Category Archives: cardiovascular disease

The pros and cons of telehealth for people in rural and remote areas

April 16, 2012 – 10:06 am

Canadian researchers recently investigated the use of telehealth in delivering a self management program for stroke survivors and carers. The findings  – profiled below in the latest update from the Primary Health Care Research and Information Service ( PHC RIS) – will no doubt be of interest locally, given the increasing use of telehealth.  *** Telehealth: [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in chronic diseases, e-health, primary health care, rural and remote health, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

Behind the alarming headlines about sleeping pills and red meat

March 14, 2012 – 8:08 pm

For those who have been alarmed by recent headlines about the dangers of sleeping pills and red meat, below are links to some further analyses that are worth reading, courtesy of Media Doctor Australia and the NHS Behind the Headlines service. (Perhaps every GP, hospital and other health service waiting room should advertise these websites [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in cancer, Food, health and medical research, Media Doctor Australia, Media-related issues, pharmaceutical industry | 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 adverse events, Cochrane Collaboration, evidence-based issues, Media-related issues, prevention | Tagged , , , | Comments (4)

Profiling some of the barriers to progress in Indigenous health

October 12, 2011 – 12:57 pm

Why is “wilful ignorance” holding back progress in Indigenous health? Judith Dwyer, Professor of Health Care Management at Flinders University, offers some suggestions in the article below, which is republished from The Health Advocate, the official magazine of the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association. *** Wilful ignorance: method of choice for implementation failure Judith Dwyer [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in Health inequalities, health reform, Indigenous health, Media-related issues, public health, tobacco control, women's health | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

What makes the Heart Foundation tick?

September 22, 2011 – 8:31 am

The Heart Foundation copped some robust criticism from public health advocates (including Croakey regular Professor Mike Daube) when it allowed take-away food outlets such as McDonald’s to participate in its licensed ‘Tick’ program. Now the Foundation has decided to stop extending the program to fast food outlets and instead focus on other ways to improve [...]

By Jennifer Doggett | Also posted in consumer health information, public health | Comments (1)

Global shift in disease patterns requires aid rethink

September 1, 2011 – 12:23 pm

Professor Rob Moodie, Chair of Global Health at the Nossal Institute of Global Health, alerts us to an upcoming UN meeting which could save the lives of millions of people, he writes…. A global pandemic taking the lives of tens of millions of people across the world and costing trillions of dollars each year, has [...]

By Jennifer Doggett | Also posted in cancer, chronic diseases, diabetes, global health, prevention, WHO | Comments (1)

Sharing some ideas for better reporting on cardiovascular disease

January 4, 2011 – 12:17 pm

The Association of Health Care Journalists, which is based in the US but has members across the globe, offers a useful service to members that I thought may be of interest to Croakey readers. Members who are researching stories often put out calls to colleagues via the AHCJ listserv for suggestions about useful contacts or [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in diabetes, Media-related issues, obesity, public health, social determinants of health, tobacco control | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

Why I’m going to run the New York City Marathon next month

October 28, 2010 – 5:03 pm

Before anyone has a heart attack, let me assure you that it is not me who will be running any marathon. The runner is Chris Lawrence,  a researcher at the George Institute for Global Health in Sydney, who will be working up a sweat for personal and professional reasons. Chris Lawrence writes: Next month, I [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in diabetes, Indigenous health, physical activity | Comments (1)

What does the evidence say about how to improve Indigenous health? A challenge to current policy

September 29, 2010 – 12:10 pm

As previously reported at Croakey, an important study assessing the cost effectiveness of various prevention and treatment interventions was recently released. One of the many interesting aspects of the ACE-Prevention study was that it included analyses specific to Indigenous Australians. I asked the authors if they could explain the implications of their findings for Indigenous [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in general practice, Health inequalities, Indigenous health, NHMRC, prevention | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

A must-read: how ghostwriters helped sell HRT

September 10, 2010 – 6:25 pm

For those who have been mystified by the resolute defence of HRT by some specialists, for those who are interested in integrity in publishing, medicine and science, and for those who enjoy a shocking yarn – this PLoS Medicine article is a must-read. It is by Adriane J. Fugh-Berman from the Department of Physiology and [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in adverse events, evidence-based issues, health & medical marketing, HRT, Journal articles, women's health | Tagged , , | Comments (3)