Monthly media digest: May/June 2022

27 May 2022

A digest of college news coverage for May/June 2022

Why women are baffling anaesthesia experts

FANZCA Professor Robert Sanders was interviewed on radio 2GB Sydney's afternoon program hosted by Deborah Knight on 25 May about his research study on connected consciousness.

The 10 minute interview reached an audience of 50,000 people.

New dean features on RNZ

FPM Dean Dr Kieran Davis told Radio New Zealand Nights presenter Bryan Crump, on 9 May he wants to see a more equitable service for the one in five Kiwis who suffer from chronic pain. 

In a wide-ranging interview, Dr Davis talked about the Expert Advisory Group's work with the Ministry of Health and hopes that pain clinics will be integral in the New Zealand health reforms.
 

New hope to beat nerve pain 

Immediate past FPM dean, Associate Professor  Michael Vagg was interviewed by the Geelong Advertiser  and Cosmos magazine  for a 6 May article about new research into pain relief by the CSIRO.

A/Prof Vagg said the new research investigating anti depressants and nerve pain helps open up the possibility of a new class of better drugs. 

Researchers have shown how tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) work against nerve pain, also known as neuropathic pain, paving the way for further research and therapies.

Although TCAs are listed as drug treatments of choice for neuropathic pain in the Australian Medical Handbook, how they work to limit pain has not been fully understood, until now.

MJA Insight also published an article featuring an interview with A/Prof Vagg on 16 May.
 
 

ASM: Gender in clinical research

Professor Kate Leslie was interviewed by ABC Radio news about her ASM presentation on Tuesday 3 May.

News audio "grabs" of Professor Leslie were used from 6.30am (AEST) news broadcasts through to 1pm in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Perth,  Darwin, Alice Spring, Canberra, Brisbane and Hobart reaching nearly 200,000 people. 

ASM: Surgery shock in kids  

ANZCA’s 31 April media release on sleep disturbances in children based on Dr Vivian Liang’s trainee research prize paper was followed up by Herald Sun medical editor Grant McArthur for a page 21 lead article in the Sunday Herald Sun on 1 May and this reached nearly 800,000 people. 

The article was also syndicated  to the Sunday Tasmanian where it ran on page 3.

ASM: Epidural injustice 

Dr Ian Maddox’s SIG STAT obstetric anaesthesia session on Sunday 1 May was previewed as an exclusive page 3 report “Perth anaesthetist Ian Maddox says women in childbirth not being prioritised properly for pain relief” by journalist Kate Emery in the WA Sunday Times  on 1 May.

The paywalled article was also syndicated to another 16 WA online news outlets including the Kalgoorlie Miner, the Bunbury Herald, the Broome Advertiser and the Albany Advertiser and reached a combined print and online audience of more than 700,000 people. You can read the media release here.