Topics
Statistics
Interpreting Australian Stillbirth Rate Trends: Implications for Surveillance and Continuous Quality Improvement
Reports of rising stillbirth rates in Australia have generated concern among affected parents and other stakeholders. Review of the national data suggests that much of the rise is being driven by an increase in terminations of pregnancy after 20 weeks' gestation. This increase coincides with legislative changes expanding access to terminations beyond 20 weeks. Alongside publishing stillbirth rates according to the legal definition (stillbirths from 20 weeks' gestation including terminations of pregnancy), national reporting bodies should routinely publish stillbirth rates among births from 28 weeks' gestation excluding terminations of pregnancy as the latter is most relevant to Australia's current stillbirth prevention initiatives.
Aleena M. Wojcieszek, Kirstine Sketcher-Baker, Christine Andrews, Michael Coory, Imogen Kettle, Melissa Malivoire, David Ellwood, Vicki Flenady
Paracetamol in Pregnancy: Uncertain Evidence, Certain Consequences
Autism diagnoses have increased over the past decade, prompting debate on potential causes. In September 2025, US President Donald Trump claimed that paracetamol is a ‘big factor’ in autism, citing a systematic review based solely on observational studies. The review's selective reporting, methodological flaws (including applying an environmental health rather than evidence-based medicine framework) and lack of causal evidence provided weak justifications for its conclusions and have fuelled public confusion about paracetamol safety in pregnancy. This article critically appraises the review and examines how scientific uncertainty can be manipulated and amplified within broader public health domains.
David J. Tunnicliffe, Miranda Cumpston, Debra Kennedy, Margie Danchin, Armando Teixeira-Pinto
Fatty Liver Disease in Australia: A Narrative Review on the Epidemiology, Natural History, Prognostication and Management in People With Metabolic Dysfunction
Metabolic (dysfunction)-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) or metabolic (dysfunction)-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common and fastest growing cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. There has been a substantial increase in the epidemiological research regarding MASLD/MAFLD originating from Australia since 2020. This narrative review summarises these pivotal epidemiological studies investigating the disease prevalence, natural history, prognostication and management of this condition. The Australian literature demonstrates the prevalence to be between one-third and two-fifths of adults affected, depending on nomenclature, with a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease irrespective of terminology. Current local data support guideline-based disease staging with non-invasive tests of fibrosis and the management continues to centre on diet and lifestyle interventions, with directed therapy on the horizon.
Karl Vaz, Daniel Clayton-Chubb, William W. Kemp, Stuart K. Roberts, Ammar Majeed
The number of cancer‐related deaths that could be attributable to spatial disparities in survival in Australia, 2010–2019: a retrospective population‐based cohort study
By quantifying the impact of geographical disparities in cancer survival, these findings highlight the need for evidence-based interventions to improve cancer survival across Australia
Charlotte K Bainomugisa · Jessica Cameron · Paramita Dasgupta · Peter Baade
Birth prevalence, clinical sequelae, and management of congenital cytomegalovirus infections in Australia, 1999–2023: a national prospective study
Universal newborn screening could improve timely detection and avert neurological and other adverse consequences of CMV infections
Ece Egilmezer · Suzy M Teutsch · Carlos Nunez · Stuart T Hamilton · Adam W Bartlett · Pamela Palasanthiran · Elizabeth J Elliott · William D Rawlinson
The risk of death after hospitalisation following intentional self‐poisoning: a retrospective observational study (PAVLOVA‐2)
Aftercare for people who have poisoned themselves should include both mental health assessments and reviews of physical health conditions
Firouzeh Noghrehchi · Nicholas A Buckley · Rose Cairns
Mandatory research projects during medical specialist training in Australia and New Zealand
Paulina Stehlik · Caitlin Brandenburg · David A Henry
The impact of the Breast Screen NSW transition from film to digital mammography, 2002–2016: a linked population health data analysis
Rachel Farber · Nehmat Houssami · Katy J L Bell
Evidence from Australian cohort studies about asthma trajectories and transitions across the life course: a narrative review
Using novel statistical and artificial intelligence techniques to interrogate combined cohort datasets will open the door to drug discovery
Caroline Lodge · Xin Dai · Ingrid A. Laing · Michael P Menden · Anthony Flynn · Gary P Anderson · Sarath Ranganathan · Shyamali C Dharmage
Greenhouse gas emissions associated with anaesthetic gases in Australia, 2002–2022: a retrospective descriptive analysis
Continuing to reduce the use of anaesthetic gases will advance the decarbonisation of Australian health care
Krista Verlis · Jessica F Davies · Forbes McGain · Hayden Burch · Alexandra L Barratt · Luise Kazda
From words to action: time for Australia to take shared decision making implementation seriously
Shared decision making is widely recognised in Australian health care policy but remains inconsistently implemented in practice. We highlight the Australian context, with international examples and suggested strategies to progress its implementation
For the Australian Shared Decision Making Research Network
Socio‐economic position and the prevalence of ten chronic diseases in Australia, 2021: a whole of population census data analysis
