Week 9 – Library Research Master-Class & Health Policy Window

Acknowledgement of Country & Course Context

  • Opening held on unceded Bedegal Country
    • Emphasis: Sovereignty never ceded, no treaty entered.
  • Week 9 (penultimate week) lecture; framed as a “master-class” on research for the Policy Brief assessment.

Mood-Setter & Music References

  • Bee Gees – “Stayin’ Alive”
    • Linked to health theme (staying alive/resilience).
  • Shawn Mendes – “In My Blood”
    • Addresses anxiety & resilience.
  • Former student suggested both tracks as thematic cues for health week.

Session Goals

  • By end of class students should be able to:
    • Locate academic & grey literature for policy research.
    • Use advanced search functions in UNSW Library Collection & specialist databases.
    • Recognise “policy windows” and stakeholder engagement for assessments.
    • Apply social-determinants perspective to health case studies.

Ice-Breaker – “Where did you search last assignment?”

  • Sources volunteered by students:
    • Google Scholar, Course Readings, UNSW Library homepage search, Government websites, Sociology databases (accidental discovery).
  • Teachable moment: each source has strengths/limits; databases often under-used.

Basic Source Matrix (Where to Start)

  • Course Moodle readings & e-reserve.
  • UNSW Library Collection quick search.
  • Subject-specific databases (via Subject Guides):
    • Medicine & Health
    • Social Sciences
    • Australian Public Affairs (APAIS)
    • ProQuest Central / ProQuest Sociology.
  • Government & parliamentary sites (use Google Advanced with site:.gov.au).
  • Think-tanks / NGOs (site:.org or site:.edu.au).
  • Trusted media databases: Factiva, Informit TV News.

UNSW Library Collection – Advanced Search Walk-Through

  • Use Advanced Search for precision.
    • Example query:
    • Field 1 (Title): "housing policy"
    • Connector AND
    • Field 2 (Any Field): Australia
  • Operators recap:
    • AND = intersection of concepts.
    • OR = synonyms/variants.
    • NOT = exclude.
    • Quotation marks for phrases (“housing policy”).
    • Field limiters (Title, Abstract) drastically cut noise.
  • Filtering tools:
    • Date range, Resource Type (Articles, Books, Govt Docs, News, Streaming Media).
  • Observation: UNSW Library Collection federates ~20-30 databases but not all; humanities & law coverage weaker ⇒ need specialist DBs.

Subject Guides & Specialist Databases

  • Access path: Library → Students → Guides to Library Resources → Subject Guides.
  • Guides give rank-ordered “Best Bets” per discipline.
    • Medicine: PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO (behavioural), etc.
    • Social Policy: APAIS, ProQuest Sociology, SocINDEX.
  • Platforms:
    • EBSCOhost (multiple DBs, e.g.
      CINAHL, SocINDEX).
    • ProQuest (Central, Sociology Collection, News stream).
  • Demonstrated search in CINAHL for “pill testing AND "harm reduction"” → 20 scholarly results; highlighted PDF/Find-It link workflow.

Boolean & Advanced Techniques Recap

  • Brainstorm synonyms before search; e.g. “housing” / “property” / “urban development”.
  • Wildcard * for word-stem variation:
    • “effective*” ⇒ effective, effectiveness, effectively.
  • Sample fully-articulated Boolean string:
    • ("housing" OR "residential planning") AND (policy OR policies OR guideline* OR strateg) AND (homeless OR "housing insecurity") AND (effective* OR impact*).
  • Use databases’ “Suggest/Thesaurus” tools (EBSCO dropdown) for alternate terms.

Grey Literature & Google Advanced

  • Definition: non-commercial, non-peer-reviewed info (govt reports, NGO papers, dissertations).
  • Google Advanced key field: site or domain.
    • Target a single site:
    • e.g. site:apo.org.au “housing affordability”.
    • Domain sweep:
    • Govt: site:.gov.au
    • NGOs: site:.org
    • Universities/think-tanks: site:.edu.au.
  • Benefits: bypass poor onsite search; quickly surface reports, consultation papers.

Credibility & Generative AI Warning

  • Library/DB resources = peer-reviewed, curated ⇒ high reliability.
  • Generative AI (ChatGPT) can hallucinate citations, fabricate journals ⇒ use with extreme caution.

