Study Highlights Increasing Risks of Opioid Misuse
16 July, 2014 by Petrina SmithThe need to fast track real-time prescription reporting for some drugs has been given renewed impetus in a study highlighting the increasing risks of opioid misuse. The study, “An overview of the patterns of prescription opioid use, costs and related harms in Australia”, published in the June edition of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, finds that between 1992 and 2012, opioid dispensing increased 15-fold (500,000 to 7.5 million) and the corresponding cost to the Australian government increased 32-fold ($8.5 million to $271 million).
Health Workers Walk off The Job at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
15 July, 2014 by Petrina SmithMore than 500 health workers have walked off the job at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in the first of a series of rolling 12-hour stoppages.
DonateLife Electronic Donor Record System Announced
13 July, 2014 by Petrina SmithA new national electronic donor record system to streamline organ and tissue donation processes across Australian hospital networks has been announced by Assistant Minister for Health Fiona Nash.
Whooping Cough Vaccination Program for Women
09 July, 2014 by Petrina SmithA vaccination program for pregnant women will help protect their newborn babies from deadly whooping cough as part of the Queensland Government’s new immunisation strategy.
Pharmacists Welcome Extension of Qld Immunisation Trial
09 July, 2014 by Petrina SmithThe success of the pharmacist-delivered flu immunisation trial in Queensland has led to the Queensland Government extending the pilot to cover other vaccinations including measles and whooping cough for adults.
Report on Hospitalised Injuries in Older Australians Released
08 July, 2014 by Petrina SmithOne quarter of all injury hospitalisations were Australians aged 65 and over according to the report Hospitalised injuries in older Australians: 2011-12, released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
University of Adelaide Research Provides New Insights Into HIV Virus
08 July, 2014 by Petrina SmithResearch led by the University of Adelaide has provided new insights into how the HIV virus greatly boosts its chances of spreading infection, and why HIV is so hard to combat.
New Educational Resource to Help People Living with Chronic Hepatitis B
08 July, 2014 by Petrina SmithA new educational resource, designed to improve the lives of people living with chronic hepatitis B, is now available in Australia.
Elderly Most Vulnerable Group to be Affected by Introduction of Co-payments
08 July, 2014 by Petrina SmithThe elderly and those with chronic conditions are those most likely to be affected by the Federal government's proposal to introduce co-payments for medications and services provided by GPs, pathology and imaging providers, according to a new University of Sydney study.
Lung Test Could Help Asthmatic Children Better Manage Their Condition
04 July, 2014 by Petrina SmithSydney researchers have discovered how a novel type of lung test could help asthmatic children better manage their condition at home.
Grant Kardachi Re-elected as PSA National President
03 July, 2014 by Petrina Smith[caption id="attachment_8461" align="alignright" width="161"] Grant Kardachi[/caption] Pharmaceutical Society of Australia National President Grant Kardachi has been re-elected for a fourth term. The PSA National Board met in Canberra today and also re-elected Joe Demarte as Vice President and elected Michelle Lynch as the other Vice President.
Long Waits for Surgeries Eliminated at Townsville HHS
02 July, 2014 by Petrina SmithTownsville Hospital and Health Service has achieved a major performance benchmark with patients receiving surgery on time every time.
Royal College of Pathologists Opposes In-store Health Checks
02 July, 2014 by Petrina SmithThe Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) has joined the AMA and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia in opposing the trial of in-store health checks being made available at select Woolworths' stores across NSW and QLD.
PSA Criticises Supermarket Health Checks
02 July, 2014 by Petrina Smith[caption id="attachment_8461" align="alignright" width="161"] Grant Kardachi[/caption] Moves to provide health checks to consumers within the supermarket environment have been criticised by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. National President of the PSA, Grant Kardachi, said Woolworths had stated it was hiring final year pharmacy students, graduating pharmacists and nurses to conduct health checks such as blood pressure and cholesterol in their stores.
