Health outcomes for rural communities may be poorer than previously thought
Friday, 5 August 2022 10:01am
A joint project by the Universities of Otago and Waikato to reclassify what is considered rural in a health context will provide more accurate data of differences in health outcomes between rural and urban areas.
The psychosocial impact of Mycoplasma bovis on Southern farmers
Tuesday, 22 June 2021 11:36am
A poorly managed government response to the 2017 Mycoplasma bovis outbreak inflicted significant and lasting trauma on farmers whose stock was culled, a University of Otago study has found.
New Chair of Rural Health to be established
Tuesday, 4 May 2021 11:14am
The University of Otago is establishing a Chair of Rural Health as part of its commitment to improving health outcomes across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Medication-related harm ‘common’ in New Zealand - Otago study
Monday, 12 April 2021 11:47am
Older people and those prescribed multiple medications are most at risk of medication-related harm, a new University of Otago study shows.
Rural doctor training programme boosting workforce
Tuesday, 23 February 2021 3:09pm
A programme launched to address a serious rural workforce shortage has helped fill the void, but there is still work to be done, a new University of Otago-led study shows.
Cannabis provides relief for “desperate” endometriosis sufferers – study
Friday, 12 February 2021 11:04am
Some women desperate for relief from the chronic pain of endometriosis have found using cannabis provides more effective relief from their symptoms than other over the counter or prescribed medication, a new study reveals.
Turning on a dime – pre and post COVID-19 consultation patterns in an urban general practice
Thursday, 26 November 2020 2:26pm
In this study Dr Carol Atmore and Tim Stokes looked at how patients consulted with their general practice in one city-based general practice during the first 2 weeks of Level 4 COVID-19 lockdown, and compared it to the same fortnight period of the previous year.
Dying New Zealanders should be trusted to make decisions about assisted dying
Friday, 8 May 2020 1:28pm
Dying New Zealanders think they can and should be trusted to know what’s right and wrong for them when it comes to end of life decision-making.
Otago experts warn pandemic risks accentuating rural-urban health inequities
Wednesday, 25 March 2020 3:37pm
The current pandemic risks further accentuating the rural – urban health inequities that exist in New Zealand, University of Otago rural health specialists warn.
Number of poisoning-related deaths in New Zealand remain high
Tuesday, 12 March 2019 11:05am
While there has been a decline in carbon monoxide deaths in New Zealand, the number of deaths relating to poisoning remain high with new research revealing a surprising number of deaths involving two prescription medicines, zopiclone and clozapine.
Otago academics find euthanasia debate will challenge decision-makers
Tuesday, 5 March 2019 9:54am
Presenting the highly polarising issue of euthanasia/assisted dying as a simple case of “oppose” or “support” does not tell the whole story, a University of Otago study of social media shows.
Otago research highlights need to improve access to healthcare for high-needs patients
Friday, 22 February 2019 12:57pm
University of Otago researchers have highlighted the need to improve access to primary health care services for high-needs populations with their recent study of high-needs patients using a free health clinic finding significant health problems.
Otago academics question whether it is timely to salary GPs and abolish patient fees
Friday, 1 February 2019 9:39am
University of Otago academic health and business leaders consider it timely for a debate about funding primary healthcare services including the possibility of the Government salarying all GPs and abolishing patient fees.
Otago academic offers new explanation for Alexander the Great’s death
Tuesday, 22 January 2019 9:09am
It may have happened more than 2300 years ago, but the mystery of Alexander the Great’s death could finally be solved, thanks to a University of Otago academic.
University of Otago to study the impacts of mycoplasma bovis on farmers and their communities
Wednesday, 16 January 2019 10:45am
The University of Otago will carry out a study on the emotional, social and psychological impacts of mycoplasma bovis on Southern farmers and farming communities.
Boost in training health professionals rurally under ‘virtual’ school proposal
Friday, 9 November 2018 4:14pm
The National Interprofessional School of Rural Health that has been proposed recently is not a separate education provider, but rather an “enabling body” that would lever off the expertise of the existing tertiary institutions to undertake more teaching and research in rural communities, working in partnership with local health services.
Study investigates link between loneliness and age in elderly New Zealanders
Monday, 29 October 2018 11:35am
Loneliness is associated with reduced quality of life and morbidity and mortality and typically worsens with aging. Loneliness may be considered a public health hazard because of its association with a wide range of conditions, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, Alzheimer disease, depression and insomnia.
Otago demonstrates its commitment to rural health with new ‘virtual campus’
Tuesday, 7 August 2018 11:32am
The University of Otago has reiterated its commitment to training and education in rural health with the establishment of a new Section of Rural Health, believed to be the first dedicated rural health unit currently operating within a New Zealand tertiary institution.
Workplace interventions required to keep rapidly expanding aging workforce safe
Friday, 17 November 2017 3:49pm
With the burden of work-related injuries in older employees only set to increase, more needs to be done to keep them safe, a University of Otago study has found.
