Examining non-medical prescribing trends in New Zealand: 2016–2020

Abstract Background Population growth and general practitioner workforce constraints are creating increasing demand for health services in New Zealand (NZ) and internationally. Non-medical prescribing (NMP) is one strategy that has been introduced to help manage this. Little is known about the NMP practice trends in NZ. The aim of this study was to provide a current overview of the scale, scope, and trends of NMP practice in NZ. Methods All claims for community dispensed medicines prescribed by a non-medical prescriber were extracted from the NZ Pharmaceutical Collection for the period 2016–2020. Patient demographics were retrieved from the Primary Health Organisation enrolment collection. These national databases contain prescription information for all subsidised community pharmacy medicines dispensed and healthcare enrolment data for 96% of New Zealanders. Results The proportion of prescriptions written by all NMP providers and patients receiving NMP prescriptions increased each year from 1.8% (2016) to 3.6% (2019) and 8.4% (2016) to 14.4% (2019) respectively. From 2016 to 2019, the proportion of NMP patients who had at least one NMP prescription increased from 26% to 39% for nurse prescribers, from 1% to 9% for pharmacist prescribers, from 2% to 3% for dietitian prescribers, and decreased from 47% to 22% for dentists, and from 20% to 12% for midwives. The most commonly prescribed medicines were antibiotics (amoxicillin, amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, and metronidazole), and analgesics (paracetamol, and codeine phosphate). While some NMP providers were prescribing for patients with greater health needs, all NMP providers could be better utilised to reach more of these patients. Conclusions This study highlights that although the NMP service has been implemented in NZ, it has yet to become mainstream healthcare practice. This work provides a baseline to evaluate the NMP service moving forward and enable policy development. Improved implementation and integration of primary care NMP services can ensure continued access to prescribing services and medicines for our communities.

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Australian and New Zealand Biosolids Partnership: Collaboration for more effective biosolids management

Water Practice & Technology ◽

10.2166/wpt.2010.037 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Andrew Speers ◽

Allen Gale ◽

Nancy Penney

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Policy Development ◽

Sustainable Management ◽

Best Practice ◽

Community Consultation ◽

Critical Research ◽

Community Attitudes ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship ◽

Sustainability Framework

This paper describes an international biosolids management initiative, known as the Australian and New Zealand Biosolids Partnership (ANZBP). The ANZBP - known formerly as the Australasian Biosolids Partnership – comprises 33 members dedicated to promoting the sustainable management of biosolids across the two nations. Two critical research projects are described, each of which contributes to the ANZBP goal of promoting the sustainable management of biosolids. The first is a review of community attitudes to biosolids management, the outcomes of which will be used to refine communication tools and methods of community consultation and which will provide input to policy development over time. The second is a review of regulations in place in Australia and New Zealand carried out to identify inconsistencies and improvements that could be made. An outcome of this initiative is potentially the development of a best practice manual. The relationship of the two projects to a sustainability framework adopted by the ANZBP is also described, as is the relationship of the two projects to each other.

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A Profile of Regional Psychiatry Publishing: Home and Away

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1046/j.1440-1614.2002.01075.x ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 36 (5) ◽

pp. 693-696 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Gordon Parker ◽

Kay Parker

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Zealand Journal ◽

Impact Factors ◽

Current Profile ◽

High Ranking ◽

Geographical Regions ◽

Psychological Medicine ◽

Year 2000 ◽

A Current

Objective: Previous reports have profiled Australian psychiatry publishing in high-ranking international journals over the last two decades. An audit of selected high ranking and regional psychiatric journals was therefore undertaken to obtain a current profile of Australasian publishing. Methods: Journals were selected on the basis of impact factors for the year 2000, with the top five regional, generalist and specialist journals being selected, and with publication numbers over a two-year period (1999–2000) compared with numbers from other major geographical regions. Results: Of the 4573 papers identified in the 15 journals, Australasian authors contributed 269 to the regional journals (with two-thirds in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry), 47 to the generalist journals (with two-thirds in Psychological Medicine) and very few (23) to the specialist journals. Representation in the so-called ‘dominant four’ international journals has increased since the 1986–1989 audit. When analysis was made of the ‘top nine’ international journals, the Australasian representation rate was a low 1.8% and lower than most regions examined. Conclusions: If Australasian psychiatry is to advance its international presence, a greater representation rate in top-ranking international journals should be set as an objective.

