Medical workforce 2010

Medical Workforce2010 has just been released by the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare.  In 2010, the total number of medical practitioners registered in Australia was 81,639.  The supply of employed medical practitioners increased between 2006 and 2010, from 346 to 366 full-time equivalent practitioners per 100,000 population. The increase reflected a 13% rise in practitioner numbers. The gender balance continued to shift, with women making up 37% of practitioners in 2010 compared to 34% in 2006. The average hours worked each week by medical practitioners declined slightly from 43.5 to 43.3 hours. The group with the longest average hours worked per week was Specialists-in-training at 49.9 hours, while General practitioners averaged 39.2 hours a week.

Cyber bullying and youth suicide

Child deaths – cyber bullying as a risk factor for youth suicide is an issues paper from the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian.   The role of social networking (including online websites and text messaging) and related cyber bullying in influencing the lives of young people is an emerging issue in Australia. Social networking provides an unprecedented form of communication access for young people. It is a largely unregulated environment that can offer many positive supports and opportunities for young people, but also provide challenges such as cyber bullying. Research linking the growing phenomenon of cyber bullying to suicide as a risk factor is emerging in Australia.

Occupational contact dermatitis report

Occupational contact dermatitis: a review of 18 years of data from an occupational dermatology clinic in Australia is a report from Safe Work Australia which provides a preliminary description of the working population and substances associated with occupational skin disease in Australia.

It consists of an analysis of 18 years of patch testing data from a Victorian tertiary referral clinic that specialises in occupational skin disease. The report describes patterns in the diagnosis of occupational skin diseases, examines the demographic and employment characteristics of workers with occupational skin disease and estimates the relative rates of occupational skin disease among Victorian workers.

Suicide increases in Australia (ABS Report)

Suicide rates are steadily increasing according to the latest Causes of Death Report released by the Australia Bureau of Statistics. Deaths by suicide for 2010 are recorded at 2,361, an increase of 480 deaths from 2007.

While Australia's suicide rate of 10.5 per 100,000 is relatively low by world standards,   male suicides account for around three quarters of these deaths, and male suicide rate peaks at 27.7 per 100,000 in the age group 40-44 years.  There is also a significant over representation of suicide in indigenous communities, as well as in rural and remote areas.

Appraising complementary medicine evidence

Current challenges in appraising complementary medicine evidence, is an article in the latest MJA.  Author J. Sarris argues that research in the area of complementary and alternative medicine and a balanced appraisal and communication of the evidence in the field are urgently required. Current concerns include the potential for selective publication of results, differences in product quality and companies making unsubstantiated claims. Providing intellectual property protection to companies may encourage greater investment in research. 


MJA, 196(5): 310-311, 2012

NICE guidelines app for health professionals

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), has created an app to give healthcare professionals “quick and easy” access to its recommendations and guidance. The free app, called NICE Guidance, is available to download now for users of Android and iPhone smartphones, and features more than 760 guidelines, including information on hypertension and stroke.

NICE is an independent organisation responsible for evaluating drugs and other health interventions. It provides national guidance and standards on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health in the UK.

SociABILITY: social media for people with a disability

Scott Hollier from Media Access Australia has developed SociABILITY for people with a hearing, sight or mobility impairment, where social media applications are not always easy to use.  This research provides practical workarounds for accessing popular platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Blogging and Skype.  Indeed, the simple explanations of these applications here would be of interest to anybody attempting to launch into social media for the first time.

The SociABILITY resources include the SociABILITY report, User Guides to 6 popular social media platforms, and quick Tip-Sheets on practical work-arounds for overcoming common accessibility issues.

Preventing future cancer by diet and exercise

Estimating the future burden of cancers preventable by better diet and physical activity in Australia is a recent article in The Medical Journal of Australia which estimates the number of cancers to be diagnosed in 2025 that could be prevented solely due to changes in diet and physical activity, including their impact on obesity.  Authors, Peter D. Baarde et al, conclude that “about 25% of cancers, or about 43 000 cancers in 2025, can potentially be prevented” in this way.

MJA 2012; 196: 337–340 doi: 10.5694/mja11.11082

CKD treatment action plans – new guidelines

A new treatment staging system for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and a call for regular testing of patients at high risk of CKD are highlighted in new treatment guidelines released this week by Kidney Health Australia.

