In this issue:
Articles: End of life choice
- Evidence-based law making on voluntary assisted dying
- When pain relief just isn’t enough: Even with access to the best palliative care, some patients still die in agony – assisted dying should be an option
- A guiding light in end of life care
- Agency, autonomy and euthanasia
Articles: Indigenous health and equity
- Kia whakatomuri te haere whakamua: engaging Maori rural communities in health and social service care
- COVID-19: we must not forget about Indigenous health and equity
- Using a Maori Model of Health to Analyse the Use of Equipment by New Zealand Maori Post-stroke
- Experiences of Maori of Aotearoa New Zealand's public health system: a systematic review of two decades of published qualitative research
- Mäori Pain Experiences and Culturally Valid Pain Assessment Tools for Mäori: A Systematic Narrative Review
Articles: The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, Oct 2020
- Understanding Cannabis
- Role of Primary Care in Suicide Prevention During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- America Needs Nurse Practitioners to Advocate for Social Justice
- Editorial: Diagnostic Reasoning and Diagnostic Errors
Events
- Maori women take the polls: 127 years on
- Knowledge is a blessing on your mind: Wananga and the Scientific Project
National news
- A year on since the origins of Covid-19: what we know about how it started
- Switch to Water Challenge: swap sugary drinks for water
International news
- Australia's 'bloke blindspot' - we keep overlooking the people most at risk of suicide
- More people are surviving severe COVID-19, but doctors aren't exactly sure why
Articles: End of life choice
1. Evidence-based law making on voluntary assisted dying
White, Ben P; Willmott, Lindy.
Australian Health Review. Aug 2020. 44(4), 544-546
Voluntary assisted dying is a major social policy issue with significant implications for the health system, health and medical professionals and the wider community. Voluntary assisted dying is now lawful in Victoria in limited circumstances, and other states are likely to follow Victoria and legalise the practice.
2. When pain relief just isn’t enough: Even with access to the best palliative care, some patients still die in agony – assisted dying should be an option
Nursing Standard [RCN Journal], Oct 30, 2019. 34(11), 51-52.
Dignity in Dying campaigns for greater choice and control at the end of life, including access to assisted dying for mentally competent adults. Its research reminds us that current end of life practices already involve complex ethical judgements.
3. A guiding light in end of life care
Cole , Elaine.
Primary Health Care [RCN Journal], Jun 2017. 27(6), 18
The homeless population of Plymouth had risen by 30%. The average age of death is 40-44 years, with advanced liver disease the most common cause. Many revolve between acute hospitals and hostels. Hostels were not seen as 'home' and a place to die, with hostel staff and volunteers lacking the skills needed to support their clients or signpost them to people who could help.
4. Agency, Autonomy and Euthanasia
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Sep 2020. 48(3), 555-564
Agency is the human capacity to freely choose one's thoughts, motivations and actions without undue internal or external influences; it is distinguished from decisional capacity. Four well-known conditions that can deeply affect agency are depression, demoralization, existential distress, and family dysfunction. The study reviews how they may diminish agency in persons whose circumstances may lead them to consider or request euthanasia or assisted suicide.
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Articles: Indigenous health and equity
5. Kia whakatomuri te haere whakamua: engaging Maori rural communities in health and social service care
Andre Mclachlan., Suzanne Pitama, Simon Justin Adamson
Centre for Health and Social Practice, Waikato Institute of Technology, New Zealand
AlterNative [Sage Journal], First Published 8 August, 2020, 202–210
This study presents a Kaupapa Maori qualitative case study in a small rural community, which highlights how western culture has permeated within and across a health care system.
6. COVID-19: we must not forget about Indigenous health and equity
McLeod, Melissa; Gurney, Jason; Ricci, Harris; Cormack, Donna & King, Paula.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Aug 2020, 44(4), 253-256.
There is major concern among those working in Maori health about the disproportionately negative impact a COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have on Maori communities in the event of widespread illness (www.uruta.maori.nz) – concerns that are relevant to Indigenous communities globally. In this paper we discuss risk to Maori and the need to consider Maori health equity in all levels of decision-making and in all strategies aimed at mitigating the impact of an overwhelming COVID-19 outbreak.
7. Using a Maori Model of Health to Analyse the Use of Equipment by New Zealand Maori Post-stroke
Boland, Pauline; Jones, Bernadette; Stanley, James; Graham, Fiona; Perry, Meredith; et al.
