New MJA editor announced
The Medical Journal of Australia has a new editor-in-chief, with the journal's board announcing the appointment of Professor Stephen Leeder.
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MJA
The following articles have the tag MJA
MJA’s new editor seizes the reigns
THE Medical Journal of Australia has a new editor-in-chief, with the journal announcing the appointment of Professor Stephen Leeder.
State placements ‘discriminatory’
INTERN selection protocols that provide priority placements for medical students within their state of graduation have been branded discriminatory and potentially unconstitutional in a paper published by the MJA online.
Choosing interns based on state may breach constitution
INTERN selection protocols that provide priority placements for medical students within their state of graduation have been branded discriminatory and potentially unconstitutional in a new paper published by the MJA online.
Make medical education a specialty, doctors say
MEDICAL educators should be recognised as specialists in their own right with their own academy and training pathway, a new paper suggests.
Call for urgent review of ED care
SEVERAL emergency doctors are calling for an urgent review of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) statistics on emergency department care, arguing its methodology is “flawed” after citing GP-type referral data over the year.
Chronic care items favour lower income groups
MEDICARE spending on chronic care items is primarily being used by patients from lower income households, according to research published in the MJA today.
Pressure stepped up to improve detainees’ health
THE AMA and the Greens have stepped up pressure on the government to establish an independent health oversight panel for people in immigration detention.
Stoush heightens over RACGP opposition to AMA’s exclusivity
The RACGP and the AMA are at odds over national competition law, after the college last week vowed to oppose the association’s push to give its members exclusive rights to collectively set prices.
‘Differences’ blamed for Katelaris’ MJA departure
MEDICAL Journal of Australia publisher AMPCo has ended weeks of speculation around former MJA editor Dr Annette Katelaris, admitting that “differences” between Dr Katelaris and the board led to her departure.
International pressure on AMA over MJA editor
PRESSURE is mounting on the AMA to explain the departure of former Medical Journal of Australia editor Dr Annette Katelaris after a prestigious international editors’ group tabled the issue at a recent meeting in New York and expressed concern about the journal’s reputation.
Medical editors pursuing answers after MJA editor’s departure
A PRESTIGIOUS medical editors group will continue to pursue answers about the departure of former Medical Journal of Australia editor Dr Annette Katelaris, and one of its members has vowed to personally approach the publication’s owner, the AMA, about the matter.
Speculation over MJA editor continues
HEALTH academics have called on the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) board to explain the departure of former editor Dr Annette Katelaris after it complained about “speculation” and “spreading of misinformation”.
Medicos want answers: speculation rife over MJA editor’s departure
THE Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) board has been asked to clarify the facts around the departure of the publication's former editor Dr Annette Katelaris after it issued a statement saying it was concerned about "speculation" and "spreading of misinformation".
Disappointment at MJA editor’s departure
GPs have expressed disappointment at the departure of Dr Annette Katelaris as editor of the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA ) amid the release of strong readership figures.
Surprise and disappointment at MJA editor's departure
GPs have expressed disappointment at the departure of Dr Annette Katelaris as editor of the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) amid the release of strong readership figures.
AMA refuses a return to the good ol’ days
THE AMA has defended its ‘Safe Hours’ campaign following suggestions that capping the hours of doctors in training has limited the quality and range of their formative experience.
Target levels of vitamin D need to allow for seasonal variation
DOCTORS should allow for a winter drop in vitamin D levels when assessing the status of patients in summer, experts say.
Medicare misuse rampant: Webber
FORMER PSR director Dr Tony Webber has claimed he was gagged by the health department when he raised concerns that hospitals were “cost-shifting” by pressuring GPs to order preoperative tests through Medicare.
More older patients on multiple meds: survey
THE National Prescribing Service (NPS) has called for better public access to medical information, after it found more older Australians are taking multiple medications – including self-prescribed – than previously thought.
