Course Information and Enrolment Phone: 02 9745 7500 Toll free 1800 265 534 Fax: 02 9745 7501 Email: csc@nursing.edu.au
Customised Education and Consultative Service Phone: 02 9745 7500 Fax: 02 9745 7501 Email: cecs@nursing.edu.au
Grants and Scholarships Phone: 02 9745 7560 Email: grants@nursing.edu.au
Library Phone: 02 9745 7536 Fax: 02 9745 7503 Email: library@nursing.edu.au
Membership Services Phone: 02 9745 7569 Fax: 02 9745 7501 Email: members@nursing.edu.au
The College of Nursing ACN 000 106 829 Locked Bag 3030 Burwood NSW 1805 Australia Tel +61 2 9745 7500 Fax +61 2 9745 7501 Web www.nursing.edu.au
Please direct all enquiries and submissions to the editor, email: editor@nursing.edu.au The mention of a product or service, person or company in this publication does not indicate the publisher’s endorsement. The views expressed on this website do not necessarily represent the opinion of the publisher, its agents, officers or employees.
Site design by John Thrift design and publishing
The College of Nursing acknowledges the traditional owners of Australia, particularly the Dharug People and the Wangal Clan on whose land the College is located.
Local news
WEEK COMMENCING 10 OCTOBER 2009
Latest damning report card won't prompt health takeover
15 October 2009: The Federal Government is still to decide whether to mount a takeover of the public hospital system, despite the release of another damning healthcare report. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) report card shows increases in Government funding have failed to reduce elective surgery waiting lists and no state or territory is meeting acceptable benchmarks for emergency department performance.
Moving into Coffs Coast Healthcare
15 October 2009: A website designed to attract health professionals from all over the world to the Coffs Coast in Australia’s northern New South Wales has been launched by Coffs Harbour City Council, in partnership with local health service providers. www.coffscoasthealth.net.au emphasises the Coffs Coast’s many attractions for health sector workers looking for a new home that offers a quality lifestyle, a wide range of employment options, easy living and accessibility to national and international destinations.
Rudd accepts bleak hospitals report card
14 October 2009: The Australian Medical Association says the performance of public hospitals is still going downhill, despite a large injection of Commonwealth cash. The AMA's annual report on public hospitals says every state and territory fails the test on surgery waiting times and emergency department performance. The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he agrees with the assessment.
Beds in hospital corridors now routine
14 October 2009: Doctors from across the country have vented their frustration with a public hospital system they say is beset by overcrowding resulting in poor patient outcomes, along with ill-targeted attempts by government to fix the problem.
Breastfeeding associated with reduced risk of asthma in infancy
14 October 2009: Findings from a two-year study on asthma and wheezing illness in one year olds and kindergarten children, released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, show that within the first three years of life, almost 17% of Australian infants experienced asthma or wheezing illness.
Stanhope: Calvary consultation forums begin this week
14 October 2009: ACT Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher MLA, is reminding Canberrans interested in the ACT Government's proposed purchase of Calvary Hospital to register for this Friday's community consultation forums.
Health system held to ransom by a doctors' racket
14 October 2009: Every day I'm in contact with some of the brightest minds in my specialised area of science and medicine around the world. Some are Australians working abroad while others are citizens of other countries who have developed very successful professional careers. Very often I am trying to persuade them to move to Sydney and contribute their considerable talents to our collective scientific pursuits, our economy and our society.
Hospitals get sicker despite injection
15 October 2009: Public hospitals are performing poorer than ever despite the Rudd government's much-vaunted $600 million injection last year that was supposed to improve elective surgery waiting lists.
Public hospitals sick, says AMA
15 October 2009: The Australian Medical Association has slammed the performance of Tasmania's public hospitals in its latest national report card, released yesterday.
Injection of life for health rego scheme
13 October 2009: Plans to create a national registration and accreditation scheme for health professionals have taken an important step forward, with the Queensland Government setting up a framework. Federal Minister for Health, Nicola Roxon said the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Bill 2009 would soon be passed in all States and Territories.
Injection of life for health rego scheme
13 October 2009: Plans to create a national registration and accreditation scheme for health professionals have taken an important step forward, with the Queensland Government setting up a framework. Federal Minister for Health, Nicola Roxon said the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Bill 2009 would soon be passed in all States and Territories.
Oxygenating system helps treat H1N1 flu
12 October 2009: Most H1N1 patients in Australia and New Zealand who experienced respiratory failure and were treated with additional oxygen survived, researchers said. Some H1N1 patients in Australia and New Zealand during the southern hemisphere winter developed severe acute respiratory distress syndrome and were treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
That's no way to treat patients
13 October 2009: On September 23, The Australian ran three seemingly unconnected stories. The first reported ophthalmologists' reaction to the government's intention to reduce the Medicare rebate for cataract operations, the second referred to alleged gouging by airlines on credit card fees, and the third was about the rights of tertiary students to information on the performance of higher education institutions.
New alert on superbugs
13 October 2009: Superbug cases in hospitals have doubled in six months and more than 100 patients are infected with a bacterium that cannot be killed by normal antibiotics.
