national community pharmacy medicine management service to illustrate ways in which policies and guidelines inadvertently obstruct patients' engagement with the service within a community setting. We draw upon these settings to highlight inequalities within different contexts and to illustrate the ways in which well intended services can inadvertently disadvantage marginalised communities in multiple ways.     

狂犬病蛰伏数年后卷土重来的警示

[目的]警示各级政府务必重视和坚持“预防为主”的方针,采取有力措施,加强对犬类的管理,从根本上控制住“狂犬病”疫情。[方法]广泛地开展防治狂犬病健康教育,提高群众的防范意识和自我保护能力;加强部门协作,对犬只实行“管、免、灭、测”的综合性防疫措施;通过多渠道、多途径全面掌握犬伤人员的伤口处理与疫苗注射情况,对经济困难的犬伤者由政府报销疫苗费等措施保障犬伤人员得到及时处理。[结果]2005年犬伤人员伤口处置与疫苗注射率达99.67%;犬只免疫87320只,免疫率占58.21%;农村捕杀野犬、恶犬22408只、城镇限养区捕杀1189只;随机对3只家犬进行了带毒检测,带毒率达66.67%;2005年1～7月发病数10例,8～12月发病2例。[结论]政府重视,部门协作,措施具体,宣传到位,犬伤人员能及时得到正确处置是控制和降低狂犬病发病的关键。     

新疆乌鲁木齐县农村住宅卫生设施状况的调查与评价

本文报告了乌鲁木齐县两种不同类型住宅的卫生设施状况，重点对上下水设施，厕所及周围卫生状况进行了调查。结果表明：小二楼住宅有给排水设施及卫生间；砖土木结构平房内只有上水（自来水），但无下水道及卫生间。因均饮用城市自来水，故两类住宅人群肠道传染病发病率无显著性差异（Ｐ＞０．０５）。对Ｂ村六年几种肠道传染病发病率的动态分析表明，改水是预防和降低肠道传染病发病的有效措施。调查结果还表明，住宅设施完善与否，     

The Effects of Depressed Affect on Functional Disability Among Rural Older Adults

This study investigates functional disability among some of the nation's most vulnerable older adults: rural Medicaid recipients. Data were provided by 221 older adults (mean age = 75.9 years; 82% women) who were receiving community-based long-term care services through Medicaid. Participants self-reported functional ability involving the completion of six basic activities of daily living (BADLs), three cognitive instrumental activities of daily living (IADLS), and four physical IADLs. Self-reports of depressed affect and the number of physical health conditions were also obtained. Path analysis was used to examine all of the associations among age, gender, number of chronic health conditions, depressed affect and functional disability. The tested model was significant [chi2 (DF = 3, n = 221) = 5.052, p = 0.168; TLI = 0.945; CFI = 0.992; RMSEA = 0.056] and explained 45.1% of the variance in BADL disability. Depressed affect significantly predicted disability in cognitive IADLs and physical IADLs, which predicted disability in BADLs. Age and gender had indirect effects on BADL, through their association with cognitive IADLs and physical IADLs. The number of chronic health conditions exerted both indirect and direct effects on BADL disability. Results are discussed within the context of the growing literature that suggests the importance of psychological variables as predictors of functional disability. Moreover, we discuss whether community-based long-term care is appropriate for older adults with high levels of functional disability.     

北京农村居民健康状况及卫生服务需求调查

目的了解北京农村居民健康状况及卫生服务需求特点。方法从昌平区、顺义区、大兴区、房山区随机抽取25～64岁农民1605人进行统一问卷调查。结果农民高血压自报患病率为22．4％，超重和肥胖率为56．1％；现在吸烟率为34．4％，缺乏运动率为41．6％；家庭主要经济支出为学生上学(35．3％)，建房(25．4％)和疾病(21．2％)；54．9％家庭医疗费用支出占总收入的10％以上；最关心的健康问题主要是慢性疾病防治(70．2％)；最希望获得的健康知识是慢性病预防知识(72％)；希望获得健康知识的途径是广播和电视(81％)；家庭最希望获得的医疗保健服务是方便看病和获得药物(73．8％)。结论慢性病给农民带来沉重负担，并成为农民关心的主要健康问题。     

The Fort McMurray demonstration project in social marketing: health- and safety-related behaviour among oil sands workers

This is the first round in a series of surveys conducted inFort McMurray as part of the Fort McMurray Demonstration Projectin social marketing. This component of the survey was intendedto focus on the most prominent group of employed workers inthe community and to compare their patterns of response withthe community as a whole. Respondents to the survey were overwhelminglymale (96%), married (72.9%) and living in households of twoto five persons (87.9%). They were predominantly aged 30–44(55%) and graduates of high school (53.5%). Younger male workers(below age 30) were more likely to have a high school diploma(78.3%) or some additional technical or vocational training(21.7% compared to 12.5% overall) and to be unmarried or separated.Attitudes toward safety-related behaviours were stronger thanfor respondents from the community as a whole. Approximately70–100% of all age groups and both sexes showed strongagreement with attitudes involving child car seats and the unacceptabilityof drinking and driving. These attitudes include strong advocacyof vigorous enforcement of occupational health and safety standards.However, they showed a variability similar to the communityas a whole in behaviour at home compared to work, generallyreporting more consistent use of personal protection on thejob than in their own homes, particularly hearing protection.Even so, they were much less likely to perform stretching andwarm-up exercises prior to exertion than community residentsin general. The potential may exist to transfer the technologyand attitudes from workplace health and safety to communitysafety. One possible strategy to accomplish this is to involveworkers in this industry directly in community initiatives.This strategy may be generalizable to any community in whichthere are major employers who place a heavy emphasis on riskcontrol and occupational health and safety.     

我国较贫困地区农村学龄前儿童膳食状况

对１９８５～１９８９年７省较贫困的１８个乡农村儿童膳食调查资料采用平均摄入量、临界值及概率法进行了总结分析。结果表明，６～２４月龄母乳喂养儿的辅食品种单一，数量不足。断奶儿童各年龄组热能、蛋白质摄入量的平均值分别达ＲＤＡ的９２％～１０４％和７６％～８４％，但以ＲＤＡ为界值，仍有５３％～６２％及７４％～８５％的儿童热能、蛋白质摄入量低，用概率法分析蛋白质、钙、维生素Ａ、Ｂ２、Ｃ及铁摄入不足的人数比例分别是５０％～６０％、９３％～９７％、５１％～８７％、７４％～８６％、５８％～６６％和１２％～４７％。热能、蛋白质摄入量低于ＲＤＡ值儿童的身高、体重明显低于摄入量高于ＲＤＡ值的儿童。     

农村健康保险的精算体系

本文提出了我国农村健康保险的精算体系和测算保险费、管理费、储备金、预防保健费、保险因子、增加系数、医药费及其补偿比的实用方法。     

北京市农村居民医疗费用研究

了解北京市农村居民医疗费用情况。方法：分4个季度调查农村居民医疗卫生服务需要及利用情况，同时调查三级医疗机构门诊及住院病人的医疗功用。结果：农村居民年人均医疗费用80．95元，其中老年人为166．01元，居民年人均医疗费用最高的疾病为感冒及心脑血管病。结论：建议加强农村老年保健工作，发展和完善农村合作医疗制度。