Sydney Local Health District

Ordering Herpes simplex virus serology in asymptomatic, non-pregnant patients: a national survey of Australian General Practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes and practices

Introduction Diagnostic serology for Herpes simplex virus is not recommended among asymptomatic, non-pregnant patients. Aim This study aimed to survey knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding herpes serology and management among general practitioners across Australia. Methods...

Paediatricians' Support for Adolescent Vaping Cessation in Australia: A National Cross‐Sectional Study

ABSTRACT Background Adolescent vaping is rising globally and in Australia, and evidence on paediatricians' cessation support is scarce. This study examined predictors of paediatricians' engagement in vaping cessation among adolescents, focusing on disparities in knowledge, attitu...

Role of Clinical Trials in Implementation Science and Organization Change: An Overview of Cluster, Stepped-Wedge, and Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Studies

Implementation science plays a pivotal role in advancing organizational change within stroke healthcare settings by systematically evaluating and facilitating the adoption of evidence-based practices. This topical review examines the use of key trial designs relevant to implement...

Investigating the role of excipients in mitigating surface adsorption, aggregation and structural degradation in liquid phage formulations

The race to produce therapeutically acceptable phages is driven by their rapid loss of infectivity, placing strain on laboratories, healthcare infrastructure and patients. Enhancing product shelf-life will alleviate this barrier to their upscaling and clinical application. We sys...

Women’s Attitudes toward the 2024 US Preventive Services Task Force Mammography Screening Guideline

Background: From 2009 to 2024, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that women aged 40 to 49 y make an informed choice about when to begin having mammograms. In 2024, the USPSTF changed its guidelines, recommending biennial screening from age 40 to 74 y. Thi...

Association of Oral Health Assessment Tool Findings With Periodontal Screening Outcomes in Adults With Diabetes

ABSTRACT Background Periodontal disease is common among adults with diabetes, yet periodontal screening is rarely incorporated into routine outpatient diabetes care. The Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) is a structured observational tool designed for non‐dental healthcare profe...

Impacts of a Statewide Prescription Drug Monitoring Program—Healthcare Practitioner Perspectives

ABSTRACT This study examined the perceived impacts of New South Wales' (NSW) statewide prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP; “SafeScript NSW”) from the perspective of prescribers and pharmacists, using a qualitative descriptive design. Fourteen prescribers and pharmacists w...

Implementation and Management of Cancer Clinical Quality Registries in Australia: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT Background In Australia, clinical quality registries (CQRs) for cancer care are becoming increasingly common, requiring integration across multiple sectors of the health system. This study sought to identify the means to successful implementation of CQRs in Australia by...

Moving beyond sexual and reproductive health knowledge: an evaluation of a co-designed digital engagement tool to promote sexual and reproductive health among international students in New South Wales, Australia

Background This study evaluates the perceived impact and needed enhancement of a co-designed digital sexual and reproductive health (SRH) tool (‘the Hub’) developed to address SRH literacy gaps among international students (IS) in New South Wales, Australia. Despite Australia’s l...

Clinicians' Perspectives and Experiences of Barriers, Enablers and Implementation of a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Crisis Service: A Qualitative Evaluation of the Safeguards Team Program

BACKGROUND: Presentations of children and young people (CYP) to Emergency Departments (ED) for acute mental health (MH) issues have increased globally and in Australia. The Safeguards Teams Program (STP) was implemented to provide acute, rapid response, recovery-focused, trauma-i...

Combinations of stepping intensity and daily step counts against all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality: insights from a device-based prospective study

Objective Understanding the joint role of stepping intensity and step counts could inform pragmatic step-based physical activity strategies for premature mortality prevention. We examined the joint association of stepping intensity and daily step counts with all-cause mortality (...

A Double‐Blind Randomised Controlled Crossover Trial of the Effect of Blue‐Enriched Ambient Light on Sleep in Older Adults With Sleep Disturbance: The CleverLights Study

ABSTRACT Light interventions have been investigated for treating sleep disturbances in older adults; however, findings are mixed. This proof‐of‐concept trial investigated the effect of blue‐enriched ambient light on electroencephalographic (EEG) sleep in older adults with self‐re...

Describing an integrated partnership approach to improving sexual health literacy and service navigation for international students in Sydney, Australia

BACKGROUND: The population of international students (IS) in New South Wales (NSW) continues to grow post-COVID-19, with IS a key priority within NSW Health HIV and sexually transmissible infection (STI) strategies and efforts. Evidence shows gaps in sexual and reproductive healt...

Exploring Patient‐Reported Outcome Measures and Patient‐Reported Experience Measures in Cardiovascular Value‐Based Healthcare

ABSTRACT The use of Patient‐Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and Patient‐Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) in cardiovascular disease (CVD) healthcare is an area of global growing interest for improving patient clinical outcomes. Historically, PROMs and PREMs have evolved over...

The Association of Umbilical Cord Blood Neurofilament Light With Nonreassuring Fetal Status: A Prospective Observational Study

( Int J Gynaecol Obstet . 2026 Mar;172(3):1491–1500. doi:10.1002/ijgo.70421) A prospective observational study explored whether neurofilament light (NfL), a marker of neuronal injury, can be reliably measured in umbilical cord blood and whether it is associated with nonreassuring...

Factors Associated with Extreme Waiting Times for Child Developmental Diagnostic Assessments: A Mixed-Methods Service Evaluation in Sydney

Background: Previous Australian child developmental assessment service (CDAS) cohorts have identified a small proportion of children experiencing extreme waiting times (≥730 days) for standardised developmental assessments. However, factors associated with these extreme waits rem...

End-of-life planning and its governing policies: a comparison of New South Wales public health facility documents

OBJECTIVE: This desktop/scoping document review aimed to determine differences in availability, content, definitions, and terminology used in NSW Health policy documents that pertained to end-of-life planning. METHODS: A desktop/scoping comparative analysis of identified document...

Clearance of Treponema pallidum from oral and anal sites after treatment of secondary syphilis: results from a multi-centre, prospective, cross-sectional study

Background Syphilis is increasing worldwide, and secondary syphilis may represent its most infectious stage. Scarce data exist on Treponema pallidum clearance after treatment. We aimed to determine the frequency and load of T. pallidum mucosal shedding, and time to clearance foll...

Patient-Specific Sensitivity of Osteotomy Interface Modelling in Mandibular Reconstruction

This study systematically investigates the influence of different interface modelling assumptions on biomechanical predictions using patient-specific models and evaluates their agreement with postoperative configurations. Five mandibular reconstruction cases using vascularised os...

Issues in the clinical assessment and management of people living with motor neurone disease (MND): a survey of Australian healthcare professionals

Objective: To inform the development of the Australian MND Guideline, this study aimed to identify challenges Australian healthcare professionals (HCPs) face in the clinical assessment and management of people living with MND (plwMND) including where practice varies from evidence...