Healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are a major public health challenge around the world with around seven out of every 100 patients in acute-care hospitals in high-income countries and 15 in low- and middle-income countries acquiring at least one such infection during their hospital stay. This is according to data from the World Health Organisation that further suggests that on average, 1 in every 10 affected patients die from their HAI. There are around 165,000 healthcare associated infections (HAIs)1 in Australian health facilities each year, making them the most common complication af ..read more

The Alfred hospital has commenced clinical trials with BrainEye, a smartphone app which can help screen for neurological abnormalities using a 60-second eye movement test. The study aims to recruit 500 participants across Australia with a variety of neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis (MS), who will have their brain function assessed using BrainEye’s eye-tracking application. BrainEye will collect data through its artificial intelligence platform, which measures and compares more than 20 ocular biomarkers that the naked eye stru ..read more

Melbourne’s Eastern Health is working to improve mental health access for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. The health service will be distributing Expression Australia AUSLAN Communications Cards across its sites to help those who are deaf and hard of hearing feel reassured while waiting for loved ones, carers and Auslan interpreters when accessing services. The Eastern Health project leads, Senior Psychiatric Nurse Harry Singh and Disability Liaison Officer Christina Georgiadis, said the Auslan communication cards are mental health-specific, aiding the communication between consumers ..read more

Australia has about 26,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests annually, with only 12% of patients treated by ambulance surviving to hospital discharge and/or 30 days. Now, a new study led by Monash University has identified Australian regions with high incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and low rates of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Funded by the Heart Foundation and conducted by the Australian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (Aus-ROC), the study is prompting calls for targeted education campaigns to improve awareness about avoiding and treating heart issues. C ..read more

Australia's healthcare system delivers some of the best value for money relative to its international counterparts, according to latest research from the Productivity Commission. This is the first time that the quality of the country's health care has been considered in an assessment of productivity, according to the Commission. The report reveals that Australia’s healthcare productivity ranks third among 28 high-income countries once we account for behavioural and environmental risk factors and the age of our population. Costs vs outcomes "Previous research assessed the productivity of ..read more

ACON, a New South Wales-based health promotion organisation focused on LGBTQ+ and HIV health, is opening a new health centre in South Eveleigh later this year. Called Kaleido Health, the service is claimed to be the first of its kind to provide integrated and multidisciplinary care for sexuality and gender diverse people across the state. ACON has been working towards the establishment of a dedicated LGBTQ+ health service since 2016 and its opening in spring 2024 marks a significant step forward. “The centre will deliver integrated care that is designed with the health needs of sexuality and ..read more

A new study involving a US hospital emergency department (ED) has found that teams with disconnected roles are less effective than teams with intersecting roles. Organisations have long relied on predefined roles (eg, a nurse and physician in medicine) as a cornerstone of coordination, providing clarity to team members about what they and their teammates are expected to know and do, said the study authors. However, the rise of ‘fluid participation’ — frequent changes to team membership and the composition of available skills — poses new challenges to these traditional coordination mechan ..read more

The University of Sydney and ASAC consultancy are developing a hydrogen-fuelled, emissions-free medical drone to service rural and remote Australia, like the Kimberley. The development is part of the Wildu Aero Project, which will be led by Associate Professor Dries Verstraete from the University of Sydney with ASAC funding the research and development of the drone. Early detection, prevention and treatment The medical drone is being designed to enable early detection, prevention and treatment of health conditions common in rural and remote regions of Australia, such as sepsis, and to activel ..read more

Stanford Hospital is using an AI-based model that predicts when a patient is declining and flags the patient's physicians and nurses. The alert system helps clinicians connect more efficiently and effectively as well as intervene to prevent patients from deteriorating and landing in the intensive care unit, said Ron Li, MD, a clinical associate professor of medicine and medical informatics director for digital health. Li is the senior author of the study by Stanford Medicine that shows the potential of AI as a facilitator of connection between doctors and nurses. In a news update with Stanfor ..read more

Age-related and contractual factors have been found to be stronger drivers of the UK’s National Health Service hospital clinical staff retention compared to organisational factors in a new study published in BMJ Open. Rather than applying a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, staff retention efforts need to be tailored to age and profession, the study suggests. Much better reward systems are needed to boost staff retention and ensure sustainability amid increasing demand for health care and an aging workforce, the authors suggest. To explore the range of factors informing healthcare professionals ..read more