Health of Australians with a Disability

The AIHW has released Health of Australians with a Disability : health status and risk factors. This bulletin is the first in a series about health of Australians with disability. It examines how health problems affect health status of people with disability in Australia with a focus on prevalence and age at onset of some significant long term health conditions and relevant health risk factors and behaviours.

Guidelines for doctors using social media

The AMA has just released Social Media and the Medical Profession : A guide to online professionalism for medical practitioners and medical students. A joint initiative of the Australian Medical Association Council of Doctors-in-Training, the New Zealand Medical Association Doctors-in-Training Council, the New Zealand Medical Students’ Association and the Australian Medical Students’ Association, they aim to provide some practical advice to ensure that professional standards are maintained.

"Although doctors and medical students are increasingly participating in online social media, evidence is emerging from studies, legal cases, and media reports that the use of these media can pose risks for medical professionals. Inappropriate online behaviour can potentially damage personal integrity, doctor-patient and doctor-colleague relationships, and future employment opportunities. Our perceptions and regulations regarding professional behaviour must evolve to encompass these new forms of media."

Dementia: a major problem for Indigenous people

Recent research in the Kimberley region suggests that the prevalence rates of dementia among remote and rural Indigenous people could be 4-5 times higher than those in the Australian community more generally. The research focused on the development of an assessment tool, (the Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment tool) in order to identify those Indigenous people who may have dementia. Alzheimers Australia published a paper, Dementia: a major problem for Indigenous people.

To get more information on the KICA tool or download individual parts, go to the Western Australian Centre for Healthy Ageing

Stroke Rehabilitation Audit

Australia has a chronic shortage of specialised stroke rehabilitation services despite the fact that it is the second biggest cause of death and a leading cause of disability, a new report from the National Stroke Foundation has revealed.
Too many stroke survivors are being denied access to the specialised care essential to their recovery and ability to live independently - despite the fact that there are 60,000 strokes occurring in Australia every year, National Stroke Foundation CEO Dr Erin Lalor said.
Download the report here.

Australian National Preventive Health Agency Bill 2010

The agency will lead Australia’s fight against preventable diseases through campaigns targeting obesity, along with alcohol, tobacco and other substance abuse. Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon said the agency will be critical in combating preventable diseases, which affects the lives of millions of Australians.
As part of the Gillard Government’s record $872.1 million commitment over six years towards the National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health, the Agency will bring together some of the best expertise in Australia to gather, analyse and disseminate the latest evidence on ways to prevent chronic disease.
At present:
* Potentially avoidable diseases account for around 20 per cent of Australia’s total health care expenditure.
* More than 60 per cent of Australians aged over 18 are overweight or obese.
* More than 813,000 Australians aged 15 years and older were hospitalised for alcohol-related injury and disease between 1996 and 2005.
* Smoking kills about 15,000 Australians each year and costs Australia $31.5 billion each year.
Read or download the full Bill here.

Use of health services for arthritis and osteoporosis

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released a new report on the use of health services for arthritis and osteoporosis. There is considerable variation in the type and extent of health services used and actions taken to manage the three conditions. While the management of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis is primarily focused on reducing pain and slowing down disease progression, the focus in the case of osteoporosis is largely on containing its role as a risk factor for fractures and other associated complications.
Download the report here.

Glaucoma Guidelines

NHMRC has released the Guidelines for the Screening, Prognosis, Diagnosis, Management and Prevention of Glaucoma . Glaucoma is a chronic degenerative health problem and a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The Guidelines provide Australian health professionals with current best evidence and clear recommendations for the screening, prognosis, diagnosis, management and prevention of glaucoma. The Guidelines can be found on the NHMRC website.

Australian hospital statistics 2009-10: emergency department care and elective surgery waiting times

Australian hospital statistics 2009-10: emergency department care and elective surgery waiting times presents information relating to emergency department care in major public hospitals and public hospital elective surgery waiting times for the period 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010. In 2009-10: almost 6 million emergency department presentations were provided by major public hospitals, with 70% of patients receiving treatment within an appropriate time for their urgency (triage category); about 610,000 patients were admitted to Australian public hospitals from waiting lists for elective surgery, with 50% of patients admitted within 36 days.
Click on the link to view the media release and report.

Breast Cancer 2010

The Report to the Nation - Breast Cancer 2010 provides a snapshot of the most up-to-date information on incidence, mortality and survival for breast cancer in Australia.
Download the report here and access other resources from the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre.

Weight loss surgery in Australia

The number of hospitalisations for weight loss surgery has increased dramatically over the past decade, rising from about 500 in 1998 to 17,000 in 2007-08, according to a report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
The report, Weight loss surgery in Australia, shows that between 1998-99 and 2007-08 the number of hospital admissions for weight loss surgery increased by an average of 54% per year, while the total number of all hospital admissions increased on average by less than 4% per year over the same period.

Quality of life and hip fracture.

Even relatively healthy elderly people do not regain their former quality of life within two years after a low-energy hip fracture, according to a study from Norway. The likelihood of a full recovery reduces with increasing age—all of which emphasizes the importance of prevention.
The full article is available for free.

Patient safety during surgery

Paul Barach trained as an anaesthetist and intensive care specialist at Harvard Medical School and has a strong international track record in his research on making health care safer. He now works in Australia and talked with Norman Swan on the ABC Health Report about his presentation at the Women's and Children's Hospital Conference. Paul said, "Health care is not designed for teams. We select, we reward, we incentivise people to work as individuals and then we throw them together in teams. And so unless and until we change the incentive structure and give them the feedback as a team, it's very difficult for them to achieve what I believe can be more sustainable improved results."
Paul believes if you can get the staff to think of themselves as a team and allocate time for debriefing after difficult procedures, "then they're actually able to reflect on their work, learn on the work and grow a greater respect for their colleagues."
To read the transcript of this very interesting interview click here.

The coding workforce shortfall

Concern about the shortfall in the clinical coding workforce in Australia has been raised in a number of national forums. This report quantifies the scope of the existing shortfall, provides some projections of future numbers required to cover increasing demands, and provides a consolidated set of recommendations to address the issues identified. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has published this new report today and it can be downloaded in full here.

Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses

Read these articles and others, as chosen by Editor-in-Chief Alan Hampson, from 'Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses' free until the end of 2010.
*Pandemic influenza vaccines: meeting the supply, distribution and deployment challenges;
*Confronting the next influenza pandemic with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory agents: why they are needed and how they might work.
See the full list of free articles here.

Injury of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Due to Transport

A report "Injury of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people due to transport, 2003-04 to 2007-08" was released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare on 11th November 2010. Land transport accidents accounted for 20% of fatal injury cases and 8% of all injury hospitalisations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Based on age-standardised rates, there were 2.7 times more fatalities and 20% more serious injury among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people compared to other Australians. (AIHW catalogue number (INJCAT 134))