Category Archives: adverse events

Some more questions about hospital performance

July 13, 2009 – 11:02 am

Croakey has previously argued that the Productivity Commission inquiry into public and private hospital performance has overly narrow terms of reference.
Below you can read some more suggestions for the Commission from several Croakey contributors, but first have a look at how much further the debate on hospital performance has advanced in some other countries.
In the [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Hospitals, Indigenous health, Media-related issues, evidence-based issues, quality and safety of health care, rural and remote health, surgery | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Has anyone the time, interest or funding for these stories?

June 17, 2009 – 10:57 am

In case there are any researchers or journalists out there with too much time on their hands, here are two ideas for stories or research projects.
• What is the role of the media in Mr Ward’s death?
The 4 Corners report on the death of Mr Ward, an Aboriginal man who was incarcerated in the most [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Crikey register of influence, Health inequalities, Indigenous health, Media-related issues, conflicts of interest | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (4)

The myth of patient-centred care

June 8, 2009 – 11:35 am

For all the talk about patient-centred care, the reality is that patients’ needs and values are often very far from the centre of decisions in health – whether they be decisions related to clinical care, policy or how health funds are spent.
This New York Times article, Letting the Patient Call the Shots, has a few [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in consumer health information, health reform, quality and safety of health care | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Truth in scientific publishing? Not quite what it seems…

May 11, 2009 – 11:38 am

The Vioxx case in the Federal Court in Melbourne continues to produce a stream of interesting and illuminating revelations although I had to chuckle at one specialist’s efforts to downplay his profession’s skills in marketing. “I would have thought getting medical practitioners to be marketers would have been the death knell of a product because [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Crikey register of influence, Journal articles, Media-related issues, conflicts of interest, health & medical marketing, health and medical research, health ethics | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

Some questions for federal authorities on weight loss products

May 8, 2009 – 10:34 am

Ever since news broke about a US recall of weight loss products called Hydroxycut, the one-man industry watchdog Dr Ken Harvey has been on a campaign to get some action in Australia.
The Food and Drug Administration says the supplements have been associated with serious side effects, including liver toxicity.  In Canada, a class action law [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Media-related issues, TGA, complementary medicines, health & medical marketing, weight loss products | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Another slant on the obstetricians’ spin

May 7, 2009 – 8:38 pm

The obstetricians are out in full force, suggesting that mooted changes to the Safety Net will “punish women and their families because they chose to seek help with their pregnancy and births from doctors in the private sector rather than the overwhelmed public hospitals system”.
Really?
For another perspective, have a read of this Crikey article in [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Health inequalities, Hospitals, childbirth and maternity services, health ethics, health reform, quality and safety of health care | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

The guidelines controversy: what do the experts think?

April 23, 2009 – 11:18 am

Following the recent controversy about Australian and NZ guidelines for preventing blood clots, Croakey asked some relevant parties for their views on:
• whether  health departments, hospitals,  safety and quality groups be reviewing their support for these particular  guidelines in response to the concerns raised in the MJA and elsewhere?
• whether such agencies also review their [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Hospitals, Journal articles, Media-related issues, conflicts of interest, evidence-based issues, health & medical marketing, prevention, quality and safety of health care, surgery, trauma | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

The blood clot controversy thickens

April 20, 2009 – 12:21 pm

Last April, journalist Ray Moynihan wrote this Crikey article revealing that public hospital “guidelines”, recommending widespread use of a group of drugs to stop serious blood clots, had been funded by Sanofi-Aventis, the company that makes one of these drugs.
Moynihan subsequently also reported that an international PR firm Fleishman-Hillard, was involved in a high-profile campaign, [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Hospitals, Journal articles, Media-related issues, conflicts of interest, evidence-based issues, health & medical marketing, health ethics, quality and safety of health care | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

A damning indictment of maternity care

April 20, 2009 – 11:31 am

The awful irony about maternity care, as an important new report from the US makes clear, is that it is the field that helped launch the evidence-based health care revolution.
The irony arises because is a field which is rife with examples of non evidence-based practice. Interventions which have been proven to be of benefit are [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in childbirth and maternity services, evidence-based issues, quality and safety of health care | Tagged , | Comments (1)

Homebirth advocate calls for a fair go

April 17, 2009 – 9:13 am

Justine Caines, Secretary of Homebirth Australia, has sent in the
following critique of recent media coverage about the dangers of homebirth:
“Feminism is a dirty word, especially if you are a pro-establishment
columnist. Last week many media reports questioned the safety of homebirth.
Doctors were outraged at the death of 4 babies, without revealing any case
facts. Many have regarded [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in childbirth and maternity services, health ethics, health reform | Tagged , , , | Comments (5)