A Healthy Supply Chain Supports Better Quality Care

Ethics in IVF Gender Selection: The Conversation

This article is part of a series The Conversation Africa is running on stem cell research and therapy. Read the rest of the series here.

Revisions to National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards

The National Safety and Quality in Health Services Standards were introduced in 2011 by The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission), under the National Health Reform Act.

The Future of Medical Imaging

Chronic Insomnia Treatment with Half-And-Half Placebo Replacement

The science of sleep medicine has long proved difficult in the treatment of chronic insomnia, with researchers still not convinced of the effectiveness of sleeping pills currently on the market. However, researchers at Penn University in the US have found that a half-and-half mixture of sleeping pills and placebo tablets might be just as effective as a nightly schedule of sleep medication for treating chronic insomnia.

Dancing in the Theatre - Music Improves Surgeons' Performance

Surgeons perform faster and with more accuracy when listening to music, according to a study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal.

The Ethics and Practice of Twenty-First Century Intensive Care Units

It is ethically and legally important to respect patient’s autonomy and dignity and to always act in their best interests and avoid doing harm, writes Professor William Silvester.

Royal Melbourne Hospital Manages Its Assets

Royal Melbourne Hospital has adopted the Hardcat software in its overhaul of an ageing asset management system, leading to reduced equipment downtime and improved administrative processes (such as integration of the never-ending trail of paperwork).

Mater Brisbane Upgrades Virtual Desktops with Nutanix-Citrix

Mater Health Services Brisbane has upgraded its IT infrastructure to meet growing demands for its network of 2,000 virtual desktops which will number 5,000 units in hospitals, clinics, remote sites and on ruggedised devices in the field over the next 18 months.

It's Digital Health Week

This week we are attending the Health Informatics Society of Australia's (HISA) annual conference in Brisbane, HIC2015.

Asthma Gene Identified

Clinical trials will soon take place in Brisbane to test whether a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis could be useful in treating asthma. This comes after scientists at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute found that a gene previously thought to have an anti-inflammatory effect, or no immune effect at all, is actually more likely to increase inflammation in people with asthma and allergies.

Strict Guides for Benzodiazepines Prescription

A new set of guidelines has been developed for GPs prescribing benzodiazepines, due to a significant debate in the medical community about the appropriate role and use of these drugs and this has been exacerbated by a lack of clinical guidelines in the area.

Effectiveness and Safety of Complementary Medicines

European Healthcare Design Conference Keynotes

The world's leading researchers gathered in London recently to discuss the future of the hospital. We've brought you our favourite presentations from the conference.

Improvement Needed in Hospital Antimicrobial Prescription

The National Antimicrobial Prescribing Practice: results of the 2014 National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey report was released by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and the National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Victoria. It summarises the results of a voluntary annual audit of 248 hospitals (197 public and 51 private) from across Australia and resulted in a data set of almost 20,000 prescriptions.