News Articles
Mental health apps: lack of regulation leaves users at risk
Date of Posting: 11-09-2018
Mental Health apps have seen a growth in both numbers and popularity, but while there are benefits to this type of innovative technology, lack of regulation can leave users at risk, says counselling psychotherapist and clinical hypnotherapist Dr Kare Read More...
Increase in alcohol-related assaults and hospital admissions in the Top End
Date of Posting: 11-09-2018
A 19 per cent jump in alcohol-related assaults in the NT and 9 per cent increase in hospital admissions have sparked questions about whether the BDR is working. Alcohol-related assaults and hospital admissions have risen significantly in the Top E Read More...
Blood tests and diagnosing illness: what can blood tell us about what's happening in our body?
Date of Posting: 10-09-2018
This week we’re running a series in collaboration with the Australian Red Cross Blood Service looking at blood: what it actually does, why we need it, and what happens when something goes wrong. Read other articles in the series here. Read More...
Physios support RACGP recommendations for exercise management of OA
Date of Posting: 10-09-2018
New guidelines released by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and co-authored by Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) member Professor Kim Bennell from the University of Melbourne confirm that exercise and weight mana Read More...
Prescribed exercise from a physiotherapist supports better mental health
Date of Posting: 10-09-2018
Worldwide, one in four people will experience a mental health condition at some point in their lives; one in six will have experienced a mental health condition in the past week alone. This year World Physiotherapy Day—Saturday 8 September&mdas Read More...
Spinal fusion surgery for lower back pain: it's costly and there's little evidence it'll work
Date of Posting: 10-09-2018
Gustavo Machado, University of Sydney; Christine Lin, University of Sydney, and Ian Harris, UNSW Back pain affects one in four Australians. It’s so common, nearly all of us (about 85%) will have at least one episode at some stage of o Read More...
A new national standard guidelines aim to reduce colonoscopies
Date of Posting: 10-09-2018
A new national standard, which offers guidance to patients, clinicians and health services, aims to reduce the number of unnecessary colonoscopies. Reducing the number of unnecessary colonoscopies undertaken in Australia is the aim of a nationally Read More...
South Australians sickened by salmonella after eating alfalfa sprouts from Adelaide
Date of Posting: 10-09-2018
Eight people have been sickened by salmonella after eating alfalfa sprouts from an Adelaide business in the past month, the state's health department warns. South Australians should think twice about eating alfalfa sprouts from an Adelaide bus Read More...
New report shows asthma causing issues for SA kids
Date of Posting: 07-09-2018
Asthma is a concern for South Australian children with the state having the highest rate of hospitalisations in the nation. South Australian children with asthma are more likely to be admitted to hospital than children from another other state or Read More...
Drought and a lack of regional services affects the health of regional Australians
Date of Posting: 07-09-2018
The NSW Country Women's Association says the drought and a lack of regional services are having a negative impact on the health of regional Australians. Regional and remote communities hundreds of kilometres from medical and mental health serv Read More...
Exercise more important than ergonomics in preventing neck pain
Date of Posting: 07-09-2018
An exercise program is likely to roughly halve the risk of a new episode of neck pain, according to a recent study by Macquarie University. Surprisingly, the research, published in The Journal of Physiotherapy, also indicated that ergonomic progra Read More...
Chinese workers have walked off the job at the Royal Hobart Hospital over a pay dispute
Date of Posting: 07-09-2018
More than one hundred plasterers have indefinitely walked off the job at Hobart's major hospital over a pay dispute but the end date for the redevelopment isn't expected to be impacted. The 120 Chinese contract workers downed tools at the Read More...
All tourists visiting Australia should be compelled to take out private health insurance
Date of Posting: 06-09-2018
All tourists visiting Australia would be forced to take out health insurance under a proposal being spruiked by NSW. But the state's peak tourism body believes it's not worth the risk and could dissuade people from wanting to travel Down U Read More...
A new superbug has been spreading through Victorian hospitals undetected
Date of Posting: 04-09-2018
Three new strains of a superbug have been discovered in Victorian hospitals, leaving the sickest patients at risk of life-threatening infections. Researchers have found a multi-drug resistant bacterium in numerous hospitals in Victoria and around Read More...
Weight-loss drugs containing a toxic chemical linked to multiple deaths in Australia and overseas
Date of Posting: 31-08-2018
Weight-loss drugs containing a toxic chemical known as 'shredders' have been linked to numerous deaths in Australia and overseas, health authorities have warned. NSW and ACT Health have warned people to avoid weight-loss products which con Read More...
Melbourne's new safe injecting room is set for expansion
Last Updated: 31-08-2018
Melbourne's safe injecting room will be expanded amid growing demand from drug users in the inner-city overdose hotspot. Melbourne's new safe injecting room is set to be expanded just months after opening in an inner-city overdose hotspot. Read More...
New course teaches vital clinical skills using virtual reality
Date of Posting: 31-08-2018
As technology advances and time becomes even more precious to healthcare professionals, the way their education is delivered also needs to change. This was something that innovative Australian-grown healthcare education company Bundle of Rays i Read More...
Cancer Australia provides new childhood cancer clues
Date of Posting: 31-08-2018
Cancer Australia has produced the world's first national data on diagnosis and survival rates relating to 16 common childhood cancers. Australia has produced the world's first national data set on childhood cancer detection and survival ra Read More...
Nursing's millenials highlight integration of technology as priority
Date of Posting: 30-08-2018
Australia’s future nurse leaders emphasised technological advancements as a priority measure to ensure the nursing workforce can meet demand for quality health care in the future during a panel discussion last night at the National Nursing Foru Read More...
We need to get better at talking about palliative care
Date of Posting: 30-08-2018
Caregivers would like more information about palliative care and a willingness from health professionals to discuss what to expect as illness progresses, according to new research. University of Melbourne palliative care specialist Jennifer Philip Read More...
