News Articles
Rapid COVID-19 testing now in regional laboratories
Date of Posting: 28-05-2020
From today, eight regional labs will be receiving much needed capability to rapidly test for COVID-19 and influenza, providing crucial and timely support to regional hospitals. Rapid COVID-19 tests take just under an hour, enabling the smaller region Read More...
Charity says disadvantaged students need more support
Date of Posting: 27-05-2020
Some disadvantaged students have been forced to learn from home without internet or their own computers and risk falling further behind, a charity says. Disadvantaged Australian students will need long-term support after the COVID-19 pandemic to e Read More...
Australia will host first human trials of a coronavirus vaccine
Date of Posting: 26-05-2020
More than 100 volunteers in Melbourne and Brisbane have been lined up to take part in the first phase of a human trial of a potential coronavirus vaccine. The first Australian human trials of a coronavirus vaccine are about to kick off with more t Read More...
A new cancer treatment for dogs raises hope for humans
Date of Posting: 26-05-2020
Early results from a cancer treatment trial on dogs in Western Australia have been encouraging and raise hopes it could be used for both canines and humans. A new cancer treatment being trialled on dogs in Western Australia has raised hopes for hu Read More...
Queensland's iconic Birdsville Races is cancelled due to COVID-19
Date of Posting: 25-05-2020
The cancellation of Queensland's iconic Birdsville Races due to COVID-19 restrictions will have a far-reaching impact for many of the state's outback towns. The scratching of Queensland's iconic Birdsville Races will affect many outbac Read More...
Local company helps Australia become crisis-ready for potential second COVID-19 wave
Date of Posting: 25-05-2020
A Brisbane company has designed and built specialised ‘negative pressure’ portable hospital rooms made from shipping containers that can be delivered anywhere in Australia, and have offered to donate ten – worth a combined $1.5 mill Read More...
Do not use hydroxychloroquine to "cure" COVID-19
Date of Posting: 25-05-2020
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has urged Australians not to seek out or use hydroxychloroquine to “cure” or “prevent” the COVID-19 virus. As reported an Australian clinical trial is now underw Read More...
New wearable devices set to diagnose medical conditions such as preeclampsia, epilepsy and more
Date of Posting: 25-05-2020
Transforming how common health conditions are diagnosed using point-of-care and wearable bio diagnostic devices is the goal of a new University of South Australia project, which has just secured nearly $2.2 million from the National Health, Medical a Read More...
Calls to add 'climate change' to death certificates
Date of Posting: 25-05-2020
Heat-related deaths have been “substantially underreported” on Australia’s national records, according to experts from The Australian National University (ANU). Researchers say the amount of deaths attributed to excessive n Read More...
RACGP speaks out on telehealth corporate "pop ups"
Date of Posting: 25-05-2020
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is urging Australians to avoid new telehealth models and businesses and instead consult with their usual GP. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen the introduction of new government-subsidised Read More...
Concerning trends and challenges ahead for the NDIS workforce
Date of Posting: 25-05-2020
Disability support workers are experiencing high levels of insecurity and uncertainty, according to a UNSW report. A major report by UNSW researchers Natasha Cortis and Georgia van Toorn found only one in five workers in the disability sector say Read More...
COVID-19: frontline nurse & influencer uses social media platforms to support colleagues
Date of Posting: 25-05-2020
A nurse and social media influencer has used his platform to encourage the donation of products to help support nurses on the frontline of COVID-19 testing Franz Arevalo, a senior clinical nurse, and fitness influencer @thenattynurse has secured t Read More...
COVID-19 puts brakes on global emissions
Date of Posting: 25-05-2020
Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel sources reached a maximum daily decline of 17 per cent in April as a result of drastic decline in energy demand that have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The preliminary analysis, published today in Read More...
Two in three volunteers stopped vital work due to COVID-19
Date of Posting: 25-05-2020
COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the economic and social benefits generated by the roughly seven million Australians who volunteer for an organisation or group, new analysis from The Australian National University (ANU) shows. With a Read More...
The 'hospital in the home' revolution has been stalled by COVID-19
Last Updated: 21-05-2020
Growing numbers of Australians are choosing to receive their hospital care at home, according to figures published today in the Medical Journal of Australia. In 2017-18, more than half a million days of publicly funded hospital care were delivered Read More...
Aged care visitor guidelines balance residents' rights and coronavirus risk
Last Updated: 20-05-2020
One in four Australians who have died from COVID-19 is from an aged care facility. These deaths show how fatal and fast the spread of the infection can be, and the extreme challenge of containing the virus once a positive case appears Read More...
How coronavirus could forever change home health care
Last Updated: 20-05-2020
Physicians, health care experts and the media spent considerable time focused on hospital capacity since the start of the COVID-19 crisis. Nursing homes received less attention, until thousands of deaths revealed a shocking risk for older adults a Read More...
Obesity linked to part of the brain damaged by Alzheimer's
Date of Posting: 20-05-2020
Researchers have found a link between obesity and shrinkage in an area of the brain responsible for memory and learning – the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the part of the brain impaired in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease Read More...
Retirees grow food and friendships in community garden
Date of Posting: 20-05-2020
If empty shelves at gardening centres throughout South-East Queensland are anything to go by, the current social distancing conditions have created a surge of novice ‘green thumbs.’ But residents at Bolton Clarke’s Westhaven reti Read More...
Covid-19: Managing mental health with yoga
Date of Posting: 20-05-2020
The ancient practice of yoga could provide a sustainable exercise alternative for thousands of people isolating at home, as new research from the University of South Australia, shows that movement-based yoga can significantly improve mental health. Read More...
