Caregiving attachment in mothers with schizophrenia: Child and Youth Mental Health Service, Mater Misericordiae Health Services, South Brisbane, Australia

The assessment of parenting capacity and appropriate provision of services to assist parents with mental illness requires improved understanding of how a mental illness may affect the parent-child relationship. Mothers with mental illness may be defensive when providing self-report accounts of their parenting. Within the framework of attachment theory, this study developed a methodology for investigating the quality and characteristics of caregiving through exploration of the mothers' perceptions and strategies in managing her child at bedtime. Utilising questions derived from caregiving attachment research, five mothers with schizophrenia participated in a semi-structured interview concerning bedtime separation. In addition the mothers completed a modified standardised measure of attachment style, the Parent Bonding Instrument, to provide information regarding how they perceived their parenting style. The mothers demonstrated very poor understanding of their child's bedtime anxiety. They described difficulty being effective with bedtime strategies and attributed it to medication-induced fatigue. The interview data contrasted significantly with the Parent Bonding Instrument data in which the mothers did not identify concerns in themselves as caregivers. This study demonstrated the feasibility of a novel approach to gathering information regarding parenting from mothers with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Human-specific E. coli single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes detected in a South-East Queensland waterway, Australia

The World Health Organization recommends that the majority of water monitoring laboratories in the world should test for E. coli daily since thermotolerant coliforms and E. coli are key indicators for risk assessment of recreational waters. Recently, we developed a new SNP method for typing E. coli strains, by which human-specific genotypes were identified. Here, we report the presence of these previously described specific SNP profiles in environmental water, sourced from the Coomera River, located on South East Queensland, Australia, over a period of two years. This study tested for the presence of human-specific E. coli to ascertain whether hydrologic and anthropogenic activity plays a key role in the pollution of the investigated watershed or whether the pollution is from other sources. We found six human-specific SNP profiles and one animal-specific SNP profile consistently across sampling sites and times. We have demonstrated that our SNP genotyping method is able to rapidly identify and characterise human- and animal-specific E. coli isolates in water sources.

SNP diversity of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium in a South East Queensland waterway, Australia, and associated antibiotic resistance gene profiles

BACKGROUND: Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium are associated with faecal pollution of water, linked to swimmer-associated gastroenteritis and demonstrate a wide range of antibiotic resistance. The Coomera River is a main water source for the Pimpama-Coomera watershed and is located in South East Queensland, Australia, which is used intensively for agriculture and recreational purposes. This study investigated the diversity of E. faecalis and E. faecium using Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and associated antibiotic resistance profiles. RESULTS: Total enterococcal counts (cfu/ml) for three/six sampling sites were above the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) recommended level during rainfall periods and fall into categories B and C of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines (with a 1-10% gastrointestinal illness risk). E. faecalis and E. faecium isolates were grouped into 29 and 23 SNP profiles (validated by MLST analysis) respectively. This study showed the high diversity of E. faecalis and E. faecium over a period of two years and both human-related and human-specific SNP profiles were identified. 81.8% of E. faecalis and 70.21% of E. faecium SNP profiles were associated with genotypic and phenotypic antibiotic resistance. Gentamicin resistance was higher in E. faecalis (47% resistant) and harboured the aac(6')-aph(2') gene. Ciprofloxacin resistance was more common in E. faecium (12.7% resistant) and gyrA gene mutations were detected in these isolates. Tetracycline resistance was less common in both species while tet(L) and tet(M) genes were more prevalent. Ampicillin resistance was only found in E. faecium isolates with mutations in the pbp5 gene. Vancomycin resistance was not detected in any of the isolates. We found that antibiotic resistance profiles further sub-divided the SNP profiles of both E. faecalis and E. faecium. CONCLUSIONS: The distribution of E. faecalis and E. faecium genotypes is highly diverse in the Coomera River. The SNP genotyping method is rapid and robust and can be applied to study the diversity of E. faecalis and E. faecium in waterways. It can also be used to test for human-related and human-specific enterococci in water. The resolving power can be increased by including antibiotic-resistant profiles which can be used as a possible source tracking tool. This warrants further investigation.

Collaboration : developing integration in multi-purpose services in rural New South Wales, Australia

Introduction: The Multi-purpose Service (MPS) Program was introduced to rural Australia in 1991 as a solution to poor health outcomes in rural compared with metropolitan populations, difficulty in attracting healthcare staff and a lack of viability and range of health services in rural areas. The aim of this study was to describe the main concerns of participants involved in the development of multi-purpose services in rural New South Wales (NSW). This article is abstracted from a larger study and discusses the extent to which collaboration occurred within the new multi-purpose service. Methods: A constructivist grounded theory methodology was used. Participants were from 13 multi-purpose services in rural NSW and 30 in-depth interviews were conducted with 6 community members, 11 managers and 13 staff members who had been involved in the process of developing a multi-purpose service. Results: The main concern of all participants was their anticipation of risk. This anticipation of risk manifested itself in either trust or suspicion and explained their progression through a phase of collaborating. Participants who had trust in other stakeholders were more likely to embrace an integrated health service identity. Those participants, who were suspicious that they would lose status or power, maintained that the previous hospital services provided a better health service and described a coexistence of services within the multi-purpose service. Conclusions: This study provided an insight into the perceptions of community members, staff members and managers involved in the process of developing a multi-purpose service. It revealed that the anticipation of risk was intrinsic to a process of changing from a traditional hospital service to collaborating in a new model of health care provided at a multi-purpose service.

