Promising drug for preventing pre-term births

Researchers from the University of Adelaide have successfully tested a drug that is showing some early promise in efforts to prevent pre-term birth.

Putting patients at ease with smart and effective technology

If you find yourself in the emergency room as a patient, things have probably not gone your way in recent times. Chances are you would prefer to be anywhere else and so when it comes time to be admitted, the more effortless that process is, the better. This is where the Brother TD-2000 series label printers can assist in patient care, by streamlining admissions - especially when it comes to Patient ID printing. In addition to speed, it also allows for higher reliability and can improve patient safety by utilising smarter and safer patient ID techniques and barcode medical administration system integration.

Airway management is different in kids

For paediatric patients with serious head injuries, appropriate and timely airway management is critical for improved survival and outcomes. Yet managing a child's airway can be challenging in both the pre-hospital and hospital setting, in part because many providers lack experience with paediatric patients — only about 10 percent of emergency calls involve kids and of those, just 1 percent are serious injuries. A child's smaller size and the anatomical differences between children and adults also make managing the airway more difficult.

Harm Free Health Care at RACMA

The Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA) would like to thank colleagues, sponsors and exhibitors for being part of the 2016 conference that was held in Brisbane. Over 300 delegates – the highest number ever – came together to participate in an event that showcased a program full of high-calibre international and Australian speakers who focused on the theme Harm Free Health Care.

Reducing Healthcare Wastage with Data Analytics

Healthcare providers are unknowingly pouring funds down the drain – and that’s because they can’t keep track of all the spillage. That’s where analytics plugs the gaps.

Getting pressured to purchase?

In this article, Professor Nick Santamaria highlights the need for clinicians and managers to always base their decisions about pressure injury prevention strategies on sound scientific and clinical evidence.

Can the bacteria in our gut affect our mood and weight?

Our gut does more than help us digest food; the bacteria that call our intestines home have been implicated in everything from our mental health and sleep, to weight gain and cravings for certain foods. This series examines how far the science has come and whether there’s anything we can do to improve the health of our gut. Margaret Morris, UNSW Australia and Jessica Beilharz, UNSW Australia

Did PSA testing save Ben Stiller?

'While a PSA test is not dangerous in itself in any way, it is definitely not foolproof,' writes Ben Stiller in his blog published on Cancer Moonshot. 'The criticism of the test is that depending on how they interpret the data, doctors can send patients for further tests like the MRI and the more invasive biopsy, when not needed.'

Antibiotics boost C diff risk via beds

The odds of getting a Clostridium difficile infection in hospital are higher if a patient is in a bed previously occupied by someone who received antibiotics, according to a US study examining more than 100,000 patients.

Hospital parking fees are taxing the sick

HHA Launches New Hand Hygiene Module

The National Hand Hygiene Initiative (NHHI) is a culture change program to reduce the rate healthcare associated infections in Australia.

Pembrolizumab plus chemo improves outcomes in advanced NSCLC

The addition of PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab to standard first-line chemotherapy for treatment-naïve advanced non-small-cell lung cancer significantly improves response rates and progression-free survival, researchers reported at the ESMO 2016 Congress in Copenhagen.

Killer T Cells - marching towards a viral cure

New research has taken us a step closer to finding a cure for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as well as other infections including the glandular fever virus, which is associated with the development of lymphoma. Some infections, such as HIV, cannot be cured with antiviral therapy because the virus effectively hides from the immune system.

Building Capacity through Collaboration

In the lead up to the Institute of Hospitality in HealthCare conference, 17-19 October, John Kirwan reflects on almost 40 years’ experience in the healthcare industry. He urges us to look closely at the potential of working with the broader health community and organisations outside health to ensure food security and address the rise in co-morbidity.

Vascular grafts grow with patient post-op

Surgical heart reconstructions using graft materials can do amazing things for patients, but in young children they have a serious limitation. The grafts don’t grow along with a growing heart, and so for procedures such as right ventricular outflow tract reconstructions repeat surgeries are required. Now researchers at University of Minnesota are reporting in journal Nature Communications on newly developed “off-the-shelf” vascular grafts that can grow as the tissue they’re connecting develops and matures.