Perspectives

Electronic cigarettes have the potential to enable substantial improvements in public health

Colin P Mendelsohn MB BS(Hons)

Lack of data on drug safety is concerning

Tilenka Thynne MB BS, FRACP · Genevieve M Gabb MB BS(Hons), FRACP, GradDipClinEpi

A rapid response system may be an appropriate model for meeting the urgent need for more suitable care for patients at the end of life

Kenneth M Hillman MD, FRCA, FCICM · Gordon D Rubenfeld MD · Jeffrey Braithwaite PhD, FAIM, FCHSM

The OECD warns about Australia’s low psychiatric bed numbers

Stephen Allison MB BS, FRANZCP · Tarun Bastiampillai MB BS, BMedSci, FRANZCP

Managing missed opportunities when most cancer symptoms are only weakly predictive

Jon D Emery MB BCh, FRACGP, DPhil

Advances in radiation therapy have resulted in more precise and effective treatments with fewer side effects

Dion F Forstner MB BS(Hons), FRANZCR · Mei Ling Yap MB BS, BSc(Med), FRANZCR

Climate change has negative health impacts: urgent mitigation is needed, and this will benefit our health

Linda A Selvey MB BS(Hon), PhD, FAFPHM

Harnessing the value of self-monitoring of blood glucose among people with non-insulin-treated type 2 diabetes

Jane Speight PhD, CPSychol, AFBPsS · Jessica L Browne BPsych(Hons), PhD · John S Furler MB BS, FRACGP, PhD

Breastmilk banking provides an alternative to infant formula, not a substitute for mother’s own milk

Vikram Palit MB BS, BMedSc · Gillian F Opie MB BS, IBCLC, FRACP

Prisons have substantially underinvested in health care — a mixed funding approach can help to overcome the problem

Tessa M Plueckhahn BA(Hons), JD · Stuart A Kinner PhD · Georgina Sutherland BAppSc(Hons), PhD · Tony G Butler PhD

A personal checklist for the time-poor clinician

Jeanette Ward MB BS, MHPEd, PhD

There remains an overriding belief in Australian correctional systems that PNSPs are incompatible with security; a contention not borne out by international experience

Mark Stoové BAAppSci(Hons), GradDip(Ed), PhD · Carla J Treloar PhD · Lisa Maher PhD · Helen Tyrrell BA, MBA, FCHSM · Jack Wallace MSc(IntDev)

Do we need to change the way body-contact sports are played and administered?

John W Orchard MD, PhD, FACSP

In these challenging times, research funding is seen as an investment, and funders expect demonstrable returns in both monetary and societal terms

Claire L Jackson MD, MPH, FRACGP · Trisha Greenhalgh MD

Policies addressing health care financing should reinforce Australia’s commitment to the principle of universalism

Tracey-Lea Laba PhD, BPharm(Hons), BSc(AppChem)(Hons) · Beverley M Essue MPH, PhD · Stephen Jan PhD, MEc, BEc

We need fairer policies and investment in change that may only be realised in the long term

Thomas Astell-Burt PhD · Xiaoqi Feng PhD

The growing global health burden of chronic kidney disease is best tackled through effective prevention

Titi Chen MB BS · David C Harris MD, BS, FRACP

Sexual abuse in the medical profession is a complex, multifaceted problem that needs evidence-based solutions

Louise E Stone MPH, MQHR, PhD · Kirsty Douglas DipRACOG, MD, FRACGP · Imogen Mitchell PhD, FRACP, FCICM · Beverley Raphael AM, MD, FRANZCP

More enlightened teaching would go a long way towards solving problems of discrimination in medicine

Merrilyn M Walton BA, MSW, PhD

Has alcohol consumption in Australia increased in recent years?

Farhat Yusuf BSc(Hons), MA, PhD · Stephen R Leeder MD, PhD, FRACP

Implementation of precision medicine requires a multidisciplinary and systematic approach

Ingrid Winship MD, FRACP, FACD

Effective partnership requires professionals and consumers to redefine their roles and responsibilities

Stephen D Gill PhD, BPhysio · Melinda Gill DRANZCOG, FRACGP, MPH

Inconsistent Schedule 8 prescription requirements between Australian states and territories create unnecessary complexity for health professionals

Andy C Hua BPharm · Finna Shen BPharm · Xiaoting Ge RN, CCRN

Doctors-in-training are well positioned to continue Australia’s strong history of biomedical innovation and entrepreneurship

Harris A Eyre MB BS(Hons) · Timothy Lindsay MB BS, MPhil, PGDipSurgAnat · James A Churchill MB BS, BMedSc · Oliver Cronin MB BS(Hons) · Arlen Meyers MD, MBA

Have universities forgotten their role in promoting open enquiry?

Kypros Kypri PhD