PHOcus on Health completed a two and a half year evaluation of the Northern DHB Support Agency's pilot of the use of interpreters in primary health care.

The evaluation demonstrates the value to both clinicians and patients of having professional interpreters as part of the healthcare consultation.

Initially, uptake of the pilot was slower than anticipated, and the evaluation looks at the various barriers and enabling factors to the rollout and take-up of the programme.

The Primary Health Interpreter Pilot has now become the Primary Health Interpreter Service, a routine and growing part of healthcare delivery in the primary sector across the Auckland region.

More information about Interpreter Services can be found here.

PHOcus on Health has recently completed a review for Counties Manukau DHB, examining the translational research related to diabetes and CVD prevention.  Translational research seeks to take initiatives that have been shown to be effective in clinical trial situations and translate them into real world contexts.

Conclusion?  It isn't easy, but here's some of the evidence that is beginning to emerge from around the world about  those elements that go to make up a successful, real world prevention programe.

Our thanks to the DHB for making the report publicly available.

Supporting people to self-manage their diabetes/chronic condition and/or to lose weight are seen as two difficult, complicated areas of primary care work.

Counties Manukau DHB commissioned PHOcus on Health to examine the evidence for what works in these areas: