Rethinking emergency management and climate adaptation policies

Emergency management and climate change adaptation will increasingly challenge all levels of government because of three main factors. First, Australia is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, particularly through the increasing frequency and/or intensity of disasters such as floods and bushfires. Second, the system of government that divides powers by function and level can often act as a barrier to a well-integrated response. Third, policymaking processes struggle to cope with such complex inter-jurisdictional issues. This paper discusses these factors and explores the nature of the challenge for Australian governments. Investigations into the 2009 Victorian bushfires, the 2011 Perth Hills bushfires, and the 2011 Brisbane floods offer an indication of the challenges ahead and it is argued that there is a need to: improve community engagement and communication; refocus attention on resilience; improve interagency communication and collaboration; and, develop institutional arrangements that support continual improvement and policy learning. These findings offer an opportunity for improving responses as well as a starting point for integrating disaster risk management and climate change adaptation policies. The paper is based on the preliminary findings of an NCCARF funded research project: The Right Tool for the Job – Achieving climate change adaptation outcomes through improved disaster management policies, planning and risk management strategies involving Griffith University and RMIT.

Enhancing people capabilities for the promotion of sustainability in facilities management practices

Sustainability has become an important principle to be pursued throughout the life-cycles of project development. Facility managers are in a commanding position to maximise the potential of sustainability. Sustainability endeavours in facility management (FM) practices will not only contribute to reducing energy consumption and waste, but will also help increase organisational productivity, financial returns and standing in the community. At the forefront of sustainable practices, FM professionals can exercise a great deal of influence through operational and strategic management and they should be empowered with the necessary knowledge and capabilities. However, literature studies suggest that there is a gap between the level of awareness and knowledge and the necessary skills required to promote sustainability endeavours in the FM profession. Therefore, it is worthwhile to reflect on people capability issues since it is considered as the key enabler in managing the sustainability agenda as well as being central to the improvement of competency and innovation in an organization. This paper aims to identify the critical factors for enhancing people capabilities in promoting the sustainability agenda in the FM sector. To achieve this objective, a total of 60 factors were identified through a comprehensive literature review and then a questionnaire survey with 52 respondents was conducted to collect the perceived importance of these factors. The survey analysis revealed 23 critical factors as significantly important. These critical factors will serve as the basis for the establishment of a mechanism to equip facility managers with the right knowledge, to continue education and training and to develop new mind-sets to enhance the implementation of sustainability measures in FM practices.

A wound management education and training needs analysis of health consumers and the relevant health workforce and stocktake of available education and training activities and resources

The goals of this project were to determine the education and training needs of health consumers and the relevant health workforce and to identify and map the available education and training activities and resources. The methods used to collect the data included online surveys and one on one interviews of relevant patients and their carers. The project manager actively sought to engage with the key wound management leaders and advanced clinicians to gain their support and views on the priority education and training issues. The response to all data collection methods was pleasing with almost five hundred responses to the general wound workforce online survey. The data supported the need for more wound management education and training and identified some particular topics of need, such as utilising wound investigations and understanding wound products, pharmaceuticals and devices. The occupational groups with the highest need appear to be those working in primary health care, such as practice nurses and GPs, and those working in residential aged care facilities. The education and training stocktake identified a wide range of activities currently available, the majority being provided in a face to face format. The next stage of the project will be to form some clear and achievable priority action areas based on the available data. An online directory of wound management education and training activities and resources will be developed and further development will be undertaken on a knowledge and skills framework for the wound management workforce. Additionally, transfer of learning factors in the general practice environment will be assessed and strategies will be developed to improve the pre-entry or undergraduate wound management training within relevant higher education programs.

Evidence for the safety and quality issues associated with the care of patients with cognitive impairment in acute care settings : a rapid review

