5 in WA. An additional 39 FIFO doctors( equal GP / registrar split) made up the largest workforce increase. Average age of the overall GPs was 48.4 years, with doctors aged 55-64 making up 23 % of the workforce( 64 % male). Only 8.5 % of the doctors lived in RA 5( Very Remote) locations. There was a 14 % turnover of the workforce in a year, with most moving to Perth( 39.5 %), interstate( 14 %) and overseas( 9.3 %). There were nine additional doctors in the 65 + age group in 2012. Amongst 202 proceduralists, a third was overseas trained. The number of IMGs working in the bush is the lowest since 2007 but they still accounted for 51.8 % of the rural and remote medical workforce in WA. There were a record 86 GP registrars in the rural workforce – 19 more than 2011 and they are getting older. Their average age had increased from 32 years in 2002 to 36.5 years in 2012.
Gestational diabetes risk
UWA researchers say that while obesity in the obstetric population is increasing, the
risk of gestational diabetes is increasing. This risk is better predicted using a series of cardiometabolic risk factors in pregnancy, including body mass index( BMI), blood pressure, lipids, glucose, insulin and highdensity lipoprotein( HDL) – better than blood sugars or BMI. They’ ve derived a formula to help clinicians identify women who should be targeted for post-pregnancy intervention.
Eye test for Alzheimer’ s trialled
Prof Ralph Martins [ McCusker Alzheimer’ s Research Foundation ] and Prof Yogi Kanagasingam [ CSIRO ] are leading a local team trialling an eye test with 1000 volunteers which may become a screening tool for Alzheimer’ s disease. The goal of the trial is to see if the NeuroVision eye test can detect amyloid proteins earlier. If the eye tests correlate with what is occurring in the brains, then a screening tool for Alzheimer’ s will be developed.
Driving kids to drink
A line of kids clothing for four-year-olds sporting the logos for the Jim Beam Racing Kids Team, liquor ads outside schools and sporting commentators slipping in booze promos are among the“ Top 10 alcohol advertising shockers of 2012-13” according to the first annual report of the Alcohol Advertising Review Board led by Prof Fiona Stanley and Prof Mike Daube. Both said that the findings showed that self-regulation of alcohol advertising was
failing, irresponsible alcohol promotions were common, young people were heavily exposed to alcohol advertising, and there is an urgent need for regulation on alcohol promotion.
New disclosure guidelines
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has put its new Open Disclosure Framework up on its website with the major changes being a move away from open disclosure as an exercise in risk management to one of ethical practice, patient rights, professional obligation and quality improvement. There is a greater emphasis of involving patient, family and carer in open disclosure and more support for staff involved in adverse events. Read the full framework at www. safetyandquality. gov. au / search / open + disclosure + framework. �
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