Otago research aims to fill gap in views on assisted dying
Wednesday, 8 November 2017 2:24pm
A researcher at the University of Otago is hoping to ascertain, for the first time, the collective views about assisted dying from people who are terminally ill and nearing the end of their lives.
Pat Farry Trust Rural Health Education Travelling Scholarships for 2016/17
Thursday, 17 November 2016 11:39am
Ursula Poole and Jordan Gibbs are the recipients of the Pat Farry Trust Rural Health Education Travelling Scholarships for 2016/17
Northernmost medical school meets southernmost medical school
Tuesday, 1 November 2016 4:03pm
Dr May-Lill Johansen, from the northernmost medical school in the world, is spending her sabbatical in the deep south.
Visiting Scholar at Robert Graham Center
Tuesday, 18 October 2016 1:01pm
Dr Fiona Doolan-Noble is spending a month at the Robert Graham Center in Washing DC on a Larry Green Visiting Scholar Programme.
A new take on supporting very large patients
Monday, 7 March 2016 12:52pm
Devising ways to better support very large patients is the focus of a collaboration between researchers at the University of Otago's Wellington campus, Victoria University and the health care industry.
Clinical Research PhD Prize for 2015
Wednesday, 24 February 2016 4:52pm
Dr Fiona Doolan-Noble's PhD thesis has been awarded the 2015 Clinical Research PhD Prize
GP awarded 2016 Health Research Council Foxley Fellowship
Tuesday, 16 February 2016 1:48pm
Dr Atmore will be based in the Department of General Practice and Rural Health on a Health Research Council funded project ‘Exploring and improving hospital care quality for New Zealand rural communities’.
HRC funded study to examine the delivery of COPD care in the southern region
Tuesday, 1 December 2015 11:15am
Professor Tim Stokes has been awarded a Health Research Council New Zealand Health Delivery Research Partnership Grant with the Southern District Health Board to undertake a
research project that aims to improve the health care of people with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Stroke/TIA tool developed for primary care
Monday, 27 July 2015 2:43pm
A electronic decision support tool has been developed for primary care to help diagnose and manage TIA or stroke.
Editorship role for Professor of General Practice
Thursday, 28 May 2015 11:45am
An Otago Professor of General Practice says New Zealand’s primary healthcare system will undergo huge changes over the next 20 years, which will require a strong underpinning of scientific research.
Study to examine New Zealanders’ expectations of death
Wednesday, 27 May 2015 11:29pm
Participants are being sought for a University of Otago study looking at New Zealanders’ expectations of how long they will live and what they will die from, and how that might impact their health behaviours.
Welcome Dr Maeve O'Beirne, sabbatical visitor
Monday, 16 March 2015 1:32pm
We are excited to be hosting Dr Maeve O’Beirne, a Sabbatical Visitor from University of Calgary in the Department of General Practice and Rural Health.
Rural patients in the South receive fewer CT scans
Monday, 9 March 2015 12:08pm
Rural patients in southern New Zealand are much less likely to receive computed tomography (CT) scans than their city-dwelling counterparts, according to University of Otago research that is the first to compare such scanning rates.
Delivering better primary health care to people with multimorbidity in Otago: Qualitative study
Wednesday, 7 January 2015 1:18pm
Professor Tim Stokes, Dr Fiona Doolan-Noble, and Professor Robin Gauld have been awarded a Health Care Otago Charitable Trust grant to look at how GPs and practice nurses currently provide care for people with multimorbidity. The intention of the study is to use the findings to inform better local health care delivery and integration of care between primary care and hospitals and community services.
Clinical research scholarship awarded
Thursday, 4 December 2014 2:24pm
Dr Anel Reyneke awarded the 2015 Dunedin School of Medicine Clinical Research Scholarship
UK primary care expert takes up Elaine Gurr Chair in General Practice
Tuesday, 15 July 2014 10:00am
A leading UK academic general practitioner, Professor Tim Stokes, has this month taken up the Elaine Gurr Chair of General Practice at the University of Otago’s Dunedin School of Medicine.
Patient harms in New Zealand general practices: Records review study
Monday, 9 June 2014 1:40pm
Health Research Council funding has been awarded to Professor Susan Dovey and colleagues to review general practice patient records for harms.
Department of General Practice and Rural Health celebrates 30 years
Wednesday, 13 November 2013 12:23pm
Thirty years may not seem much when put in the context of the nearly 150-year history of the University of Otago, but for the University’s General Practice and Rural Health department, the milestone was well worth commemorating.
Rethinking the role of the modern doctor
Monday, 1 July 2013 4:58pm
University of Otago lecturers Hamish Wilson and Wayne Cunningham present a fresh approach to medical practice in their new book released this week.
Ethnic disparities in hospital care in New Zealand
Friday, 19 June 2009 12:12pm
Research by the University of Otago, Christchurch indicates there may be disparities in the quality of public hospital care for Māori inpatients in some clinical areas.
