In a report published by the Medical Journal of Australia, support for Indigenous eye care is improving according to 42 recommendations made in a roadmap aiming to close the gap in health services. University of Melbourne researchers Dr Marian Abouzeid, Mitchell Anjou and Professor Hugh Taylor said that progress has been made to increase services, improve efficiencies and support better Indigenous patient engagement with the eye care system. [ + ]

At current UK government estimates, we could see up to 10 million deaths per year by 2050 from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, taking us back to the days when people died of simple infections. [ + ]

Melanoma drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab) will be available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits scheme from September this year, according to an announcement from the Commonwealth Government over the weekend. [ + ]

Women have been encouraged to freeze their eggs (or cryptopreservation) for a variety of reasons for some time now: as a pre-cursor to fertility-ending treatments, for assistance during long and drawn out fertility treatments, and even for social reasons centred around family planning. [ + ]

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US scientists have developed a microchip that acts as a human organ, lined with human cells and with the ability to move air, nutrients, blood and infection-causing bacteria through its tubes. [ + ]

Australians suffering from mental illness are being urged to plan for their journey into old age by national mental health charity SANE Australia [ + ]

Pharmacies across Australia have been working on the Health Destination Pharmacy model, an initiative the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia says promoted a ‘stronger focus on patient self-care, increased delivery of evidence-based professional services (particularly focusing on assisting patients with minor ailments), leading to greater patient loyalty and increased sales.’ [ + ]

Recurrent hospital expenditure in Australia for public and private hospitals combined topped $55 billion in 2013–14, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). [ + ]

Diagnostic imaging has changed the face of medicine in the field of diagnosis and treatment. What began with the humble X-Ray has expanded to include modalities such as Ultrasound, Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and most recently nuclear medicine examinations such as the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan. Millions of Australian patients access diagnostic imaging services each year for a whole myriad conditions, ranging from a broken bone to cancer diagnosis and treatment monitoring. It is therefore no surprise that diagnostic imaging is at the forefront of early diagnosis and early treatment of many conditions which if left undetected would not be treatable. [ + ]

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Associate Professor Senanayake, an infectious disease specialist at the Australian National University, said MERS-CoV posed a similar threat to Ebola. [ + ]

The University of Queensland’s School of Psychology has contradicted previous studies linking loud and chaotic music to ‘aggression and delinquency’ in a new finding showing that heavy metal in particular can have a positive influence on feelings of anger. [ + ]

As concern mounts nationally about the rise and spread of crystal methamphetamine, the term “Ice Epidemic" is being more and more widely used. [ + ]

The University of Adelaide has released research indicating a clear link between panic disorder and coronary disease, though the cause remains uncertain. [ + ]