Radiotherapy in Australia

This recent report from AIHW looks at national radiotherapy data from 53 service locations across Australia. The report shows that most patients who receive radiotherapy wait less than two weeks for treatment and that almost all emergency cases begin their treatment on the same or the next day. The pilot data collection shows that breast, prostate and lung cancers were the most common types of cancer among people starting courses of radiotherapy.

Download the report for free. Radiotherapy in Australia: report on a pilot data collection 2013-14  

Bipolar disorder, psychosis and schizophrenia in children and young people

This quality standard from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK) covers the recognition, early intervention and management of bipolar disorder, psychosis and schizophrenia (including related psychotic disorders such as schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder and delusional disorder) in children and young people under 18. 

NICE Quality Standard QS102  Bipolar disorder, psychosis and schizophrenia in children and young people. October 2015.

Breast Cancer in Young Women

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released a new report about breast cancer in women in their 20s and 30s. Breast Cancer in Young Women is the first national report presenting key data specific to breast cancer in women in this age group. This report provides an overview of breast cancer, risk factors for young women, breast cancer detection and diagnosis methods, and key summary measures including incidence, hospitalisations, survival and mortality.

Breast cancer in young women: key facts about breast cancer in women in their 20s and 30s. October 2015; AIHW catalogue number CAN 94

Critical Care Compendium

Life in the Fast Lane (LITFL) is a medical blog and website dedicated to providing free online emergency medicine and critical care insights and education for everyone, everywhere. It is an amazing resource and the Critical Care Compendium, part of LITFL, is a comprehensive collection of pages on core topics and controversies relating to critical care. With over 1650 entries, the Compendium entries are constantly revised and improved with links to new references and online resources added daily.

The team for LITFL is headed by Mike Cadogan and Chris Nickson, and consists (mostly) of emergency physicians and intensivists based in Australia and New Zealand. Chris Nickson is the creator of the Critical Care Compendium.

New research resource for domestic violence

"The National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR) of the National Library of Medicine (US) has released a new health services research resource on domestic violence. The new resource can be found on the Web portal, Health Services Research Information Central (HSR Info Central). It is intended to support health services researchers, policymakers, administrators, and practitioners involved in detection, prevention and treatment services for this under served and often unnoticed community. The scope of this “topic page” includes Intimate Partner Violence, Reproductive and Sexual Coercion, Child Abuse and Maltreatment, and Elder Abuse."
The site includes statistics, guidelines, search strategies, education and related publications.

Domestic Violence Research Resource

Patient Perspectives: Hospital care for people with cancer

The Bureau of Health Information has released a report, Patient Perspectives: Hospital care for people with cancer. This report draws on Adult Admitted Patient Survey results from almost 6,500 patients with cancer who were admitted to a NSW public hospital during the period July 2013 to July 2014. 
This is the first time a focus has been placed on the survey results of patients with cancer in NSW.

Compared with general patients, people with cancer were more positive about many aspects of care. Although patients would like more information about potential side effects of medication.

Patient Perspectives: Hospital care for people with cancer.

Dementia, Disability and Frailty in Later Life

Leading a healthier lifestyle can delay dementia, disability and frailty in later life. A recent guideline from NICE in the UK recommends National organisations and local government departments that influence public health should continue to develop and support population-level initiatives to reduce the risk of dementia, disability and frailty by making it easier for people to:

• stop smoking
• be more physically active
• reduce their alcohol consumption
• adopt a healthy diet
• achieve and/or maintain a healthy weight

NICE also recommends that organisations make physical activity, adopting a healthy diet and achieving and maintaining a healthy weight as accessible, affordable and acceptable as possible.

Dementia, disability and frailty in later life – mid-life approaches to delay or prevent onset. NICE Guidelines [NG16] October 2015  

New breast screening guidelines in the USA

The American Cancer Society has issued new guidelines which recommend women start having mammograms at 45 instead of 40, and that they don't need to have routine manual breast checks by their general practitioners.

There seems to be a few different approaches in America with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynegologists recommending regular mammograms from 40, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends age 50, and now the American Caner Society recommends age 45.  BreastScreen Australia targets women from 50-74, but women from 40 are eligible for free screening. 

