Proactive patient reminder potential key to improving pneumococcal vaccination rates among older Australians – October 1, 2015
Implementing an efficient reminder system to prompt Australians aged 65 and above to receive their free pneumococcal vaccination may be pivotal to improving the low 54 per cent vaccination rates among this at-risk population.1 Findings from the Pneumococcal Pneumonia Vaccination General Practice Nurse survey reveal while many general practice nurses acknowledge having some sort of…
Be sun aware this summer by booking a Blooms The Chemist Skin Cancer SpotCheck today – October 1, 2015
More than 12,500 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed in Australia each year. According to the Melanoma Institute of Australia, skin cancer, including melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers, is Australia’s most common cancer. This October, Blooms The Chemist Sun Awareness Clinics are helping to keep Aussies sun aware, by identifying moles and skin spots that…
A coordinated approach key to improving prescription medication misuse & deaths from overdose – September 29, 2015
Written by Kim Ledger and ScriptWise There are multiple drivers behind the escalating problem of prescription medication misuse and overdose deaths in Australia. The lack of consumer awareness and health information technology are overarching reasons for why prescription medication overdose deaths have outnumbered road fatalities. ScriptWise is a not for profit (NFP) organisation raising awareness of…
GP consultation encouraged in prescribing opioids for crash victims
New findings released reveal opioid use has tripled from 11 percent pre-injury to 33 per cent during the 18 months post-injury, according to a study that examined PBS medication use by 700 people injured on Victorian roads between 2010 and 2012. The Monash University Injury Research Institute of Melbourne study showed Oxycodone was the most…
Planning to travel? Know your rabies risk, this World Rabies Day – September 28, 2015
Across the world, September 28 marks World Rabies Day – a global initiative that aims to raise awareness of the fatal impact of the viral disease and the importance of prevention through immunisation. According to Rabies Alliance rabies is responsible for an estimated 59,000 deaths a year world-wide. Rabies is endemic throughout South East Asia,…
Support Arthritis & Osteoporosis NSW’s world record attempt for the “Largest Gathering of Skeletons” this Halloween – September 22, 2015
Join Arthritis & Osteoporosis NSW for it’s quirky Our Joint event in Sydney to mark Halloween on Friday, October 30, 2015 from 4-9pm. To help raise awareness of bone and joint health, and support the one-in-five Australians living with arthritis, osteoporosis, or more than 120 musculoskeletal diseases, head to Dudley Page Reserve at Dover Heights, Sydney…
GPs critical to improving diagnosis & management of rare diseases in Australia – September 17, 2015
Often occurring in childhood, rare diseases tend to involve substantial disability, compromised quality of life and premature loss of life. Furthermore, rare diseases can weigh heavily on families, health services and the community at large. Yet many health providers, policy makers and research funders appear to lack access to information and education, or choose to…
Pharmacy profession remains buoyant – September 17, 2015
The pharmacy profession is continuing to grow, with 29,014 registered pharmacists nation-wide, according to the most recent (June, 2015) Pharmacy Board of Australia figures. The latest stats reveal there are 26,179 general pharmacist registrations; 1,815 provisional registrations; 14 limited registrations and 1,006 on-practising registrations. Pharmacist numbers have increased by 97, from 28,853 registered practitioners in…
Curbing future weight gain among kids with milk, not water: new University of Sydney research – September 17, 2015
University of Sydney researchers cite daily consumption of fruit juice and soft drinks among obese-prone two-to-six year olds places them at risk of becoming overweight. The 18 month long study just published in The British Journal of Nutrition confirms children predisposed to weight gain should avoid sugar-laden drinks, and substitute milk for water in order…
Recycling organs: a risky business or savvy strategy for tackling our national shortage of organ donors? September 11, 2015
With around 1,600 Australians on the organ donation waiting list at any given time, a shortage of organ donations across the nation has led doctors at Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital to transplant willing dialysis patients with the recycled and diseased kidneys of cancer patients. Despite being an extremely risky procedure, according to the ABC (September…