The Medical journal of Australia
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E-health is the health care buzzword of the moment, with a person-controlled electronic health record funded in the 2010 federal Budget and legislation to introduce health identifiers recently passed by Parliament. E-health can ease the patient journey, improve quality of care and reduce costs. Australia's health care system lags behind all other sectors of our economy in the use of computerised systems. ⋯ Confusion reigns about responsibilities, but governments must ensure connectivity between health care providers and recognise that the benefits will accrue into the future. The National E-Health Transition Authority has developed national open-access standards, and its foundation projects and the National Broadband Network are now coming into place. To ensure the clinical relevance, utility, safety and acceptability of e-health systems, health professionals urgently need technical capacity and expert guidance.
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To assess emergency department (ED) doctors' knowledge of radiation doses associated with diagnostic imaging and to describe their practice with regard to informing patients of risk. ⋯ Emergency doctors in our sample had a varied knowledge of the risks from radiation exposure, but overall knowledge was poor. Staff should receive education, and the diagnostic imaging request process may need to include information on radiation doses and risks.
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Currently available data can be used to focus clinical quality, patient centredness and safety of care in hospitals.
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We report a series of cases of thyroid dysfunction in adults associated with ingestion of a brand of soy milk manufactured with kombu (seaweed), and a case of hypothyroidism in a neonate whose mother had been drinking this milk. We also report two cases of neonatal hypothyroidism linked to maternal ingestion of seaweed made into soup. These products were found to contain high levels of iodine. Despite increasing awareness of iodine deficiency, the potential for iodine toxicity, particularly from sources such as seaweed, is less well recognised.