Knowing whose health is most affected by socio-economic disadvantage is integral for effective, targeted health interventions
Joanna Y Gong · Emily D Williams · Agus Salim · Spiros Fourlanos · Jonathan E Shaw · Dianna J Magliano
An autoethnographic critique of a past report of inpatient psychiatric treatment for gender diverse children
Contrary to ongoing representations of efficacy, “therapy” that aimed to change or suppress a gender diverse child served to delay self-acceptance for two decades and caused long term harm
Jayne McFadyen · Timothy W Jones · Rowena Koek · Fintan Harte · Brendan Jansen · Megan Galbally · Warren Kealy‐Bateman · Catherine Wall · Quinnehtukqut McLamore · Anja Ravine
The contribution of evidence‐based practice and the practice‐based evidence approaches to contemporary Australian psychology: implications for culturally safe practice
Adopting a broader and more inclusive approach to evidence represents an important step toward addressing the persistent inequities experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and diverse communities
Paul Gray (Wiradjuri) · Dawn Darlaston‐Jones · Pat Dudgeon AM (Bardi) · Kate Derry · Joanna Alexi · William Smith (Wiradjuri and Wemba Wemba) · Tanja Hirvonen (Jaru and Bunuba) · David Badcock · Shraddha Kashyap · Belle Selkirk (Noongar)
Development and calibration of the 2023 Australian cardiovascular disease risk prediction equations: a model updating study
The updated risk calculator is a landmark advance in the assessment of CVD risk in Australian primary care
Ellie Paige · Emily Banks AM · Yuehan Zhang · Anushka Patel · Mark Woodward · Natalie Raffoul · Garry Jennings · Rodney T Jackson
Platform trials: key features, when to use them and methodological challenges
Description of key platform trial concepts, when best to use platform trials (including operational considerations), and reflection on the way forward in Australia
Robert Mahar · Steve Webb · Ian Marschner · Andrew B Forbes · Katherine J Lee
The prevalence of and variation in indicators of the quality and safety of long term aged care in Australia, 2019: a cross‐sectional population‐based study
Our findings could be used to identify areas of aged care that could be targeted by quality improvement programs
Tesfahun C Eshetie · Gillian E Caughey · Catherine Lang · Olivia Ryan · Renuka Visvanathan · Craig Whitehead · Keith Evans · Janet K Sluggett · Jyoti Khadka · Carolyn Dawkins · Helena Williams · Miranda Starke · Sara Blunt · Anne Liddell · Megan Corlis · Anna Sheppeard · Penelope Lello · Marilyn Thien · Steven L Wesselingh · Maria C Inacio
Squeezing the opioid balloon: the need to assess both intended and unintended consequences of policies that target opioid supply but not demand
We need national linkages of data on the use of opioids from multiple markets and relevant health outcomes
Benjamin Daniels · Jonathan Brett
Opportunities to improve surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma in Australia
Introduction of five key actions for Australia to reduce hepatocellular carcinoma mortality through increasing liver cancer surveillance uptake
Jess Howell · Jon D Emery · Stuart Roberts · Alexander J Thompson · Michael Ng · Jacob George · Barbara A Leggett · Edmund Tse · Bella Nguyen · Troy Combo · Alan J Wigg
What do Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory value during the operation journey? A qualitative study
Integrating culturally informed, patient-centred care models that prioritise respect and trust building is essential to improving accessibility, experience and surgical outcomes
Edith B Waugh · Marita Hefler · Sophie Pascoe · Mark Mayo · Matthew JL Hare · David A Story · Neil Wilkshire · Peter Henwood · David Croker · Jampijinpa Ross
Factors that affect the provision of medical abortion services in Australian primary care: a mixed methods systematic review
Financial and structural support is needed for the geographic decentralisation of medical abortion training and services
Greta Skahill · Mridula Shankar
Remote patient monitoring for managing acute COVID‐19, and mortality and hospital use in Sydney, New South Wales, 2021–22: a retrospective observational cohort study
Community remote monitoring is feasible and safe, and could be expanded to managing other medical conditions
Myong Gyu Kim · Phuong Thao Phan · Cambell McMaster · Praveen Indraratna · Jennifer Yu · Allison Martin · Rebecca Pinheiro · Lisa Altman · Guenter Schreier · Benjamin Kwan · Pamela Konecny · Jeffrey J Post · Nigel Lovell · Sze‐Yuan Ooi · Kristen Overton
Evaluating the impact of COVID‐19 vaccination strategies on infections and hospitalisations in Victoria with non‐seasonal epidemic wave patterns: a modelling study
Annual COVID-19 vaccination campaigns at the same time as those for influenza vaccination could reduce the number of COVID-19-related hospitalisations
Fenella McAndrew · Romesh Abeysuriya · Nick Scott
The intersection of rurality and dementia prevalence in Australia for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non‐Indigenous peoples
Geographic considerations are of crucial significance in dementia epidemiology, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Antonia J Clarke · Marwan Ahmed · Judith M Katzenellenbogen · John Towney (Wiradjuri) · Anna H Balabanski · Adrienne Withall (Dharawal Yuin) · Kylie Radford · Amy Brodtmann
Improved cancer survival in the Northern Territory: identifying progress and disparities for Aboriginal peoples, 1991–2020
Despite the improvement in cancer survival for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in the NT, the gap in survival outcomes for Aboriginal peoples persists. Further research is required on pathways to close the gap
Rowena Boyd · Michail Charakidis · C Paul Burgess · Sarah Dugdale · Craig Castillon (Jawoyn, Katherine Region, NT) · Dzulfikaar Sutandar · Alyson Wright