The Queensland State Government will hand legal ownership of health-related land and buildings and staff employment responsibilities to regional Hospital and Health Services in a staged process over the next 12 months. [ + ]

Nurses, now more than ever, have a key role to play in providing holistic care for haematology patients and improving palliative and end-of-life care for relapsed transplant patients, writes Haematology and bone marrow transplant nurse Elise Button. [ + ]

Fifty years ago, the cost of travel to far and abroad places was out of reach of the ordinary person. Today, nearly every person has traveled either intrastate, interstate or internationally. We use many forms of transport from our cars, to trains and buses and airplanes. In particular, airplanes carry us to far off destinations, where we experience life and culture and we return home with sometimes more than we bargained for, writes Marija Juraja. [ + ]

A new NPS MedicineWise online case study focusing on management of asthma in children is now available for GPs, pharmacists, nurses and other health professionals. [ + ]

Researchers at Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute have warned that Australia is in the midst of a heart failure epidemic that continues to grow, with one in 20 Australians affected by the condition. [ + ]

It’s a big call! Trevor Lord thinks Aboriginal Health in Australia may be one of the most successful areas of development in Health Informatics. He shares the basis for his view with Australian Hospital and Healthcare Bulletin. [ + ]

Australian researchers are part of a world-first discovery which has identified an electrical switch in the muscle of the uterus that can control labour and may help explain why overweight pregnant women have difficulty giving birth. [ + ]

Researchers at The University of Western Australia are seeking health professionals to participate in a Parkinson's Disease study investigating their experiences engaging with partners of those with Parkinson’s. Meredith Bolland, a Doctorate student in UWA’s School of Psychology, said partners of people with Parkinson’s  Disease had first-hand knowledge that was essential in providing effective care for their loved one. [ + ]

The $2billion Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) was brought to life for a few hours during a simulated helicopter crash on the hospital’s helipad. [ + ]

The Australian Hospital and Healthcare Bulletin presents the winter edition foreword by Dr Tammy Kimpton, President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association.  [ + ]

GSK’s 2014 Immunisation Grants for local communities have been launched at the Public Health Association of Australia’s 14th annual immunisation conference to help improve access, coverage and timely delivery of vaccination services. [ + ]

One in five young Australians are likely to be experiencing mental illness, and less than 40% are comfortable seeking professional help, according to a new Youth Mental Health Report released by Mission Australia and the Black Dog Institute. [ + ]

Earlier this year the Health Minister foreshadowed changes to the way health is funded, stating: “We have over 200 million free services through bulk billing … We need to make sure that where people have a capacity to pay for their own health needs that they do so …” In last month’s Federal Budget the Government announced the changes: “From 1 July 2015 previously bulk billed patients can expect to contribute $7 towards the cost of an out-of-hospital imaging service.” Dr Chris Wriedt, President of the Australian Diagnostic Imaging Association, shares ADIA’s concerns. [ + ]

Australia is sleepwalking down the US path; headed towards a two-tiered health care system that is increasingly inequitable, warns leading Australian health academics and authors of the book, Health Care and Public Policy: An Australian Analysis. [ + ]

The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) has called on governments to reverse cuts to spending on prevention and to take action to deal with the obesogenic environment In the light of the latest COAG Report. [ + ]