Experts should help limit excess
PUBLIC health experts should have more say in limiting Australians’ choices when it comes to excessive consumption of unhealthy food and alcohol, as well as other unhealthy acts such as smoking, in the interest of public health – provided enough evidence is available. POLL QUESTION : Should public health experts try to stop patients consuming unhealthy products? That is the position argued by adjunct senior lecturer at the La Trobe University School of Public Health, Dr Ken Harvey, in a debate published in the MJA this week. Responding to the topic, ‘I want ...
Doctors divided over fairest pay model
A DEBATE in the MJA over whether doctors should be “hawking their wares among the populace for a fee” or taking a “social service” approach via a salary has divided general practice experts on the best model of pay for GPs. Obstetrician Dr Brian Peat argued in the MJA that it would be “simple to change the current balance” in Australia by rolling back “the more outrageous subsidies” like the private health insurance rebate and the safety net, and directing the savings into more salaried positions. AMA Victoria past president Dr Douglas Travis argued against the salaried ...
Bulk-billing GPs more accepting of teaching during consults
GPs worried about imposing on private, fee-paying patients are reluctant to bring students into consultations, according to a study which found bulk-billed patients were seen as being more accepting of student involvement. University of Queensland senior lecturer in general practice Dr Nancy Sturman outlined the interview-based study of 60 Brisbane GPs in a letter to the latest issue of the MJA. Dr Sturman said previous research had found UK GPs reported an “uncomfortable sense of obligation” to, and boundary blurring with, patients who assist with teaching. “Arguably, there is an implication that private fee-paying patients may ...
GPs with fee-paying patients less likely to take on students
GPs worried about imposing on private, fee-paying patients are reluctant to bring students into consultations, according to a study that found bulk-billed patients were seen as being more accepting of student involvement. University of Queensland senior lecturer in general practice Dr Nancy Sturman outlined the interview-based study of 60 Brisbane GPs in a letter to the latest issue of the MJA . Dr Sturman said previous research had found UK GPs reported an “uncomfortable sense of obligation” to, and boundary blurring with, patients who assisted with teaching. “It is ...
GP script restrictions questioned
RESTRICTIONS preventing GPs from dispensing medications have been questioned by a Curtin University study showing Australian doctors who dispense PBS medications issue fewer prescriptions than non-dispensing doctors. The finding of the study – published in the MJA this week – compared PBS claims data of 72 dispensing GPs against data from 1080 of their non-dispensing colleagues. The authors said the results were at odds with international research suggesting dispensing doctors prescribe more, rely less on generic medicines and use antibiotics less judiciously. There are 80 Australian sites where GPs have licences to dispense their own ...
Flexible training would benefit doctors with kids
PARENTS graduating with medical degrees should be given time-flexible trainee positions to make entering the workforce easier, doctors say. Writing in the most recent MJA , Dr Suzanne Mahady, of Sydney’s Westmead Hospital, said more women than men are graduating as doctors in Australia, and more are raising children while going through their trainee roles. She said current full-time positions put a great deal of time pressure on parents. “While the current system of specialist training suits most trainees, there is a small and increasing number who would benefit from permanent, flexible training posts across ...
Med schools urged to disclose pharma links
MEDICAL schools would have to declare the full extent of their financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies on a government website under a proposal touted by a leading academic. Researchers from the University of Sydney have called for the dramatic measure after conducting what is understood to be the first Australian study into conflicts of interest between medical schools and drug companies. Researchers analysed the policies of Australia’s 20 medical schools in seven areas: gifts from pharmaceuticals; consulting relationships; funded speaking relationships; disclosure; on-campus sponsorship; travel perks; and the curriculum itself. Co-authored by Professor Martin Tattersall, of ...
Pay-for-performance schemes lack IT support
PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE schemes should not be viewed as a panacea for health system funding, experts warn, and health policy makers must give serious consideration to Australia’s health IT systems before starting on this path. Writing in this week’s MJA , researchers from the Australian National University and the University of Melbourne said Australia needed to take particular note of lessons learned from the failures of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) scheme used in the UK. Co-author Professor Anthony Scott, from Melbourne University’s Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, said the UK pay-for-performance system had largely ...