The real safety issues in maternity care: a sneak preview
12 October 2009: Maternity care provides a classic example of the pitfalls of a specialist-driven model of practice in health care. It results in more expensive and interventionist care, rather than a community-based approach which could also help ensure a more equitable distribution of services. It has led us to talk about obstetrics, which implies a focus on a particular professional group, rather than maternity care, which implies a broader focus on the woman’s and baby’s needs, both before and well after the birth.
Two thirds of GPs facing patient violence
13 October 2009: Few people leave home each day expecting to encounter violence in their workplace. But for a disturbing number of Australia's GPs and their staff, that is exactly what happens.
Doctors reject Federal hospital takeovers
12 October 2009: Tasmanian doctors have objected to any Federal Government takeover of hospitals. The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd is at the Launceston General Hospital, to gather feedback on the Government's plan to overhaul the nation's health system.
New test tells gender of baby at eight weeks
12 October 2009: There is a new test that can tell you the gender of your child, not at 18 weeks or thereabouts, which is where ultrasound does the job, but at eight weeks - when a termination is much easier to obtain. It is revolutionary, and it is available now in New Zealand for $127, nearly three times its price in the US.
PM's health focus in Tasmania
12 October 2009: The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, will be in Tasmania today and tomorrow selling his Government's plans to reform the nation's health system. Mr Rudd and Health Minister, Nicola Roxon have been touring the country getting feedback on their plans to change the public health system.
Surgery rebate rejected as spin
10 October 2009: An attempt by the federal government to win backing for a bid to slash Medicare rebates for cataract surgery appears to have failed, with eye surgeons unmoved by the announcement of a higher payment for complex cases. Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon yesterday sought to break an impasse in the dispute by announcing Medicare would pay $638 for complex cataract operations lasting at least 40 minutes.
Experts fish for a simple cure-all: Dr Surinder Singh
10 October 2009: Flocks of frolicking lambs, fields of lupins and golden canola and healthy humans dining on just the right type of oils were the stuff of recent news reports, highlighting the latest findings about the nutrient du jour, omega-3 fatty acids. The reason for the media coverage was the World Congress on Oils and Fats, held in Sydney last month. It saw scientists from across the world present their findings, sorting fact from fiction and figuring out how to ensure supplies of these nutrients.
Cataract compromise fails to woo doctors
9 October 2009: If federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon hoped to win over eye doctors with a higher Medicare rebate for "complex" cataract surgery she'll be disappointed by their response.
Hospital bungle leaves family seething
10 October 2009: The family of a boy who almost died after a ''breathtakingly basic'' hospital bungle nine months ago is still waiting for a written apology and a change in policy to prevent other children suffering the same fate. Francis Wilks-Tansley will be fed through a hole in his stomach for the rest of his life and is unable to breathe properly after a feeding tube was inserted into his lungs – and not detected for 36 hours.
Doctors concerned over killer parasite
10 October 2009: Dangerous parasite rife in NT(Stateline NT) Doctors are alarmed about a "silent killer" infecting people in Australia's north amid claims authorities are failing to take the threat seriously. Strongyloides is a parasite that crawls in through intact skin and breeds in the body indefinitely.
Unmonitored patient left to die
9 October 2009: A young mother at risk of sudden death from a brain cyst was left without a heart monitor for 20 hours before going into cardiac arrest at Westmead Hospital.
Government backpedals over health rebate
9 October 2009: The Federal Government has made a concession to eye specialists by doubling the Medicare rebate for complex cataract surgeries.
Iodine: the newest ingredient in bread
9 October 2009: Australians will now be getting extra iodine in their bread, as the mandatory iodine fortification regulation comes into force today.
Indigenous babies to benefit from iodine
9 October 2009: Adding iodine to bread will help improve Indigenous birthing statistics, the Australian Medical Association says. Iodine is vital for healthy brain and nervous system development in babies and essential for effective thyroid functioning.
GP registration Bill queried by AMA
8 October 2009: Health Minister Paul Lucas says the state's begun the rollout of a national registration and accreditation scheme for health practitioners.
AMAQ warns against doctors' registry
8 October 2009: A national scheme has been on the agenda ever since shocking allegations of assault, mutilation and patient deaths were raised against doctors in Bega in New South Wales and Bundaberg in Queensland. But the Australian Medical Association Queensland (AMAQ) says the state's proposed legislation compromises patient safety and it wants the Bill amended before it becomes a possible legislative template for other states.
North West Tasmania Hospital Campus, Burnie
8 October 2009: About 70 people attended a health consultation with Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon at the Rural Clinical School campus of the University of Tasmania in Burnie on Wednesday 7 October.
Roxon: $800,000 to cut wait for elective surgery in Hobart
8 October 2009: The Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon, today visited Royal Hobart Hospital, which has benefited from $800,000 from the Rudd Government to help cut elective surgery waiting times.
Australia to probe tobacco firms' use of Facebook
8 October 2009: The Australian government said Thursday it will investigate reports that tobacco companies are using internet social networking sites like Facebook to hook smokers. Online fan clubs and unofficial product pages endorsing Marlboro, Benson and Hedges and Lucky Strike are now appearing on internet social networks, with links posted to the product's website.
