National Digital Health Strategy set to empower Australians

Governments have ticked off a 5-year plan aiming to empower Australians to manage and improve their personal health and wellbeing through advances in digital technology. Launched today, Australia’s National Digital Health Strategy 2023 – 2028 and accompanying Strategy Delivery Roadmap present a path towards an inclusive, sustainable and healthier future for all Australians. The digital health strategy is striving […]

Aged care reform

Following years of neglect, significant aged care reforms in 2023 marked a turning point in the nation’s commitment to ensuring the delivery of safe and high-quality care for our elderly Australians. The Albanese Government implemented sweeping reforms across the sector, highlighted by pivotal legislation mandating the presence of a registered nurse 24/7 in every nursing […]

Not getting enough sleep? You’re not alone

If you’re struggling to get regular shuteye you’re not alone, with a new study showing that getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep a night is out of reach for almost a third of adults. The global study, published in Sleep Health, found 31% of adults had average sleep durations falling outside the recommended range. […]

Nurse banned for stealing PPE during COVID-19 national storage

A tribunal has banned a registered nurse from Western Australia from applying for registration for a year after she stole personal protective equipment (PPE), including face masks and disposable gloves, during a critical national shortage amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, Selvarani Burwood was working casually at a Tertiary institution as a clinical nurse […]

Scientists develop game-changer in treating chronic wounds

A team of international scientists has developed a more effective treatment for chronic wounds that doesn’t involve antibiotics or silver-based dressings, but instead, an ionized gas called plasma. The treatment involves boosting the plasma activation of hydrogel dressings with a unique mix of different chemical oxidants that decontaminate and help health chronic wounds. According to […]

Language barriers contribute to higher aggression in immigrants with dementia

Immigrants living with dementia are more likely to present with agitation and aggression compared with their non-immigrant counterparts, new research shows. Behaviours and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), such as agitation and aggression, are common. However, its presentation may be influenced by the cultural background of the person, according to research from Edith Cowan University […]

Emergency Department nurses of Flinders Medical Centre drive wellbeing initiatives

Each Friday, nurses working in the Emergency Department at Flinders Medical Centre in South Australia don vibrant scrubs to uplift the mood in the consistently hectic and high-stress ward. This uncomplicated gesture to boost morale is just one of numerous initiatives led by ED nurses to enhance the overall health and wellbeing of staff members. […]

ANMF launches landmark Nurses Award work value case

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) has filed a landmark application at the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to increase award wages for frontline nurses, midwives, and assistants in nursing (AINs), by up to 35%. The application seeks to vary the Nurses Award and is made on the basis that the work of nurses and […]

Maternal obesity puts males at risk in later life

Males born to obese women are more likely to be overweight at birth and develop metabolic complications in later life, including liver disease and diabetes. The way that male sex hormones activate pathways in the developing liver is partly to blame, according to a new study led by University of South Australia (UniSA) researchers looking […]