Kerena A Eckert

University of Adelaide · Population Research and Outcome Studies (PROS)

Background/aims: Timely access to appropriate cardiac care is critical for optimizing positive outcomes after a cardiac event. Attendance at cardiac rehabilitation (CR) remains less than optimal (10%-30%). Our aim was to derive an objective, comparable, geographic measure reflecting access to cardiac services after a cardiac event in Australia. M...

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine changes in the prevalence of use of prescribed medicines in Australian community samples. Study design and setting: In this study, face-to-face interviews were carried out with random, representative samples of South Australian adults, aged ≥15 years. Data on self-reported use of prescribed medicin...

Background Aims: Timely access to appropriate cardiac care is critical for optimizing outcomes. Our aim was to derive an objective, comparable, geographic measure reflecting access to cardiac services for Australia’s 20,387 population locations. Methods: An expert panel defined the patient care pathway. Using geographic information systems (GIS) th...

Mental health literacy is the knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders that aid their recognition, management, or prevention and is considered to be an important determinant of help-seeking. This has relevance in suicide prevention, as depression, the clinical condition most frequently associated with suicidality, has been the target of communi...

The Cardiac Access-Remoteness Index of Australia (Cardiac ARIA) used geographic information systems (GIS) to model population level, road network accessibility to cardiac services before and after a cardiac event for all (20,387) population localities in Australia., The index ranged from 1A (access to all cardiac services within 1 h driving time) t...

Access to cardiac services is essential for appropriate implementation of evidence-based therapies to improve outcomes. The Cardiac Accessibility and Remoteness Index for Australia (Cardiac ARIA) aimed to derive an objective, geographic measure reflecting access to cardiac services. An expert panel defined an evidence-based clinical pathway. Using...

Executive Summary: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to impose a heavy burden in terms of cost, disability and death in Australia. Evidence suggests that increasing remoteness, where cardiac services are scarce, is linked to an increased risk of dying from CVD. Fatal CVD events are reported to be between 20% and 50% higher in rural areas compa...

Purpose To investigate 10-year trends in health-related quality of life and health service use associated with body mass index (BMI) and comorbid major depression in South Australia. Methods Data were obtained from 9,059 people aged ≥15 years who participated in representative surveys of the South Australian population in 1998, 2004, and 2008. Majo...

Several nomograms and algorithms have been developed to individualize pharmacokinetic monitoring with their own advantages and disadvantages. This study compared 3 pharmacokinetic methods for predicting doses and monitoring of gentamicin in adult patients with febrile neutropenia. A retrospective study of 75 patients with febrile neutropenia was co...

Background/Aims: Timely access is critical for optimising outcomes after a cardiac event. In Australia the overall attendance at cardiac rehabilitation remains low and in some communities’ access to basic services for secondary prevention is limited. The Cardiac Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia (Cardiac ARIA) is an objective, geograp...

Summary Cardiac ARIA modelled time/distance to all cardiac services along the road network and provides an objective, geographic, comparable index of potential access to cardiac services across Australia. Details In a cardiovascular emergency every minute counts and access to appropriate health care following an acute event is important for positiv...

PRESENTATION + POSTER. Background: Timely access to appropriate cardiac care is critical for optimising outcomes. Our aim was to derive an objective, comparable, geographic measure reflecting access to cardiac services for Australia’s 20,387 population locations. Methods: An expert panel defined a single patient care pathway. Using geographic infor...

PRESENTATION + POSTER. Background: Timely access to appropriate cardiac care is critical for optimising outcomes. Our aim was to derive an objective, comparable, geographic measure reflecting access to cardiac services for Australia's 20,387 population locations. Methods: An expert panel defined a single patient care pathway. Using geographic inf...

To investigate the trends in health-related quality of life and health service use associated with diabetes and/or major depression in South Australia from 1998 to 2008. Data analyzed were from 9,059 persons aged ≥15 years who participated in representative surveys of the South Australian population in 1998, 2004 and 2008. Major depression was dete...

In a cardiovascular emergency every minute counts and access to appropriate health care following an acute event is important for positive health outcomes. Cardiac ARIA modelled time/distance to all cardiac services along the road network across Australia and provides an objective, geographic, comparable index of potential access to cardiac service...

Cardiac ARIA: A geographic approach to measure accessibility to cardiac services in Australia before and after an acute cardiac event

To identify any changes in the prevalence of bipolar disorder (BD) between 1998, 2004, and 2008. Cross-sectional population-based surveys were conducted involving random and representative samples of South Australian adults aged ≥ 15 years. BD was assessed using the mood module of the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders instrument (PRIME-MD...

The objective of this research was to determine whether a history of school bullying victimization is associated with suicidal ideation in adult life. A random and representative sample of 2907 South Australian adults was surveyed in Autumn, 2008. Respondents were asked "When you were at school, did you experience traumatic bullying by peers that w...

To identify changes in the prevalence of major depression between 1998, 2004 and 2008 in South Australia. Face-to-face Health Omnibus surveys were conducted in 1998, 2004 and 2008 with approximately 3000 participants aged 15 years and over, who were random and representative samples of the South Australian population. Each survey used the same meth...

