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New guidelines for von Willebrand disease

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, has issued the first clinical guidelines in the United States for the diagnosis and management of von Willebrand Disease (VWD), the most common inherited bleeding disorder.

1 Mar 2008

Hydroxyurea for sickle cell patients

An independent panel convened this week by the NIH concluded that the use of hydroxyurea for sickle cell patients should be increased in adolescents and adults.

28 Feb 2008

Doctors meet to get it right for new Orange hospital

The furore over the new Bathurst hospital which has been deemed dysfunctional by medical staff is now being followed by another uproar this time over plans for a new hospital in Orange in central western New South Wales.

21 Feb 2008

Rural doctors say 16,000 more health professionals are urgently needed in the bush

Doctors working in rural Australia have called on the government to offer better incentives to keep doctors in the bush.

20 Feb 2008

As depression symptoms improve with antidepressants, hopelessness can linger

People taking medication for depression typically see a lot of improvements in their symptoms during the first few months, but lagging behind other areas is a sense of hopefulness, according to new research from the University of Michigan Health System.

18 Feb 2008

$98 million new hospital deemed dysfunctional

A brand new $98 million hospital in Bathurst in NSW's central west has been deemed so unsafe that routine elective surgery has been suspended; doctors at the hospital say there are serious flaws in the design and construction of the facilities.

17 Feb 2008

Australians lacking basic knowledge to keep themselves healthy

The Healthy Communities Research Centre at UQ Ipswich is calling for a national focus on "health literacy" following the release of findings which reveal that most Australians don't have the basic knowledge to keep themselves healthy.

8 Feb 2008

Merck to pay over $650 million for fraudulent price reporting and kickbacks claims

Merck & Company has agreed to pay more than $650 million to resolve allegations that the pharmaceutical manufacturer failed to pay proper rebates to Medicaid and other government health care programs and paid illegal remuneration to health care providers to induce them to prescribe the company's products, the Justice Department has announced.

8 Feb 2008

New backing for medical devices brings Australian R&D and industry together

The development and production of high-tech medical devices in South Australia will enter a dynamic new phase in South Australia with the establishment of a $3.3 million program, based at Flinders University. Flinders will play a lead role in the Medical Devices Partnering Program, which will bring together university researchers with commercial backers, manufacturers and end-users of medical assistive technology.

5 Feb 2008

BMA(NI) response to RPA announcement

Commenting on the Ministerial announcement today, 4 February 2008, on the Review of Public Administration, Dr Ailbe Beirne, Deputy Chairman of BMA(NI) said: "We are pleased to see the Minister continues to be committed to reform of the NHS here and we will be responding in full to the consultation, once it is in the public domain."

4 Feb 2008

Heart transplant standards set too low

Heart surgeons at Johns Hopkins have evidence to support further tightening rather than easing of standards used to designate hospitals that are best at performing heart transplants.

30 Jan 2008

British scientists given go-ahead for human-animal embryo research

Scientists in Britain have been given the go-ahead to create human-animal hybrid embryos for research.

20 Jan 2008

Seasonal flu levels trigger use of antiviral drugs

The Health Protection Agency has confirmed that the rate at which influenza viruses are now circulating in England has reached the point which triggers the use of antiviral drugs.

11 Jan 2008

Seamless European e-health web

Europeans are becoming more mobile and healthcare systems have to keep up.

8 Jan 2008

UK cosmetic surgery clinics cannot be trusted say experts

Clinics in the UK offering cosmetic surgery have been accused of being dishonest to potential clients and putting sales before safety.

7 Jan 2008

Experimental IT to reduce medication errors under study

Medication errors are one of the most serious problems occurring in doctor's offices and out-patient clinics, and older persons with chronic conditions are the most vulnerable.

4 Jan 2008

Stop whole body scans says committee on radiation risk

An advisory committee to the British government has called for private health clinics to immediately stop offering whole body scans to the "worried well", because they carry too great a radiation risk.

20 Dec 2007

Workplace opportunities and stresses are both increasing

Teamworking and other modern employment practices can put as much strain on a woman's family relationships as working an extra 120 hours a year, an extensive study of the British workforce funded by the Economic and Social Research Council suggests.

17 Dec 2007

Physician style and HMO affiliation impact lengths of patient visit

Apart from a more complicated medical case, what makes different physicians spend different amounts of time with their patients" Researchers at UC Davis have identified several key doctor- and practice-specific characteristics that affect the length of a patient's medical appointment, and ultimately with a patient's satisfaction with the doctor's visit.

5 Dec 2007

Research institutes from Finland and Singapore develop remote healthcare services

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and A*STAR Agency for Science, Technology and Research from Singapore have developed remote healthcare services that allow patients to be treated globally independent of time and location and irrespective of the solutions provided by hardware and data system suppliers. In Finland, the first trial services for treating cardiac patients and patients suffering from chronic illnesses have been promising.

5 Dec 2007