A trial of individualised education that engages older patients in falls prevention has shown falls and resulting injuries reduced by 40 per cent. The study involved more than 3500 people across eight Western Australian aged-care rehabilitation units. It encouraged patients ...

A program that orders exercise for ICU patients in the same way medication is ordered to help them become mobile sooner has been implemented at an Australian hospital. Kellie Sosnowski, nurse unit manager of the intensive care unit at Logan ...

International experts brought lessons on leadership, infectious and chronic disease, and mental health and career frameworks to an Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association conference on the Gold Coast. Brave to Bold, the APNA national conference, featured a range of experts ...

A project aiming to improve the care of nursing home residents who develop acute illnesses has received $1.15 million from the Department of Social Services. The project is called CEDRiC (Care Co-ordination through Emergency Department, Residential Aged Care and Primary ...

All mental health professionals should prioritise screening and treatment for common chronic conditions in people with serious mental illness, leading psychiatrists have said. Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) president Dr Murray Patton said: “It’s too easy for ...

It’s absolutely essential to make sure patients know what they’re getting into – and language barriers can make that a chore. Patients must be fully informed before they can give proper legal consent for a procedure. They must have a ...

A little extra weight can be quite healthy in old age; and working to lose it is generally a bad idea. Globally, excessive weight and obesity are major health issues. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports 1.4 billion people are ...

Diagnostic tools for acute pain are often difficult for health professionals to interpret and apply, and managing chronic pain holds its own challenges. This was the focus of the presentation from the University of Queensland’s PainLang at the Australian Pain ...

Midwives and some other health professionals are perfectly placed to identify women experiencing violence, an academic has said. Dr Kathleen Baird, senior midwifery lecturer at Griffith University, said dealing with domestic violence is a complex problem. “Sometimes it might be ...

Australian research will look into the different ways mental health professionals can diagnose and treat depression. Professor Christopher Sharpley, from the University of New England’s Brain-Behavior Research Group, said a person can qualify for a diagnosis of major depressive disorder ...