The Medical journal of Australia
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To evaluate whether the Food and Health Dialogue (the Dialogue), established by the Australian Government in 2009, is having an impact on reducing premature death and disability caused by poor diet in Australia. ⋯ The Dialogue has highly creditable goals but the mechanism for delivering on them has proved inadequate. Explicit processes and the outcomes to be delivered within defined timelines are required, along with a clear plan for remediation if they are not achieved.
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To determine the cost of formal and informal teaching specifically provided for interns and to determine how much of an intern's time is spent in these activities. ⋯ The time of professionals paid by NSW Health represents most of the expenditure on teaching interns. An increase in time spent on intern teaching beyond the current 6.2% of an intern's 40-hour week would be an investment in better health care.
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Malignant melanoma is a serious and relatively common condition, the diagnosis of which may be difficult. In a recent Supreme Court of New South Wales case, misdiagnosis of melanoma occurred, but there was failure to establish causation of the patient's poor prognosis. ⋯ Clinicians should remain aware of the existence of higher-risk, easily misdiagnosed melanomas with a high mortality rate. Therefore, they should aim to identify these at the earliest opportunity.
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To determine whether completing a year of the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia (RCSWA) program is associated with entering the rural medical workforce. ⋯ Participation in the RCSWA is strongly associated with greater likelihood of working rurally. Graduates from urban backgrounds who participated in the RCSWA were much more likely to work in rural areas than those who did not. These data substantiate the RCSWA as an effective rural workforce strategy.