Breast Cancer Screening for Women at Average Risk : 2015 Guideline Update From the American Cancer Society is freely published in JAMA.

314(15):1599-1614. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.12783

Lancet 10,000th issue

The 10,000th issue of The Lancet has was published last month with some memories of medical milestones since their first issue in October 1823.  

See their infographic timeline to read the original articles of some celebrated research points over the last 192 years, such as Lister arguing for antiseptic practice in surgery in 1867, the first description of ultrasound in 1958 and the introduction of the Glasgow Coma Scale in 1974.

Snapshot Report: Outpatient Survey Results 2014

The Bureau of Health Information has released the first results of the NSW Outpatient Survey which looks at the experiences of more than 18,000 patients who received outpatient services in a NSW public hospital in February or March 2014. 

This is the first time information has been available about patients' experiences of care across nine different types of outpatient services, including oncology and chemotherapy, gynaecology and obstetrics, and orthopaedic surgery.

Snapshot Report: Outpatient Survey Results 2014

World report on ageing and health

With advances in medicine helping more people to live longer lives, the number of people over the age of 60 is expected to double by 2050 and will require radical societal change, according to a new report released by the World Health Organisation.

While some older people may indeed be experiencing both longer and healthier lives, these people are likely to have come from more advantaged segments of society. “People from disadvantaged backgrounds, those in poorer countries, those with the fewest opportunities and the fewest resources to call on in older age, are also likely to have the poorest health and the greatest need,” says Dr Beard, Director of the Department of Ageing and Life Course at WHO.

The Report highlights 3 key areas for action which will require a fundamental shift in the way society thinks about ageing and older people. These actions can give the older people of today and tomorrow the ability to invent new ways of living.

World report on ageing and health. WHO 2015

Type 1 Diabetes in Children

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has published a new report on the prevalence of type 1 diabetes among children aged 0-14 in Australia 2013. The report, based on data from the National (insulin-treated) Diabetes Register, highlights that in 2013, 6,091 children aged 0-14 had type 1 diabetes in Australia. This represented 139 cases per 100,000 population, or about 1 in 720 Australians aged 0-14. About 2 in 5 children with type 1 diabetes used an insulin pump to administer insulin. The prevalence of type 1 diabetes among children differed by age, state/territory, and residential remoteness areas.

Prevalence of type 1 diabetes among children aged 0-14 in Australia 2013 AIHW catalogue number CVD 70.

View and download the full report for free online.

e-Mental Health: A Guide for GPs

The term e-mental health refers to the use of the internet and related technologies to deliver mental health information, services and care. e-Mental health interventions are effective for use in the management of mild to moderate depression and anxiety, and can be disseminated in the primary care setting. The RACGP has developed e-Mental health: A guide for GPs to assist you in using e-mental health interventions with patients when it is safe to do so.

The Guide is designed to provide an introduction to the field of e-mental health, direct you to key online resources for you and your patients, and help you to decide how to use e-mental health in your practice.

Health of grey nomads

Health of grey nomads: On the move and under the health sector radar has been published in the Australian Journal of Rural Health recently. The term 'grey nomads' refers to older people travelling long distances around Australia and staying in caravans, tents or motor homes.  Anecdotal evidence suggests they impose a burden on rural and remote health services, but there has been very little research to support this.

Author Melissa Raven surveyed the literature and found that many grey nomads have chronic diseases and some are inadequately prepared for travelling.  She concludes that there is a need for further research to analyse the uptake of health services from this group in order to properly resource health services and optimise their well-being.  

Outcomes of Australian rural clinical schools

Outcomes of Australian rural clinical schools: a decade of success building the rural medical workforce through the education and training continuum has been published on open access in the journal, Rural and Remote Health, by Jennene Greenhill, Judi Walker and Denese Playford.

The Australian government has funded the Rural Clinical Training and Support (RCTS) program for the past decade and this article looks in detail at the successes and challenges faced by the 17 medical schools set up under this program. Through semi-structured interviews with the program directors and others with a key involvement, as well as an analysis of enrolments of students and the consequent employment characteristics of graduates, the authors conclude that the program has been an "outstanding success" with graduates finding a passion for rural health practice.