Hope Alexander MPH

Archive for the ‘Papers’ Category

Hope will be participating in a poster presentation for the Public Health Association of Australia (WA Branch) at the 2010 State Conference: Global Issues, Local Solutions – Thinking outside the box, at the Tradewinds Hotel, East Fremantle, 18-19 November 2010.

PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA (WA BRANCH)

State Conference 18 – 19 Nov 2010

Global Issues, Local Solutions: Thinking outside the box

Tradewinds Hotel Fremantle WA

Hope’s abstract has been accepted for a poster presentation at the above conference.

The title of her presentation is “Customised exercise enhances quality of life in chronic conditions”.

Summary of paper: This paper offers reflective comment on a practical and holistic approach to enhancing the life of a person with a chronic condition. It demonstrates how a customised exercise program can not only rehabilitate the physical body, but can also invigorate and stimulate the intellectual and psycho-emotional aspects. An enhanced quality of life can be achieved, so that the person can live as well as possible, for as long as possible, in the community.

Today Hope submitted her abstract for the Australian National Conference on Evidence-Based Clinical Leadership. The title of her paper is “Chasing the rainbow – the difficulties experienced in accessing age and condition-specific programs”. These programs include oral health, hearing services and Enhanced Care Plans. The conference is to be held in Adelaide, one of Hope’s favourite places, in November.

Hope has been invited to research and write an article about pelvic neuropathy for virtualmedicalcentre.com

For Debate

Vertebroplasty for painful acute osteoporotic vertebral fractures: recent Medical Journal of Australia editorial is not relevant to the patient group that we treat with vertebroplasty

William A Clark, Terrence H Diamond, H Patrick McNeil, Peter N Gonski, Glen P Schlaphoff and John C Rouse MJA 2010; 192 (6): 334-337(see link below)

Abstract

We use vertebroplasty for patients with the most severe pain caused by osteoporotic vertebral fractures less than 6 weeks old, and have observed dramatic pain relief in this acute setting.

A recent editorial in the Journal, written by the authors of two recent vertebroplasty trials, suggested that vertebroplasty is not an effective therapy for acute osteoporotic vertebral fractures.

The trials described in the editorial sampled a very different patient cohort to the one that we treat with vertebroplasty.

Our clinical experience and most of the published literature relating to the benefits of vertebroplasty are in striking contrast to the opinions presented in that editorial.

©The Medical Journal of Australia 2010 www.mja.com.au

Vertebroplasty for painful acute osteoporotic vertebral fractures: recent Medical Journal of Australia editorial is not relevant to the patient group that we treat with vertebroplasty
William A Clark, Terrence H Diamond, H Patrick McNeil, Peter N Gonski, Glen P Schlaphoff and John C Rouse.
Med J Aust 2010; 192 (6): 334-337.
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/192_06_150310/cla11439_fm.html

Invited editorial presents an accurate summary of the results of two randomised placebo-controlled trials of vertebroplasty
Rachelle Buchbinder, Richard H Osborne and David Kallmes.
Med J Aust 2010; 192 (6): 338-341.
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/192_06_150310/buc10020_fm.html

Hope will be attending the Consumer-Centred Health Care Conference in Melbourne, 22 and 23 March 2010; “Policy Innovation Empowerment” National Conference.