Australian Doctor

02/09/2025

The NHS plans to screen the entire genome of every newborn by 2030, in what ministers are hyping up as a healthcare quantum leap.

The Australian Government has appointed its first genomics commissioner as it seeks to take the field from the lab to the clinic.

02/09/2025

Abuse of staff is a daily phenomenon at Hawkins Medical Clinic.

Hawkins Medical Clinic closed its books more than two years ago.

02/09/2025

Lipoprotein(a) testing in general practice is cost-effective for identifying high-risk patients and preventing cardiovascular disease, Australian-led modelling has found.

Researchers used UK Biobank data on 10,000 patients aged 40-69.

01/09/2025

Pharmacists who diagnose thrush or counsel patients on sensitive treatments within earshot of other customers are flouting their code of conduct and risking sanctions, the Pharmacy Board of Australia warns.

Pharmacists risk disciplinary action if patients feel their privacy is not protected, the board says.

01/09/2025

Ending National Disability Insurance Scheme payments for children with mild autism could ultimately mean better and earlier interventions, if the replacement program champions GP-led stepped care, an expert says.

Dr Tim Jones says stepped care would be more effective and equitable than the NDIS' lump sum payments.

01/09/2025

AI scribes are associated with rapid reductions in doctor burnout, suggests a small study published in JAMA Network Open.

While small, the study suggested the effect of AI scribes on burnout was big.

31/08/2025

A glow-up went wrong for this US woman who became the first recorded patient with dermatomyositis from getting her nails done.

Cure needed after manicure.

30/08/2025

The director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who says she was fired by the Trump administration for refusing to “rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives”, is being replaced by a former speechwriter with no medical or scientific qualifications.

The senior CDC officials who quit said they had been deeply concerned about the rise in health misinformation, particularly around vaccines.

29/08/2025

Psychologist Emeritus Professor Steven Schwartz warns that viewing medical diagnoses as keys to unlocking government funding has encouraged “psychiatric branding” of children. Whatever new scheme emerges, he says, must not repeat the mistakes.

'Psychiatric labels rarely vanish,' says Emeritus Professor Steven Schwartz.

28/08/2025

A technology expert’s clash with a doctor over an AI scribe has highlighted the risks facing GPs using the unregulated software, Avant warns.

Avant's Georgie Haysom says doctors face the burden of assessing whether their AI scribes comply with privacy laws.

28/08/2025

GPs are calling for better-funded and less restricted Medicare items for mental health case conferencing after the death of a woman who was on 10 different medications.

GPs avoid mental health case conferencing items because the rebates are too low and the rules too restrictive, says Dr Anita Munoz.

28/08/2025

Omega-3 fatty acid intake is associated with shorter axial length in children, suggesting it protects against myopia, researchers say.