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Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet is a freely accessible evidence based web resource that aims to inform practice and policy in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. It has been federally funded since 1997 and is a trusted award winning nationally used website.

Vision and mission

The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet is helping to close the gap in health between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians by ensuring practitioners and policy makers have access to high quality relevant evidence based resources to inform their work.

How Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet can help

The HealthInfoNet’s work in knowledge exchange aims to provide the knowledge and other information needed by health practitioners and policy-makers to make informed decisions. They source and transform a wide range of all the latest relevant material, health research, information and resources, bringing them together in one place. The aim is to translate this into a form that is easily understood, relevant, meaningful and readily accessible to those who need it.

Information lines / help lines

Recommended links

Last reviewed: June 2023

Information from this partner

Found 39 results

Community Portal - Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre

The AOD Knowledge Centre Community Portal is for Elders and community members who may be concerned about alcohol and drug use in their community. Family, friends and Elders may be worried about someone’s drug use, looking for support and want to find out more on how others are taking action in their communities. Find information here on useful resources, community-based organisations, programs to support people, […]

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Legal - Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre

At a community level, justice reinvestment is one approach that can be used to reduce harmful alcohol and drug use associated with an increased risk of imprisonment . Justice reinvestment puts resources back into communities where there are high rates of incarceration, instead of police and prisons.  This strategy recognises the links between social disadvantage, risk factors such as alcohol and drug use and being […]

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Strong Communities - Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre

Elders, family, friends and workmates are often the first people to respond to those who may be stressed or in crisis in the community. They are part of a network of care, connecting people and resources together to provide support to those in need . These community members provide the vital relationships which build a bridge between people and services. They may also provide opportunities […]

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Injecting Drug Use - Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre

Injecting drug use puts people at risk of being infected with blood borne viruses and is also associated with risk of bacterial infection at the site of injecting or in the bloodstream . People who inject drugs have a higher chance of overdose than those who take drugs orally because a large quantity of the drug reaches the brain very quickly . There is also […]

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Mobile Patrols and Sobering Up Shelters - Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre

Mobile patrols (also called night patrols or street patrols) are community-based programs that work to keep people safe and deal with disputes in a way that respect local cultural values . They also provide assistance to people who are intoxicated in public and may be at risk of harming themselves or others . Mobile patrols work with the person to identify a safe place to […]

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Pharmacotherapies - Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre

Pharmacotherapies are drugs (medicines) which are used to reduce the harmful effects from alcohol and other drug use . Some examples of pharmacotherapies are: nicotine replacement therapy opioid substitution treatment naltrexone naloxone acamprosate (Campral). Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) provides nicotine in controlled doses in the form of patches or gum to reduce cravings to smoke tobacco . Overall NRT assists with helping Aboriginal and Torres […]

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Blood Borne Viruses - Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre

The transmission of blood borne viruses (BBVs) from person to person can occur via injecting drug use, or as a result of risky behaviour from alcohol and other drug use . These BBVs can include: hepatitis C hepatitis B HIV HTLV-1, which is prevalent in Central Australia . If people who inject drugs share their equipment (needles, syringes, spoons, water or tourniquets) with other people, […]

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Chronic Disease - Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre

Alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs have been linked to a greater likelihood of developing a chronic disease, or worsening the symptoms of an existing chronic disease. For example, drinking more alcohol than is recommended can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, because regular drinking can lead to an increased heart rate, high blood pressure, weakened heart muscle and irregular heartbeat . This can […]

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Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) - Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a diagnostic term used to describe the range of mental and physical effects on the developing unborn baby that are caused by drinking alcohol during pregnancy. These effects range from neurodevelopmental impairment and poor growth to birth defects and learning problems . In Australia, the was developed to standardise diagnosis of FASD in Australia as well as to assist […]

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Stronger Communities - Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre

Each community has its own strengths and values as well as its own challenges . Communities have the capacity to identify their own priorities and with appropriate resourcing, respond to issues with local solutions which contributes to empowering communities in the long term . One of the first steps needed to establish healthy communities is to acknowledge the impact of the loss and trauma from […]

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