The average age of Australian population is 38, up from six years younger 20 years ago and still rising. Like other western countries, Australia has responded to this changing demographic with increased…
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Health – Articles, Analysis, Comment
Displaying 7851 - 7875 of 8091 articles
After decades of successful anti-tobacco campaigns, we’re all familiar with the risks of smoking. But how do the health harms of cigarettes compare with those of other smoking devices? The hookah, also…
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has found Myriad Genetics is entitled to patents on two sets human genetic mutations used to predict if women have an increased risk of breast and ovarian…
The recent US Federal Court of Appeals decision relates to the patent law status of inventions based on the discovery that particular mutations in BRCA genes predispose women to breast and ovarian cancer…
Over the last couple of decades, the pharmaceutical industry has come under attack for its perceived shortcomings amid claims that it’s greedy, profiteering nature has caused significant harm. However…
Homeopathy’s got a bit of a run in the media in recent months and the stories are by no means positive. It all started in April when the medical press highlighted the National Health and Research Council’s…
It seems the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is likely to follow the lead of the UK and denounce homeopathy as an ineffective and unethical therapy that shouldn’t attract scarce government…
Since the 1960s, the number of hospital beds for treating people with mental illnesses has declined dramatically in most OECD countries. Australia has been among the most assiduous in implementing reform…
The Commonwealth Government is considering a proposal from Kidney Health Australia to reimburse living kidney donors for reasonable expenses incurred during the donation process, such as loss of income…
The deal’s been done and health reform is in the bag. It may not be quite as bold as originally planned by then prime minister Rudd – there’s even been a fair amount of watering down on Julia Gillard’s…
The two reports on child dental health and toothbrushing behaviour, released yesterday by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, raise concerns for both the community and the dental profession…
Health professionals and patients alike breathed a sigh of relief yesterday when Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced she had struck a final deal with the states to reform the nation’s hospital system…
Have you ever wondered why you need to get an influenza vaccination each year to protect yourself? Or even why it seems like another pandemic threat is announced before every flu season? Well, it’s all…
The proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has the potential to radically change the lives of people with severe intellectual disabilities. But despite the NDIS’ guarantee to match support…
The Auditor General’s review of speed cameras is a good effort in identifying the safety value of speed cameras in NSW. This is not the first time the NSW speed cameras have been reviewed. As presented…
The Australian Press Council (APC) has released guidelines for reporting about suicides for the print media today. They are binding for around 98% of Australian newspapers and magazines. The guidelines…
An expansion of the fiduciary duties of doctors towards patients could provide better protection to those suffering from medical mishaps. Such an expansion would require doctors to promptly disclose adverse…
When you’re sick with a cold, you’re likely to be told to rest and drink plenty of fluids – water, juice, tea and the old favourite, chicken soup. This has been the prevailing advice for generations and…
The idea that pregnancy protects against mental illness is now discredited and there’s increasing evidence of the negative impact of poor maternal mental health on the mother, child and the rest of the…
There are three tensions in the field of academic publishing (1) who pays to publish research? (2) who decides what gets published? and (3) who takes any profits? In the traditional model, based on publishing…
What are we to make of reports this week that police are investigating a case of a young woman trafficked from the Philippines so a Sydney woman on an organ donation waiting list could have her kidney…
The Commonwealth Ombudsman yesterday launched an investigation into rising rates of self-harm among detainees of Australia’s immigration detention centres, after it emerged that 50 instances of cutting…
The latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report – Headline Indicators for Children’s Health, Development and Wellbeing 2011 – shows Indigenous children, as well as those living in remote areas…
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that infects about 3% of the world’s population. It’s a significant cause of both illness and death due to cirrhosis (advanced liver scarring) and liver cancer. By the…
The new Victorian Health Plan 2012-22 offers a bleak prognosis: forever rising medical costs, doctors in the wrong places, hospitals overwhelmed. To make matters worse, it claims that patients can’t be…