“Outside my Window” by Cindy Hill, Richard Accoom and Malcolm Freeman from Woorabinda

When I first started pharmacy there would be the little old lady who would come in for that special pick-me-up we made specially which would be perhaps an aspirin crushed up in some wonderful pharmaceutical liquid preparation we had made up.

And the occasional script would come through written in Latin abbreviations that only we and the doctor knew asking for a placebo liquid preparation to be made up.

And they worked. These patients left feeling better, a placebo curing whatever it was that ailed them that day.

This video explores the evidence behind the placebo effect.

It’s the Tjupi Band performing at the 28th Telstra National Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in Darwin in 2011.

Just remember in Australia you call 000 or 112 from a digital mobile phone

A little bit more modern than most I have put up on the blog. But it won’t be long before it starts to fade in the sun.

While not an Indigenous band, Goanna did have a big hit in the early 80′s with “Solid Rock”, a song about Indigenous land rights

LYRICS:
Out here nothin’ changes, not in a hurry anyway
You feel the endlessness with the comin’ of the light o’ day
We’re talkin’ about a chosen place
You wouldn’t sell it in a marketplace, well
Well just a minute now

Standing on solid rock
Standing on sacred ground
Living o-on borrowed ti-i-i-ime
And the winds of change are blowin’ down the line
Right down the line

Round about the dawn o’ time, When dreamin’ all began
A croud o’ people came
Well they were looking for their promised land
Were running from the heart of darkness
Searching for the heart o’ light
Well it was their paradise

But they were standin’ on – solid rock
Standing o-on sacred grou-ound
Living o-on borrowed ti-i-i-ime
And the winds of change were blowing cold that night
Oh

They were standin’ on the shore one day, Saw the white sails in the sun
Wasn’t long before they felt the sting, white man, white law, white gun
Don’t tell me that it’s justified, ’cause somewhere, someone lied
Yeah well someone lied, someone lied, genocide
Well someone lied, oh, ahh

And now you’re standing on – solid rock
Standing o-on a sacred grou-ound
Living o-on borrowed ti-i-i-ime
And the winds of change are blowin’ down the li-ine

Solid rock, Standing on sacred ground
Living o-on borrowed ti-i-i-ime
And the winds of change are blowing down the line
Solid rock, Standing o-on sacred grou-ound
Living o-on borrowed ti-i-i-ime
And the winds of change are blowing down the line
Oh-oh-oh no, NO-O

The old Holden panel van. I suppose you could fashion a joke about a panel van being on its back. As always click on the pic for a bigger image.

It wasn’t long ago we had daily scheds to meet to make sure all was ok. Now in this part of the outback not only do we have telephones we even have ADSL.

Archie Roach with a song dedicated to his late wife Ruby Hunter

Following on from the report from the TGA investigation into an apparent cluster of side effects due to Pneumovax 23 the Northern Territory have released their updated adult vaccination protocol for Pneumovax 23.

There has been one change to the guidelines. There is no change to the Indigenous schedule.

NON-Indigenous adults over 65yrs do not receive a first or second revaccination of Pneumovax

Download (PDF, 126.07KB)

And it’s another year. It’s hot in the summer, though I doubt this wreck deliberately sought the shade.

Australia’s public broadcaster is hardly a health organisation. However I have included this policy as it is positive and promotes the use of social media within and for an organisation by its staff. And it works, with staff tweeting and other social media on both personal and station accounts.

If only other organisations could entrust their staff with the same responsibility.

The ABC Social Media Policy can be found on the ABC site or here

If I was a Western Australian health employee and criticised this policy in a private email – even if I offered suggestions to improve it – I’d be in breach and put my employment at risk.

I think that sums up what a crock of a policy this is. It exists to prevent employees saying anything negative about WA Health not only on social media, but also on emails. I can only assume that an amendment will be released trying to ban spouses talking to each other if they are going to mention the Western Australian Health Department.

For what it is worth, here it is:

PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that employees do not engage in online communication that is disparaging and/or discriminatory towards the WA Health and/or colleagues. Communication may include, but is not limited to emails, blogging and posts via social media sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

Disparaging communication includes negative, adverse, inappropriate, offensive, discriminatory and abusive blogs/posts that criticises WA Health and/or colleagues in a public way.

