Juvenile Arthritis

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released a report on juvenile arthritis, a relatively uncommon condition affecting less than 1% of Australian children. Included in the report:

• Signs and symptoms of juvenile arthritis
• Diagnosis of juvenile arthritis
• Who gets juvenile arthritis?
• Number of children with juvenile arthritis
• How is juvenile arthritis managed?
• What medicines are used to manage juvenile arthritis?
• National statistics on supply of medicines for juvenile arthritis
• How is juvenile arthritis managed in primary health care?
• What role do hospitals play in managing juvenile arthritis?
• How does juvenile arthritis affect quality of life?

Click here to download the report.

The future of Australian healthcare

In the lead up to Health Facilities Design & Development 2013 conference, taking place in Sydney on 25-26 February as part of Australian Healthcare Week 2013, Healthcare IQ arranged for eight well known healthcare, architectural and construction professionals to meeting in a roundtable environment and discuss their thoughts on meeting the future challenges of Australian healthcare design and development. They found that culture, communication and collaboration is the key driver of success for any project, whether technology, construction, design or delivery.

Some of the main discussion points and conclusions have been summarised in an article titled 'The Future of Australian Healthcare'. You can download this for free.

Current Issues in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Clinical Liver Disease, an online learning resource from AASLD, is pleased to announce an issue devoted to the important topic of Current Issues in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Included in the issue are different topics including staging, risk factors, resection and current issues and future trends available in audio, video and text.

Improving strategies for diagnosing ovarian cancer

In order to ensure that ovarian cancer patients access appropriate treatment to improve the outcome of this disease, accurate characterization before any surgery on ovarian pathology is essential. The International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) collaboration has standardized the approach to the ultrasound description of adnexal pathology. This article summarizes the IOTA study which was carried out in over 20 different centres in different countries and gives recommendations for clinical practice based on the findings of the study. The article is available freely.

Improving strategies for diagnosing ovarian cancer: a summary of the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) studies: Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Volume 41, Issue 1, pages 9–20, January 2013

Bulletin of the World Health Organisation

The Bulletin of the World Health Organisation is a monthly open access resource, full of great information on global health issues.  January's issue includes articles on topics such as the demand for medical devices, Wikipedia's struggle to create reliable and free health information, drug-resistant TB in Belarus, and the global response to non-communicable diseases.

Cancer research - podcast

Listen to "Cutting Edge Cancer Research" on the Naked Scientists radio program from Cambridge University in the UK (and broadcast weekly on ABC's Radio National.)

12 million people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer every year, and the presenters talk to leading cancer scientists about how cancers spread, how people can develop a resistance to chemotherapy, and a way of programming the immune system to combat cancer.  

Have a look at the Naked Scientists website for other podcasts on topics such as avian pox and the genetics of obesity.

Study links ADHD drugs to puberty problems in boys

Keeping the dose of stimulant medication as low as possible in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may counteract their slower rate of physical development, according to the authors of a new study published in this week’s MJA. Adolescent boys who take stimulant medication to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for more than three years are likely to be slimmer and shorter than their peers, a new study has found.

The study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, examined data on 65 boys aged between 12 and 16 years who had ADHD and had been on stimulant medication for more than three years.

Growth and pubertal development of adolescent boys on stimulant medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Alison S Poulton, Elaine Melzer, Paul R Tait, Sarah P Garnett, Chris T Cowell, Louise A Baur and Simon Clarke
Med J Aust 2013; 198 (1): 29-32. 

Life Tables, States, Territories and Australia, 2009-2011

This report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics contains State, Territory and Australian life tables for males and females for the reference period 2009 - 2011. A life table is a statistical model used to represent mortality of a population. In its simplest form, a life table is generated from age-specific death rates and the resulting values are used to measure mortality, survivorship and life expectancy.
3302.0.55.001 - Life Tables, States, Territories and Australia, 2009-2011

6 Steps to Encourage Patient Safety Innovation at Hospitals

Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System has been recognized nationally for its commitment to patient safety and its innovative solutions to challenges. Following evidence-based practices is critical for preventing harm in a healthcare setting. However, what happens when there are no evidence-based practices? Hospitals are being called upon to innovate and create patient safety protocols to fill gaps in the literature and adapt existing practices to different environments.
This posting on Becker’s Hospital Review describes steps that the Henry Ford Health System recommend hospitals can take to drive innovation in patient safety. In summary, the steps are:
1. Create a robust patient safety program
2. Develop a culture of safety.
3. Hold people accountable.
4. Pilot programs.
5. Partner with researchers.
6. Participate in outside patient safety programs

Rural Australians with Parkinson's Disease

The Rural and Remote Health Journal recently published an article "Rural living and health-related quality of life in Australians with Parkinson's disease."  Although growing evidence suggests that Parksinson's Disease may be more prevalent in rural communities, there is little information about the life quality of these individuals. This study examines whether health-related quality of life (HRQOL) ratings vary in relation to rural and metropolitan life settings.