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Experts divided on Local interaction
UNDULY bureaucratic Medicare Locals could jeopardise the level of involvement GPs currently have with their divisions, a health systems expert has argued. Philip Davies, professor of health systems and policy at the University of Queensland school of population health, says that under the proposed Medicare Locals, GP engagement “will inevitably be reduced”. “We are moving towards less GP-led autonomy and more into Medicare Locals being part of a sort of Government health system,” he said. Professor Davies, also the former deputy secretary to the Federal Health Department, noted such trends had occurred in New Zealand and ...
Mental health service may reduce CVD risk
PRIMARY care in Indigenous populations would benefit from integrated mental health services according to new research indicating a strong association between substance use-related mental illness and cardiovascular disease. A study of 784 Aboriginal adults (aged 20-74 years) in the Northern Territory found those with substance use-related mental disorders were 2.6 times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those without. The cohort was developed from a population-based renal disease screening program between 1992 and 1995 and then followed up in May 2005 using hospital and death records. The study found that 23% of participants had a ...
Aboriginal kids vulnerable to mental health misdiagnosis
ABORIGINAL children may be being incorrectly diagnosed as having mental health problems when they instead have behavioural problems caused by social and physical factors. A qualitative study of 15 Aboriginal parents and 32 Aboriginal community health workers in Sydney found that hearing, speech or learning difficulties and hunger could lead to behavioural problems that were often mistaken for mental health problems. “If you just approached this strictly from a mental health or social wellbeing [viewpoint] without taking all the other issues into account, you could make the wrong decision and therefore subject not only the child, but ...
Patients keen to play their part in medical training
PATIENTS are willing and happy for medical students to be part of their consultations with GPs, and recognise student involvement in consultations will become increasingly crucial as graduate numbers rise, according to Australian researchers. The study for the University of Wollongong found GP patients felt that by allowing medical students to be involved in their consultation they were playing an active part in helping to train the next generation of doctors. Based on a survey of 117 patients across 17 rural and regional NSW practices, the survey revealed patients actually expected high levels of student involvement in ...
Intrapartum death seven times higher in home births
THE risk of intrapartum death occurring in a home delivery is seven times greater than the risk associated with a planned hospital delivery, according to Australian data published in the latest MJA . The study, which is likely to reignite debate on the practice of home birthing, also found the risk of death from intrapartum asphyxia was 27-fold higher for home births when compared with planned hospital births. Researchers analysed perinatal data from 300,000 births in South Australia between 1991-2006, including all births and perinatal deaths. Planned home births accounted for only 0.38% of births over ...
Views divided over patient warfarin management
DEBATE continues among academics and clinicians about which group should be responsible for the monitoring of patients taking warfarin – GPs, pharmacists or patients themselves. In a letter to the MJA , researchers from the University of Tasmania said better use of existing services, such as accredited pharmacists and potentially practice nurses, was crucial in improving warfarin management. Under the Fourth Community Pharmacy Agreement Research and Development Program, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia funded two projects. The first is trialling a discharge service involving follow-up home visits by trained pharmacists, and in the second community pharmacists ...
Junior doctors call for support to avoid burnout
JUNIOR doctors have called for changes to medical training culture to enable trainees to seek help for burnout and stress, without fearing they will jeopardise their careers. The call, published in the latest MJA , follows last year’s survey of 914 junior doctors, which showed 71% were concerned about their health, 69% met the established criteria for burnout, and more than half met criteria for compassion fatigue ( MO , 31 October 2008 ). Author and former chair of the AMA council of doctors in training Dr Alex Markwell appealed for greater support for junior ...
Independence of TGA’s drug safety plans questioned
NEW TGA measures to improve pharmacovigilance – and ultimately reduce adverse drug reactions – may fall short of their potential due to inadequate resourcing, an academic has claimed. As of next year, the TGA has stipulated that pharmaceutical companies must present postmarketing pharmacovigilance and risk minimisation plans as part of the TGA pre-approval process for a medicine. In some instances, the plan may simply describe routine passive pharmacovigilance activity, but where there are gaps in safety data, it will include proposed studies to overcome the gap. Writing in the current issue of the MJA , ...