Monthly media digest: May/June 2021
01 July 2021
A digest of college news coverage for May/June 2021
Hypnotherapy helping to tackle needle phobia
South Australian FANZCA Dr Michael Goldblatt was interviewed on Channel Seven Adelaide on 27 June about how hypnotherapy is helping people overcome their fear of needles, especially those preparing for their COVID-19 vaccinations.
Dr Goldblatt works with many patients who fear medical procedures. He's hoping to establish a research project using hypnosis to help reduce preoperative anxiety.
NT fellow Dr Brian Spain leads COVID-19 AUSMAT mission to Fiji
Dr Spain was interviewed for the ABC's 7.30 program on 30 June in his role as leader of the AUSMAT mission to Fiji which is experiencing its first major COVID-19 outbreak.
Dr Spain, Director of Anaesthesia and Co-Director of Surgery and Critical Care at the Royal Darwin Hospital, heads an eight-member Australian and New Zealand medical team which had just come out of Fijian quarantine.
Nearly half of the population of just under a million have received at least one vaccination jab - nearly eight per cent are fully vaccinated.
Professor Alan Merry: making our medical system safer
Professor Alan Merry was interviewed by leading New Zealand broadcaster Kim Hill on Radio New Zealand’s National Radio on Saturday 26 June about his newest book, his retirement as the head of the School of Medicine at the University of Auckland and his work on medical manslaughter.
His new book, co-written with Dr Joyce Wahr, is Medication Safety during Anesthesia and the Perioperative Period and can be found on the ANZCA website.
NZNC Chair Dr Sally Ure interviewed for TV NZ
ANZCA New Zealand National Committee Chair Dr Sally Ure was interviewed for TV NZ on 11 May for a three minute segment about COVID-19 causing delays in the global supply chain for anaesthetic drugs.
The segment reached an audience of 750,000 people.
Queensland grant awarded to FANZCA for silicon device
Queensland FANZCA Dr Paul Scott was interviewed for a Ten News Brisbane segment on 7 May about his safety shield invention for ventilating patients with beards.
The Queensland government awarded Dr Scott a $100,000 innovationn grant so he can further develop the silicon shield which makes it easier to bag-mask bearded patients.
ASM media coverage
Opioids
Melbourne FANZCA Dr Meg Allen’s research on opioid prescribing in hopsitals was reported in a page 6 article “Too many pills a problem” in the Herald Sun on 3 May reaching 310,000 readers.
Back pain screening
Associate Professor Flavia Ciccutini’s FPM presentiation on why back pain image screening is on the rise despite calls to limit its use was followed up from an ASM ANZCA media release and she was interviewed on Radio 2SM in Sydney on 30 April.
Obesity
ASM speaker Professor Anna Peeters' presentation on obesity and an ANZCA media release was followed up by the Herald Sun in an article by the newspaper’s medical editor Grant McArthur on 30 April: "COVID-19 'a call to arms' for action on obesity and this reached 310,000 readers.