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The Australasian Faculty of Occupational & Environmental Medicine aims for excellence in the standard of training and practice of Occupational Medicine in Australasia. Occupational Physicians are consultants in the effects of work on health and health on work, and strive continually for acceptable working conditions in all facets of industry. |
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Australasian Faculty of Occupational & Environmental Medicine
145 Macquarie Street Sydney, NSW 2000
ph: 02 8247 6219
afom@racp.edu.au
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AFOEM e-Newsletter 6th February, 2008 |
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News and Events
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Combined AFRM/AFOEM ASM 2008 and RACP Congress 2008 |
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The combined AFRM/AFOEM ASM for 2008 will be held in Adelaide from 6th-9th May, 2008. Registration is currently open. For information on the ASM, and to register, go to the following link:
http://www.afoem.racp.edu.au/page/news-and-events/asm-2008
The RACP Congress for 2008 will commence on 11th May, 2008, after the AFRM/AFOEM joint conference. For information on the RACP Congress, go to the following link:
http://www.racpcongress.com/
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MOPS points reminder |
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Trainee Notices |
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Annual Training Meeting Registration is now open for the Annual Training Meeting, to be held in Adelaide on 10th-11th May, 2008. To download a registration form, go to the following link:
http://www.afoem.racp.edu.au/page/news-and-events/asm-2008
Fees 2008
The trainee fees for 2008 have now been released and there has been a small increase in the cost. You can download the subscription form at the AFOEM website homepage at: http://afoem.racp.edu.au/
Ramazzini presentations 2008
Planning for the Ramazzini presentations is well under way for 2008. If you have contacted the faculty to express your interest there are two important dates to remember:
1) Sign off of research project due 31 January 2008
2) Submission of Ramazzini abstract due to faculty by 29 February 2008
Six monthly reports
Thank you to those trainees who have submitted their six monthly report on time. For those who have not yet submitted their report, please contact Belinda Platzer, belinda.platzer@racp.edu.au indicating when you plan to do this. Reports not received by the end of February will not be counted.
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RACP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Trainee Scholarship |
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The RACP has established a new fund to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Trainees. The trainee will receive $6,000 a year, per year of training and must be working in an accredited hospital or alternate training facility, or within another approved training program.
Applications will close on 30 April, 2008. Information about the scholarship and application process is available through the Foundation office at foundation@racp.edu.au or call 02 9256 9620. An application cover sheet with information can be downloaded from the RACP website: http://www.racp.edu.au/index.cfm?objectid=7F730E7D-AF9A-5A16-BB3CC1180DA9E7B0
The RACP Research and Education Foundation has a long history of support for developing young clinical researchers in the medical research industry in Australia in addition to supporting educational initiatives and programs. In 2006/07 over $1.7 million was provided in support.
If you are interested in making a donation to the RACP Research and Education Foundation please contact nicky.lancaster@racp.edu.au or call 02 9256 9629.
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Emerging Infectious Disease Control & Pandemic Preparedness Conference |
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The 3rd Annual Emerging Infectious Disease Control & Pandemic Preparedness Conference will be held from 17th-19th March, 2008 at the Bayview Eden, Melbourne.
For further information on the conference sessions and expert panel members, or to register to attend, please go to the following website: www.iir.com.au/infectiousdiseases , email info@iir.com.au , telephone (02) 9080 4090 or fax (02) 9299 3109.
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International Society for Environmental Epidemiology Conference |
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The 2nd East Asia Conference of the International Society for Environmental
Epidemiology will be held on April 17-19, 2008 in Jeju, Korea. The conference theme is "Opportunities and Challenges of Environmental Health in Asia".
More information on the conference can be found by visiting the website at www.isee-eac.or.kr
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Whiplash Associated Disorders (WAD)-Guidelines |
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Whiplash assocated disorders (WAD) is a current topic of interest. TRACsa has called for comments on Draft Guidelines on whiplash associated
disorders. Health care improvements for whiplash associated disorders (WAD)
TRACsa: Trauma and Injury Recovery is an independent centre of excellence, supported by the South Australian Government. A key project currently underway is the development of clinical pathway/guidelines to assist those caring for patients with acute and chronic whiplash injuries. Whiplash is an acceleration-deceleration mechanism of energy transfer to the neck often resulting from motor vehicle collisions and leading to a variety of clinical manifestations collectively termed whiplash associated disorders (WAD).