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Who Are the Key Players Involved with Shaping Public Opinion and Policies on Obesity and Diabetes in New Zealand?

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu10111592 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 1592

Author(s):

Willemijn de Bruin ◽

Cherie Stayner ◽

Michel Lange ◽

Rachael Taylor

Keyword(s):

Public Opinion ◽

New Zealand ◽

Policy Development ◽

Service Providers ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Health Service Providers ◽

Beverage Industry ◽

Obesity And Diabetes ◽

Food And Beverage ◽

Diabetes And Obesity

There is an urgent need for strategic approaches to address the high prevalence of obesity and diabetes in New Zealand. Such approaches rely strongly on input from multiple actors in the diabetes and obesity policy space. We conducted a social network analysis to identify influential actors involved with shaping public opinion and/or policy regarding obesity and diabetes in New Zealand. Our analysis revealed a diverse network of 272 individuals deemed influential by their peers. These individuals represented nine professional categories, particularly academics (34%), health service providers (22%), and government representatives (17%). The network included a total of 17 identified decision-makers. Relative capacity of professional categories to access these decision-makers was highest for representatives of the food and beverage industry (25%), compared with nongovernment organisations (9%) or academics (7%). We identified six distinct brokers, in academic (n = 4), government (n = 1), and nongovernmental (n = 1) positions, who could play a key role in improving communication and networking activities among all interest groups. Such actions should ultimately establish effective networks to foster evidence-based policy development to prevent and reduce the burden of diabetes and obesity.

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A systematic approach to evaluating and ranking the relative animal welfare impacts of wildlife control methods: poisons used for lethal control of brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) in New Zealand

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr16041 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 43 (7) ◽

pp. 553 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

N. J. Beausoleil ◽

P. Fisher ◽

K. E. Littin ◽

B. Warburton ◽

D. J. Mellor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Animal Welfare ◽

Policy Development ◽

Management Decision ◽

Pest Species ◽

Control Methods ◽

Trichosurus Vulpecula ◽

Welfare Impacts ◽

Wildlife Control ◽

Management Decision Making

Context Control of unwanted wildlife (‘pest’ animals) is undertaken for conservation and economic reasons, and when such animals are considered a nuisance. Such control should be undertaken using approaches that minimise, as far as possible, detrimental impacts on the welfare of the animals. Using a scientific framework based on the Five Domains model, the relative welfare impacts of pest control methods can be compared across methods and pest species. Aims We demonstrate the application of a modified version of this framework to evaluate the relative impacts of seven Vertebrate Toxic Agents (VTAs) used to control brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) in New Zealand. The evaluation is used to produce a ranking of the seven VTAs based on their relative impacts on possum welfare. Methods Scientific literature describing mode of toxic action, specific effects in possums or other animals and reports from human poisonings was collated as reference material for a panel of six experts. The panel produced a median welfare impact score (‘none’ to ‘extreme’) for each of the Five Domains. The ‘Overall Grade’ (1 to 8) reflected the intensity and duration of all impacts of a VTA on possums. Key results All VTAs evaluated have at least moderate impacts on possum welfare, lasting for at least minutes. Cyanide was assessed as having the lowest welfare impacts (median grade 4), and cholecalciferol and the anticoagulants the highest impacts (7.5 to 8). Zinc phosphide was assigned an intermediate grade (6) with high confidence. While the overall impacts of sodium fluoroacetate (1080) and phosphorus were also assessed as intermediate (6), the panel’s confidence in these scores was low. Conclusions From an animal welfare perspective, anticoagulant poisons and cholecalciferol should be the least preferred options for controlling possums in New Zealand, as VTAs with less severe welfare impacts are available. Implications The results of such assessments allow animal welfare impacts to be integrated with other factors in wildlife management decision-making and policy development, and are thus useful for managers, researchers, regulators and operators. Evaluation of welfare impacts aligns with the goals and mandates of ethical wildlife control and may also be valuable in wider wildlife research and management activities.

