Monthly media digest: August/September 2023
21 September 2023
A digest of college news coverage for August/September 2023
ROCKet trial attracts Ballarat patients
FANZCA Professor Philip Peyton, principal investigator for the ANZCA Clinical Trial Network's ROCKet trial, was interviewed by ABC Ballarat on 21 September about the project at Ballarat Hopsital.
Professor Peyton said the study is the first significant trial of its kind to find out if ketamine can be used to prevent post-surgical pain.
Changes to fasting guidelines
ANZCA's Safety and Quality Committee chair Associate Professor Jo Sutherland and FANZCA Dr Louisa Lowes were interviewed by the Sun Herald for a 17 September article on fasting for surgery guidelines.
Two Sydney hospitals have become the first in Australia to relax rules for fasting before surgery.
A/Prof Sutherland noted that while ANZCA had reviewed its fasting guidelines in 2022, evidence was increasingly showing that the old rule of ‘‘fasting from midnight’’ from liquids before a procedure did more harm than good.
The online and print article reached more than 500,000 readers.
Alarm on medicinal cannabis boom
FPM's Director of Professional Affairs Associate Professor Mick Vagg was interviewed for a 1000 word page 1 article in The Age on 16 September about the surge in prescriptions for medicinal cannabis.
A/Professor Vagg said the cannabis boom was ‘‘ethically more concerning’’ than opioids.
The article was also syndicated to the Sydney Morning Herald and reached more than one million readers in print and online.
Professor David Story explains why anaesthesia is still a mystery
ANZCA's Vice-President was interviewed on Radio 3AW Melbourne's afternoons program on 7 September about anaesthesia and how it works.
In a 10 minute segment Professor Story explained to host Jacqui Felgate that even after 150 years it's not quite clear how some anaesthetic drugs work.
The segment reached 70,000 listeners.
Interview on ABC radio with FANZCA Dr Chris Ball
Dr Ball was interviewed in a 40 minute segment on ABC Radio's Overnights program on 4 September about her book The Chloroformist by host Michael Pavlich.
The interview was syndicated to more than 50 ABC radio stations across Australia.
FPM and spinal fusion rate study
Immediate past dean Associate Professor Mick Vagg was interviewed by the Medical Republic on 3 August about a NSW study that examined privately funded spinal fusion rates.
The study revealed that rates increased fourfold over the past two decades.
“One issue with grand public health statements like ‘we’re doing too many back operations’ is it’s only logical to say that if you actually have an idea of what the right amount is," A/Professor Vagg explained.
"A more helpful way to think about it is to think beyond the absolute numbers and to think about the indications and the outcomes."