Report finds Australia’s first drug-checking site is changing ‘drug behaviours’
Nearly half of the drugs tested at Australia’s first fixed-site pill testing service were not what the user thought they were, a new report has found. Once people accessing the service discovered what was in the drug, about one in ten discarded the drug at the service. When the substance was not what the service […]
Clinical Documentation Improvement- a nursing role?
If I had been told 20 years ago that my future nursing role would be reading inpatient notes to look for missing diagnoses of comorbidities and complications that clinicians were actively treating, I would have said no way! I would have been working at a very busy Melbourne Emergency Department at the time, living off […]
Q&A: Cancer Nurse
Meredith Cummins has been a cancer nurse for nearly 40 years, with the speciality allowing her to take up a variety of roles in the public sector across major metropolitan and regional hospitals, and community oncology units. In the private sector, she has been a key stakeholder in the development, commissioning and accreditation of four […]
Nursing and midwifery research – how do I get started?
Nursing and midwifery practice significantly impacts the health of Australians. This makes nursing and midwifery research critical. The best people to conduct this research are nurses and midwives themselves, says Deborah Forsythe, an academic researcher in UniSA Clinical & Health Sciences with the Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre. Based on her discussion paper, titled ‘Nursing […]
Is medicinal cannabis the answer to endometriosis pain?
The potential use of medicinal cannabis for pain management in people with endometriosis is being explored by Victorian and NSW researchers in two separate studies. The upcoming Australian Medicinal Nursing Symposium being held 11 August will explore the rising use of medicinal cannabis for patients with a range of conditions, including endometriosis. The ‘EndoCannED’ trial […]
Nurse practitioners enabled to prescribe medical abortion pill
Women across Australia are set to have easier access to medical abortions under landmark changes that will remove restrictions on health professionals, including nurse practitioners, doctors, and pharmacists, prescribing, and dispensing, termination pills. The Therapeutic Goods Administration decision means that, from 1 August, doctors and pharmacists will no longer be required to register and be […]
New opt-in patient registry for psychedelic based therapy
A new national patient registry will help inform the effectiveness and safety of prescribing psychedelic substances to patients with serious mental health conditions including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It follows the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)’s decision to allow authorised psychiatrists to prescribe medicines containing the psychedelic substances MDMA (ecstasy) and psilocybin, a compound […]
Patient abuse towards medical receptionists rife
Verbal and physical abuse of medical receptionists by patients is rife, and causing lasting harm according to new research from the University of Queensland (UQ). The research found zero tolerance approaches and visible safety measures like clear acrylic barriers and lockable doors at reception areas were ineffective deterrents in reducing patient aggression. UQ’s Centre for […]
Reducing midwives risk of work-related injury
Search for an image of a “midwife,” and you will see the internationally identified photo of our profession – a smiling midwife with their head turned, bent over a pregnant belly listening to a foetal heart through a pinard stethoscope. This heart-warming posture is demonstrative of the strange positions that midwives adopt during their regular […]
Gender equity and safe workplaces
The ANMF’s membership base is overwhelmingly made up of women, making gender equity an urgent and pressing priority for the ANMF. The past 12 months have seen some significant steps forward with industrial reforms targeted at improving gender equity outcomes, specifically with the aim of creating safe and inclusive workplaces for women. Respect@Work Late last […]