Australian Medical Association

AMA Vice President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that calls by the self-medication industry for pharmacists to treat so-called ‘minor ailments’ such as coughs, colds, sore throats and back pain instead of doctors could put people with these ailments at risk of more serious health problems.

Dr Hambleton said that minor ailments are not always minor.

“Respiratory tract infections and back pain are often precursors to more serious conditions and require proper diagnosis,” Dr Hambleton said.

“Doctors are skilled in diagnosis, pharmacists aren’t.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that urgent planning and investment is needed to meet the health and care needs of an ageing and growing Australian population.

“Access to medical care for older Australians in residential aged care today is limited,” Dr Pesce said.

“The health needs of older Australians are becoming more complex and numerous, so access to general practice services in particular is crucial.

“The AMA wants access to ongoing medical care to be a specific accreditation standard for aged care providers.

MJA Media Release - Hospitals report low compliance with antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines

Many hospitals are not complying with national guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis in cardiac surgery, particularly those regarding the duration of antibiotic administration, according to the results of research published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Dr Timothy Haydon, an intensivist at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, and his co-authors conducted two point-prevalence surveys of intensive care units in 24 public and 27 private hospitals performing cardiac surgery in Australia in 2004 and 2008.

MJA Media Release - Drowning is still a big killer in Australia – more research needed

Two hundred and ninety people on average die from drowning in Australia each year, according to the results of research published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Dr Richard Franklin, Manager of Research and Health Promotion at the Royal Life Saving Society – Australia, and his co-authors conducted an audit of all unintentional drowning deaths in Australia from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2007.

Their study showed that children aged under five years still had the highest rate of drowning (2.63 per 100,000 people), although, significantly, the proportion of total drowning deaths accounted for by this age group decreased from 22 per cent in 1992-97 to 12 per cent in 2002-07.

MJA Media Release - Socio-Demographic factors put rural women at higher risk of obesity

Living in rural areas does not of itself put socio-economically disadvantaged rural women and children at higher risk of overweight and obesity, according to the authors of a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Rather, higher levels of obesity among women in rural areas may be attributed to individual-level socio-demographic characteristics more common in this group, such as higher age, lower levels of education, being Australian-born, being married and having more children, the study suggests.

Dr Verity Cleland, from the Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research at Deakin University, Melbourne, and her co-authors compared the weight status of women of childbearing age and their children living in socio-economically disadvantaged rural and urban areas of Victoria.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, today congratulated the Government and the Australian Society of Ophthalmologists on a mutually satisfactory outcome from their negotiations over changes to the Medicare rebate for cataract surgery.

Dr Pesce said that today’s resolution was, above all, a win for patients and a great relief for the thousands of people around the country who had faced uncertainty over their sight-saving operations.

“The successful outcome over this issue confirms the AMA view that there must be expert clinical input at the beginning of the process of making changes to Medicare rebates, not after the event,” Dr Pesce said.

The Australian Medical Education Study report – What makes for success in medical education? – endorses calls by the AMA for greater investment in medical education and training to produce a medical workforce capable of meeting the future health needs of a growing and ageing population.

The study undertook research between 2005 and 2007 involving all the major stakeholders, and included surveys of medical students, junior doctors, educators and employers.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that the report highlights the high international rating of an Australian medical education but advises that more needs to be done to properly fund and resource medical training in Australia.

AMA Vice President and Chair of the AMA Taskforce on Indigenous Health, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that RHDAustralia is an important first step towards eradicating rheumatic heart disease among Indigenous people.

The Government has provided RHDAustralia with $2.5 million over four years to combat rheumatic heart disease, which is a major killer of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“For several years, the AMA has been calling for a coordinated national effort to eradicate rheumatic heart disease among Indigenous people,” Dr Hambleton said.

The AMA today urged Australians considering undergoing body piercing to ensure that they are aware of the health risks associated with the procedure and what they can do to reduce the chances of something going wrong.

AMA Vice President, Dr Steve Hambleton, today launched an AMA youth health brochure that provides advice about the risks associated with piercing including the factors and questions people should consider before having a body piercing.

