Latest Posts

Transgender adolescents and hormone treatment: The role of The Royal Children’s Hospital in changing the law to improve treatment access across Australia

In 2004, the Family Court of Australia defined hormone treatment for transgender adolescents as a “special medical procedure”. This created a law which necessitated that all transgender adolescents were required to gain legal authority from the Family Court of Australia should they wish to medically transition to their affirmed gender identity. Even with the consent of the young person, their parents and approval of the medical team involved, court authority was required. This situation was unique to Australia, with no other jurisdiction in the world having such legal barriers to treatment.

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Towards an environmentally sustainable healthcare system: Our Campus opportunities

The Victorian Government has a legislated target of net carbon zero by 2050 and is seeking to reduce Victoria’s greenhouse gas emissions by 15-20 per cent from 2005 levels by the year 2020.  The Victorian public health system is responsible for a quarter of the government’s reported carbon emissions from stationary energy; over 800,000 tonnes in 2016-17. The environmental performance of the health system is measured through several metrics.

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The Australian and New Zealand Fontan Registry

The Australian and New Zealand Fontan Registry has demonstrated that the expectations of survival for children born with the most extreme congenital cardiac conditions are much better than previously thought. The Registry has also shown the burden of complications of the Fontan circulation. We will present you with the avenues to improve the outcomes of this population

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Getting up to speed on qualitative research

Qualitative research has quietly and gradually moved from fringe to mainstream in health research. In this presentation, clinical and health services researchers from across Melbourne Children’s Campus will discuss the ways in which qualitative research can add value to health care research, and describe some of their own qualitative studies. Come along to gain an insight into the research that is happening around you, think about how qualitative research might work in your area of interest, and get up to speed on resources available to support and assist clinicians in performing rigorous qualitative research.

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Closing the global anaesthesia gap

Surgery is essential for improving a nation’s health, but it has been under-recognised in global public health initiatives. In 2015, three important events highlighted this: The World Bank cost-effectiveness analysis of surgery and anaesthesia, the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery, and the World Health Assembly resolution on Safe Surgery and Anaesthesia. 

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Spotlight on CEBU: Biostatistics at the Melbourne Children’s

For more than 20 years, the RCH campus has boasted one of the pre-eminent biostatistics groups in Australia, as reflected in a recent international conference that was brought to Melbourne (and the southern/eastern hemisphere!) for the first time in its 39 years by an organising committee led by CEBU biostatisticians.

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Ethics, conflict and medical treatment for children: From disagreement to dissensus

Recent cases of conflict around medical treatment for seriously ill infants and young children have raised a number of questions about the nature, consequences and ethics of disagreement in neonatal intensive care.

How often do serious disagreements about treatment occur? Are they becoming more common? Why do disagreements occur? If there is disagreement between parents and health professionals about treatment for a child, what should the health care team do?

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The Super Power Baby Project: The impact and implications of language in healthcare

The language we use with patients and families has a profound impact on them, and shapes their relationship with health professionals. In Victoria there is a large cohort of children with complex medical needs.  Many are seen at RCH by a wide variety of professionals, over many years.  In the care of these children, communicating effectively with them and their families can be as important as any medical therapy or procedure. Language can make the difference between a powerless family and an empowered one. It also enables health professionals to empathise better with their patients, improving patient outcomes and practitioner wellbeing.

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