Background / Aims In a cardiac emergency every minute counts. Access to appropriate care immediately following an acute cardiac event is critical for positive outcomes. Current evidence shows that most lives are saved by treatment within the first hour. In 2006 cardiovascular disease claimed the lives of almost 46,000 Australians (34% of all deaths...

(PRESENTATION? +) POSTER. Background/aims: Access to appropriate health care following an acute cardiac event is important for positive outcomes. The aim of the Cardiac ARIA index was to derive an objective, comparable, geographic measure reflecting access to cardiac services across Australia. Methods: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were used...

To examine rural and urban differences in depression-related mental health literacy, experience of depression and help-seeking. Cross-sectional population-based survey stratified by rural and urban area. A random and representative sample of South Australian rural and urban young men aged between 15 and 30 years. Mental health literacy as determine...

Cardiac ARIA: Where not to have a heart attack in Australia!

PRESENTATION + POSTER. Background: There are inequalities in geographical access and delivery of health care services in Australia, particularly for cardiovascular disease (CVD), Australia’s major cause of death. Analyses and models that can inform and positively influence strategies to augment services and preventative measures are needed. The Car...

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to impose a heavy burden in terms of cost, disability and death in Australia. Recent evidence suggests that increasing remoteness, where cardiac services are scarce, is linked to an increased risk of dying from CVD. Fatal CVD events are reported to be between 20% and 50% higher in rural and remote a...

Background There is a widespread perception that the health status of rural Australians is poorer than that of urban Australians, characterised by higher mortality, lower life expectancies, and an increased incidence of some diseases. At present this perception is difficult to confirm or refute, in terms of mental illness, because of limited publis...

To describe changing patterns of skin cancer surgery by Australian general practitioners and make comparisons with specialists. Analysis of Medicare Australia item number reports for skin cancer excisions and for flap and graft repairs between 2001 and 2005. GPs' and specialists' rates of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) excisions, melanoma excision...

To compare yoga and relaxation as treatment modalities at 10 and 16 weeks from study baseline to determine if either of modality reduces subject stress, anxiety, blood pressure and improve quality of life. A randomised comparative trial was undertaken comparing yoga with relaxation. One hundred and thirty-one subjects with mild to moderate levels o...

To determine whether primary care management of chronic heart failure (CHF) differed between rural and urban areas in Australia. A cross-sectional survey stratified by Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas (RRMA) classification. The primary source of data was the Cardiac Awareness Survey and Evaluation (CASE) study. Secondary analysis of data obtain...

A case-control study was performed in South Australia to determine if L. longbeachae infection was associated with recent handling of commercial potting mix and to examine possible modes of transmission. Twenty-five laboratory-confirmed cases and 75 matched controls were enrolled between April 1997 and March 1999. Information on underlying illness,...

To determine the use of complementary and alternative medicines and therapies (CAM) and common treatment modalities in children. This is a cross-sectional, population-based survey of 2985 adult and 911 children aged 15 years or less, conducted in South Australia in Spring 2004. The outcome measures are CAM use in children in the previous 12 months....

There is growing evidence in Australia and elsewhere to indicate that prevalence rates of mental illness are no higher in rural and remote areas than in urban areas. However, it is generally perceived that people from rural and remote areas are at heightened risk of mental illness, because many psychosocial determinants of health are magnified by f...

Chronic heart failure (CHF) develops in frail elderly individuals who have suffered an acute or sustained insult to the structural efficiency of the heart due to the presence of underlying heart disease and/or hypertension. It is also more common in individuals with disproportionately high levels of cardiac disease or its risk factors, for example...

To determine whether mental illness is associated with accessibility and remoteness. A cross-sectional, population-based, computer-assisted telephone interview survey, stratified by Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) categories. Secondary analysis of data collected from 2545 South Australian adults in October and November 2000....

To compare rates of self-reported use of health services between rural, remote and urban South Australians. Secondary data analysis from a population-based survey to assess health and well-being, conducted in South Australia in 2000. In all, 2,454 adults were randomly selected and interviewed using the computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) s...

Current forms of analgesia often have significant side effects for women in labor. Bathing in warm water during labor has been reported to increase a woman's comfort level and cause a reduction in painful contractions. The objective of this trial was to compare immersion in warm water during labor with traditional pain management for a range of cli...

In an audit of 15,102 consecutive deliveries between 1986 and 1991, 3,168 labours were induced with intravenous oxytocin and 824 with 40 mg prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) vaginal gel. Four hundred and twenty women received PGF2 alpha alone and 404 received PGF2 alpha followed by oxytocin. The main aim of the study was to audit the safety of PG...

In an audit of 15,102 consecutive deliveries between 1986 and 1991, 3,168 labours were induced with intravenous oxytocin and 824 with 40 mg prostaglandin F2a (PGF2α) vaginal gel. Four hundred and twenty women received PGF2α alone and 404 received PGF2α followed by oxytocin. The main aim of the study was to audit the safety of PGF201 gel to stimulat...

To establish the efficacy and acceptability of combined continuous low-dose oestrogen and low-dose progestogen therapy, to determine whether any of three commercially available progestogens had any advantages or disadvantages in these circumstances and whether use of the lowest clinically effective oestrogen dose affected other outcomes being measu...