In its latest edition of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Management in General Practice, Kidney Health Australia has developed a system that matches the level and severity of chronic kidney disease with treatment action plans for general practitioners. The guidelines highlight the need to test annually for kidney disease in patients with diabetes and hypertension and every two years for patients who are obese, have established cardiovascular disease, smoke, have a family history of CKD or are Indigenous Australians. 

Diabetes impact on Australia

Diabetes: the silent pandemic and its impact on Australia is a new report by the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute which investigates why growing numbers of Australians are diagnosed with this chronic disorder each year.

As there is currently no cure for diabetes, the condition requires lifelong management.  People with diabetes frequently also require treatment to lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels. However, despite reaching epidemic levels globally, type 2 diabetes remains under-reported, in part because often people do not realise they have it until they develop complications. 

Overseas-trained doctors report

Lost in the Labyrinth : Inquiry into Registration Processes and Support for Overseas Trained Doctors has been tabled by the Standing Committee on Health and Ageing. The report is the result of a 14 month inquiry, and contains 45 recommendations to improve the transparency, efficiency and accountability in the registration system for overseas trained doctors, including:

* the establishment of a "one stop shop" to assist overseas trained doctors in navigating accreditation and registration processes

* a review of the 10 year moratorium requiring them to work in a District of Workforce Shortage for up to 10 years to be eligible for a Medicare Provider Number

* an increase in the validity period for English language test results from 2 years to 4 years when applying for certain forms of medical registration.

New Closing the Gap reports

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released three new Closing the Gap clearinghouse reports:

What works to overcome Indigenous disadvantage: key learnings and gaps in the evidence 2010-11

is an AIHW report that summarises findings from the second year of the Clearinghouse. 

Increasing Indigenous employment rates

This issues paper is a comprehensive review and synthesis of the evidence on what works to increase Indigenous employment.  

Strategies to enhance employment of Indigenous ex-offenders after release from correctional institutions is a resource sheet which summarises the evidence on what works to enhance employment for Indigenous ex-offenders.  

Web-based therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome

The Life Matters program on ABC Radio National recently looked at a new study from the Netherlands, which found that teenagers with chronic fatigue syndrome do particularly well when cognitive behaviour therapy is delivered through the Internet. Their physical symptoms and their school attendance showed marked improvement after six months. So should web-based CBT be more widely available especially for teenagers? 

Allied health professionals – motivators and barriers to research

An open-access article published this month by Pager, et al is “Motivators, enablers and barriers to building allied health research capacity.” 

Many allied health disciplines are generally considered to have a low evidence base. This study surveyed 85 allied health professionals from 10 healthcare teams to collect data relating to motivators, enablers and barriers to research capacity building. It was found that individual allied health professionals were more likely to report being motivated to do research by intrinsic factors such as a strong interest in research. Barriers identified to research were more likely to be extrinsic factors such as workload and lack of time. Some of the factors influencing individuals to do research were different to those influencing teams.

Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare 5: 53-59

Graphic warning labels on plain cigarette packs

Graphic warning labels on plain cigarette packs: Will they make a difference to adolescents? is an article by J. McCool et al, recently published in Social Science & Medicine.

Few studies have examined the way in which plain cigarette packaging affects adolescents’ perceptions of cigarette smoking and smoking behaviour. In this study, 12 focus groups were conducted with 14-16 year old students from a diverse range of schools in Auckland, New Zealand. It was found that graphic warning labels on plain cigarette packs increased the attention paid to the warning labels and overall perceptions of harm caused by cigarette smoking, and reduced the social appeal of cigarette smoking.  

Please contact your library for the full text of the article. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.12.043  

Australian Indigenous health status 2011

Overview of Australian Indigenous Health Status 2011, has been published by Australia Indigenous Health Information.  It draws largely on previously published information, some of which has been re-analysed to provide clearer comparisons between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people (for more details of statistics and methods, readers should refer to the original sources). Very little information is available separately for Australian Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders, but, wherever possible, separate information has been provided.

Information Technology and Mental Illness

Sane Australia has published the results of a survey which raises the question of the use of Internet and mobile technology by Australians with mental illnesses is beneficial or detrimental.  Information Technology and Mental Illness showed how people used technology to manage their lives, to help overcome isolation, and to seek information and online self-help treatments.  

Cancer Incidence Projections – AIHW

Cancer incidence projections Australia, 2011 to 2020 has just been released, and presents projections for males and females at the national level for all cancers combined, as well as the most commonly diagnosed cancers.

