Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death, with more than one in four Australian adults being obese. Causes of obesity span individual, societal and systemic levels, highlighting the need for analysis that extends beyond biomedicine. Health practitioners play a critical role in shaping the societal expectations around obesity that are closely linked with prospective health trajectories and outcomes.

A significant gap within the healthcare literature is the failure to describe, in detail, program components and implementation evaluation. Without this, professionals cannot replicate or build upon the findings, which, in turn, gives rise to replication failure. This study reports on the MyCare program and provides instrumental and compelling learnings into the barriers and facilitators underpinning the implementation of this program. We foresee readers being able to adopt these learnings into their own work, across mental health and health care more broadly.

Advance care planning is a contemporary practice in primary health care, whereby healthcare professionals and patients collaboratively plan for future care should an individual lose decision-making capacity. In March 2018, the Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016 gave statutory recognition to advance care directives in Victoria, Australia. The results of this study explore how this legislation may aid allied health professionals to successfully practice advance care planning while granting the wishes of individuals living with a chronic condition.

A miscarriage can be an emotionally and mentally traumatic event, yet women have reported feeling dissatisfied with the miscarriage care provided by healthcare professionals, citing issues including: a lack of empathy and insufficient follow-up care. This study aims to explore the views and practices of general practitioners in providing emotional support following miscarriage, and the feasibility for enhanced miscarriage support. However, further research is required to determine if follow up is best placed within primary care or through external organisations.

Medical informatisation and the Internet have facilitated the implementation of patient-centred healthcare models in a comprehensive and collaborative manner, despite the shortage of general practitioners. The intelligent family physician optimised collaborative model has been shown to effectively improve hypertensive care outcomes, including blood pressure levels and control, blood lipid levels and lifestyle changes. The findings of this study support the notion that stronger collaboration and rational planning can help improve the management of chronic diseases like hypertension.

In 2017, the Australian National Cervical Screening Program was renewed. This study assessed New South Wales clinicians’ views and attitudes towards the changes to the program. We identified some gaps in familiarity with the guidelines and clinician concerns that, if not addressed, may undermine the success of the program.

Prescription of medicines by healthcare professionals other than doctors is increasing to meet patient care needs. Australian osteopaths appear to be interested in prescribing medicines, particularly to assist with treatment of sport injuries and migraines. The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints in the Australian population warrants the exploration of prescribing by primary contact healthcare professionals who manage these conditions (i.e. osteopaths).

Governments and researchers globally, particularly in developing countries, are interested in the development of primary healthcare systems, of which improved pharmacy services are a key part. China, as a typical developing country, lacks reference data for policy makers and researchers in this area. Following a systemic theoretical framework, this study demonstrates the status of pharmacy services in primary health care in Jiangsu Province, China, and reports on specific problems and issues that were detected.