The use of online communication via social media to post or blog disparaging comments about WA Health and/or colleagues is a breach of an employee’s duty of fidelity and good faith which will result in disciplinary action and in some cases termination of employment.

SCOPE

This policy applies to all staff within WA Health entities including:

• Department of Health
• Metropolitan Health Service
• WA Country Health Service

POLICY

This policy covers all online communication via social media sites made by an employee, whether during work hours on a work computer, or during work hours on a personal electronic device, or outside work hours on a personal electronic device. Online communication via social media sites that is prohibited includes, but is not limited to, communication that:

• Mentions the WA Health by name, its business operations or confidential information;
• Is defamatory;
• May be construed as discriminatory or bullying;
• Bullies, harasses, discriminates or vilifies work colleagues;
• Includes abusive status updates and/or blogs that criticise work colleagues, offends others
and/or breaches their employment obligations in public ways; and
• Publicises or comments on workplace disputes.

View the WA Health Social Media Policy on the website or download.

If you have seen a social media policy from any organisation in the Australian health field please let me know

This TV ad from the Australian Aids Campaign in 1987 was one of the strategies to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS. While doubts remain as to whether it changed behaviour it certainly increased awareness and Australia had much lower infection rates than most comparable countries.

A medical blogger for twelve years and the current Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT at US Department of Health and Human Services, Dr Jacob Reider has a sample social media policy up on Google Docs

I would consider this a good starting point for any health organisation wanting to write a policy. A simple explanation of social media (not a dummies guide to the Internet as the Pharmacists policy is) and while supporting employees to use social media sets clearly the limits and expected behaviour.

A Sample Social Media Policy is on Google Docs and can be downloaded in a variety of formats or edited online.

If that fails here’s a PDF version of the Sample Social Media Policy

Here are some articles I have been reading that sort of fit in with the blog.

I’ve discovered TechNet21 – the technical network for strengthening immunisation services. There are two articles in particular that I have been reading. Cool Innovations for Vaccine Transportation and Storage is looking at a range of innovative cool storage and transfer containers. Solar is getting hotter looks at alternative ways to keep the drug fridges going where there is unreliable or no power.

The Atlantic’s article What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland’s School Success looks at Finland’s school system and finds Equity in Education is what has led Finland to top world scores in education. Something to think about in the context of remote Australia

One of my favourite blogs from Nyaya Health, a health service in a remote area of Nepal looks at how they worked to improve how their patient xrays are read to improve patient care.

I’ve yet to read the actual study but this release describing how using copper door handles and bench tops to reduce the spread of infections in hospital by 40%. Yes, a big claim.

The US Department of Housing can predict your life expectancy just on where you live. And it ain’t those who live in a good neighbourhood who get sick the most. Just moving poor people to safer neighbourhoods improves health outcomes.

An article by the SkepticLawyer looks at the current actions of the incorrectly named Australian Vaccination Network and the tripe they spread and argues a major campaign to shock people into vaccinating their children is required.

During the three years (and four months) of this blog I have been constantly surprised that people want to read what I write (2011 was not a good year to find time to write lengthy articles). I am concerned about the mental health of those who have subscribed for most of that time

I receive a number of emails asking for assistance with information. I am always happy to help out – but sometimes it can take a while before I can reply. This Christmas I was very surprised to receive a number of emails thanking me for the blog and allowing them to see what goes on in remote life and remote and Indigenous Health. I am not sure it was deserved but I thank you.

So I guess the aims I had for this blog are being met.

This blog was originally born out of frustration that the pharmacy profession undersell their skills (but happy to train everyone else up) I decided to put a pharmacist view forward, focusing on remote health. It seems to have included a few more small niches as I try to show a more general view of remote Australia, looking at topics such as social media (that can I feel dramatically improve access to information in remote Australia to health professionals and the resident population), the countryside, the wrecks that lie beside the roadsides .

Health for our indigenous population is more than diagnosis and treatment. It is housing, social justice and equity, spirit and culture and so much more so my blog has expanded to try and include information on these including the Indigenous News series.

This year I am determined there will be a few changes to the blog.