Sixty percent of all Compulsory Third Party (CTP) claims reported in SA relate to WAD, accounting for several thousand new claims each year. Interestingly, these claims vary significantly, ranging from those with only one medical attendance through to multiple health practitioner consultations.
The pathway/guidelines are being produced under the guidance of a South Australian multidisciplinary expert working party and aim to improve patient outcomes in terms of health and wellbeing. A rigorous systematic review of the evidence has been guided by the requirements of the NHMRC for clinical guidelines development and it is anticipated that the final product will receive NHMRC endorsement.
Essentially the pathway/guidelines will assist health care providers by:
- Providing guidelines for the best treatments for whiplash patients based on the latest evidence where available and consensus where evidence is lacking
- Assisting identification of patients at risk of poor outcomes and offering options to reduce this risk
- Providing validated outcome measures for whiplash.
The pathway/guidelines will also assist health care providers to answer questions such as:
- What should I tell my whiplash patients?
- Which whiplash patients should I refer on?
- For which patients are cervical X-rays required?
The WAD pathway/guidelines are expected to be available to practitioners in early 2008 and will help ensure these patients obtain appropriate, timely treatment, with the best possible health outcomes and reduced risk of long-term disability anticipated as a consequence.
Resources and continuous improvement programs will be developed to support practitioners to deliver best practice assessment and treatment. In addition, resources and awareness programs for injured people themselves, their families and the broader community will also be delivered to assist with best practice uptake.
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University of Calgary Occupational Medicine Resources |
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The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary has made available a wide range of resources on occupational and environmental medicine. Topics on which information is available include:
- Pre-Placement Medical Assessments – Myth, Tradition, or Science
- Practical Issues in Occupational Hygiene for Physicians and Nurses
- Critical Appraisal of Functional Capacity Evaluations
For further information, please go to http://user139.myweb.med.ucalgary.ca/OHMseminars2006
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University of Minnesota web-resources |
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The University of Minnesota School of Public Health (Mid-West Centre for Occupational Health and Safety) has also made available some on-line presentations. Although the resources tend to focus on US issues, there is a lot of useful general information.
To read more, please go to http://cpheo1.sph.umn.edu/ohs/
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NIOSH eNews |
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The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recently begun producing a monthly eNewsletter. eNews subscribers will receive regular updates on what’s new at NIOSH, including featured articles, just-released publications, current and upcoming projects, future conferences, and much more. NIOSH eNews is a start-up project and it will undoubtedly evolve with time.
To subscribe to NIOSH eNews, or to view past copies of the newsletter, please go to http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/enews/
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Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry continuing education |
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The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has the following continuing education activities:
- Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM)
- Grand Rounds in Environmental Medicine (GREM)
The studies focus on topics such as asbestos toxicity, lead toxicity, disease clusters, and paediatric environmental health. To access the ATSDR website, please go to http://www2.cdc.gov/atsdrce/availableactivities.asp
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Extract from Workplace Relations Ministers' Council |
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The 75th meeting of the Australian, State, Territory and New Zealand Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council (WRMC) was convened in Melbourne on 1 February 2008.
Ministers were unanimous in their support for WRMC being a vehicle co-operatively to pursue practical national solutions on workplace relations, occupational health and safety and workers’ compensation issues.
Ministers discussed occupational health and safety (OHS) issues and the Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC). Ministers noted the Federal Government’s commitment to working cooperatively with the States and Territories to harmonise OHS laws and agreed that the use of model legislation is the most effective way to achieve harmonisation of OHS laws.
Also discussed was review of the Comcare scheme and there was agreement to further collaborate on safety inspection arrangements under Comcare.
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MABEL: Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life |
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The Australian Longitudinal Survey of Doctors
The MABEL survey will track a random sample of around 15,000 doctors over an initial four-year period. This will include GPs, private specialists, hospital doctors and doctors in specialist training. The first wave of the study is planned for May 2008.
The research will examine the changing patterns of doctors' working lives over time in order to better understand doctor shortages and surpluses and the pivotal role of doctors in the health care system.
The MABEL survey has been funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and is to be conducted by researchers from the University of Melbourne and Monash Universities.
For further information go to: http://www.mabel.org.au/contact.html
For enquiries contact: enquiries@mabel.org.au
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