Mohana Basu

India

Senior Journalist at Australian Doctor

Featured in: Favicon

theprint.in Favicon

msn.com

indiatimes.com Favicon

flipboard.com Favicon

livemint.com Favicon

rjhssonline.com Favicon

ausdoc.com.au Favicon

economictimes.indiatimes.com

Articles

34 medical groups demand BMJ retract 'irresponsible' and 'misleading' guideline on chronic spine pain

1 day ago | ausdoc.com.au | Mohana Basu

More than 30 pain medicine societies are calling on The BMJ to retract a clinical practice guideline that advises against interventional procedures for chronic spine pain. The guideline, part of the BMJ Rapid Recommendations series, recommends that procedures such as epidural injections of anaesthetic or steroids should not be offered to adults with chronic axial or radicular spine pain that is not associated with cancer or inflammatory arthropathy, outside of clinical trials.
Groundbreaking research could lead to fewer endarterectomies

3 days ago | ausdoc.com.au | Mohana Basu

Most patients with carotid stenosis of 50% or more at low to medium risk of further stroke could be spared from revascularisation, a groundbreaking study has found. The randomised trial across 30 stroke centres in Canada and Europe found no evidence that adding carotid endarterectomy or stenting to optimised medical therapy improved outcomes in the two years following a stroke.
Draft prostate cancer guidelines shift to less invasive testing

1 week ago | ausdoc.com.au | Mohana Basu

Draft prostate cancer screening guidelines aim to shift away from discretionary testing by individual doctors and towards a more organised approach, with earlier testing using less invasive methods. The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia proposals include key changes relating to earlier testing, the inclusion of additional risk factors, absolute PSA thresholds and use of MRI before biopsy in those with elevated PSA levels (see summary at the end).
HPV vaccine coverage still falling post-pandemic, report shows

2 weeks ago | ausdoc.com.au | Mohana Basu

Thousands of Australian teens may be missing out on the HPV vaccine, according to a report that shows declining coverage since 2020. Among 15-year-olds, coverage dropped to 83% in 2023 compared with a peak of 85.7% in 2020, according to the latest NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Cervical Cancer Control report. × If this is your first visit to the new AusDoc website, reset your password here.
State health department bans doctors from using generative AI such as ChatGPT

2 weeks ago | ausdoc.com.au | Mohana Basu

SA Health has banned all staff from using generative and open-source AI software, pending an evaluation of the risks, its chief executive says. The ban, implemented in November 2024, applies to generative AI, which creates new content based on patterns and includes the large language models (LLMs) that specifically produce human-like text, like ChatGPT.
Assess mental health before prescribing isotretinoin: TGA safety update

2 weeks ago | ausdoc.com.au | Mohana Basu

The TGA has updated the safety warnings for isotretinoin, advising doctors to conduct mental health assessments before prescribing the acne drug. The update also says to monitor for psychological and sexual health side effects during treatment. × If this is your first visit to the new AusDoc website, reset your password here.
Empagliflozin PBS listing expanded to patients with high CV risk regardless of HbA1c level

3 weeks ago | ausdoc.com.au | Mohana Basu

Patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk of cardiovascular events now have access to PBS-funded empagliflozin, whatever their HbA1c levels. The new PBS listing lets doctors initiate empagliflozin in combination with metformin for type 2 diabetes patients with existing CVD, high cardiovascular risk or who are Indigenous. × If this is your first visit to the new AusDoc website, reset your password here.
Australia's first anal cancer screening guidelines released, but there's a catch

3 weeks ago | ausdoc.com.au | Mohana Basu

Australia has moved a step closer to anal cancer screening for people with HIV with the release of new best practice guidelines. The guidelines, released by ASHM in March, recommend three-yearly HPV screening for at-risk individuals, with similar triage to the cervical screening program. × If this is your first visit to the new AusDoc website, reset your password here.
60-day prescribing uptake only 30%, analysis finds

3 weeks ago | ausdoc.com.au | Mohana Basu

GPs used 60-day prescribing for fewer than 30% of eligible scripts in the policy’s first year, analysis of PBS data has found. The Federal Government let GPs write double-length scripts for 92 common medications in September 2023, predicting that GPs would use 60-day prescribing for 45% of eligible scripts in the 2023/24 financial year and 63% by 2026/27.
How are the pharmacy prescribing trials tracking adverse events?

3 weeks ago | ausdoc.com.au | Mohana Basu

A GP and researcher evaluating three pharmacy prescribing trials says his team considered randomised controlled trials but decided it was impractical. The NSW experiments into pharmacists prescribing for UTIs, contraception and skin conditions are registered clinical trials, with evaluation by The George Institute. × If this is your first visit to the new AusDoc website, reset your password here.