Retaining a clinical perspective in macro level changes
Dr Shona Sundaraj BAppSc (Phty), MBBS, FRACGP, MBA is Group Medical Director at Medibank, bringing over two decades of clinical and systems experience to strategy, research and stakeholder engagement. She leads the Medibank Better Health Research Hub and Chairs the Health Research Governance Committee, guiding stakeholder engagement, competitive grant rounds and partnerships with universities, translational research centres and peak bodies to support evidence based improvement in care.
Valuing the Contribution of Exercise Physiologists in Australia
Exercise physiologists are saving the Australian health system at least $940 million across six chronic health conditions every three years, a Deloitte Access Economics report has found.
Backed by three decades of rigorous peer-reviewed science, exercise physiology delivers services to 243,000 Australians per week, translating to more than 1.16 million unique patients annually, primarily through 9,800 Accredited Exercise Physiologists (AEPs) nationwide.
Digital tools help hospitals reduce missed appointments
Nicole Nixon, CEO of Five Faces, says the Brisbane-based digital experience and software platform company is helping hospitals make outpatient and perioperative patient journeys easier for both patients and clinicians.
In an interview with the Australian Health Journal filmed at Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH) recent HIC26 conference in Sydney, Nixon explains how Five Faces’ digital front door platform supports patients from the moment an appointment is created, providing information about appointments, preparation, hospital facilities and wayfinding. Patients can also complete digital forms and receive timely notifications, reminders and resources designed to reduce missed or cancelled appointments.
LIVED EXPERIENCE: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
Lachlan Thorpe has shared his experience of living with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), highlighting the profound impact the condition had on his life and the difference medical technology has made to his recovery.
In an interview with the Australian Health Journal, Thorpe explained that his CRPS developed following an ankle injury sustained while playing rugby for Sydney University Rugby Club in late 2024. After undergoing surgery and rehabilitation for the injury, he began experiencing severe pain, swelling and sensitivity despite there being no further orthopaedic damage.
Cost of living relief for students training in national skills shortage fields
The Australian Government is expanding the Commonwealth Prac Payment to eligible students in 10 additional frontline allied health disciplines, providing financial support during mandatory university placements.
From 1 July 2027, eligible students studying audiology, pharmacy, radiography, clinical psychology, physiotherapy, rehabilitation therapies, occupational therapy, podiatry, speech pathology and paramedicine will be able to access the payment.
Greater flexibility in medicine safety programs delivered by pharmacists
Addressing delegates at PSA26, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (PSA) yearly conference, the Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon. Mark Butler MP, announced negotiations are progressing on the First Pharmacy Programs Agreement (1PPA), and that from 1 November, follow-up services for Home Medicines Reviews (HMRs) and Residential Medication Management Reviews (RMMRs) programs will be able to be delivered via telehealth.
Reframing women’s health as a system-wide agenda across innovation, regulation, workforce and policy
Professor Robyn Norton AO FAHMS is one of the two Founding Directors of The George Institute for Global Health, Professor of Public Health at UNSW Sydney and Emeritus Professor of Global Health at Imperial College London. Robyn co-established The George Institute’s Global Women’s Health Program and more recently the Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine, where she co-leads the Business Translation Working Group. Robyn is a director on the board of the Black Dog Institute, a member of the Women in MedTech Committee of the MTAA and a member of Chief Executive Women. She also chairs the NHMRC’s Gender Guidelines Development Committee and the Advisory Board of the Network of Excellence in Women’s Health at Imperial College London.
Global Women’s Health report identifies concerning drop in Australian breast cancer screening
The Hologic Global Women’s Health Index is one of the largest global reports dedicated exclusively to women’s health and wellbeing. Now in its fifth year, the Index tracks women’s health across five dimensions , Preventive Care, Emotional Health, Opinions of Health and Safety, Basic Needs and Individual Health – across 144 countries and territories, covering 97 per cent of the global adult population.