Domestic and international innovation partnerships : do they matter for innovation outcomes of South African firms?

This paper studies the impact of the diversity of domestic and international innovation partnerships on the innovation outcomes of South African firms. A number of competing hypotheses are formulated and tested empirically using a sample of South African firms in manufacturing and services by applying Ordinary Least Squares regression analyses. Results show that having an innovation partnership, particularly an international partnership, is beneficial to innovation outcomes. However, it also emerges that too diverse a set of international partnerships is detrimental to innovation outcomes. The paper concludes with a discussion and a number of proposals for future research.

#qldfloods and @QPSMedia: Crisis Communication on Twitter in the 2011 South East Queensland Floods

Social media, including Facebook and Twitter, played an important role in crisis communication at the height of the 2011 South East Queensland floods crisis (10-16 January). This report examines the role of the short-messaging system Twitter in disseminating and sharing crisis information and updates from state and local authorities as well as everyday citizens. We assess the overall use of Twitter, as well as that of the most important emergency service account, the Queensland Police’s @QPSMedia account.

State of Origin : Queensland Crown Leasehold - lessons from New South Wales

Throughout Australia freehold land interests are protected by statutory schemes which grant indefeasibility of title to registered interests. Queensland freehold land interests are protected by Torrens system established by the Land Title Act 1994. However, no such protection exists for Crown land interests. The extent of Queensland occupied under some form of Crown tenure, in excess of 70%, means that Queensland Crown land users are disadvantaged when compared to freehold land users. This article examines the role indefeasibility of title has in protecting interests in Crown land. A comparative analysis is undertaken between Queensland and New South Wales land management frameworks to determine whether interests in crown land are adequately protected in Queensland.

Teacher reporting questionnaire : New South Wales Non-Government Schools

This instrument was used in the project named Teachers Reporting Child Sexual Abuse: Towards Evidence-based Reform of Law, Policy and Practice (ARC DP0664847)

Bariatric patients and the use of mobile hoists : user experiences from three hospitals in South Australia

Nursing personnel are consistently identified as one of the occupational groups most at risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. During the moving and handling of bariatric patients, the weight of the patient combined with atypical body mass contributes to a significant risk of injury to the care provider and patient. This is further compounded by the shape, mobility and co-operation of the patient. The aim of this study was determine user experiences and design requirements for mobile hoists with bariatric patients. Structured interviews were conducted with six experienced injury management staff from the Manual Task Services department of three hospitals in Adelaide, South Australia. All staff had experience in patient handling, the use of patient handling equipment and the provision of patient handling training. A series of open-ended questions were structured around five main themes: 1) patient factors; 2) building/vehicle space and design; 3) equipment and furniture; 4) communication; and 5) staff issues. Questions focussed on the use of mobile hoists for lifting and transferring bariatric patients. Interviews were supplemented with a walk-through of the hospital to view the types of mobile hoists used, and the location and storage of equipment. Across the three hospitals there were differing classification systems to define bariatric patients. Ensuring patient dignity, respect and privacy were viewed as important in the management and rehabilitation of bariatric patients. Storage and space constraints were considered factors restricting the use of mobile floor hoists, with ceiling hoists being the preferred method for patient transfers. When using mobile floor hoists, the forces required to push, pull and manoeuvre, as well as sudden unstable movements of the hoist were considered important risks factors giving rise to a risk of injury to the care provider. Record keeping and purchasing policies appeared to inhibit the effective use of patient handling equipment. The moving and handling of bariatric patients presents complex and challenging issues. A co-ordinated and collaborative approach for moving and handling bariatric patients is needed across the range of care providers. Designers must consider both user and patient requirements.

Social infrastructure planning and sustainable communities : Example from South East Queensland, Australia

From its early birth through to the twenty-first century, the planning for social infrastructure has been viewed as a crucial element in promoting the development of healthy communities. The existence of good social infrastructure in every level of human settlement (i.e. neighbourhoods, districts, regions etc.) is vital because it is considered to be an element that impacts positively and meaningfully on the quality of life for members of the targeted community. The increasing importance of the sustainable development agenda in human settlements has prompted concerns over the cost of the government’s failure to provide for adequate social infrastructure for their communities. Part of this failure is attributed to the inconsistent outcome from the use of traditional planning standards that are based on population-to-facility ratios. This paper explores the literature discussion on social infrastructure for sustainable communities. It examines how a participation-oriented, need-sensitive approach in the planning and provision of social infrastructure is used as an alternative to the traditional standards that are based on population-to-facility ratios. It does this by giving an overview of its application in the planning and provision of social infrastructure for Australia’s fastest growing region of South-East Queensland.