International news
US: Socialized medicine in Australia
14 October 2009: We hear a lot about the failings of socialised medicine in the UK and Canada, but these aren't the only countries that have government-run health care. Australiaalso has a socialised health service, and the Australian Medical Association just realeased a report on hoslitals in Sydney.
US: Obama health plan clears major hurdle
14 October 2009: In the United States, the President's drive to reshape the country's health care system has cleared a major hurdle. An influential Senate committee has approved the health reform legislation which will now go before the full Senate for a vote. President Barack Obama says the legislation is not perfect but he declared that the US is now closer than ever to achieving sweeping health care reform.
US: Demand in travel nurse jobs anticipated due to swine flu
13 October 2009
Travel Nurse across America, a national travel healthcare staffing company, recently projected an increase in travel nursing needs by healthcare facilities in coming weeks due to anticipated outbreaks of swine (H1N1) flu virus. Travel Nurse across America is a national travel healthcare staffing agency that places travel nurse professionals and travel therapists on multi-week travel assignments in client healthcare facilities in all 50 states.
US: Governor Schwarzenegger signs legislation to ensure quality care in nursing homes
October 13, 2009
California Governor Schwarzenegger has signed AB 1457 into law, which is a measure to confront the failing quality of care in nursing homes created by the lack of transparency in the ownership and management structure of these facilities.
US: The onus is on you, not the government
12 October 2009: Last week, CMS (the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) reduced Medicare funding for nursing homes by an estimated $16 billion over the next ten years. Twenty-four states have already reduced Medicaid funding this year. And $313 billion of additional cuts have been proposed by the Obama administration to fund health care reform.
UK: Swine flu: Britain’s treatment pressure point
10 October 2009: The demands, and potential shortfalls, of Britain’s intensive care system are highlighted by some interesting findings published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. If patients suffer severe respiratory failure as a result of swine flu, they are likely to survive if they receive specialist lung treatment known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO.
UK: Unit can save swine flu patients
13 October 2009: Most patients with swine flu who experience severe respiratory failure will survive if they receive specialist lung treatment, research has showed. The treatment has already been shown to save one extra life for every six patients compared with conventional methods. The latest study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), also found that most patients survive with the treatment.
US: Current health care legislation will not control medical costs, experts warn
12 October 2009: With Democrats increasingly confident that they can pass major health care legislation this year, some of the nation’s foremost experts are warning that the emerging bills do not do enough quickly to tamp down soaring medical costs — the biggest problem facing the majority of Americans, who already have insurance.
CAN, MEX: Spring pandemic stretched ICUs in Mexico, Canada
12 October 2009: Intensive care units in Canada and Mexico were at full stretch during the peaks of the spring pandemic H1N1 flu outbreak, researchers said.
US: The role of nurse practitioners
8 October 2009: To the Editor: Your article about retail clinics (“A Quick Trip to the Store for Milk and a Throat Swab,” Business Day, Oct. 3) may leave the impression that the nurse practitioners staffing retail clinics are capable of dealing only with minor problems. While it is the mission of retail clinics to provide episodic care for common illnesses, the family nurse practitioners providing these services are highly trained health care professionals. They have the skills to recognize when a cough is a cold and not pneumonia and when a bellyache is indigestion and not a heart attack, and to deal with the pneumonia or a heart attack as a physician would in the same circumstances.
UK: Nurse training cuts slammed by RCN
8 October, 2009: The Scottish Government has been criticised by a the RCN for its proposed cuts to the nursing training budget.
US: Nurse accused of reusing equipment; patients warned
8 October 2009: A Fort Lauderdale nurse has resigned and more 1,800 patients have been notified that they may have been exposed to diseases such as HIV and hepatitis, after the nurse allegedly admitted to the hospital that she used disposable IV equipment on multiple patients, a violation of safety standards.
US: Scientists take step toward simple and portable tuberculosis tests for developing world
8 October 2009: Two billion people worldwide carry the pathogen that causes tuberculosis (TB), and most of them do not even know they are infected. This is because some 90 percent of people with TB have "latent" infections. They have no symptoms, they can't spread the disease to others and the bug remains dormant in their lungs – often for years.
Interviews
INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY
Tracey Osmond is interviewed by Radio 2SER FM on the College’s Thank You Nurse Project.
Click here to hear the interview
PBS & NURSE PRACTITIONERS
Tracey Osmond is interviewed by ABC Radio Newcastle on the topic of access to the PBS by nurse practitioners.
Click here to hear the interview
NEWS PORTALS
The College’s mission is to lead the development of the profession in line with the changing needs of the community, trends in health service delivery and the aspirations of nursing professionals themselves.
DISCLAIMER
The mention of a product or service, person or company on this website does not indicate The College of Nursing’s endorsement.
The views expressed on linked websites do not necessarily represent the opinion of The College of Nursing, its agents, officers or employees.
The College of Nursing does not take responsibility for the accuracy of information or any opinion expressed on any websites to which links are provided. For more information, please email: feedback@nursing.edu.au