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care commissioned this rapid review to identify recent evidence in relation to three key questions: 1. What is the current evidence of quality and safety issues regarding the hospital experience of people with cognitive impairment (dementia/delirium)? 2. What are the existing evidence-based pathways, best practice or guidelines for cognitive impairment in hospitals? 3. What are the key components of an ideal patient journey for a person with dementia and/or delirium? The purpose of this review is to identify best practice in caring for patients with cognitive impairment (CI) in acute hospital settings. CI refers to patients with dementia and delirium but can include other conditions. For the purposes of this report, ‘Hospitals’ is defined as acute care settings and includes care provided by acute care institutions in other settings (e.g. Multipurpose Services and Hospital in the Home). It does not include residential aged care settings nor palliative care services that are not part of a service provided by an acute care institution. Method Both peer-reviewed publications and the grey literature were comprehensively searched for recent (primarily post 2010) publications, reports and guidelines that addressed the three key questions. The literature was evaluated and graded according to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) levels of criteria (see Evidence Summary – Appendix B). Results Thirty-one recent publications were retrieved in relation to quality and safety issues faced by people with CI in acute hospitals. The results indicate that CI is a common problem in hospitals (upwards of 30% - the rate increases with increasing patient age), although this is likely to be an underestimate, in part, due to numbers of patients without a formal dementia diagnosis. There is a large body of evidence showing that patients with CI have worse outcomes than patients without CI following hospitalisation including increased mortality, more complications, longer hospital stays, increased system costs as well as functional and cognitive decline. 4 To improve the care of patients with CI in hospital, best practice guidelines have been developed, of which sixteen recent guidelines/position statements/standards were identified in this review (Table 2). Four guidelines described standards or quality indicators for providing optimal care for the older person with CI in hospital, in general, while three focused on delirium diagnosis, prevention and management. The remaining guidelines/statements focused on specific issues in relation to the care of patients with CI in acute hospitals including hydration, nutrition, wandering and care in the Emergency Department (ED). A key message in several of the guidelines was that older patients should be assessed for CI at admission and this is particularly important in the case of delirium, which can indicate an emergency, in order to implement treatment. A second clear mess...

Welfare surveillance, income management and new paternalism in Australia

This article discusses the situation of income support claimants in Australia, constructed as faulty citizens and flawed welfare subjects. Many are on the receiving end of complex, multi-layered forms of surveillance aimed at securing socially responsible and compliant behaviours. In Australia, as in other Western countries, neoliberal economic regimes with their harsh and often repressive treatment of welfare recipients operate in tandem with a burgeoning and costly arsenal of CCTV and other surveillance and governance assemblages. Through a program of ‘Income Management’, initially targeting (mainly) Indigenous welfare recipients in Australia’s Northern Territory, the BasicsCard (administered by Centrelink, on behalf of the Australian Federal Government’s Department of Human Services) is one example of this welfare surveillance. The scheme operates by ‘quarantining’ a percentage of a claimant’s welfare entitlements to be spent by way of the BasicsCard on ‘approved’ items only. The BasicsCard scheme raises significant questions about whether it is possible to encourage people to take responsibility for themselves if they no longer have real control over the most important aspects of their lives. Some Indigenous communities have resisted the BasicsCard, criticising it because the imposition of income management leads to a loss of trust, dignity, and individual agency. Further, income management of individuals by the welfare state contradicts the purported aim that they become less ‘welfare dependent’ and more ‘self-reliant’. In highlighting issues around compulsory income management this paper makes a contribution to the largely under discussed area of income management and welfare surveillance, with its propensity for function creep, garnering large volumes of data on BasicsCard user’s approved (and declined) purchasing decisions, complete with dates, amounts, times and locations.

Molecular approaches to diagnosis and management of ovarian cancer

The recent advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer have been helpful in addressing issues in diagnosis, prognosis and management. The study of ovarian tumours by novel techniques such as immunohistochemistry, fluorescent in situ hybridisation, comparative genomic hybridisation, polymerase chain reaction and new tumour markers have aided the evaluation and application of new concepts into clinical practice. The correlation of novel surrogate tumour specific features with response to treatment and outcome in patients has defined prognostic factors which may allow the future design of tailored therapy based on a molecular profile of the tumour. These have also been used to design new approaches to therapy such as antibody targeting and gene therapy. The delineation of roles of c-erbB2, c-fms and other novel receptor kinases in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer has led initially to the development of anti-c-erbB2 monoclonal antibody therapy. The discovery of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes will have an impact in the diagnosis and the prevention of familial ovarian cancer. The important role played by recessive genes such as p53 in cancer has raised the possibility of restoration of gene function by gene therapy. Although the pathological diagnosis of ovarian cancer is still confirmed principally on morphological features, addition of newer investigations will increasingly be useful in addressing difficult diagnostic problems. The increasingly rapid pace of discovery of genes important in disease, makes it imperative that the evaluation of their contribution in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer is undertaken swiftly, thus improving the overall management of patients and their outcome.