“Summer is a popular time for some young people to undergo piercing. However, doctors sometimes see some serious negative health effects from body piercing,” Dr Hambleton said.

“Piercing is not a simple procedure, and it is also not always a safe procedure.

AMA Federal Budget Submission 2010-11

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that the May Federal Budget must provide a significant ‘stimulus package’ for the Australian health system.

Releasing the AMA’s Federal Budget Submission, Dr Pesce said the health system is in desperate need of strategic investment across the whole range of programs and services – from primary care to hospitals to mental health and Indigenous health.

Dr Pesce said the AMA has identified the elements of the health system in most urgent need of reform and is offering the Government real solutions to real problems.

The AMA has written to Health Minister Nicola Roxon urging greater support for international medical graduates (IMGs) working in Australia, highlighting the problems they face in accessing basic community services such as Medicare and public education.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said the AMA has always been a strong supporter of the role played by IMGs in providing health services in the Australian community and wants them to continue as respected and valued members of the Australian medical workforce.

“Along with better access to health and education services for IMGs, we would like the Government to abandon the current 10-year moratorium, which effectively forces many IMGs to work exclusively in rural and remote areas for 10 years or more,” Dr Pesce said.

MJA Media Release - PLANNED HOME BIRTHS LINKED TO A HIGHER RISK OF PERINATAL DEATHS IN CHILDBIRTH

A retrospective population-based study has added to previously published evidence showing that planned home birth in Australia is associated with a higher risk of intrapartum related perinatal mortality (death during labour or after birth owing to problems occurring during labour).

MJA Media Release - TREATMENT OF SYMPTOMS IN CHILDREN DYING OF CANCER IS INADEQUATE

Greater attention to palliative care for children with cancer is needed to prevent them from suffering unresolved symptoms at the end of life, according to the authors of a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

MJA Media Release - PROLONGED IMMIGRATION DETENTION PUTS DETAINEES AT HIGHER RISK OF MENTAL ILLNESS

Asylum seekers and other detainees who are held in Australian immigration detention centres for long periods of time are more likely to require medical attention for mental health problems than those detained for a shorter time, according to the results of research published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that a new Australian study confirms the high safety risks and higher death rates associated with home births in Australia compared to hospital births.

The study of home and hospital births in South Australia between 1991 and 2006, published in the latest edition of the Medical Journal of Australia, shows that planned home births had a sevenfold higher risk of intrapartum death (occurring during delivery) and a 27-fold higher risk of death from intrapartum asphyxia than planned hospital births.

Dr Pesce said the study sends a strong signal to the Government that any policy decisions around maternity care must be evidence-based, not politically motivated.

“The AMA supports women having choice when it comes to labour and childbirth, but they must also have access to all the evidence to ensure that their choice is an informed choice."

MJA Media Release - Bigger role for GPs needed in identifying and treating hearing loss

General Practitioners should play a bigger role in the detection and treatment of age-related hearing loss, according to an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Prof Paul Mitchell, of the Westmead Millennium Institute at the University of Sydney, and his co-authors analysed data collected between 1998 and 2000 from the Blue Mountains Hearing Study (BMHS) and between 2003 and 2008 as part of the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) study.

Of people aged over 50 years in the Blue Mountains study with bilateral hearing loss, about one third reported seeking help from their GP.

MJA Media Release - Older unsupported women more likely to have heart failure with preserved systolic function

Older women who have less social support and live in nursing homes are more likely to have heart failure with preserved systolic function than those who are married or living in their own home, according to the results of research published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

MJA Media Release - Fewer low birthweight infant deaths contributing to chronic disease epidemic

Dramatically improved survival among infants of lower birthweights may be contributing to an epidemic of chronic diseases in the Australian Aboriginal population, according to the authors of a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Professor Wendy Hoy, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Centre for Chronic Disease at the University of Queensland, and her co-author conducted a cohort study of 995 people born between 1956 and 1985, all with an Aboriginal mother and all born in a remote Aboriginal community. Birthweights were much lower than those in non-Aboriginal Australians.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, today said good planning was a key to fulfilling New Year’s resolutions to quit smoking.

