The University of Notre Dame Australia

Nurses’ limited contribution to interdisciplinary delirium care of acute care patients following a positive 4AT: A medical record audit

OBJECTVE We sought to determine the extent and nature of interdisciplinary delirium care that hospitalised patients received following a positive delirium screen, and nurses’ contribution to that care. METHODS A Delirium Standard-aligned medical record audit involving patients wi...

Investigating the Use of Routine Swabs in Incision and Drainage of Abscesses: An Audit of Western Sydney Hospitals

ABSTRACT Background Incision and drainage of subcutaneous abscesses is a common surgical procedure. It is the standard of treatment, with or without adjunctive antibiotics. Interestingly, there exists a lack of evidence regarding the role of intraoperative sampling of the purulen...

Somatosensory processing is altered in people with hip osteoarthritis compared to controls: A cross-sectional study

Background With knee osteoarthritis (OA), measures of mechanical and thermal pain sensitivity relate to both pain severity and treatment outcomes, and lower limb left/right judgement is impaired. However, little is known about these somatosensory variables in people with hip OA....

A Word of Caution: Watch and Wait in the Total Mesorectal Excision Era

ABSTRACT Background Watch and wait strategies offer organ preservation for selected patients with rectal cancer following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy ( nCRT ). Long‐term outcomes following nCRT and total mesorectal excision ( TME ) provide important context for evaluating these...

Validation of the PANAMA Score in Patients With Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Undergoing Distal Pancreatectomy

ABSTRACT Background The PANAMA score was developed as a post‐NAT prognostic tool for PDAC. Prior validations have been dominated by pancreatic head cancers. Pancreatic body and tail tumours represent a biologically distinct subgroup and remain underrepresented in NAT cohorts. Whe...

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...

A South African Language Teacher Educator's Reflective Journey Through Sociocultural Theory and Asset‐Based Mediation

Abstract This reflective article chronicles a South African English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) university teacher educator's journey from professional disillusionment toward a more intentional, transformative praxis. The catalyst for this journey was the recurring observati...

A Silent Killer in an Unlikely Place: Necrotizing Fasciitis of the Breast

Background: Primary necrotizing fasciitis (NF) of the breast is a rare, life-threatening soft tissue infection that is frequently misdiagnosed due to its non-specific early presentation and uncommon anatomical location. Objective: We report a case of primary NF of the breast to h...

Effects of self-acupressure on the fatigue-sleep disturbance-depression symptom cluster in breast cancer survivors: a phase III randomised controlled trial

PURPOSE: To explore the effectiveness and safety of self-acupressure intervention on the fatigue-sleep disturbance-depression symptom cluster (FSDSC) among breast cancer (BC) survivors and to explore within-trial costs associated with the intervention. METHODS: Eligible participa...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Home-Care and Community Nursing: A Scoping Review

Background/Objectives: Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being applied across healthcare, but empirical evidence on its use in home-care and community nursing remains fragmented across technologies, clinical contexts, nursing roles, and stages of implementation. This s...

Personal health impacts of adventurous outdoor learning

Abstract This article examines the burgeoning field of study exploring links between health, wellbeing, and adventurous outdoor learning. Key terms (outdoor learning, adventure, nature, health, wellbeing, and wellness) are defined before delving into dimensions of wellbeing that...

A missing dimension? Christian religion, spirituality and eating disorder healthcare: a qualitative study

Eating disorders are serious conditions that require more effective, individualised approaches to care. For some people, religious and spiritual factors can become intertwined with eating disorders, heightening struggle and/or supporting recovery. However, such factors are rarely...

Mental Health Professionals’ Perspectives on Essential Elements of Telehealth Family Psychoeducation for Major Depressive Disorder: An Exploratory Study

Family-inclusive interventions, such as family psychoeducation (FPE), improve outcomes in major depressive disorder (MDD), particularly when tailored to the needs of individuals with MDD, their families, and carers. This study explored mental health professionals' (MHPs) perspect...

ANZTCT cytomegalovirus practice survey for allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplant and cellular therapy recipients in Australia and New Zealand

BACKGROUND: Despite pre-emptive treatment (PeT), cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease and reactivation remain a clinical concern. In Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), variability exists in the management of CMV for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients. AIMS AND METH...

Association between experience quality in a short-term, voluntary, rural, funded, immersion placement program on future rural engagement decisions

BACKGROUND: Rural immersion programs are commonly used to expose medical students to rural practice using curriculum-embedded placements. However, evidence regarding short-term, funded, voluntary, rural immersion placements that are not part of standard curricula-based training a...

Implementing univerSal TeleprehabiliTation into cAnceR caRe pathwayS (STTARRS Trial): protocol for a hybrid type 1 multi-centre randomised controlled trial and nested sub study

Abstract Background Postoperative complications are common after major cancer surgeries, occurring in 25–50% of patients. They delay recovery and adversely affect both cancer-free and overall survival. Intervention to optimise patients’ physical and psychological wellbeing before...

Trends in Emergency Department Use by Older People in the Western Australian Community and Residential Care

Objectives The number of older people in Australia living with disability has grown disproportionately compared with growth in aged care services. We aimed to determine secular trends of emergency department (ED) use of older people in Western Australia (WA) who are living in the...

A qualitative analysis to identify implementation strategies for a deprescribing clinical practice guideline using the CFIR-ERIC Matching Tool: perspectives from consumers and professional stakeholders

Abstract Introduction Deprescribing is the planned withdrawal or dose reduction of medicines when harms outweigh benefits or when they are no longer required. Following publication of the Clinical Practice Guideline for Deprescribing in Older People in September 2025, supporting...

Exploration of the relationships between health literacy and experience of care integration in parents of children with special healthcare needs: a cross-sectional study

This study sought to identify health literacy profiles of Australian parents of children with special health care needs (SHCN), and explore the relationships between health literacy, experiences of health care integration, and parent stress. A cross-sectional study design was use...

Predictive validity of the Addenbrooke’s cognitive Examination III for on-road driving outcomes in a clinical fitness-to-drive population: a prospective cohort study

Background Evidence-based fitness-to-drive assessment must balance public safety and fairness. Cognitive screens are commonly used, but must be accurate in high-stakes contexts. The predictive utility of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) for driving outcomes r...