Theory-based self-management programs for promoting recovery in community-dwelling stroke survivors : a systematic review

Background Post-stroke recovery is demanding. Increasing studies have examined the effectiveness of self-management programs for stroke survivors. However no systematic review has been conducted to summarize the effectiveness of theory-based stroke self-management programs. Objectives The aim is to present the best available research evidence about effectiveness of theory-based self-management programs on community-dwelling stroke survivors’ recovery. Inclusion criteria Types of participants All community-residing adults aged 18 years or above, and had a clinical diagnosis of stroke. Types of interventions Studies which examined effectiveness of a self-management program underpinned by a theoretical or conceptual framework for community-dwelling stroke survivors. Types of studies Randomized controlled trials. Types of outcomes Primary outcomes included health-related quality of life and self-management behaviors. Secondary outcomes included physical (activities of daily living), psychological (self-efficacy, depressive symptoms), and social outcomes (community reintegration, perceived social support). Search Strategy A three-step approach was adopted to identify all relevant published and unpublished studies in English or Chinese. Methodological quality The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for experimental studies. Data Collection A standardized JBI data extraction form was used. There was no disagreement between the two reviewers on the data extraction results. Data Synthesis There were incomplete details about the number of participants and the results in two studies, which makes it impossible to perform meta-analysis. A narrative summary of the effectiveness of stroke self-management programs is presented. Results Three studies were included. The key issues of concern in methodological quality included insufficient information about random assignment, allocation concealment, reliability and validity of the measuring instruments, absence of intention-to-treat analysis, and small sample sizes. The three programs were designed based on the Stanford Chronic Disease Self-management program and were underpinned by the principles of self-efficacy. One study showed improvement in the intervention group in family and social roles three months after program completion, and work productivity at six months as measured by the Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale (SSQOL). The intervention group also had an increased mean self-efficacy score in communicating with physicians six months after program completion. The mean changes from baseline in these variables were significantly different from the control group. No significant difference was found in time spent in aerobic exercise between the intervention and control groups at three and six months after program completion. Another study, using SSQOL, showed a significant interaction effect by treatment and time on family roles, fine motor tasks, self-care, and work productivity. However there was no significant interaction by treatment and time on self-efficacy. The third study showed improvement in quality of life, community participation, and depressive symptoms among the participants receiving the stroke self-management program, Stanford Chronic Disease Self-management program, or usual care six months after program completion. However, there was no significant difference between the groups. Conclusions There is inconclusive evidence about the effectiveness of theory-based stroke self-management programs on community-dwelling stroke survivors’ recovery. However the preliminary evidence suggests potential benefits in improving stroke survivors’ quality of life and self-efficacy.

Management [5th Asia-Pacific Edition]

The fifth edition of this text has been thoroughly updated, continuing its strong emphasis on the importance of the Asian region to contemporary Australian and New Zealand organisations. Many Asian case examples are featured to illustrate key management concepts, and these provide a useful basis for comparison with management practices in Australia and New Zealand. Numerous practical examples throughout the text highlight contemporary management issues, such as: •workplace diversity •sustainability •ethics/corporate social responsibility •the impact of technology •innovation in the workplace •globalisation •employee engagement •flexible working arrangements •work-life balance •generational issues in the workplace •skills shortages in various industries •the importance of effective employee recruitment and training •organisational culture •workforce flexibility and casualisation •the ‘24/7’ nature of contemporary communication technology, including social media •outsourcing Management, 5th Asia Pacific edition, has also retained the features that have made previous editions so popular with students and lecturers, including the Career Readiness Workbook activities at the end of the book, and the accompanying Interactive Study Guide with its vast array of multimedia resources.

Management : Foundations and Applications (2nd Asia-Pacific Edition)

The second edition of this text has been thoroughly updated, continuing its strong emphasis on the importance of the Asian region to contemporary Australian and New Zealand organisations. Many Asian case examples are featured to illustrate key management concepts, and these provide a useful basis for comparison with management practices in Australia and New Zealand. Numerous practical examples throughout the text highlight contemporary management issues, such as: •workplace diversity •sustainability •ethics/corporate social responsibility •the impact of technology •innovation in the workplace •globalisation •employee engagement •flexible working arrangements •work-life balance •generational issues in the workplace •skills shortages in various industries •the importance of effective employee recruitment and training •organisational culture •workforce flexibility and casualisation •the ‘24/7’ nature of contemporary communication technology, including social media •outsourcing Management, Foundation and Applications, 2nd Asia-Pacific edition, has also retained the features that made its previous edition so popular with students and lecturers, including the Career Readiness Workbook activities at the end of the book, and the accompanying Interactive Study Guide with its vast array of multimedia resources.

Advancing Nursing Practice in Pain Management

This book showcases the development and evaluation of innovative examples of pain management initiatives by advanced practitioners. It considers each service development or community initiative both in terms of advanced practice nursing and pain management. There is a wide range of examples of innovation in pain management included - from the introduction of ketamine use in one trust, to wider issues around meeting the needs of pain management in the community. The book considers issues including use of research, education and interprofessional working in the advanced practitioner role. Each chapter looks at development of the service, challenges of implementation, evaluation of the service's success and justifying the importance of the advanced nurse in the service's achievements.

