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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.

A cutting-edge technique called cellular barcoding has been used to tag, track and pinpoint cells responsible for the spread of breast cancer from the main tumour into the blood and other organs. The technique also revealed how chemotherapy temporarily shrinks the number of harmful cells, rather than eliminating them, explaining how the cancer could eventually relapse.

Doctors have found that paediatric team leaders improve more during resuscitation training if they wear a blindfold. The research team's findings demonstrate a promising tool for improving training and outcomes in paediatric resuscitation.

Women make up just 11% of consultant surgeons, yet 60% of medical students are female. New research by Gold Coast Health general surgeon Dr Rhea Liang now provides insights into why so many women walk away from their surgical training.