Leonie Marjorie Short

A matter of trust – patient's views on decision-making in colorectal cancer

Objectives  To determine which aspects of the treatment decision process, therapy and outcomes are most important to patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Evidence‐based consumer choice: a case study in colorectal cancer screening

Objectives:To elicit community preferences for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening by faecal occult blood test (FOBT) using discrete choice modeling (DCM). To provide policymakers with information that would assist them in designing the future national screening program.

Discrete-choice experiment to measure patient preferences for the surgical management of colorectal cancer.

Establishing trust between a patient and his or her surgeon is of paramount importance. The aim of this study was to assess the relative importance of the ‘attributes of trust’ between surgeon and patient with colorectal cancer.

Measuring the importance of attributes that influence consumer attitudes to colorectal cancer screening

Background:  The aim of the present study was to rate the importance of attributes of screening for bowel cancer.

Riding the new wave: strengthening education for health promotion in Pacific Island countries.

This article provides an overview of developments in training programs in the Pacific Island countries (PICs) from the perspective of two Australians who assist in the promotion of health in area. There is historical evidence of successive waves of education in health promotion bringing a sequence of different approaches: from didactic health education to an individualistic approach to disease prevention to an era of social marketing. The latest and potentially the most influential new wave is the Healthy Islands Movement which started in 1995. Although health education for prevention of disease remained a consideration the primary focus has been on development of supportive environments for health through multiple approaches. It involves not only training in production and use of information education and communication (IEC) program materials but also building the capacity of PIC people to create and sustain health more effectively. The paper concludes with a commentary on the developments noting three aspects that need consideration for future education in health promotion. First local short courses must be made to meet local needs. Second the Healthy Island framework should be constructed as a regional umbrella under which local health promotion action can be nurtured. Third the myth that disease-prevention approaches are better than health-optimizing approaches should be examined. Health educators should assist others to ride the new wave in education for health promotion in PICs.