The Break Glass function in My Health Record: when and how to use it
There are certain urgent situations where health professionals can legally access restricted information in a My Health Record to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a person’s health. This is known as Emergency Access or the break glass function. While it is expected that it will be rarely required, it is important to understand […]
Exercise caution when taking nutritional advice from social media influencers, study finds
Researchers say Australians should think twice about taking dietary and nutritional advice from social media after a national audit of influencer posts revealed nearly half contained inaccurate information. Deakin University’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) examined nearly 700 Instagram posts by influencers and brands with more than 100,000 followers, finding 45% included false […]
CSIRO reports surge in AI in healthcare
A surge in the amount of digital data in the health sector, together with increases in compute power and the availability of new artificial intelligence (AI) tools are leading to an explosion of AI being used in healthcare, according to a new report from CSIRO. Australia’s national science agency CSIRO AI Trends for Healthcare report […]
PLACEMENT POVERTY: Why nursing and midwifery students must be paid for clinical placements
A growing number of undergraduate nursing and midwifery students nationwide are voicing concerns about the significant challenges posed by hundreds of hours of mandatory unpaid clinical placements. Robert Fedele investigates. Erin Pereira, a former banker turned aspiring midwife, found inspiration in the remarkable work of midwives during the birth of her first child. Now in […]
New sleep regime to help insomnia
For shift workers with a chronically mistimed body-clock, getting a good night’s sleep can be an endless battle. Australian researchers are moving a step closer to discovering how to personalise a sleep regime and readjust the body-clock to help treat some types of insomnia, shift work disorder and other forms of body clock disruption such […]
Young female shift workers hold multiple jobs to make ends meet
A total of 7% of the shift workforce held multiple jobs simultaneously in 2023 – a 25-year high with the majority being young females. All major industries have experienced an unprecedented rise in the number of shift workers working multiple jobs, including 7% of healthcare workers, the data from shift work management platform Deputy found. […]
Specialist lung cancer nurses for South Australian metro public hospitals
Three lung cancer specialist nurses have been recruited in a $2.5 million investment over four years by the South Australian government. The partnership with Lung Foundation is aimed to help improve the care of patients diagnosed with lung disease. Nurses will work across the Royal Adelaide Hospital and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, one at the […]
Queensland rolls out pill testing services
Queensland is becoming the first Australian jurisdiction to support pill testing on an ongoing basis with other states and territories being urged to follow suit. $1 million will be invested by the Queensland government over the next two years and final planning is underway to deliver an event-based service at the Rabbits Eats lettuce festival […]
Nurse practitioners, midwives empowered to provide quality care
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) has commended the Albanese Government for introducing new laws which will give highly trained nurse practitioners and midwives greater capacity to provide people with safe, quality care. This morning, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Ged Kearney introduced the Health Legislation Amendment (Removal of Requirement for a […]
Peer-led telehealth counselling for nurses and midwives is now active
The Nurse Midwife Health Program Australia (NMHPA) is now open for telehealth counselling for nurses, midwives and students of the professions living anywhere in Australia. Free, confidential and independent counselling services and case-managed support is available for any sensitive health-related issue that nurses, midwives and students are experiencing. Whether it is drug, alcohol or gambling, […]