Teens shocked by suicide portrayal in '13 Reasons Why' study finds
Date of Posting: 20-05-2020
Teenagers interviewed about their views on the suicide portrayed in the controversial Netflix series 13 Reasons Why report being shocked by the graphic detail of the scene, which they saw as excessive, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellin Read More...
Higher fibre saves lives, but food processing may remove benefits
Date of Posting: 20-05-2020
Eating more fibre can improve life expectancy for those with diabetes, Otago researchers say. Type 2 diabetes has reached epidemic proportions worldwide, is associated with serious medical complications, and increases the risk of dying from COVID- Read More...
COVID-19 mobile tracking puts spotlight on e-health framework
Date of Posting: 20-05-2020
Misinformation and mistrust of Australia’s COVIDSafe app underlines the need for standards to scope, develop, assess and roll out e-health services, Flinders University digital health experts say. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the nee Read More...
Smoking cannabis causes bronchitis and changes to lung function
Date of Posting: 20-05-2020
Cannabis is harmful to the lungs, but in a different way to tobacco, causing significant respiratory symptoms such as bronchitis with evidence to suggest it can result in destructive lung disease –sometimes referred to as ‘bong lung&rsquo Read More...
According to new survey, eating disorders heightened amid pandemic
Date of Posting: 20-05-2020
Regional Australians with eating disorders have been struggling to access extra support during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey. The coronavirus pandemic is making life harder for people with eating disorders, particularly those Read More...
Health-care workers share our trauma during the coronavirus pandemic - on top of their own
Last Updated: 19-05-2020
Health-care staff are trained to deal with whatever comes through the hospital doors. But COVID-19 is a completely different ballgame. During this pandemic, health-care workers are facing traumatic experiences in both their profession Read More...
Alcohol misuse and mental health do not mix
Last Updated: 18-05-2020
It is more important than ever to be aware of the dangers of alcohol use for our mental health and wellbeing, according to the president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP). ‘In times of stress we can fi Read More...
Australia Day Skyworks might be cancelled due to COVID-19
Date of Posting: 18-05-2020
The City of Perth is considering cancelling its Australia Day fireworks event due to COVID-19 but the state government says it is too soon to make that call. The biggest Australia Day fireworks event in the country could be cancelled because of CO Read More...
RACGP urges rural and remote healthcare workers to look after their mental health
Last Updated: 18-05-2020
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has urged rural and remote healthcare workers to look after themselves and take advantage of new mental health resources. Last week the Federal Government announced that a new $3 millio Read More...
Stigmatisation impacts GP attendance, medication use and health of same-sex couples
Date of Posting: 18-05-2020
Australians in same-sex relationships who experience ongoing stigmatisation in their communities visit the GP less often, use more antidepressant medication and are more likely to have poorer health, compared to their heterosexual counterparts, a new Read More...
Technology enabling nurses to fight COVID-19
Last Updated: 18-05-2020
By Tim Morris Across the globe today, nurses are at the forefront of the arduous journey to combat and contain COVID-19, undertaking long, grueling shifts in their armor and masks. Pictures trending on social media reveal the resulting physical an Read More...
Psychiatrists welcome Victorian government commitment to mental health
Date of Posting: 18-05-2020
The Victorian Branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP Victorian Branch) welcomes the Victorian Government’s ongoing commitment to reforming the mental health system to ensure all Victorians have access to Read More...
Must be dreaming: Eye movements during sleep impact ability to process information
Last Updated: 18-05-2020
Each night, we invent new worlds in our dreams. They are spectacular, sometimes impossible, and far removed from the real-world environment. Strangely, we struggle to integrate important content in our dreams, despite our minds sometimes remaining &l Read More...
Blood test to diagnose Alzheimer's disease for Australian patients
Date of Posting: 18-05-2020
A new, simple blood test to detect Alzheimer’s disease is coming to Australia through the Australian Dementia Network, which is supported by the University of Melbourne. The blood test accurately measures one of the proteins—P-tau181&m Read More...
New Emergency Leave Provision for aged care residents
Date of Posting: 18-05-2020
Senior Australians won’t be penalised or disadvantaged for moving out of an aged care facility during crisis under emergency leave legislation amendments today adopted by the Morrison Government. The emergency leave mechanism will be activat Read More...
COVID-19 disruption will lead to 28 million surgeries being cancelled worldwide
Date of Posting: 18-05-2020
The CovidSurg Collaborative has projected that, based on a 12-week period of peak disruption to hospital services due to COVID-19, 28.4 million elective surgeries worldwide will be cancelled or postponed in 2020. The modelling study, published in the Read More...
Research shows true impact of COVID on our wellbeing
Date of Posting: 18-05-2020
Sydney, 14th May 2020: As Australia emerges from lockdown and adjusts to the reality of social distancing at home, work and in public, a significant number are seeing that the changes of recent weeks have negatively impacted their physical and mental Read More...
Over half of world's healthcare workers attend work when sick
Date of Posting: 18-05-2020
It is common for healthcare workers across the globe to attend work when they are sick with flu like symptoms, according to a new international study. Co-author Professor Peter Collignon, from The Australian National University (ANU), said the stu Read More...
149 covid-19 patients admitted to intensive care units since australian outbreak, new data reveals
Date of Posting: 18-05-2020
A collaborative study, led by Monash University, has captured national data on the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU since 14 March when the outbreak began in Australia. Over 76 ICUs are participating in the study nationally, recording 1 Read More...
Online training for GPs to tackle alcohol and other drug use during the COVID-19 pandemic
Date of Posting: 18-05-2020
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is boosting the skills of GPs so that they can better address alcohol and other drug (AOD) use problems that are becoming more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the $7.9 mi Read More...
