Australia

In which John discusses the complicated reasons why the United States spends so much more on health care than any other country in the world, and along the way reveals some surprising information, including that Americans spend more of their tax dollars on public health care than people in Canada, the UK, or Australia. Who's at fault? Insurance companies? Drug companies? Malpractice lawyers? Hospitals? Or is it more complicated than a simple blame game? (Hint: It's that one.) For a much more thorough examination of health care expenses in America, I recommend this series at The Incidental Economist: http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/what-makes-the-us-health-care-system-so-expensive-introduction/ The Commonwealth Fund's Study of Health Care Prices in the US: http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/Issue%20Brief/2012/May/1595_Squires_explaining_high_hlt_care_spending_intl_brief.pdf Some of the stats in this video also come from this New York Times story: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/health/colonoscopies-explain-why-us-leads-the-world-in-health-expenditures.html?pagewanted=all This is the first part in what will be a periodic series on health care costs and reforms leading up to the introduction of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, in 2014.  

Stream HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening in Australia by BMJ talk medicine from desktop or your mobile device  

The disparity in health status between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Australia and New Zea  

Stream Prof Stuart Biddle – Mythbusting Sports Medicine Australia Keynote Presenter: Physical Activity by BMJ talk medicine from desktop or your mobile device  

Stream STI podcast: Australia’s HPV vaccination programme and disappearing genital warts by BMJ talk medicine from desktop or your mobile device  

Researchers investigated the association between sun exposure and risk of multiple sclerosis. A population based case-control study was performed. The participants were recruited from residents of Tasmania, Australia, who were aged under 60 years and had at least one grandparent born in Tasmania. Cases were people with multiple sclerosis who volunteered after information evenings at local multiple sclerosis societies, or after having been invited by a healthcare professional. In total, 136 people with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, as defined by clinical and magnetic resonance imaging criteria, were included as cases. For each case, two controls matched for sex and year of birth were randomly selected from the community. In total, 359 eligible controls were approached and the response rate was 76%.1  

Quetiapine was approved in 2009 and 2010 for the adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in several countries worldwide, including the European Union, Canada, the United States, and Australia. These approvals followed three industry sponsored trials of quetiapine versus placebo added to an antidepressant for depression in adults who had an inadequate response to at least six weeks of antidepressant treatment. All three trials showed statistically significant improvements in symptoms of depression compared with placebo.1  

Stream Prof Stuart Biddle – Mythbusting Sports Medicine Australia Keynote Presenter: Physical Activity by BMJ talk medicine from desktop or your mobile device  

I'm hoping to do my elective in Australia (Sydney and Melbourne) and would love any tips or ideas regarding getting it organised. Is it better to try to contact hospitals directly? Will I be expected to pay for my placement? Anywhere that's particularly good or should be avoided?