Category Archives: adverse events

Why won’t the Federal Government support a no fault compo scheme for vaccine-related injuries?

March 29, 2012 – 11:42 am

The Federal Government needs to do a much better job of explaining the reasons for its reluctance to introduce a no fault compensation scheme for vaccine-related injuries, according to Associate Professor Heath Kelly.  To date, the responses to calls for such a scheme have not been helpful, he suggests. *** Why won’t the Government support [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in health ethics, legal issues, vaccination | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Behind the latest news on cholesterol medications (the statins issue)

March 2, 2012 – 5:54 pm

(March 6: An update has been added at the bottom of this post, including a review of the SMH story by Media Doctor Australia. March 8: The Cardiac Society of Australia and NZ has released a statement urging patients not to stop taking statins without discussing the matter with their doctors. It is available on [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in cardiovascular disease, Cochrane Collaboration, evidence-based issues, Media-related issues, prevention | Tagged , , , | Comments (4)

What makes a “Knowledgeable Patient”? On communication and other matters…

February 13, 2012 – 5:56 pm

Science + democratic participation = better health outcomes, according to Sophie Hill, the editor of a new book called The Knowledgeable Patient. To find out more about this equation, see the clip and the article below by Hill, the Head of the Centre for Health Communication and Participation in the Australian Institute for Primary Care [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in consumer health information, evidence-based issues | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Tackling the overuse of antibiotics: a call to action

February 10, 2012 – 1:53 pm

(Update, Feb 27: Links to further reading have been added to the bottom of the post) The NPS recently launched an education initiative for health professionals as part of a new five-year effort to address “the critical issue” of antibiotic resistance. A campaign targeting the general public is due to start in April. The NPS [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in general practice, health and medical research, Journal articles, pharmaceutical industry, primary health care, public health, quality and safety of health care | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Latest wrap of health and medical reading from The Conversation

February 7, 2012 – 9:44 am

Thanks to Fron Jackson-Webb for providing this latest wrap of reading from The Conversation (http://theconversation.edu.au/). It includes articles about universities teaching complementary medicine, the Medicare Safety Net, new research on caesarean sections, e-prescriptions and hospital errors, and urban development. You can also read an article from The Conversation’s editor, Andrew Jaspan, on mining magnate Gina [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in childbirth and maternity services, complementary medicines, e-health, environmental health, health reform, Hospitals, Media-related issues, public health, road safety, The Conversation, Uncategorized | Comments (1)

We need more action on hospital infections: expert

December 14, 2011 – 11:57 am

The Centre for Research in Critical Infection held a meeting recently at the University of Sydney, where the hazards of antibiotic resistance and barriers to infection control were key topics of discussion. Professor Lyn Gilbert, an infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist, described how public reporting of hospital infections is helping to focus health services [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in Hospitals, infectious diseases, MyHospitals website, quality and safety of health care | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Home births: it’s time to broaden the focus of the debate

November 14, 2011 – 6:05 pm

In a recent post, Dr Andrew Pesce, a Sydney obstetrician and gynaecologist and former president of the Australian Medical Association, raised concerns about the safety of current home birth practices. In the article below, Hannah Dahlen, Associate Professor of Midwifery, University of Western Sydney, and national media spokesperson for the Australian College of Midwives, suggests [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in childbirth and maternity services, Hospitals, Uncategorized, women's health | Tagged , , , , | Comments (27)

Concerns continue about unsafe home birth practices: Dr Andrew Pesce

November 11, 2011 – 6:45 pm

Dr Andrew Pesce, a Sydney obstetrician and gynaecologist and former president of the Australian Medical Association, writes: Croakey readers will recall the controversy surrounding the publication of a review of planned home births in South Australia between 1991 and 2006. The study was published in the Medical Journal of Australia in January 2010. At the [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in child health, childbirth and maternity services | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

Latest health and medical news from The Conversation

October 25, 2011 – 11:27 am

Continuing a series of regular updates of health and medical reading at The Conversation… Thanks to Reema Rattan for providing this summary, which covers articles about the safety of vitamin supplements, health financing, humane approaches to preventing crime, disability services, ghostwriting of research articles, patenting of stem cell inventions, and the latest legal developments in [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in complementary medicines, conflicts of interest, disabilities, evidence-based issues, health and medical research, health financing and costs, Health inequalities, health reform, Indigenous health, pharmaceutical industry, public health, quality and safety of health care, social determinants of health, The Conversation | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (1)

Pharmacies to push supplements as ‘fries and Coke’ to prescriptions

September 29, 2011 – 12:14 pm

Dr Ken Harvey, from La Trobe University, raises some concerns about the potential for adverse events arising from the Pharmacy Guild-Blackmores deal. This story originally appeared in The Conversation. Meanwhile, Croakey readers interested in Blackmore’s response to the widespread condemnation of the deal can read their media statement here. Pharmacists are among the most trusted professions in Australia, regularly coming in the [...]

By Jennifer Doggett | Also posted in complementary medicines, conflicts of interest, consumer health information, health & medical marketing, pharmacy, The Conversation | Comments (0)