Help & Support Channels

  • Library Help Zone (in-person), Live Chat widget.
  • Library Peer Mentors (study support).
  • Course-specific:
    • Lecturer office hours & 15-min consults.
    • Assessment drop-in sessions.
    • Moodle Q&A forum.
  • UNSW Academic Skills service for writing.

Transition to Health Policy Case Study

  • Content note: discussion of cancer, breast cancer advocacy.
  • Guest interview (video): Sam — former student ➔ current policy adviser (Sen. Hodgins May, Vic).
  • Focus: How change happens, stakeholder roles, policy windows.

Policy Windows Concept

  • Definition (Kingdon): critical alignment of Problem + Policy + Politics creating opportunity for action.
  • Sam: Current open window in Australian Cancer Policy due to launch of Australian Cancer Plan 2023.
  • Past examples:
    • COVID-19 window (2020)
    • HIV/AIDS window (1980s).

Australian Cancer Plan 2023 (10-Year Strategy)

  • Goals:
    1. Equity for First Nations people (address >45\% cancer mortality gap).
    2. Maximise prevention & early detection.
    3. Enhance consumer experience & navigation.
    4. Provide world-class systems for optimal care.
    5. Build strong foundations & workforce.
  • Launch video stats:
    • ≈164 000\approx164\,000 Australians diagnosed annually.
    • Rural/remote outcomes ≈ 10%10\% worse than metropolitan.
  • Emphasis on lived experience & extensive stakeholder consultation.
  • Shift from purely medical (treat→survive) to social-determinants model: access, culture, language, geography, financial toxicity.

Medical vs Social Model: Key Distinctions

  • Medical Framing:
    • Focus: pathology, survival rates, clinical efficacy.
    • Success metric: tumour shrinkage / 5-year5\text{-}year survival.
  • Social-Determinants/Policy Framing:
    • Adds equity, cost, psychosocial burden, navigation complexity.
    • Success metric: quality of life, timely access, out-of-pocket cost, culturally-safe care.
  • Implications for policy instruments:
    • Legislation (e.g. telehealth funding), targeted subsidies, culturally-secure services, public awareness.

Contemporary Health Policy Issues Mentioned

  • Specialist Wait-Times Crisis (Grattan Institute 2024)
    • Urban vs regional median waits: ≈2 weeks\approx2\text{ weeks} vs ≈8 weeks\approx8\text{ weeks}.
  • Palliative Care Australia Advocacy Pack
    • Calls for funding, workforce training, nationwide access metrics.
  • Vaping Reform (2024)
    • Prescription-only nicotine vapes via pharmacies; monthly supply cap; flavour restrictions.
    • Ongoing debate: enforcement vs black-market growth.

Stakeholder Mapping in Health Cases

  • Government (DoHAC), state health depts.
  • Cancer Australia (implementing plan).
  • Consumer orgs: Breast Cancer Network Aus (BCNA), Cancer Council.
  • Research institutes: Grattan, AIHW.
  • Clinician bodies: AMA, RACP.
  • Industry: Pharma, device manufacturers.
  • Media & public opinion (agenda-setting).

Policy Instruments Reminder (Week 5 linkage)

  • Regulatory: legislation, mandates.
  • Economic: subsidies, taxation (e.g. tobacco excise, Medicare rebates).
  • Persuasive: campaigns, labelling.
  • Service delivery: new regional cancer centres.
  • For each recommendation in policy brief, align instrument ↔ evidence.

Assessment Connections & Recommendations Checklist

  • When choosing a topic:
    • Confirm its presence on public agenda (news coverage, parliamentary debates).
    • Verify academic & grey literature volume via Library Collection & Google Advanced.
    • Identify current window/status: pre-implementation, implementation, evaluation.
  • For Policy Brief drafting:
    • Provide data (%\%, case figures) & cite credible DB sources.
    • Address stakeholder interests & equity impacts.
    • Select appropriate instruments & justify with evidence.

Practical Next Steps for Students

  • Experiment with Advanced Search in one specialist database relevant to chosen policy.
  • Use Google Advanced to harvest grey literature (e.g. site:.gov.au “palliative care workforce”).
  • Map key stakeholders & note existing strategies/plans.
  • Attend drop-in sessions; book 15-min consult; post in Moodle Q&A.