New Zealand Journal of Occupational Therapy. Jun 2020. 67(2), 19-26.
Purpose: To explore equipment use by New Zealand Maori post-stroke. The findings suggest Te Whare Tapa Wha is a culturally appropriate lens that occupational therapists can use to explore issues arising during equipment provision for Maori people.
8. Experiences of Maori of Aotearoa New Zealand's public health system: a systematic review of two decades of published qualitative research
Graham, Rebekah & Bridgette Masters-Awatere.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Jun 2020, 44 (3), 193-200.
Maori patients and whanau from the included papers mention both barriers and facilitators to health. We categorised barriers as organisational structures, staff interactions and practical considerations.
9. Mäori Pain Experiences and Culturally Valid Pain Assessment Tools for Mäori: A Systematic Narrative Review
Hoeta, Tobias J; Baxter, G David; Bryant, Katrina A Pötiki, & Mani, Ramakrishnan.
New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy; Wellington Vol. 48, Iss. 1, (Mar 2020): 37-50
The purpose of this systematic review was three-fold: to explore evidence of pain experiences among Maori, to identify any pain assessment questionnaires that capture Maori experiences of pain, and to propose a framework to evaluate the adherence to kaupapa Maori research guidelines.
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Articles: The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, Oct 2020
10. Understanding Cannabis
The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, Oct 2020. 16(9), 645-649.
The objective of this article is to provide clinicians with the basic knowledge needed to understand the mechanism of action of medicinal cannabis in humans. We also identify some common terms associated with the cannabis culture and offer suggestions for patient teaching.
11. Role of Primary Care in Suicide Prevention During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, Oct 2020. 16(9), 654-659.
This article focuses on screening tools, identification of the potentially suicidal patient in the primary care setting, and a specific focus on suicide prevention during widespread, devastating events, such as a pandemic.
12. America Needs Nurse Practitioners to Advocate for Social Justice
The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, Oct 2020. 16(9), 710-711.
The era of COVID-19 has highlighted disparities within the health care system. The pandemic, in combination with the death of George Floyd, has resulted in professional organizations condemning racism as a public health issue. But what is the role of individual nurse practitioners in addressing systemic racism within the healthcare system?
13. Editorial: Diagnostic Reasoning and Diagnostic Errors
The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, Oct 2020. 16(9), A11-A12.
Diagnostic error is defined as “the failure to establish an accurate, timely explanation of the patient’s health problem(s) or communicate that explanation to the patient.”1 Although diagnostic errors are often the result of multiple factors, cognitive and systems-based, we have the most immediate control over the cognitive ones.
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Events
14. Maori women take the polls: 127 years on
Date: Friday 11 December 2020
Time: 12 noon to 1pm
Location: Programme Rooms, Te Ahumairangi (ground floor), National Library, corner Nolesworth and Aitken Streets, Thorndon, Wellington|
Cost: Entry is free
Contact: events.natlib@dia.govt.nz
15. Knowledge is a blessing on your mind: Wananga and the Scientific Project
Date: Tuesday 23 February 2021, 6pm to 7pm
Location: Taiwhanga Kauhau — Auditorium, National Library Wellington. Entrance on Aitken Street
Cost: Free, but bookings are essential
Contact: turnbullfriends@gmail.com
This event is part of the Friends of the Turnbull Public Programme 2021 series.
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National news
16. A year on since the origins of Covid-19: what we know about how it started
Radio New Zealand, 17 November 2020: This time last year - as China's perishing winter descended across most of the country - rumours about a strange new flu were beginning to circulate in Wuhan.
17. Switch to Water Challenge: swap sugary drinks for water
HealthCentral, 3 November 2020: New Zealand Olympic pole-vaulter Eliza McCartney’s message to New Zealanders this November is to swap their sugary drinks for water.
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International news
18. Australia's 'bloke blindspot' - we keep overlooking the people most at risk of suicide
The Age – 19 November 2020: If we middle-aged white men are running the patriarchy, we should be sacked for not looking after ourselves. The numbers underscore a depressing situation in Australian men’s health. Yet positive action on the ground – men taking ownership for their health – and at the national policy level this week are new reasons for optimism.
19. More people are surviving severe COVID-19, but doctors aren't exactly sure why
Calgary Herald – 18 November 2020: The gains are likely due to a combination of factors, including a better understanding of how COVID affects different organ systems, and how to manage it.
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