Category Archives: dental care

Dental reform: a work in progress

May 11, 2012 – 5:56 pm

This is the first in a series of analyses that will be cross-posted from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library analysing the health budget. In the article below, Amanda Biggs concludes that the dental reforms funded in the budget should be seen as a first step, and that more action will be needed to provide sustainable, longer [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in Federal Budget 2012-2013 | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Where is the health sector when it comes to addressing poverty?

May 7, 2012 – 11:16 am

The Government’s pre-budget announcement of dental health funding is generating plenty of commentary from various health groups. The Consumers Health Forum is largely welcoming of the dental announcement, although noting some of the obstacles ahead, including that over 80% of Australia’s dentists work in private practice. The Doctors Reform Society is making similar “this is [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in Federal Budget 2012-2013, Health inequalities, health reform, Hospitals, mental health, social determinants of health | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (1)

Unpicking some of the barriers to better collaboration between health professionals involved in diabetes care

March 23, 2012 – 2:43 pm

There is so much rhetoric in the health sector about the importance of collaboration, multidisciplinary approaches and teamwork. But there are many barriers to translating the rhetoric into reality. In its latest Croakey update, the Primary Health Care Research and Information Service (better known as PHC RIS) reports on a study that makes timely and relevant [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in chronic diseases, diabetes, general practice, health and medical research, Medicare Locals, primary health care | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

How to improve oral health in rural and remote areas

March 8, 2012 – 8:13 pm

Efforts to improve oral health in the bush should learn from the history of rural medical workforce initiatives, suggests Gordon Gregory, executive director of the National Rural Health Alliance. And this should happen quickly – in time for the forthcoming Federal Budget to start work on improving the availability of an oral health workforce in [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in Health inequalities, health workforce, rural and remote health | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

The latest wrap of health & medical reading from The Conversation

March 6, 2012 – 11:52 am

Thanks to Fron Jackson-Webb for providing this latest wrap of reading from The Conversation. It includes articles about bioethics, pharmaceutical industry payments to doctors, the history of forced adoption, gene patenting, advances in tobacco control, debates in suicide prevention, and the financing of dental care. *** There’s no good argument for infanticide By Andrew McGee, [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in child health, health ethics, pharmaceutical industry, tobacco control | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Medicare Locals should be central to dental reform discussions

February 28, 2012 – 12:45 pm

Stage one of dental health reform should focus on improving access for children and lower income adults, according to recommendations from the National Advisory Council on Dental Health. The Council’s report says improving children’s oral health will reduce the overall burden of disease and improve long‐term oral health across the population, while low income adults [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in child health, health reform, Medicare Locals, primary health care, public health | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Searching for the best way forward on dental reform

February 27, 2012 – 12:26 pm

All Australian children and low-income earners would gain access to basic dental services under recommendations to the Federal Government, according to a report in The Sunday Age (that ACOSS nominated on Twitter as the “article of the weekend”). Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Library’s Amanda Biggs has examined the pros and cons of various models for dental health [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in health reform, public health | Comments (0)

What did Minister Roxon achieve? Some wins. But the ambulance is still parked below the cliff

January 20, 2012 – 12:29 pm

When asked to assess Nicola Roxon’s tenure as Health Minister, Croakey contributors gave varying responses (see here and here) late last year. However, there was fairly wide agreement that she will be best remembered for her achievements in public health, especially tobacco control, where she helped to make Australia a world-leader in passing legislation mandating [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in alcohol, diabetes, general practice, health reform, Hospitals, mental health, National Preventive Health Agency, plain packaging, public health, tobacco control | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)

What matters in healthcare? Surrogate markers or patients?

January 20, 2012 – 11:35 am

In its latest Croakey update, the Primary Health Care Research and Information Service (better known as PHC RIS) highlights concerns about over-reliance on the use of surrogate markers in health research, practice and policy. *** Diabetes care reveals the pitfalls of surrogate markers Christina Hagger writes: ‘What works’ in evidence-influenced health care is being overshadowed [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in diabetes, evidence-based issues, health and medical research, primary health care | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

Beyond band-aids: Medicare needs structural reform

January 19, 2012 – 3:46 pm

The crew at The Medical Journal of Australia must be feeling rather pleased this week by the publicity and debate generated via this week’s edition, particularly the articles on Medicare by Dr Tony Webber and on corporatisation of medicine by Ray Moynihan. Below is some wider commentary, reproduced from The Conversation, with articles from: • [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in Australian Medical Association, general practice, health reform, health regulation, health workforce, Journal articles, primary health care, The Conversation | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)