Navigating high-cost medicines: summary of the Guiding Principles for the governance of high-cost medicines in Australian hospitals.

High-cost medicines (HCMs) can be clinically impactful for individual patients but are also subject to variable funding mechanisms. Public hospitals and health services are often asked to fund HCMs, but inconsistent processes frequently create large variations in care. CATAG (Council of Australian Therapeutic Advisory Groups) is the Australian peak national advisory body for the quality use of medicines in hospitals and health services, with all states and territories collaborating to support Drug and Therapeutics Committees (DTCs).

The Marri Gudjaga project: a study protocol for a randomised control trial using Aboriginal peer support workers to promote breastfeeding of Aboriginal babies.

Background: Breastfeeding protects against a range of conditions in the infant, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), diarrhoea, respiratory infections and middle ear infections [1, 2]. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding until six months of age, with continued breastfeeding recommended for at least two years and other complementary nutritious foods [3]. The 2017-18 National Health Survey (NHS) and 2018-19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) reported that the proportion of breastfeeding in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants (0-2 years) were less than half that of non-Indigenous infants (21.

The uptake of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health assessments fails to improve in some areas.

Background: The Medicare-rebated Health Assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People (Medicare Benefits Schedule [MBS] item number 715) has been progressively implemented across Australia since 1999.

Objective: This paper explores some of the reasons why the uptake of Health Assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People remains low in some metropolitan general practices.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews and self-complete mail surveys with 31 general practice staff and practitioners were combined with an audit of practice systems and patient medical records in seven general practices in Sydney.