Nursing

Building on their nationally recognised work for improving aged care, a Flinders University team will now turn its attention to quality improvements for older people within the healthcare system.

Aboriginal mothers and their babies have higher death rates and poorer health outcomes than non-Indigenous Australians. New community-led services are trying to change that

The Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, will attend the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland from 26 May.

Research led by the University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District has developed a new type of oral insulin based on nanotechnology. In the future, it could offer the 75 million people worldwide who use insulin for diabetes a more effective and needle-free alternative.

The ABS data, collected as part of the 2020-2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, said three in four (74.5 per cent) lesbian, gay, bisexual or otherwise non-heterosexual (LGB+) Australians have experienced a "mental disorder" at some point in their lives.

Extreme weather events could become the biggest global risk over the next decade. One of the main areas where this will be felt is global health, according to a new report from the World Economic Forum and Oliver Wyman.

The article examines the impact of artificial intelligence in nursing and midwifery and how it will help in revolutionalizing healthcare. Cited are the challenges and concerns regarding AI that clinicians need to consider, the benefits of a carefully implemented AI for the healthcare profession, and the involvement of nurses and midwive in the implementation of AI in healthcare.

The article shares insight on the benefits of teamwork in health care. These include safe patient care via better communication and reduced medical errors, staff retention, patient and staff satisfaction, and reduced burnout among professionals. Suggestions for building a culture that values and support teamwork are creating a healthy work environment, establishing roles and responsibilities, updating communication platforms, implementing shared governance and identifying shared experiences.

The article discusses research which compared the prevalence of orthostatic hypotension (OH) and falls between adults age 65 and older hospitalized in inpatient medical units and Acute Care of the Elderly units in a mid-Atlantic healthcare system. The study described the patients' demographic characteristics including age, gender, race and ethnicity. It measured orthostatic vital signs and blood pressure or heart rate alterations and examined the association between OH and falls.

The article reports on the start of the implementation of a national service program to support the health and wellbeing of midwives and nurses in Australia.

In the article, the author discusses the importance of speaking up and standing up against injustice, unfairness, and unethical practices in the healthcare sector.

The author reflects on her participation as a guest lecturer for Evidence-Based Practice Fellowship nurses in 2022. She talks about her experience of sharing her thoughts and knowledge about evaluating nursing research articles with a new generation of nurses, the subject that gave her the most trouble when she went back to school in 2009, and how implementing evidence-based practice changes can be done.

The article discusses the pivotal role of nurses in pain assessment in Australia as per the 2020 definition of pain and evolving views on opioid analgesia in acute pain management as of July 2023.

The article provides an overview of the significant changes made in the aged care sector in Australia. Topics discussed include the introduction of the funding model for residential care on October 1, 2022, the release of the "Guiding Principles for Medication Management in Residential Aged Care Facilities" by the Department of Health and Aged Care, and the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Aged Care on December 1, 2022 by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

The article discusses ethical considerations in voluntary assisted dying (VAD) in Australia. Topics include situation when VAD can be considered in all jurisdictions, Australian states where VAD has been legislated, and arguments from proponents and from opponents of VAD. Also mentioned are views of nurses in other journal articles on VAD.

The article highlights the global celebrations for International Nurses Day (IND) on May 12, 2023 and International Day of the Midwife on May 5, which were both led by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM). It presents the ICN's theme for IND and for IDM 2023. It also features nurses that are making a difference across Australia including Lynette Byers, Peter Jenkin, and Roslyn Morgan.

The article discusses the importance of enrolled nurses (EN) in Australian healthcare. Topics include areas where the risk of nursing shortages are particularly serious, importance of ensuring articulation between different workforce group to a sufficiently sized and skilled workforce, and suggestions to enhance compatibility and articulation between EN and registered nurses (RN) qualifications.

Healthcare providers must understand strategies for effective communication with patients. Using these strategies will help establish relationships based on sensitivity to patients' needs and their place in the healthcare journey.

