Health Insurance News

A new study has found that one in five Australians expects to be treated with antibiotics for coughs and colds this winter.

The latest data from independent researchers at the National Prescribing Service (NPS) has revealed that 80 per cent of adults assume they will be issued with a prescription when visiting their GP for an ear, nose, throat or chest infection.

According to NPS clinical adviser Danielle Stowasser, Australians are amongst some of the highest users of antibiotics in the developed world, with around 22 million prescriptions written every year.

One Australian health expert is urging the industry to overhaul kidney waiting list guidelines in a bid to address the country's low transplant numbers.

According to a new study published in the latest Internal Medicine Journal of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, only 18 per cent of dialysis patients in Australia aged under 65 are on a waiting list for a transplant.

This figure lags significantly behind other countries around the world - Australia recorded 20 per cent lower than Britain and France, as well as 15 per cent lower than the US.

More than 90 per cent of Australians are not getting enough sleep, according to the largest ever national sleep census.

A recent survey conducted by Queensland's CQUniversity found that just four per cent of the 13,089 respondents woke up feeling refreshed on a daily basis.

While sleep disturbances affected almost one in four Australians, there was a significant difference in the amount of sleep required to function effectively at work - management executives in particular felt they needed less shut-eye than other office workers, students or stay-at-home parents.

A new report from two leading global health groups is calling on governments around the world to address the growing number of dementia cases.

According to the latest release from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), the predicted increase of dementia prevalence will rise from 35 million to over 115 million by 2050.

Titled Dementia: A Public Health Priority, the research also estimates the global cost of dementia to be more than US$600 billion per year.