Soh S, McGinley JL, Watts JJ, Iansek R, Morris ME. Rural living and health-related quality of life in Australians with Parkinson's disease. Rural and Remote Health 12: 2158. (Online) 2012. Available: http://www.rrh.org.au

Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in Australian public hospitals

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has just released a new report, "Australian hospital statistics 2011-12: Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in Australian public hospitals." The report presents national information on cases of SAB associated with care provided by public hospitals for 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012.

In 2011-12, all states and territories had rates of hospital-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) below the national benchmark, with rates ranging from 0.7 to 1.3 cases per 10,000 patient days. There were 1,734 cases of hospital-associated SAB reported for Australia, which occurred during approximately 18.5 million days of patient care.

Click here to download the report.

Time Patients Spent in Emergency Departments in 2011−12

The National Health Performance Authority, set up set up under the National Health Reform Act 2011 has published it's first report, focusing on a subset of those indicators that relate to the performance of public hospitals and their emergency departments (EDs). In particular, the report examines the extent to which patients depart public hospital EDs within four hours of arrival, following the introduction of the National Emergency Access Target (NEAT). Under the target, states and territories are expected to ensure that 90% of all patients presenting to public hospital EDs will depart within four hours by 2015.

Hospital Performance: time patients spent in emergency departments in 2011−12

Australia's Healthy Weight Week Website

This website set up by the Dieticians Association of Australia, not only promotes events for the week of 20-27 January each year, but provides information on the following:

   * How to achieve a healthy weight

   * Assess your current weight

   * Understanding food packaging

   * Physical activity - where to start?

You can also download and print a Progress Chart to fill in.

Cardiovascular Health of Indigenous People

The Review of cardiovascular health among Indigenous Australians is now available for viewing and for download on the HealthInfoNet website. This review has been prepared by the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet  to contribute to 'closing the gap' in health between Indigenous people and other Australians by making relevant, high quality knowledge and information easily accessible to policy makers, health service providers, program managers, clinicians, researchers and the general community.

Self-Harm: new topic on Medline Plus

Medline Plus has listed new and updated topics on their  website including Self-harm, Barotrauma and Inhalation Injuries.  You can browse the topics alphabetically or us the Search function.

The Global Body - ABC radio series

ABC Radio National's Health Report has just completed playing a series of programs called "The Global Body", in which they took a look at human adaptation, health and survival in various environments.  The first three programs focused on fishing and farming communities in Sri Lanka, urban populations in the developing city of Manila, and Los Angeles, which has a high proportion of adapting immigrant populations.  The final episode, aired today, is called "The Future of the Human Race" and features a panel of experts in population, health and environment examining how our bodies will stand up to surviving to the next millennium   Factors explored include the challenges of non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, as well as the problems faced in developing countries and, of course, climate change.

You can download the transcripts of these programs, or listen to the podcasts at the Health Report website.

Spatial vulnerability analysis of urban populations during extreme heat events

A recent report has highlighted the risk that extreme heat events pose to all individuals, especially the elderly and chronically ill, and the fact that they lead to an increased demand for healthcare services. "A Spatial vulnerability analysis of urban populations during extreme heat events in Australian capital cities" has been published by Monash University with the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF).

Policy makers need to know which temperature levels pose a significant risk, where the vulnerable groups in the community are located, and future scenarios for climate change.  This report identifies threshold temperatures for all Australian capital cities and includes a spatial index of population vulnerability, as well as predicting future temperatures and population changes.  This information is aimed to assist emergency managers and healthcare professionals to be prepared for future extreme heat events.

AIHW App launched

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has launched an app called OzHealth on the Apple mobile platform.  It is primarily based on Australia's Health 2012, and has quite simple information, but plenty of useful statistics.  It includes a fact sheet format with different topics, a favourites feature, an interactive quiz, a glossary and links to the AIHW website.