Author Archives: pamela

Chronic wet cough and bronchiectasis in children: a clinical spectrum

Chronic wet cough (>4 weeks) is common in children and often considered benign and self-limiting. However, there is increasing evidence to suggest that it may have greater significance, particularly if left untreated. Chronic wet cough, protracted bacterial bronchitis and bronchiectasis share many clinical and pathological features and are postulated to represent a clinical spectrum. With increased access to CT scans, non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis diagnoses are rising.

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Gene Editing is a Moral Imperative

In today’s industrialised, globalised world, we live to extreme old age. But this extended life span comes with a trade-off: our DNA is now out of sync with our environment. We can live for eight, nine, even ten decades, while the use-by date on our DNA is closer to 40-50 years. That means people spend their later years living with the diseases of ageing. If our DNA is lettering us down, why shouldn’t we alter it to suit our environment?

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Child Deaths in Victoria: Lessons learned from the Victorian Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity

The Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Morbidity and Mortality (CCOPMM) reviews every obstetric, neonatal, child and adolescent death in Victoria. This Grand Round will describe the functions and history of CCOPMM, together with a review of the epidemiology of child deaths in Victoria over the last 30 years reviewed by the committees.

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Beyond illness: are there health solutions to school problems?

Education remains one of the most powerful social determinants of adult health outcomes. Yet in 2015 one in five children started school with areas of developmental vulnerability. Paediatric health care providers play a vital role in understanding the impact of developmental variation and illness on school participation and engagement.

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Measuring patient outcomes

Politicians and policy makers increasingly focus time and resources on measuring efficiency, accrediting health care processes and public reporting, all of which have a weak evidence base. In contrast, there is growing international evidence that clinical repositories and benchmarking using patient outcome data can drive improvements in health care quality and efficiency and in patient outcomes.

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How sustainable is your hospital?

“Tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century” according to The Lancet in 2015. Research shows that health professionals are generally aware of the threats of climate change to health. But what is the role of the medical professional? This talk will highlight possible avenues for both individual and collective action.

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Refugee Week 2016

Refugee Week is Australia’s peak annual activity to raise awareness on the issues affecting refugees and celebrate the contributions made by refugees to Australian society.

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Bone density and chronic conditions of childhood

Bone health is an important consideration in many chronic health conditions in childhood. Issues of immobility, nutrition, pubertal delay and medication usage may adversely impact bone mass accrual, leading to potentially short and/or long term skeletal fragility, with high attendant morbidity.

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Tripping the light fantastic: 25 years of music therapy at RCH

Research into the role of music therapy in the care of hospitalised children provides evidence for reducing anxiety and agitation, and providing pain relief that enhances quality of life for children and their families. The music therapy team at RCH has contributed to this evidence-based research in children with cancer, cardiac problems, those undergoing rehabilitation or with complex chronic conditions

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