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The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists

International Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/s1749367600007529 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 2 (10) ◽

pp. 19-21

Author(s):

Philip Boyce ◽

Nicola Crossland

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Policy Development ◽

Continuing Professional Development ◽

Health It ◽

Scientific Congress ◽

Zealand College ◽

Training Programmes ◽

General Community ◽

And Training

The vision of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) is of ‘a fellowship of psychiatrists working with and for the general community to achieve the best attainable quality of psychiatric care and mental health’. It is the principal organisation representing the specialty of psychiatry in Australia and New Zealand; it currently has around 2600 Fellows, who account for approximately 85% of psychiatrists in Australia and 50% of psychiatrists in New Zealand. The RANZCP sets the curriculum, accredits training and training programmes, and assesses trainee psychiatrists. In addition, it administers a continuing professional development programme for practising psychiatrists, has a role in policy development, publishes two scientific journals – the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry and Australasian Psychiatry – and holds an annual scientific congress.

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Constructing the problem of initial teacher education in Aotearoa New Zealand: policy formation and risk, 2010-2018

The New Zealand Annual Review of Education ◽

10.26686/nzaroe.v24i0.6322 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 ◽

pp. 5

Author(s):

Alexandra C. Gunn ◽

Helen Trevethan

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

New Zealand ◽

Policy Development ◽

Policy Decision ◽

Policy Formation ◽

Initial Teacher Education ◽

Relevant Evidence ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand ◽

Policy Decision Making ◽

Policy Solutions

This paper reports findings from an interpretive policy and discourse analysis of documents informing contemporary initial teacher education (ITE) policy development in Aotearoa New Zealand. The study first asks: what is the problem of teacher education as constituted in policy and associated documents in the period 2010-2018? We then compare the problems, suggested solutions, and recent evidence about the work of teacher education in New Zealand, to discuss the policy discourse, and theorise about the potential utility of solutions to address the problems raised. Our comparative analysis of the problems of ITE and proposed policy solutions with research evidence of teacher education work underscores the imperative of engagement with local and relevant evidence-based knowledge as a basis for informed policy decision making.

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Perceptions of academic leaders in New Zealand regarding the functions of moderation of internal assessment: A mixed methods study

10.26686/wgtn.17136122 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Anna Huia Williams

Keyword(s):

Quality Assurance ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

New Zealand ◽

Professional Learning ◽

Policy Development ◽

Online Survey ◽

Formal Education ◽

Educational Quality ◽

Academic Leaders ◽

Internal Assessment

<p>In formal education and training, internal assessment (in which assessor judgements are made within education organisations) is widely used for summative purposes to contribute to the award of qualifications. In many jurisdictions including New Zealand, organisations that conduct these high-stakes internal assessments are required by regulation to engage in moderation within the organisation and with external quality assurance bodies to quality-assure those assessments. However, policies are rarely implemented directly as intended. Instead, they are enacted by organisations, that is, policies are interpreted and translated, with multiple factors influencing this process. One such factor is the person who takes the role of ‘policy narrator’ and leads the policy interpretation and translation within the organisation. In New Zealand there is further potential for enactment variation because education organisations are largely self-governing, and thus have substantial freedom regarding organisational systems and practices. Moderation is commonly held to have both accountability and improvement purposes. However, it is unknown what policy narrators within New Zealand organisations consider the functions of moderation to be. This study sought to explore what the academic leaders who are responsible for moderation in New Zealand secondary and tertiary organisations (i.e., those likely to be policy narrators) perceive as the functions of internal moderation and national moderation conducted by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA moderation). Further, the study sought to ascertain whether there are any observable differences in perceptions according to organisation type. A pragmatic mixed methods sequential research design was implemented. An online survey instrument was developed informed from interview findings, and then administered using a census approach to collect data (n = 221). Both qualitative and quantitative data analyses were conducted. Academic leaders were found to believe that moderation functions across multiple embedded contexts, from the immediate assessment event, to organisational and societal contexts. Internal and NZQA moderation were seen to work in the narrowly-focused area of assessment quality, and the broader areas of professional learning, organisational quality assurance, maintaining public and stakeholder confidence, and educational quality (internal moderation only). Instead of subscribing to the dominant improvement and accountability discourses, for the most part academic leaders tended think of moderation in more encompassing ways than the literature suggests. Respondents from Private Training Enterprises (PTEs) tended to see the organisational quality assurance and educational quality functions as being more important or having a stronger emphasis, and to hold a broader view of moderation functions, than those from schools. These findings could assist those in organisations to recognise and examine the influence of their own perceptions on practice, and identify opportunities to optimise how their organisations use moderation. The findings enable policy makers to ascertain the degree of alignment between policy intent and enactment, and could inform policy development and communication to the sector. Further, the potential for NZQA to increase the broader and improvement-focused aspects of moderation practice, while maintaining—and enhancing—its accountability focus is highlighted.</p>

