COVID-19 scams in Australia: The role of regulators
Following on from April’s talk on COVID-19 myths, May brought a more closer examination of these scams and the role of regulatory bodies in reducing misleading advertising from skeptic Dr Ken Harvey, the president of Friends of Science in Medicine. In such uncertain times, it’s no wonder companies are taking advantage of the confusion to trick vulnerable and uninformed customers. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has received over 500 complaints in the last couple of month
Gone Viral: Challenging some of the online myths associated with COVID-19
In keeping with social distancing regulations, April brought our first proper online meetup, with an informative and very relevant talk on debunking COVID-19 myths from Simon Leonard, an infection control nurse at the Gold Coast University Hospital, the epicenter of the crisis in Queensland. Following a detailed explanation of infection transmission and immunology, Simon provided a comprehensive analysis of a range of myths and false beliefs relating to COVID-19, beginning wi
Deliberate Clinical Inertia in the Emergency Department – how ‘doing nothing’ can be the best option
Usually when we go to the doctor with a problem, we expect to get treatment - whether it be tests, a treatment, procedure, something - right? These expectations are only heightened when we go to the emergency room and we think, well we're here so we definitely need something - right?!! But what if the something (tests, medications, procedures, etc.) have higher risk of harm than benefit? What if the best thing is to do nothing? Dr Gerben Keijzers discusses deliberate clinical