An Australian research team has tested a Canadian practical survey tool that aims to help employers improve health and safety in the workplace – with promising results. WorkSafe Victoria asked the research team to try to identify a simple, practical tool ...
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Living alone linked to greater risk of hospital stay
People who live alone are more at risk of being admitted to hospital and staying there longer. Professor Jane Hall, of the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation (CHERE) at the University of Technology, Sydney, said living alone increases ...
More »Drips, dribbles of data add up for worldwide catheter study
Nearly 800 hospitals around the world have enrolled in a study of the use of drips in patients. More than 100 Australian hospitals signed up to the One Million Global (OMG) Peripheral Intravenous Catheters’ study, including the Sunshine Coast’s Nambour General Hospital. ...
More »Power naps work, expert says
There is growing evidence that napping may improve productivity and safety at work, a sleep expert has said. RMIT University's Dr Melinda Jackson, a registered psychologist who specialises in sleep disorders, said there is mounting evidence that napping during a shift ...
More »Call to manage emotional efforts at work
The need to put on a certain emotional face in some jobs is taking its toll on workers and the nation’s productivity, say Sydney researchers. The workplace stress, known as “emotional labour”, refers to the emotional effort some employees must ...
More »Seize the opportunity to reform scope of practice
Health reform gives nurses a golden opportunity to develop a new vision for what the profession can be in the future. Understanding scope of practice is an important part of seizing this chance. Allison Willis, principal consultant at the Health Objective, made this point with ...
More »Healthcare systems need better evaluation: academic
Usability and utility have been described as the missing links in evaluation of healthcare information systems. Dr Ian McGrath, from RMIT University, presented the idea at the Worldwide Nursing Conference. McGrath said usability relates to how easy the system is to ...
More »Image of good health: Avatars can help nurses teach
Avatars can compensate for literacy issues by relaying important messages to patients, an Australian researcher told attendees of an international nursing conference. Professor Robyn Clark from Flinders University, said using avatars – figures, often cartoons, that depict a person digitally ...
More »When babies don’t survive
Parents whose babies are dying could be better supported and the core task for nurses during such a time is engagement with and empowerment of parents. These are among the key points Dr Andrew Watkins, from Mercy Hospital in Melbourne, raised during ...
More »Wisdom for times of transition
The Hospital for Specialist Surgery officially launched today, designed and run by 48 specialist doctors. The hospital is the creation of a group of professionals at a day surgery clinic in Castle Hill, who decided to set up a larger scale hospital ...
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