IEBH News
IEBH News
The media is overhyping early detection tests, and this may be harming the healthy
Do you remember hearing about the simple blood test that could tell if you had any of several different cancers? What about the Apple Watch that promised to catch your hidden heart problems before it was too late? Or the artificial intelligence test to diagnose your dementia years before symptoms appear?
Pandemic may offer opportunity to wind back unnecessary care
A systematic review of more than 80 scientific studies from around the world has found a pandemic-induced median reduction of 37 per cent in the use of healthcare services, such as visits to emergency departments. Published in BMJ Open, the review summarised 81 studies from the first four months of the COVID-19 pandemic and found similar reductions across all forms of healthcare, from hospital visits to diagnostic tests and treatments. The review also found that in many cases, the reductions in the use of healthcare were greater for those with milder conditions, such as for example visits to emergency departments for abdominal pain for example.
Health and medical app research recognised with top award
Researching the effectiveness of popular health and medical apps has proven a prescription for academic success for Bond University’s Oyuka Byambasuren. Four years of fulltime study culminated for Dr Byambasuren when she graduated with her PhD, alongside receiving the Vice Chancellor’s Doctoral Award in recognition of an exceptional doctoral thesis.
Face masks cut disease spread in the lab, but have less impact in the community - we need to know why
In controlled laboratory situations, face masks appear to do a good job of reducing the spread of coronavirus (at least in hamsters) and other respiratory viruses. However, evidence shows mask-wearing policies seem to have had much less impact on the community spread of COVID-19.
Hat-trick of success for Professor Paul Glasziou
The Director of Bond University’s Institute for Evidence-Based Healthcare (IEBH), Professor Paul Glasziou, has for the third successive year been named in a prestigious international list of medical researchers. Professor Glasziou once again appeared in Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list, which identifies researchers who demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly-cited papers in the past decade.
Global spotlight on evidence-based healthcare
Today, the Institute for Evidence-Based Healthcare, and six global leaders in evidence-based healthcare, led by JBI, are launching a worldwide initiative to create awareness of the need for better evidence to inform healthcare policy, practice and decision making in order to improve health outcomes globally.
Financial ties between medical leaders and drug companies in US exposed
World-first research has revealed extensive financial links between the leaders of influential US professional medical associations and the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, raising concerns over independence and integrity.
Patients suffer invasive treatments for harmless cancers
Australians are increasingly being diagnosed with cancers that will do them no harm if left undetected or untreated, exposing them to unnecessary surgeries and chemotherapy, says a new study published online today in the Medical Journal of Australia.