Factors Associated with Early Versus Late Uptake of the COVID-19 Vaccine during Pregnancy over Time in Australia: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Pregnant women are at an increased risk of hospitalisation, admission to the intensive care unit, mechanical ventilation, and death from SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of this study is to determine the predictive factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake during pregnancy over time in a population with a high background uptake of maternal influenza and pertussis vaccination. METHODS: This is a population-based, cohort study of all pregnant women who gave birth in Victoria, Australia between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022. Data from the Victorian Perinatal Data Collection were analysed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: This study reports on 77,719 women who gave birth over a 12 month period, of whom 49,281 (63.4%) received a COVID-19 vaccine, 54,887 (70.6%) received an influenza vaccination and 63,594 (81.8%) received a pertussis vaccine by the time of delivery. Pregnant women aged >30 years (aOR 1.31 CI 1.27, 1.36), who had >=8 antenatal visits (aOR 1.08 CI 1.04, 1.12), and those who received influenza vaccine (aOR 1.23 CI 1.19, 1.28) were more likely to have received a COVID-19 vaccine. Those who smoked (aOR 0.7 CI 0.66, 0.74), were First Nations (aOR 0.83 CI 0.74, 0.93) and those who gave birth in public hospitals (aOR 0.65 CI 0.63, 0.68) were less likely to receive COVID-19 vaccine in the first 12 months of the rollout. CONCLUSION: Maternal age, smoking, parity and Indigenous status were factors associated with delayed and sustained lower coverage, even in a population with background maternal influenza and pertussis coverage of 70.6% and 81.8%, respectively.

The Australian General Practice Training program--reflections on the past decade.

How has general practice vocational training progressed towards the original goals established by the federal government and General Practice Education and Training 10 years ago?

Do regional primary-care organisations influence primary-care performance? A dynamic panel estimation.

The role of regional primary-care organizations (PCOs) in health-care systems is not well understood. This is the first study to attempt to isolate the effect of regional PCOs on primary-care performance. We examine Divisions of General Practice in Australia, which were established in 1992. A unique Division-level panel data set is used to examine the effect of Divisions, and their activities, on various aspects of primary-care performance. Dynamic panel estimation is used to account for state dependence and the endogeneity of Divisions' activities. The results show that Divisions were more likely to have influenced general practice infrastructure than clinical performance in diabetes, asthma and cervical screening. The effect of specific Division activities, such as providing support for practice nurses and IT support, was not directly related to changes in the level of general practice performance. Specific support in the areas of diabetes and asthma was associated with general practice performance, but this was due to reverse causality and the effect of unobservable factors, rather than the direct effect of Divisions.

Whither Divisions of General Practice? An empirical and policy analysis of the impact of Divisions within the Australian health care system.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of Divisions of General Practice on various measures of primary care performance. DESIGN AND SETTING: Regression analysis using longitudinal data across Australia. PARTICIPANTS: All Divisions of General Practice between 2002 and 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fourteen indicators of primary care performance in the areas of general practice infrastructure, access, multidisciplinary working, chronic disease, and measurable aspects of quality of care. RESULTS: Between 2002 and 2004, Divisions and the activities they performed were associated with a number of measures of primary care performance, particularly measures of general practice infrastructure. Of the total variation in each performance indicator, between 19% and 64% can be attributed to the influence of Divisions while controlling for remoteness, health needs, and general practitioner characteristics. In all regression models, these effects were significant (P < 0.05). Divisions that provided support in electronic communication and electronic transfer of data were associated with: a 0.56 (95% CI, 2 0.04 to 1.2; P = 0.07) percentage point increase in the proportion of Practice Incentives Program (PIP) practices; a 0.73 (95% CI, 2 0.09 to 1.5; P = 0.08) percentage point increase in the proportion of PIP practices with electronic prescribing software; and a 0.66 (95% CI, 0.05 to 1.3; P = 0.03) percentage point increase in the proportion of PIP practices with a modem. Divisions providing activities with an asthma focus were associated with a 0.84 (95% CI, 0.02 to 1.5; P = 0.01) percentage point increase in the proportion of PIP practices receiving the asthma sign-on payment. There were no significant effects of Division activities on clinical aspects of care, such as GP claims for Service Incentive Payments for asthma, diabetes or cervical screening. CONCLUSIONS: Divisions of General Practice had an effect on primary care performance in a difficult health system context.

Is Sir Astley Cooper's 1823 advice to medical students still relevant?

In an 1823 lecture to medical students on the principles and practice of surgery, London surgeon Sir Astley Cooper raised many issues still discussed among doctors today, including: the importance of studying anatomy; factors leading to what would now be called "adverse events"; and the possible legal consequences of making errors. Cooper stressed the need for open communication between doctors and patients. Cooper practised surgery during a period when old medical guild controls were breaking down and before new professional regulatory bodies had developed. Cooper's lecture suggests that the important principles that underpin competent, caring professional practice endure today.