Medical outreach trial delivers better healthcare for older people
Date of Posting: 30-08-2018
A specialised medical outreach service trialled at nursing homes in Brisbane North has won the overwhelming support of the aged care residents and staff involved and could save the State Government up to $4 million a year. The Geriatri Read More...
Forum explores barriers to men entering nursing
Date of Posting: 30-08-2018
A number of barriers to men entering the nursing workforce, including the common public perception of men being unsuitable to the profession, will be one of the topics discussed at the Australian College of Nursing’s (ACN) annual National Nursi Read More...
Knee rehabilitation needs clinical guidelines to be better understood
Date of Posting: 30-08-2018
Rehabilitation after total knee replacement is vital for the long-term recovery of the patient and their improved quality of life, however recent analysis on the benefits of outpatient versus inpatient rehabilitation is flawed due to inadeq Read More...
Sharper focus on injection guidelines needed to address rising but preventable complications
Date of Posting: 30-08-2018
Lipohypertrophy (fatty lumps under the skin), a debilitating and costly complication of sub-optimal injection technique in people with diabetes, is on the increase. The incidence can be markedly reduced through increased awareness and regular a Read More...
New report shows indigenous in NSW wait longer for surgery
Date of Posting: 29-08-2018
Indigenous people in NSW are more likely to wait longer for non-urgent elective surgery than non-indigenous people, a new report shows. Indigenous people living in NSW wait longer for elective surgery and feel less positive about their time in pub Read More...
An international study links mental illness to cannabis use
Date of Posting: 28-08-2018
An international study involving Queensland researchers has found a genetic link between mental illness and cannabis use. A major international study has found people with certain mental disorders including schizophrenia have a higher genetic disp Read More...
Report shows five people a day are now dying from a drug overdose
Date of Posting: 28-08-2018
Prescription opioids, such as oxycodone and codeine are involved in most accidental drug deaths and more people are overdosing on anxiety and insomnia drugs. Sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs have become the nation's "silent killers&q Read More...
A rapid decline in the number of Australians taking up Hepatitis C treatment
Date of Posting: 23-08-2018
More than 170,000 Australians are able to access subsidised medication to cure Hepatitis C but the number of people choosing to do so is declining. Three months after starting medication to treat hepatitis C Frank Carlus was cured of the disease t Read More...
The abortion law will soon be introduced in Queensland
Date of Posting: 22-08-2018
Abortion is a step closer to being legal in Queensland, with laws to change the criminal code to be introduced in state parliament. Laws to decriminalise abortion are set to be introduced in the Queensland parliament.[subscribe] Queensland is o Read More...
Communication is a basic human right: Speech Pathology Australia
Date of Posting: 21-08-2018
By Gaenor Dixon, President, Speech Pathology Australia Communication is an essential part of what it is to be human and without it, our quality of life is greatly diminished. Being able to communicate successfully is critical for our dignity, our Read More...
The Leukaemia Foundation announces new multi-million dollar research program
Date of Posting: 21-08-2018
The Leukaemia Foundation has today announced a new national multi-million dollar research strategy to beat blood cancers like leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. This comes as the Leukaemia Foundation resumes its research funding program after underg Read More...
Report shows accidental opioid deaths on rise
Date of Posting: 20-08-2018
More Australians are dying after accidentally overdosing on prescription opioids such as oxycodone, a report has found. The number of Australians dying after accidentally overdosing on prescription opioids such as oxycodone is on the rise.[subscri Read More...
Home birth a growing trend in remote and regional areas
Date of Posting: 20-08-2018
An increasing number of women from regional and remote towns are opting for home birth, in a likely attempt to access continuity of care. “Women want continuity of care, so they can build a relationship of trust with the person who will be a Read More...
Study shows that Dr Google is having positive impact
Date of Posting: 20-08-2018
A new study has found that patients who search their symptoms online before arriving at an emergency department are better able to communicate with doctors. Ever turned to Dr Google to work out what that pain is and whether it's going to kill Read More...
Give women the choice: ACN calls for decriminilisation of abortion
Date of Posting: 17-08-2018
The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) is calling on states and territories to step into the 21st century and respect women’s right to choose. “For a country as progressive and fortunate as Australia, it is unacceptable that in a numb Read More...
Healthcare employers missing out on untapped talent
Last Updated: 17-08-2018
Almost half of Australian businesses in the healthcare, social care and education service industries are missing out on an untapped pool of talent by overlooking candidates with disability during the hiring process. New research released Read More...
Free thunderstorm asthma workshops for health professionals in Melbourne
Date of Posting: 17-08-2018
National Asthma Council Australia will deliver six free educational workshops on thunderstorm asthma for health professionals throughout metropolitan Melbourne in September supported by the Victorian Government Department of Health and Huma Read More...
Just-add-water medical diagnostic kit in development for remote communities
Date of Posting: 17-08-2018
A scientist at The Australian National University (ANU) is developing a new just-add-water diagnostic kit for use in remote communities to detect malaria and other diseases. Dr Lee Alissandratos from the ANU Research School of Chemistry said the d Read More...
Help for those who suffer in silence
Date of Posting: 17-08-2018
A group of ethnic counsellors have seen their vision for a counselling service for migrants and former refugees become a reality. Kaoru Tsukigi, Freda X'ia, and Vanisri Mills met at Wintec five years ago when they were studying towards a degre Read More...
A drug developed by Melbourne scientists could help avoid blood clots on flights
Last Updated: 17-08-2018
A new drug developed by Melbourne scientists could offer hope to Australians at risk of developing blood clots during long haul flights. For Australians heading abroad, long haul flights are a given and now scientists have developed a drug to pote Read More...
