The Health News Australia April 26 2018

• GPs will be actively involved in the delivery of the Federal Government’s My Health Record, with a new partnership designed to train doctors in the use of the national online health information repository and prepare them to answer patients’ questions. The partnership between the Royal Australasian College of General Practitioners and the Australian Digital Health Agency that was recently announced will see the GPs provided with an education and awareness program consisting of workshops and webinars tailored to a general practice audience. The RACGP will develop the training for its more than 38,000 members to support the national expansion of My Health Record later this year.
• Advocates say that wheelchair users are being forced to manoeuvre through traffic to reach taxis at the Northern Territory’s largest hospital because of inadequate wheelchair access. The Royal Darwin Hospital currently has no wheelchair ramps to its eastern taxi rank, because they were removed during recent renovations. Wheelchair users say they are now being forced to lift wheelchairs from the curb to the roadway to enter taxis, or use a ramp outside the emergency department and make their way through traffic to reach transport services.
• According to research by the Cancer Council of Victoria, one in three men and one in five women believe low-carb ales are a healthy option.  But it’s actually a myth. After analysing a wide range of popular drinks, the council found low-carb beers had a similar amount of carbohydrates as regular options. It found on average a typical lager or ale had just 1.4 grams of carbohydrates per 100ml.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 26th of April 2018. Read by Tabetha Moreto.

http://www.healthcareit.com.au/article/new-partnership-announced-prepare-gps-national-expansion-my-health-record

General practitioners will be actively involved in the delivery of the Federal Government’s My Health Record, with a new partnership designed to train doctors in the use of the national online health information repository and prepare them to answer patients’ questions. The partnership between the Royal Australasian College of General Practitioners and the Australian Digital Health Agency that was recently announced will see the GPs provided with an education and awareness program consisting of workshops and webinars tailored to a general practice audience.

The RACGP will develop the training for its more than thirty eighty thousand members to support the national expansion of My Health Record later this year. GPs will be prepared for an anticipated increase in questions from patients about the purpose of My Health Record and its use by healthcare providers. The program will also allow them to make informed decisions about their own uptake of the system. An Australian Digital Health Agency spokesperson said the RACGP’s efforts will be similar to the awareness and training program implemented by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia for its members, including the My Health Record Guidelines for Pharmacists. The education modules will include advice on integrated GP practice systems, cybersecurity protections and how MyHR can be best used to improve patient care.

A My Health Record will be created for each Australian by the end of two thousand eighteen unless they choose not to have one. About five point seven million Australians currently have a My Health Record, and six thousand three hundred forty six general practices, one thousand six hundred fifteen retail pharmacists and nine hundred eighty five hospitals are connected to the system.
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The AMA voiced its concerns that doctors would be responsible for informing patients about MyHR and said the public communication campaign surrounding the uptake of the major health infrastructure project was for the government to conduct.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-24/inadequate-wheelchair-access-putting-disabled-nt-people-at-risk/9688804

Advocates say that wheelchair users are being forced to manoeuvre through traffic to reach taxis at the Northern Territory’s largest hospital because of inadequate wheelchair access. The Royal Darwin Hospital currently has no wheelchair ramps to its eastern taxi rank, because they were removed during recent renovations. Wheelchair users say they are now being forced to lift wheelchairs from the curb to the roadway to enter taxis, or use a ramp outside the emergency department and make their way through traffic to reach transport services.

Earlier this month, a spokesperson for the Royal Darwin Hospital said the installation of two additional ramps was expected to be completed in the coming weeks. The spokesperson said wheelchair users should instead use the allocated “mobility impaired drop-off and pick-up point” located at the emergency entrance.
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The Northern Territory Department of Health estimated there are more than six thousand five hundred people living with a disability in the Northern Territory, including two hundred twenty four wheelchair users in Darwin and four hundred Territory wide.
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Western Australian Greens senator Jordan Steele-John — the second federal parliamentarian to require a wheelchair — faced several barriers to entry upon arrival at Parliament House. He said Australia needed to change its mentality towards those with disabilities. The final stage of the Federal Government’s National Disability Insurance Scheme is set to roll out on July one in urban Darwin, Central Australia and Alice Springs regions. The Northern Territory Department of Health estimates the scheme will reach three thousand three hundred eleven people across the Territory.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-20/low-carb-beer-no-better-for-your-waistline-than-standard-beer/9677724

According to research by the Cancer Council of Victoria, one in three men and one in five women believe low-carb ales are a healthy option.  But it’s actually a myth. After analysing a wide range of popular drinks, the council found low-carb beers had a similar amount of carbohydrates as regular options. It found on average a typical lager or ale had just one point four grams of carbohydrates per one hundred milliliters. But, for example, a “low-carb” Pure Blonde has just over zero point five grams and “lower-carb” Carlton Dry has one point nine grams.
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Dietitian Alison McAleese, the manager of the LiveLighter campaign said that many people did not realise it was the alcohol, and not the carbs, that made beer so high in kilojoules. She added:  “The amount of carbohydrates in any beer is actually quite low — between one and three percent generally — and it’s not the main thing to be concerned about.”
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The Cancer Council is calling on the Federal Government to make nutrition labelling mandatory on all alcohol products.
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In a statement, Carlton United Breweries (CUB) said nutritional information about Pure Blonde was displayed on the label “as we know this is important to Pure Blonde consumers”, and nutritional information for all the company’s beers was available online.