“Giving up smoking is a common New Year’s resolution, and with good planning smokers can increase their chances of successfully quitting smoking for ever,” Dr Pesce said.

“There are many ways to quit smoking and different methods will suit different people. For advice and support, see your GP who can talk you through the different methods and help with an approach that is best suited to you."

It’s the season to be jolly, but the AMA is reminding people that it is also the season to be sun smart to reduce the risk of skin cancer.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said many people look forward to spending time at the beach or taking part in other outdoor activities over the holiday period, following their family gatherings at Christmas.

“It’s easy to get carried away with the festivities at this time of year, but it’s important that Australians remember to slip, slop, slap, seek shade and slide on sunglasses to protect themselves from harmful UV exposure,” Dr Pesce said.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, today urged Australians to discuss organ and tissue donation with their families over the Christmas break.

“The Christmas holidays can be a wonderful time for family members to enjoy each other’s company. It can also be an opportunity for families to discuss important issues such as organ and tissue donation,” Dr Pesce said.

“Organ donation can save a life and improve the quality of life for many more people. It’s an issue that every family should discuss.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that the increase in electronic Medicare rebate claiming announced by the Government is a good case to introduce ongoing financial support to assist medical practices cover the administrative costs associated with electronic claiming.

Dr Pesce said Medicare Easyclaim had effectively shifted the administrative burden of electronic Medicare claims from Medicare Australia to private medical practice – but with no ongoing compensation for the shift in responsibility for administering the system.

“The AMA is pleased that Minister Bowen has today recognised the considerable work that medical practices are now doing on behalf of Medicare offices around Australia,” Dr Pesce said.

“Medical practices are contributing to significant savings in administration costs for the Government.

“The Transitional Support Package has provided the impetus to almost double the number of participating medical providers and the number of electronic claims made since April this year, but the Package expires on 31 December.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that the AMA welcomes reports that the Coalition will make health funding, including public hospital funding and governance, a key policy battleground at the next Federal election.

It is reported that the Coalition policy includes direct Commonwealth financing of new local hospital boards, leaving the States out of the process.

Dr Pesce said that having both major parties committed to dramatic health reform would benefit patients and communities desperate for better access to quality health services.

“There is not yet enough detail of the Coalition’s plan for the AMA to support or reject it, but there are elements that are consistent with our reform proposals,” Dr Pesce said.

Three of Australia’s peak medical groups today called on the Senate Community Affairs Committee that is inquiring into the Health Legislation Amendment (Midwives and Nurse Practitioners) Bill 2009 and two related Bills to support the Government’s amendments to the Bill.

The Australian Medical Association, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners support Government amendments that will require midwives and nurse practitioners to work in formal collaborative arrangements with medical practitioners.

They said that collaborative care was essential for the quality, safety and continuity of patient care.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that the Government’s promised streamlining of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) has delivered a number of worthwhile reforms, but has not matched the rhetoric of the Prime Minister’s 2007 election promise to ‘simplify Medicare’.

Dr Pesce said that Australia’s hard working GPs had high hopes that GP consultation items would be comprehensively overhauled and red tape cut to a minimum so they could spend more time with their patients.

“The AMA fully expected the Government to deliver on its promise to simplify Medicare but the results fall short of the expectations of many GPs,” Dr Pesce said.

“We can only hope that this is just the first step in an ongoing reform process.

MJA Media Release - Geriatricians consult using videoconferencing

MJA Media Release - Violent and acute behavioural disturbance more common during full moon

MJA Media Release - Complex health issues get simple treatment on TV News

MJA Media Release - Fast Bandaid removal less painful than slow Bandaid removal

The AMA welcomes today’s announcement that funding to support clinical training, which was agreed at the November 2008 COAG meeting, will now start to flow.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said this initial round of funding is urgently needed and is a good start to addressing the training needs of Australia’s future medical workforce.

Medical student numbers are growing rapidly.  In 2007, there were 1,544 domestic medical graduates, an increase of 22 per cent from 2003.  This is projected to increase to 2,920 graduates by 2012.

Dr Pesce said Australia currently doesn't have the teaching resources in place to cope with the increase in student numbers.