The author talks about the importance of evidence-based practice to nursing. He discusses the concept of evidence-based practice, reason for the growing support for an evidence base for nursing practice, and the need to determine the value of research findings in clinical practice through critical appraisal.

Our 2023 report “Strong Culture, Strong Youth: Our Legacy Our Future”, documents, through eight case studies, organisations and individuals work in communities to enrich the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to be more likely to die from something preventable, according to the productivity commission’s latest government services data (ROGS) report on health.

Condition overtakes coronary heart disease with 62% rise in number of healthy years lost since 2011, report finds, causing significant impact on carers and families

An important new documentary highlighting the devastating impact of of Rheumatic Heart Disease among First Nations people will soon appear on SBS On Demand. The Heart Foundation aims to explore and raise awareness of the heart disease, with hopes it will rally more public understanding and support to end its spread and protect future generations.

Australia’s universal healthcare system aims to provide equitable access to healthcare services for all Australians, but many of our First Nations peoples are still being left behind.

Highlighting the importance of embodying First Nations’ healing practices in mental healthcare, Dr Amy Coopes reports on an eloquent keynote by psychiatrist Dr Loyola McLean at the recent Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Congress.

Numerous physiological changes occur with increasing age, and for older people the risks of experiencing declines in physical and mental capacities increase. ICOPE reflects a continuum of care that will help to reorient health and social services towards a more person-centred and coordinated model of care.

This year’s report, Transforming Power – Voices for Generational Change, is a small collection of the hundreds of stories that catalogue the success of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led initiatives.

The NSW LGBTIQ+ Health Strategy marks a significant commitment in the history of the NSW Health system. The strategy provides direction to all NSW Health organisations and staff, so that collectively we can deliver the best care to LGBTIQ+ people and work with them to achieve optimal health and wellbeing.

Co-designed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, this plan's target is for First Nations people to be fully represented in the health workforce by 2031. It includes actions to attract, recruit and retain workers across all roles, levels and locations within the health sector.

Equity, tackling stigma and discrimination, and addressing the wider determinants of health and sustainability have been placed at the centre of Australia’s long-awaited National Obesity Strategy, which aims to halt and reverse the issue by 2030 with a particular focus on childhood and prevention.

A dedicated health centre for LGBTIQ+ people will open in the heart of Sydney as part of a major overhaul of the state’s health sector to address longstanding stigma and discrimination.

Australian entry-to-practice health professional students will be supported to develop the knowledge and skills needed to provide quality care, across various settings for Australian Indigenous peoples with life-limiting illness, and their families and communities.

COORDINARE from South Eastern New South Wales Primary Health Network is committed to improving access to culturally sensitive and respectful primary care for more than 24,000 people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

Changing the way governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

A Flexible Clinic in the Emergency Department, to address high rates of incomplete treatment for Aboriginal patients.

To ensure collaboration with First Nations community members when planning, commissioning and evaluating programs and services, the ACT's Primary Health Network partnered with a local Indigenous organisation to co-design a Cultural Competency Framework.

Australia's first National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare Standards are set to transform the healthcare landscape.

This editorial offers evidence-based insights abut what additional supports could be developed to better promote the health of rural and remote Australia.

A reimagined seven-day service with clearer referral pathways is improving cultural safety and access to healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne.

This report summarises the findings of the Survey of Older People (SOP), a nationally representative survey of 7,000 people aged 65 and over living in community dwellings.

Nurses and midwives know that while medicines make a significant contribution to the treatment of ill health, the prevention of disease, increasing life expectancy and improving health outcomes, they also have the potential to cause harm.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that in 2018 there were 219,000 Australians with dementia - of which 43% experienced chronic pain that may have been difficult to diagnose and treat.

Before discussing pharmacodynamincs in depth, it is important to define the term and distinguish this branch of pharmacology from the branch called pharmacokinetics.

The Position statement: Nurses and cosmetic medical procedures is focused on minor (non-surgical) cosmetic medical procedures.