Volume 220 Issue 4

The strategy represents a powerful shift to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled policy and practice

Dawn Casey · Patricia Turner

Why is the clinical AI uptake in Australian hospitals very low compared with overseas and how do we fix it?

Anton van der Vegt · Victoria Campbell · Guido Zuccon

An agile and dynamic workforce of medical students can address critical workforce shortages in the health care system and facilitate future reforms

Rebecca Goodall · Emily Matejin · Sean Fabri · Paul Eleftheriou

New vaping regulations offer an opportunity to commit to an equity-focused tobacco endgame strategy in Australia

Samantha Howe · Driss Ait Ouakrim · Tony Blakely · Coral E Gartner

A 77-year-old man with maize starch excipient allergy on peritoneal dialysis presented to the renal clinic with mild right groin pain for a week, blood pressure of 150/79 mmHg, and weight gain of 2 kg due to fluid retention

Lipin Lukose · Shrey Seth · Kamal Sud · Brian Nankivell · Mary Ann Nicdao · Ronald L Castelino

Primary care clinicians are central to increased engagement and partnership with families in shared decision making

Valerie M Swift · Christopher G Brennan‐Jones

Characterising the epidemiology of bronchiectasis in Indigenous Australia is crucial for its accurate diagnosis and effective management

Claire Gibbs · Timothy Howarth · Adriana Ticoalu · Winnie Chen · Payi L Ford · Asanga Abeyaratne · Lata Jayaram · Gabrielle McCallum · Subash S Heraganahally

Increasing the pertussis vaccination rate requires culturally appropriate strategies co-designed with local organisations and communities

Lisa McHugh · Heather A D’Antoine · Mohinder Sarna · Michael J Binks · Hannah C Moore · Ross M Andrews · Gavin F Pereira · Christopher C Blyth · Paul Van Buynder · Karin Lust · Annette K Regan

Shared decision making informed by the experience of parents and carers could reduce antibiotic use for managing acute otitis media

Jennifer S Reath · Sarah O'Brien · Letitia Campbell · Hasantha Gunasekera · Claudette A Tyson · Deborah A Askew · Wendy Hu · Tim Usherwood · Kelvin Kong · Peter Morris · Amanda J Leach · Robyn Walsh · Penelope A Abbott

Taking social health determinants into account is important for reducing the CVD burden for Indigenous Victorians

Eloise Price · Aneta Kotevski · Karen Lamb · Digsu Koye · Georgia Taylor · Gabrielle Ebsworth · Luke Burchill

Management of critical bleeding requires a multidisciplinary approach to haemorrhage control, correction and prevention of coagulopathy, and normalisation of physiological derangements

for the Clinical and Consumer Reference Group for the Update of Patient Blood Management Guidelines (Module 1: Critical Bleeding/Massive Transfusion)

Amith Shetty · Jean‐Frederic Levesque · Walid Jammal

Michael Montalto

Prashant Maan · Anup Bansal · Vineet Nayyar

Women in medicine face a persistent “glass cliff” when trying to obtain leadership positions, according to a Perspective article published in the Medical Journal of Australia today to mark International Women’s Day. Although more women took on medical leadership positions during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there appears to be a “glass cliff phenomenon” in Australia, Dr Melissa Wheeler from RMIT University and Dr Laksmi Govindasamy wrote. Women tend to be appointed to leadership positions in times of crisis, where they are often put under increased demands, they argue. “The glass cliff phenomenon, drawn from the glass ceiling concept, refers to the tendency for women and other minoritised people to be appointed to leadership positions in times of crisis, compared with periods of stability,” Dr Wheeler and Dr Govindasamy wrote. “This is because, when circumstances are bad, change is both desired and needed, and women and other minoritised people are often pushed forward as visible signals of change.” Many gender equity initiatives fail to improve women’s representation in medical leadership, they argue, with too many initiatives aimed at professional development for individuals who are seeking or holding leadership positions. This approach “ignores the structural barriers that continue to be unchallenged with such supply side approaches,” Dr Wheeler and Dr Govindasamy wrote.

Sam Hunt

Women continue to be under-represented in health care and medical leadership in Australia, with experts labelling the disparity an issue of “equity and social justice”. The burden of addressing barriers on a woman’s path to leadership should not sit with individuals, but with changing the culture, organisations and systems where women work, according to a new Perspective article published today in the Medical Journal of Australia. A renewed push is under way to improve the disparity, writes paediatrician Dr Jenny Proimos and colleagues, through the Advancing Women in Healthcare Leadership (AWHL) initiative, funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). A key focus of the AWHL initiative is recognising the role played by member organisations, including professional associations and medical colleges. Eight colleges and member organisations partnered with the AWHL to explore the systems and policies they have in place to help advance women in the field. The feedback from member organisations on the AWHL initiative has been very positive, with more funding now secured from the NHMRC. Extensive engagement continues with member organisations as one way to improve the representation of women in health care and medical leadership.

Sam Hunt