In the most severe cases, COVID-19 patients need oxygen pumped directly into their airways, or even be hooked up to a machine that does the job of their heart and lungs.
How do we develop new drugs quickly yet safely? How prepared are we to give up some personal freedoms? And how do we allocate scarce resources? These are just some of the tough questions we face.
The technology and rapid pace of critical care in hospital can often erase the patient experience. Opportunities for patient storytelling can transform health care.
(Shutterstock)
When patients, doctors and nurses have the opportunity to share their experiences of hospital intensive care, the resulting dialogue can be transformative.
We require the largest amount of health-care dollars in the last 30 days of our life.
Lee Haywood
On the eve of a federal budget looking for savings, I would like to report a medical intervention that reduces suffering, can prolong life and dramatically reduces health-care costs. The intervention itself…
Almost 70% of Australians will die in acute care hospitals – the same propportion that wants to die in their homes.
nerissa's ring/Flickr
As an intensive care physician I’m increasingly confronted with managing patients who are at the end of their life. Australians need to be aware that the way that they will spend the last few days or weeks…
Many extremely premature babies will have lifelong physical and intellectual deficiencies.
kqedquest
Imagine how frightening it must be for a woman to go into labour when she is just over halfway through her pregnancy and her baby has only had 23 or 24 weeks to grow. She and her family are overcome with…