The Indigenous News will seperated and placed in its own blog under my bitethedust.com.au domain. Topics of importance eg the money lender will still still make it onto this blog. Hopefully the internal search engine can focus on articles rather than landing on the links of news articles on BitingTheDust.

Items that I like, or otherwise amuse me have been placed on my Posterous blog. Through the year there will also be a personal blog under my bitethedust.com.au domain. Send me an email if you have what you think would be a suitable name

This blog was never meant to be clinical. I do have the RGH Drug E-Bulletins. As I bring all my material together the Phrenetic Pharmacist will be a category in this blog. It seems each year I have mentioned or promised this. However I have an article half ready so I am well advanced this year!

Originally a four page PDF newsletter looking at various studies and information of interest to remote nurses on staff it expanded to being sent around Australia and included in the CRANA newsletter. Rather than a 4 page newsletter it will be on the blog with a newsletter going out via email every time four pieces make it online. So it will stay with tradition and be a very eclectic and erratic newsletter.

Thank you for your support and I wish you well in 2012.

Robbo

More talk, no action in indigenous affairs: Online Opinion http://bit.ly/puREWv

ABS is encouraging all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to participate in the Census http://bit.ly/qpPjdL

AUSTRALIA is failing its most vulnerable children – indigenous child mortality twice as high as Australia http://bit.ly/pHdD36

15th annual flag raising day was held at Chester Hill High. 68flags including for the first time the Aboriginal flag http://bit.ly/rmv9gU

Indigenous land handover went ahead at Hopevale on 15th Dec. 110,000 hectares handed to traditional owner group http://t.co/xkS69w3w

Dam approved in Tasmania despite discovery of of Aboriginal relics in the area http://t.co/qTw4NrBP

20% of indigenous people on the dole have had their payments cut off because they failed to turn up to interviews http://t.co/DpvVNXAo

Fortescue slams Aboriginal heritage survey claims http://t.co/CoIR9MJs

Turn Proclamation day into a good thing says Aaron Stuart of Arrubanna Native Title Claim Group http://t.co/jHTeUq4c

Indigenous disadvantage is one of our nation’s most pressing challenges. Is support for removing this (disadvantage) increasing? http://t.co/ryGDv30w

The Indigenous News Updates are sourced from news and other articles from around the country that I have posted on Twitter.



The categories I use for Indigenous News Updates can be found here.

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

If you like this post and what else you see on the blog please subscribe by RSS feed (the orange button) or by email. Visit my subscription page.

“Yaaltjiringu” by the Alunytjuru Band from Irrunytju (Wingellina) on the Ngaanyatjarra Lands.

A song about people moving away from their homeland.

Nothing worth having a smoke – Aboriginal Health Worker speaks from experience after heart attack http://t.co/paCw2ICe

More Indigenous students need to sign up to medical courses to help improve health standards in remote communities http://t.co/GMtcuUxe

Qld Government taking steps to give local health orgs more control over services in Aboriginal communities. http://t.co/ZsdTmvQb

Port Macquarie gets a $20mil medical campus with a rural research centre focusing on rural and Indigenous health http://t.co/FTuNyBpj

In twelve months to June 65 children known to Qld child safety officers died. 26% of deaths were Indigenous http://t.co/PqbfOuwt

OUTBACK satellite networks face “saturation” when new e-health record systems are placed on top of existing systems http://t.co/LWx7uzlS

Only 37% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women underwent screening in 2008 and 2009 – one line in article http://t.co/73XPH2e8

Rodney Junga-Williams, Aboriginal advocate for Indigenous Australians living with HIV, died on Nov 24 2011 in Sydney http://t.co/zhTwdtS2

Incidence of cancer was lower in Indigenous Australians than that for non-indigenous Australians. Death rates higher http://t.co/X6aqBAiX

Will WA Health Minister argue for new laws to force sniffers into treatment? http://t.co/yVZxTXp2

The Indigenous News Updates are sourced from news and other articles from around the country that I have posted on Twitter.



The categories I use for Indigenous News Updates can be found here.

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

If you like this post and what else you see on the blog please subscribe by RSS feed (the orange button) or by email. Visit my subscription page.