Articles
LASA Slams Aged Care E-Services System Failure
The delay in the processing abilities of the electronic claims systems supplied by the Department of Social Services for providers of aged care has been slammed by Leading Aged Services Australia. [ + ]
Chronic Pain Management Tools
NPS MedicineWise has developed resources for patients living with chronic pain to work with their care providers in managing their health, discussing particular concerns and exploring support options. [ + ]
A Sweet Dose of Antibiotics
Scientists are using synthetic sugar in their quest for the answer to drug-resistant bacteria. A team of scientists from The University of Queensland and Queensland biotechnology company Alchemia have discovered a potential new class of antibiotics inspired by sugar molecules produced by bacteria. [ + ]
Diagnose Your Cough with an App
Cough into this phone please: The University of Queensland has developed a mobile application that allows for the diagnosis of respiratory conditions such as pneumonia and asthma based on an algorithm that uses the sound of the patient’s cough for recognition. [ + ]
Ethics and Costs under Question in Improved Fetal Screening
Fetal screening is commonplace among pregnant women these days. Somewhere around 10 weeks into their pregnancies, most women undergo ultrasounds accompanied by aneuploidy sampling which determine if further diagnostic tests such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling are required. [ + ]
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. [ + ]
