Other Material
Conferences, papers and reviews
AIDS – Have we got it Right?
A conference organised by The Australian Doctors Fund Ltd. Hosted by Professor Fred Hollows & ADF Chairman Dr. Bruce Shepherd. Sheraton Sydney Airport Hilton May 14th and 15th, 1992
Psychiatric Assessment in Remote Australian Aboriginal Communities
The objective of this study was to describe the psychiatric assessment of Aboriginal patients from remote Aboriginal communities in Central Australia. Remote area Aboriginal psychiatry entails learning a whole new set of skills in terms of history taking and the mental state examination, a knowledge of the importance of extended kinship ties and cultural issues, the use of Aboriginal mental health workers as partners in assessing and managing patients via their families and accepting referrals from a wide range of sources.
Review – The Quality in Australian Health Care Study
Both the Harvard study and the Quality in Australian Health Care study examined medical records to detect evidence of adverse events. By extrapolating from the adverse event analysis both the studies drew extraordinary conclusions concerning the frequency and totality of hospital treatment derived injuries and fatalities. Both of these studies have promoted the view that there are an alarming number of adverse events arising from treatment provided to patients in hospitals. … The purpose of this review is to analyse the references to “mathematical” and “statistical” techniques in the context of the MJA article. Advanced numerical techniques are frequently used to present data results of studies in a mathematically elaborate formulation. However the formulation need not always establish the correctness of the results presented, the methods used or the validity of any conclusions drawn concerning the system under evaluation.
Radiation Certification of Diagnostic Imaging Apparatus (NSW)
In NSW all diagnostic imaging (x-ray) apparatus used for medical, dental and veterinary purposes, are required to be registered. A licence is also required to: use diagnostic imaging apparatus, possess diagnostic imaging apparatus, sell diagnostic imaging apparatus and/or buy diagnostic imaging apparatus.
Health Information – Making Sense of it all
Title Health Information - Making Sense of It All Author Bryan Hall AAMS Webmaster Publication Status 1. Published: January 2002 Review Status GR Copyright Copyright of this article is vested in the author. Permissions for reprints or republications must be obtained...
‘Smartening up or dumbing down?’: A Look Behind the Symptoms, Overprescribing and Reconceptualizing ADHD
To take a look behind the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) allows us to explore a number of issues: first, ‘overprescribing’ of medication; second, the notion of ‘manufactured epidemic’; third, the process of dumbing down’ and ‘smartening up’ the assessment of children’s mental health; fourth, discuss the unifying concept of the ‘developmental perspective’; fifth, use case studies to introduce new concepts of ‘attachment deficit’ and ‘hyperreactivity’; and sixth, debunk the myth of ‘childhood resilience. Finally I suggest ‘smartening up’ our understanding of ADHD needs inclusion of current advances in attachment theory favouring the new conceptualisation of ADHD as ‘Attachment Deficit Hyperreactivity Disorder.
Your secrets are safe with us
The point of this story is to ask that we health professionals, the keepers of some of the most vital personal secrets of humanity, not ignore our duty to get wise about these issues. We can’t afford to throw our hands in the air and claim technological ignorance as a defense to poor security. I usually advise clinicians that the burden of proof of protection is on the IS department. They don’t get access to this secret stuff until they prove to us it can be kept secret.
Medical Manpower: The Continuing Crises
Successive governments have tried to control the oversupply of doctors in Australia by restricting the entry of migrant doctors. Their efforts have not succeeded. Current policy is to insist that all new GPs take out postgraduate qualifications before practising (and to limit the number of postgraduate places to 400 p.a). Pressure is also being applied to medical schools to limit undergraduate enrolments. The reasons for the inability to control overseas trained doctor numbers and the merits of the Government’s current policies are explored.
Impact of Language Testing on the Registration of Immigrant Doctors
Before non-English-speaking background doctors holding overseas qualifications can begin the medical and clinical examinations required to practise in Australia they must first pass an English language test. This has proved to be a severe hurdle for some language groups, in many cases delaying their progress and, in others, preventing significant numbers from proceeding to the medical and clinical examinations.
Immigration and the surplus of doctors in Australia
There is some dispute about the extent and nature of the alleged doctor ‘oversupply’. But, from the point of view of the Australia government, the surplus is large, growing and expensive. Evidence for this surplus can be found in a swag of recent reports which argue that Australia’s doctor-patient ratio is high by international standards and, in particular, that there are too many General Practitioners located in metropolitan areas.