Volume 198 Issue 6

The early positive results of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program should provide encouragement to the government to accelerate its implementation

Ian N Olver MD, PhD, FRACP · Paul B Grogan

Australia's National Pain Strategy describes three points in the current model of care where sufferers of chronic pain (defined as constant pain on a daily basis for 3 months or more in the past 6 months) encounter “fault lines” or disruptions in their treatment journey.1 The first of these is the prolonged cycle of tests, medicinal therapy and referrals that occurs in the community, delaying ...

Geoffrey K Mitchell MB BS, PhD, FRACGP

Tailoring interventions for the variable behaviours in individuals with autism ultimately depends on determining the neurobiological causes of these behaviours.

Andrew J O Whitehouse PhD · Fiona J Stanley MB BS, MSc, MD

The full content of this article is available by downloading the PDF.

The full content of this article is available by downloading the PDF.

Experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of childbirth can’t be replaced by plastic models or videos

Caroline M de Costa PhD, FRANZCOG, FRCOG · Ajay Rane PhD, MD, FRANZCOG

An intensive care unit is only as good as the care and decision making provided at 2 am. What is needed is an environment that promotes optimal decision making 24 hours a day.

Sean L Kelly BMed, FACEM · Roger D Harris MB BS, FACEM, FCICM · Anthony R Burrell MB BS, FANZCA, FCICM

Unless future well designed studies show an actual benefit for patients, hospitals and health care, policymakers should resist any attempts to enforce this potentially expensive and ineffective practice.

Adam M Deane MB BS, PhD, FCICM · Mary G White MB BCh, BAO, FFARCSI

To change practice, we should move beyond trial-based efficacy to real-world effectivenessMeaningful health care reform requires robust evidence about which interventions work best for whom and under what circumstances. The Institute of Medicine in the United States has estimated that less than 50% of current treatments are supported by evidence and 30% of health care expenditure reflects care that is of uncertain value.1 In studies ...

Ian A Scott FRACP, MHA, MEd

Public health posters about flu transmission prevention need to reflect current best practice: cough or sneeze into your sleeve rather than your hands if tissues are not available.

Guy D Eslick

Australia must continue to support learning in emergency medicine through sufficient resourcing for emergency departments — the most appropriate setting for such training — and via robust accreditation standards.

Andrew D Gosbell · Rob D Mitchell · Victoria A Brazil · Alana M Killen

To the Editor: In 2009, the RE-LY (Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulant Therapy) trial compared dabigatran etexilate with warfarin for prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in 18 113 patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) and at least one additional risk factor for stroke.1 In April 2011, it became accessible in Australia (Pradaxa; Boehringer Ingelheim) under a product familiarisation program funded by the manufacturer; however, the Pharmaceutical ...

Sueh-li A Lim · Ellen Maxwell

To the Editor: The Australian Government’s recently completed Review of anticoagulation therapies in atrial fibrillation (AF) identified that the quality of international normalised ratio (INR) control was one of a number of factors creating uncertainty regarding the cost-effectiveness of novel anticoagulants in the Australian setting.1 INR control, usually expressed as the percentage of time in the therapeutic range (TTR), is critical in determining the relative efficacy, ...

Luke R E Bereznicki · Alexandra R Madden · Gregory M Peterson

More formal systems of global health training in Australia have the potential to create a cohort of doctors with the skills and knowledge necessary to engage in regional health challenges in a global context.

Rob D Mitchell MB BS(Hons), BMedSc(Hons) · Jennifer C Jamieson MB BS, BBiomedSci · Jake Parker BSc, MB BS, MSc(ClinPhysiol) · Fred B Hersch BSc, MB BS(Hons), MPH · Zoe Wainer BM BS, BHSc · A Rob Moodie MB BS, MPH

Research into the likelihood of in-flight measles transmission enables an assessment of the effectiveness of current contact-tracing guidelines.

Veronica C Hoad MB BS, MPH · Bridget A O’Connor BAppSc, MPH, MAppEpid · Andrew J Langley MB BS, FAFOEM, FAFPHM · Gary K Dowse MB BS, MScEpid, FAFPHM

About 50% of medical graduates who completed their degrees between 2006 and 2010 undertook international medical electives, of which more than half were in developing countries. The authors highlight that formal predeparture training and postelective debriefing (offered by 12 and eight of the 16 medical schools involved in the study, respectively) should be scaled up to help students make the most of these experiences.

Iain R Law BSc, MSc · Paul S Worley MB BS, PhD, FACRRM · Freya J Langham BMedSci(Hons)

A cohort comparison of colorectal cancer patient data from the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program register and the South Australian Cancer Registry found that cancers were diagnosed at a significantly earlier stage in people invited to the screening program compared with those who were not invited. A further shift towards earlier stage was seen in those who participated in screening and those with positive test results compared with the rest of the study population.

Stephen R Cole BSc, MPH · Graeme R Tucker BSc · Joanne M Osborne MPH · Susan E Byrne BN · Peter A Bampton MD, FRACP, AGAF · Robert J L Fraser MB BS, FRACP, PhD · Graeme P Young MD, FRACP, FTSE

The first case of visceral leishmaniasis in an Australian returned traveller taking adalimumab highlights the small but significant risk to immunosuppressed patients travelling to areas endemic for leishmaniasis.

Catherine E Berry BMed · Jeffrey Tsai MB BS · Alexander Tierney MB BS, FRACP · Robert Pickles BMed(Hons), FRACP

Are state selection systems for internship positions discriminatory and unconstitutional?

Dev A S Kevat LLB(Hons), MPH · Fiona J Lander MB BS(Hons), LLB(Hons)

Early recognition and rectification of burnout in oncology registrars and oncologists is needed to ensure the wellbeing of both doctors and patients.

Muhammad A Khattak MB BS

For some, the desire to be a good doctor extends across international borders and lands them in some of the most challenging medical scenarios in the world. It is here that volunteers work with global peers to bring health services to those who are vulnerable and in need.

Karen Burge

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) has appointed Dr David Andrews (PhD) as its new Chief Executive Officer and member of its board of directors, replacing Acting CEO Mr Laurie Pincott.

Cate Swannell

When Dr Maithri Goonetilleke stepped off a plane in Swaziland as a fifth-year medical student in 2005, his life changed forever. Now he’s dedicated to changing the lives of the young people in the world’s most AIDS-ravaged nation.

Cate Swannell