The number of cases of cancer diagnosed in Australia is projected to rise over the next decade for both males and females and is expected to reach about 150,000 in 2020—an increase of almost 40% from 2007. Increases in the number of cases diagnosed are due primarily to the ageing and increasing population and are expected to be most evident in older populations.

Red meat consumption and mortality

Receiving press this week was a story from the Harvard School of Public Health, reporting on research by their scientists about the dangers of the over-consumption of red meat.  The study (published in the Archives of Internal Medicine), tracked 120,000 people over a course of twenty years and associated red meat with an increased risk in cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality.  One of the authors, Frank Hu, stated that regular consumption of red meat, and especially if it's processed, contributes to premature death.  There are health benefits from replacing red meat with other sources of protein.

You can read the press release from the HSPH here, and an article in the Sydney Morning Herald here.  The Herald balanced the article by pointing out that Australians don’t consume as much red meat as the Americans in the study, and that there is no need to give it up altogether.

An Pan et al. “Red Meat Consumption and Mortality : Results From 2 Prospective Cohort Studies.  Archives of Internal Medicine, published ahead of print, 12/3/2012. DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.228. The full text is freely available at the moment.

Statins and risk

Another controversy in recent days has been the publication of reports of the dangers of statins which may increase the risk of diabetes and dementia.  This followed the announcement of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to change the labelling on statins, more clearly outlining the risks.

The Sydney Morning Herald on March 12 published “’Miracle’ drug puts thousands at risk’, which, despite the headline, provided a balanced view on the dangers of statins, including the need to take them if the risk of heart disease is significant.  It included comments and views from various authorities.

The Health Report on Radio National also put forward a balanced view this week, interviewing Associate Professor David Sullivan from the Lipid Clinic at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.  He said he thought the reports were quite alarmist and many people were going off their medication as a result of media headlines.  He suggested people use an Absolute Risk Tool, such as this one from the Heart Foundation, to make sure they absolutely need to keep taking statins.

Cancer drugs not on the PBS – IMJ article

Researchers from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute caused a stir this week when their paper, published in the Internal Medicine Journal, suggested that 43% of cancer treatment regimes used in their hospital were not included in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Access to anti-cancer drugs : many evidence-based treatments are off-label and unfunded by the PBS, by James D. Mellor et al explains that this is due to the drugs not being approved for these particular uses by the TGA, despite the drugs being supported by established treatment guidelines and published research.  The drugs may be approved for use in different ways, but in these instances they are unapproved and therefore not listed on the PBS.   The authors suggest that this is probably because the drug companies are not obliged to go through the costly process of re-submitting an already-approved drug to the TGA to get further approval for a different use.  “This results in a marked inequality of access to appropriate medications for cancer patients across Australia.”

Internal Medicine Journal.  Accepted online article - DOI: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.2012.02751.x Please contact your library for the full text of this article.

Reading for mental health – Medical Humanities article

Get into Reading as an intervention for common mental health problems: exploring catalysts for change by Dowrick et al builds on increasing evidence for the efficacy of non-medical strategies to improve mental health and wellbeing.   Two weekly reading groups were held for 12 months, in a general practice and a mental health drop-in centre, for people with a diagnosis of depression. Reductions in depressive symptoms were observed among  group participants, with three potential catalysts for change identified as: literary form and content, group facilitation and group processes.

Medical Humanities, 2012 doi:10.1136/medhum-2011-010083. Please contact your library for access to the full text of this article.

Patient opinion website

Patientopinion.org.au is a new website where members of the public are encouraged to record their experience of the health system in Australia.  Good, bad and indifferent experiences are all published on this site, founded by Associate Professor Michael Greco, who worked on a similar site in the UK.  When your story is published, tags indicate how many people have read the story and whether the health service involved has responded or made a change because of that story.  Each entry is moderated to ensure authenticity, and rated by the website’s health staff as to criticality, but the published entries are anonymous.  

"What nurses want" – Survey results

What Nurses Want is a survey carried out by the Monash University Department of Management. It found a very overstretched and undervalued workforce: - 38% of nurses reported high to very high levels of stress and burnout; half did not trust their employer to keep promises; and only 40% were content with their pay and conditions (compared to 75% from the broader working population).

Many nurses are set to leave the profession with the survey indicating that 15% of nurses intend to leave within the next 12 months.  Excessive workloads due to lack of funded positions for nursing staff and the feeling they lack the recognition they deserve as health care professionals  were among the main reasons given for this.