Articles
Electromagnetic Pulse Therapy Aids Tinnitus Sufferers
Chronic sufferers of tinnitus have received non-invasive brain stimulation to sucessfully reduce their symptoms by up to 31% in US trials published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. [ + ]
Chronic Depression Causes Brain Damage
A study published in Molecular Psychiatry has shown that persistent depression causes brain damage by shrinking the hippocampus, leading to a loss of emotional and behavioural function. [ + ]
On Our Agenda: Debating Homeopathy
This week the BMJ published a debate between two researchers over the effectiveness of homeopathy in treatment of illness. Should Doctors Recommend Homeopathy? played off a 2015 Australian NHMRC report citing that homeopathy was ineffective. [ + ]
Queensland Government Spends Big in Health Budget
Queensland’s Labor Government released its budget, with healthcare to benefit substantially in the areas of hospital services and facilities, ambulance services, disability services and children’s and community health in a record $14.2 billion investment in the public health sector. [ + ]
Poor Mobile Phone Hygiene Guidelines in Hospitals
The recent study in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene found that medical staff using mobile phones in hospitals help spread bugs through constant handling and poor cleaning habits. [ + ]
Ethics and Choosing Wisely
5.2.1 Ensuring that the services you provide are necessary and likely to benefit the patient. 5.2.2 Upholding the patient’s right to gain access to the necessary level of healthcare and, whenever possible, helping them to do so. 5.2.3 Supporting the transparent and equitable allocation of healthcare resources. 5.2.4 Understanding that your use of resources can affect the access other patients have to healthcare resources. [ + ]
On Our Agenda: Young People in Aged Care
The Senate report into residental care arrangements for young people with severe disabilities was released last month with the ultimate outcome of founding a ‘joint taskforce’ for young people living in aged care. [ + ]
Your Input on Child Development is Needed
Do you work with children from birth to five years? Flinders University is looking for professionals working with children in the early years to contribute to their survey in developing a national interdisciplinary educational framework for professionals working with children within this group and their families. [ + ]
Anaesthetists Scorn 'Nil by Mouth' Pre-Operative Guidelines
Patients fasting before surgery may be doing themselves harm, according to a presentation held at the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) meeting over the weekend. [ + ]
Marine Biology offers Vaccine and Drug Treatments
The CSIRO believes it has found the answer to the challenge of vaccine transportation in seashells. [ + ]
Tech in Health Update: Managing Patient Files
VMO to Hospital Documentation Cabrini Health in Melbourne has signed up with secure cloud provider Argus to transmit clinical documents and correspondence between visiting medical officers' (VMOs) practice software and automatically upload them to the hospitals' web-based patient administration system. [ + ]
Sleep Awareness Week Seeks Survey Participants
More than two million Australian adults - over 10% of the population - suffer from a sleep disorder, clinical insomnia or sleep apnea. Sleep disorders cost the Australian economy more than $5.1 billion per year. The reduction in life quality caused by sleep disorders has a further cost equivalent of $31.4 billion a year. [ + ]
Gene Therapy Success for Cystic Fibrosis Lung Function
Research from the UK has shown the improvement of lung function of Cystic Fibrosis patients through the use of gene therapy in a two year trial, according to The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. [ + ]
Boost to Mental Health Facilities for WA Mining Communities
The Western Australian government has announced funding for further support of the spiraling mental health problems affecting its mining workers in plans to expand the state’s subacute mental health beds to a total of 60 by 2017. [ + ]