As children, our parents or guardians likely told us to wash our hands to get rid of germs – and these directives might still be playing a role in health professionals’ handwashing practices, an infection control expert has suggested. UNSW ...
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GEDI to advance emergency care for older patients
A fast-tracked emergency department program for elderly patients is now accessible in regional and remote areas of Queensland. The initiative, which was co-developed by the University of the Sunshine Coast and Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service (SCHHS), has been established ...
More »Proposed student loan threshold will unfairly handicap graduates: nurses
Prospective university students might be turned off a career in nursing under changes to university loan repayment thresholds, the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) has warned. The college said the move might exacerbate anticipated workforce shortages – a dearth of ...
More »Erectile dysfunction drug being used in Brisbane maternity service
A drug commonly used to treat erectile dysfunction is being given to women during labour in a Brisbane trial. More than 200 women have taken part in a randomised trial involving sildenafil – sold under the brand name Viagra. When taken in ...
More »Aged care homes to field unannounced visits
Unannounced audits have begun rolling out across Australia’s aged care homes. July 1 marked the start date for the new system, under which aged care homes will no longer receive notices for the dates of re-accreditation audits. The move was ...
More »Hospitals ‘must take note’ of rates of domestic violence among healthcare workers
It happens to clinicians too. That’s one of the key messages of a study investigating intimate partner and family violence among female healthcare workers in Australia. For the study, Elizabeth McLindon from the University of Melbourne and the Royal Women’s ...
More »Just two days’ supply of O-negative blood: Red Cross
A critical shortage of O-negative blood across Australia has sparked the latest Red Cross Blood Service appeal for donors to come forward. The blood service is urging people with O-negative blood to make a donation as its reserves dip to ...
More »Jump for your balance: study on falls among post-menopausal women
It might sound slightly counterintuitive at first, but Victorian researchers are suggesting that jumping might be key to helping reduce falls among post-menopausal women with osteoporosis. Key to this suggestion is the potential benefits of ‘neuromuscular power’. Published in Osteoporosis ...
More »Facial recognition pain tool rolling out nationally
A tool that uses facial recognition software to detect pain in the elderly and people with dementia is making its way across Australian residential aged care villages. Known as PainChek, its national rollout via Dementia Support Australia (DSA) is now underway ...
More »A dying wish: Lobster for Josino
What would be your last meal? For Josino, all he wanted was lobster, but that wasn’t to be. “You know what really annoys me? If I was on death row, I could choose my last meal. Just because I’m sick, ...
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