Australian entrepreneur, Lauren Barber, turned her nursing background into the role of an inventor and launched a medical device into the Australian healthcare industry.
Lauren began her career as a nurse at the Sydney Adventist Hospital and later moved into cosmetic dermatology, leading her to start her own company. Her journey as an entrepreneur has been challenging, but she has learned skills in resilience and crisis management. She still works as a nurse for 1-2 days a week to maintain her clinical skills. Her inspiration for this career path stems from a personal experience with a needle stick injury that led her to explore the relationship between needle-phobia and a person’s health.
NeedleCalm has now launched a new, world-leading medical device in Australia to improve vaccination rates and calm the nerves of the approximately six million Australians who fear injections. The Class 1 medical device, which recently received approval from the TGA, works by using a technique referred to as “closing the gate” between the needle injection site and pain receptors in the brain.
“Our technology is a game-changer and can be used in an estimated 76 million needle procedures in Australia each year. It’s easy to dismiss needle phobias, but they affect approximately 25% of Australians, while a local study found one in five patients with a fear of needles reported avoiding healthcare.”, says Lauren.
And today in Adelaide at the Australian College of Nursing’s National Nursing Forum, Lauren Barber was awarded the winner of the Health Minister’s Award for Nursing Trailblazers. The award acknowledges nurse-led innovations and models of care which significantly improve health outcomes for the Australian community through evidence-based processes.
With the support of her family and over 10 mentors who specialise in various areas, Lauren has overcome struggles in finance and fundraising. She has learned from her mistakes and now seeks advice from multiple sources before making a decision. In this reflection segment with Australian Health Journal, Lauren talks about the challenges of bringing a medical device to market, not just in company formation, regulatory approvals but also in selling to the health care procurement departments in hospitals.
No journey is linear for an entrepreneur, but Lauren has travelled considerable distance from a nursing student to a successful entrepreneur illustration her determination and passion to help those with needle phobias. Lauren’s work with NeedleCalm is making a positive impact in the healthcare industry and improving the experiences of patients and clinicians alike.
Adapted from Charles Sturt article “Lauren launches world-leading medical device to improve healthcare access”
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New treatment options under investigation for pelvic organ prolapse
Dr Shayanti Mukherjee, Research Group Head, Translational Tissue Engineering at the with her team at Hudson Institute of Medical Research is developing new ways to prevent and potential cure pelvic organ prolapse (POP). The technology aims to ultimately lead to safer and more effective treatment for women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) using a woman’s own stem cells to boost the effectiveness of a degradable mesh.
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25 years of non-indexation of nuclear medicine impeding access & affordability
The President of the Australasian Association of Nuclear Medicine Specialists (AANMS), Associate Professor Sze Ting Lee spoke with Australian Health Journal about the following:
Usual levels of nuclear medicine services in Australia each year
Current levels of nuclear medicine services in Australia
How changing demographics in people moving to regional areas has impacted access to nuclear medicine services
The nuclear medicine workforce including trainees
The key recommendations from the pre-budget submissionIn the lead up to the Australian Federal Budget in May 2023, Australian Health Journal reached out to peak health industry bodies to hear about their priorities, either noted in pre-budget submissions lodged with Federal Government in January 2023 or in recent forums such as the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce.
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Continuity of Care under COVID-19
Series 3, Episode 1
Under the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian Healthcare system has handled the public health crisis by monitoring and responding to challenges in supply chains, testing & tracing of new infections and stock piling of essential equipment.
The public has largely responded by practising social distancing, understanding how hand hygiene can spread contagion and recently installing the COVIDSafe mobile application. Public health messaging has been largely effective and literacy improve, to combat the dangers of misinformation.
To open up access to medical advice during the pandemic, in March the Australian government issued MBS item codes for telehealth consultations, for advanced practice nurses as well as GPs and other specialists.
According to AMA President Dr Tony Bartone, as of mid-May 2020, around 10 million Medicare-funded telehealth services have been provided, either over the phone or via video, a significant majority of which have been provided by GPs and other specialists since the Medicare telehealth items were introduced in March.
However in recent months, the health system has mounting concerns on:
- a reduction in general practice visits for testing, investigation or immunisation
- lower rates of elective procedures resuming since being halted
- reduction in laboratory testing
- reduction in treatments and diagnosis of chronic and acute conditions
- access to, and continuing to take medications
Those with pre-existing conditions have been urged to keep appointments and routine treatments to maintain their health.
Industry has taken action such as the newly formed Continuity of Care Collaboration (CCC). The 15 health organisations forming CCC are an Australian first national communication collaboration of Peak Bodies, Industry and Healthcare Organisations coming together to stress the importance for people to continue monitoring their health and maintaining their regular care.
This Australian Health Journal episode on the continuity of care was produced with commentary from the following health industry associations and organisations: APNA – Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association, RACGP, Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA), West Cessnock Medical Practice, Consumers Health Forum of Australia, Medicines Australia