Current trends and issues in geographical education

In this introductory chapter to Schmeinck, D. and Lidstone, J. (2014) “Current trends and issues in geographical education” in Schmeinck, D. and Lidstone, J. (2014) Eds) Standards and Research in Geographical Education: Current Trends and International Issues. Berlin. Mensch und Buch Verlag. Pp. 5 - 16. , the authors review and analyse eleven papers originally presented to the Congress of the International Geographical Union held in Cologne in 2012. Taking the collection of papers as a single corpus representing the “state of the art” of geography education, they applied lexical and bibliometric analyses in an innovative attempt to identify the nature of geographical education as represented by this anthology of peer reviewed chapters presented at the start of the second decade of the Twenty-first century?

The development of a simple multi-nodal tool to identify performance issues in existing commercial buildings

Australia’s building stock includes many older commercial buildings with numerous factors that impact energy performance and indoor environment quality. The built environment industry has generally focused heavily on improving physical building design elements for greater energy efficiency (such as retrofits and environmental upgrades), however there are noticeable ‘upper limits’ to performance improvements in these areas. To achieve a stepchange improvement in building performance, the authors propose that additional components need to be addressed in a whole of building approach, including the way building design elements are managed and the level of stakeholder engagement between owners, tenants and building managers. This paper focuses on the opportunities provided by this whole-of-building approach, presenting the findings of a research project undertaken through the Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (SBEnrc) in Australia. Researchers worked with a number of industry partners over two years to investigate issues facing stakeholders at base building and tenancy levels, and the barriers to improving building performance. Through a mixed-method, industry-led research approach, five ‘nodes’ were identified in whole-of-building performance evaluation, each with interlinking and overlapping complexities that can influence performance. The nodes cover building management, occupant experience, indoor environment quality, agreements and culture, and design elements. This paper outlines the development and testing of these nodes and their interactions, and the resultant multi-nodal tool, called the ‘Performance Nexus’ tool. The tool is intended to be of most benefit in evaluating opportunities for performance improvement in the vast number of existing low-performing building stock.

Viewpoint : social and economic dimensions of involving savanna communities in carbon management systems

In this paper we discuss the social, economic and institutional aspects of the development of carbon management systems within Australia's tropical savannas. Land-use values in savanna landscapes are changing as a result of changing economic markets, greater recognition of native title, and growing social demands and expectations for tourism, recreation and conservation. In addition, there is increasing interest in developing markets and policy arrangements for greenhouse gas abatement, carbon sequestration and carbon trade in savannas. We argue that for carbon management to lead to national greenhouse outcomes, attention must be paid to social, economic and institutional issues in environmental planning and policy arrangements. From an economic perspective, the financial impact of carbon management on savanna enterprises will depend on appropriate and available policy mechanisms, unit price for carbon, landscape condition, existing management strategies and abatement measurements used. Local social and cultural features of communities and regions may enhance or constrain the implementation of carbon abatement strategies, depending on how they are perceived. In terms of institutional arrangements, policies and plans must support and enable carbon management. We identify three areas that require priority investigation and adjustment: regional planning arrangements, property rights, and rules for accounting at enterprise and regional scales. We conclude that the best potential for managing for carbon will be achieved while managing for range of other natural resource management outcomes, especially where managing for carbon delivers collateral benefits to enterprises.

Secure and safe water supplies in remote Australian and rural Sri Lankan regions : common issues and emerging responses

Most urban dwelling Australians take secure and safe water supplies for granted. That is, they have an adequate quantity of water at a quality that can be used by people without harm from human and animal wastes, salinity and hardness or pollutants from agriculture and manufacturing industries. Australia wide urban and peri-urban dwellers use safe water for all domestic as well as industrial purposes. However, this is not the situation remote regions in Australia where availability and poor quality water can be a development constraint. Nor is it the case in Sri Lanka where people in rural regions are struggling to obtain a secure supply of water, irrespective of it being safe because of the impact of faecal and other contaminants. The purposes of this paper are to overview: the population and environmental health challenges arising from the lack of safe water in rural and remote communities; response pathways to address water quality issues; and the status of and need for integrated catchment management (ICM) in selected remote regions of Australia and vulnerable and lagging rural regions in Sri Lanka. Conclusions are drawn that focus on the opportunity for inter-regional collaborations between Australia and Sri Lanka for the delivery of safe water through ICM.