Medical Observer

Anti-gay marriage doctor quits equal rights post

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Professor Kuruvilla...

High risk of harm from baby bottles

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

In the US, one child is treated in a hospital emergency department every four hours for injuries related to these everyday...

Drawing test strong predictor for post-stroke mortality

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Researchers analysed data from a study of 1000 Swedish men whose intellectual capacity was assessed at age 70. Some 155 of the men had a...

Behavioural modification most effective in diabetes prevention

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

At an international conference last week, investigators from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, presented modelling that...

Grants available for ideas to improve immunisation

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

The inaugural Vaxigrants project, funded by Sanofi Pasteur, offers five grants of $20,000 each for projects such as increasing vaccination...

Heavy drinking curbed by smoking cessation drug

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

US researchers recruited social drinkers through online classifieds, giving half the group varenicline (Champix, Pfizer) and the other half...

Mowers and kids are not a good mix

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Surgical trainee Dr David Sharp analysed 35 consecutive lawnmower-related injuries treated at the Mater Children’s Hospital, Brisbane,...

Over-75s may face MBA performance testing

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Dr Flynn told MO the board “expects older doctors, like any other doctors, to be conscious of whether they are competent” and...

Where is the personal control in the PCEHR?

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

This has been a frustratingly long time coming for general practice. GPs successfully implemented clinical computer use over a decade ago and have...

Unwrapping our cotton wool kids

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

A 13-YEAR-OLD Michael Fasher liked nothing better than to jump on his bike on a Saturday morning, ride over the Sydney Harbour Bridge from his...

Vietnam and Australia join forces to fight TB

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Vietnam’s National Tuberculosis Program deputy head Nguyen Viet Nhung and his delegation toured the Centenary and Woolcock institutes in...

Skin conditions hidden problem for athletes

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Former Olympics water polo bronze-medal winner and dermatology resident Dr Jacqueline De Luca, from the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center,...

Antibiotic approved in the US to fight plague

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

The bacterium which causes plague, Yersinia pestis, is considered a potential bioterrorism agent, the FDA said in a...

Myopia a major burden in East Asian youth

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Professor Ian Morgan, from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Vision Science, Australian National University, estimated that...

Fast forward - 15 May 2012

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

A DECADE ago Townsville GP Dr Jim Sheppard was the first Australian doctor to feel the brunt of United Medical Protection’s slow-motion...

Behind the news - 15 May 2012

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

It won’t happen for a while, but Medicare Locals will ultimately be subjected to ‘league tables’ comparing their performance...

Community takes time out to say thanks

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Conceived by GPRA and designed to celebrate the role of GPs, the campaign will centre on a website that will allow all members of the community to...

Frozen embryos help lower risk of defects

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

In a study which also confirmed that intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) carries a higher risk of birth defects compared to in vitro...

Doctors need to study alternative medicine

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

A study of a fourth-year elective at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, published in the BMC Complementary and Alternative...

Duty free shop fined for breach of tobacco laws

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

The punishment – which amounts to $13,362 per carton – came after the owner of the Mega B shop in Sydney International Airport pleaded...

Cultural barriers to bowel cancer screening program

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Coinciding with a federal government announcement that the program would be expanded, a study published last week found a lot of misunderstanding...

AMA conference to celebrate 50 years

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Lord Darzi is one of the world’s leading international figures in health reform and will provide the conference with a personal reflection...

Probiotics promising for diarrhoea post antibiotics

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Data from 63 trials of almost 12,000 patients found probiotic users had a 42% lower risk of diarrhoea compared to patients receiving placebo or no...

Antidepressant medication use in decline

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Researchers reviewed Australian Bureau of Statistics and Australian National Health Survey data of more than 48,000 adults aged over 25 between...

GPs warned new tax penalties could bite deep

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

People earning more than $300,000 per year will have the tax on their superannuation contributions doubled to 30%.

They will also be...

Budget 2012: Government tightening the belt in health

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

This budget has seen a reduction in expenditure of around $122 million from the previous year, equating to a -0.2% decline.

In the...

Costly consults cut safety net

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Across-the-board caps on safety net use, aimed at saving $95.2 million over four years, were broadly welcomed in a budget that otherwise subjected...

Budget 2012: what GP leaders say

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Professor Claire Jackson, President, RACGP: “Last year general practice was mauled with the mental health cuts, this year the...

Quality follow-up colonoscopy is key

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

The government allocated an extra $49.7 million to extend faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) to all Australians turning 60 next year and to...

PCEHR $233m commitment welcomed

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

The government announced in last week’s budget it will spend $233.7 million on e-health over the next two years; $67.4 million on the...

Health Budget overview

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

National e-Health Program – continuation: $233.7m SPEND
Telehealth incentive payments to be cut from July 2013: $183.9m...

Little gain, high risk from long-term bisphosphonates

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Given the rare but serious side-effects linked to prolonged use of the therapy, including atypical subtrochanteric fracture and osteonecrosis of...

Vic division chair quits at ‘bureaucrat’ takeover

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

GP Dr Joe Garra was a director of Melbourne’s Westgate Division for six years including the last two as chair when it became one of five...

Govt labelled ‘hypocritical’ over new 80-20 breach laws for PSR

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Previously GPs who saw 80 or more patients on 20 days in any given year could be referred by Medicare to the Professional Services Review to...

SensaSlim boss a no-show in court

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

Mr O’Brien sued the La Trobe public health academic for defamation in the NSW Supreme Court last year after Dr Harvey lodged a series of...

Public at risk after incentives dumped

Tue, 15 May 2012 +1000

The government expects to save $83.5 million over four years by dumping the scheme and increasing targets for the cervical screening PIP from 65%...