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Prolonged antibiotic therapy for joint infections and osteomyelitis has substantial costs in terms of dollars, time and the potential development of antibiotic resistance. Standard duration of intravenous antibiotic therapy is six weeks for osteomyelitis and between two and six weeks for septic arthritis. Recently, a randomised, unblinded non-inferiority trial was conducted in the UK comparing intravenous to oral antibiotic therapy for bone and joint infections, most often following surgical debridement.

The MJA has published two articles on advances in glaucoma management and the importance of collaborative care in improving patients’ quality of life.

CKN provides clinicians with a range of apps from highly-regarded clinical information resources available on the site. Featured this month are BMJ Best Practice’s app with decision support information for patient diagnosis and treatment, and drug information apps from MIMS and Micromedex.

Thousands of cases of pancreatic cancer could be avoided in the coming decades if current smokers could kick the habit, prompting one expert to call for a renewed commitment to making tobacco control and smoking cessation “public health priority number one”.

Specialists and hospital staff cite challenges in accessing patient information from other clinicians as a common reason for requesting unnecessary medical tests, treatments or procedures, according to a new report from Choosing Wisely Australia.

Recent flooding in North and North West Queensland has focused attention on the dangerous soil-borne bacteria and disease organisms that floodwaters harbour, posing serious health risks in affected regions. Indeed there has been two confirmed deaths and several people admitted to hospital as a result of melioidosis in the wake of flooding. CKN spoke with Townsville’s Public Health Unit acting director, Dr Julie Mudd, about the health effects that recent flooding have had on the region, and how her team in Townsville have responded to the crisis.

Paramedics’ compliance with WHO hand hygiene guidelines seems to be “remarkably low,” according to a new observational study of ambulance staff practice in Australia and three other countries. And over-reliance on gloves suggests paramedics may be more aware of their own infection risk rather than that of their patients, says the researchers. 

Women working more than 55 hours per week are at a heightened risk of depression, and weekend work has been linked to heightened risk among both sexes, according to new research published in the BMJ's Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

Australian children are at increasing risk of poisoning from unregulated e-cigarette liquids containing nicotine, according to new research from Australian Poisons Information Centres.

Chronic low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting an estimated 540 million people at any one time. More than 59% of sufferers also experience insomnia. A new analysis from the University of Sydney shows treatment for insomnia can help to reduce back pain, further enforcing the complex link between sleep and pain.