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Evaluation, Science and Pragmatism

Policy Quarterly ◽

10.26686/pq.v17i1.6728 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nicholas Huntington

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Political Party ◽

Policy Development ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Doctoral Research ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand ◽

Evidence Based Policy ◽

Research Uptake ◽

Policy Work ◽

Good Policy

In Aotearoa New Zealand, as elsewhere, the evidence-based policy movement has been one of the most visible recent influences on how policies are described, discussed and debated. It is now commonly taken for granted that good policy work involves using evidence, and that it is important to increase the influence of data and research uptake during policy development. Promoting evidence-based policy has even been used as the raison d’être for the founding of a political party. However, the voices and perspectives of practitioners themselves are often missing from conversations about evidence’s role in policy work. Drawing on my doctoral research, this article presents three stances that frame how policy workers approach evidence in their practice.

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The First-Class, the Familiar and the Forgettable: An analysis of Prime Ministerial performance in New Zealand

10.26686/wgtn.17135105.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Katherine Smith

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Political Leadership ◽

The United States ◽

Public Perceptions ◽

Prime Ministers ◽

Political Performance ◽

Professional Interest ◽

And Performance ◽

Current List ◽

A Current

<p>Within the literature associated with political leadership, scholarship directly focused upon political performance in office is thinly conducted, both in New Zealand and in other areas across the world. This thesis aims to greater understand political leadership and performance in New Zealand, and address the gaps in the literature correlated with Prime Ministerial performance. To do this, this thesis provides a current list of rankings of former Premiers and Prime Ministers in New Zealand and identifies the dimensions that one must fulfil to display exceptional performance in office. To undertake this research, this thesis uses a series of surveys – distributed to students at Victoria University of Wellington, and to other individuals with a professional interest in politics and history in New Zealand – to best assess public perceptions towards political performance. Building upon the path dependency created by former exercises of the same nature in New Zealand (conducted by Simon Sheppard in 1998, and by Jon Johansson and Stephen Levine in 2011), this thesis provides a snapshot of the current public perceptions of outstanding political performance. In a similar nature to the earlier studies, this thesis identifies the dimensions of longevity, death in office, and being a ‘big change’ or crisis Prime Minister as being directly correlated with elevated performance in office. Additionally, this thesis investigates whether a series of variables – namely time between exercises in New Zealand, and the appearance of a possible recency effect– provide any influence or change over results. Additionally, this thesis moves outside the scope of exercises conducted previously in New Zealand, by ranking Prime Ministerial performance using a series of different methodologies. In conjunction with a replication of the exercises already conducted in New Zealand, this survey also assesses Prime Ministerial performance by using a survey based upon the well-cited Schlesinger ranking studies in the United States, and a third survey aimed to assess political shifts and levels of knowledge and recall rates amongst university students. Regardless of such factors, the results of this thesis remain consistent with previous exercises, with Michael Savage, Richard Seddon, Helen Clark and Peter Fraser being regarded by the political and academic elite across all surveys as embodying the highest qualities of successful political leadership in New Zealand.</p>

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Individualism/Collectivism and Academic Self-Enhancement in New Zealand Māori University Students

Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology ◽

10.1375/prp.4.2.138 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 138-151 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Natasha A. Tassell ◽

Ross A. Flett ◽

Jhanitra R. Gavala

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Academic Success ◽

New Zealand ◽

University Students ◽

Policy Development ◽

Educational Strategies ◽

Negative Contribution ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

The Past ◽

Cultural Orientations

AbstractThe present study had several aims: to examine horizontal/vertical individualism/collectivism in a New Zealand Māori sample; to determine whether these cultural orientations contribute to academic self-enhancement; and to investigate if self-enhancement affects intentions to continue studies in higher education. A quantitative questionnaire was distributed to a nonprobability convenience sample of 71 Māori university students. All participants had either studied within the past year or were currently studying, and were recipients of a Māori-specific bursary for higher education studies. Results revealed the sample scored high on measures of horizontal collectivism and academic self-enhancement. ANOVAs showed some significant differences between our sample and other cultural samples on some of the cultural orientations. A series of standard multiple regressions revealed that combined, the cultural orientations predicted academic self-enhancement, although only horizontal collectivism made a significant negative contribution. Academic intentions were not predicted by self-enhancement. The findings have implications for policy development and educational strategies oriented toward enhancing the academic success of Māori in higher education.

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