Search

Abstract The early identification of the subtle signs of increased bioburden in a wound enables timely and appropriate treatment and therefore improved patient outcomes. The rising costs of antimicrobial dressings [...]

Objective: To explore New Zealand's four major daily newspapers' coverage of immunisation with regards to errors of fact and fallacy in construction of immunisation-related arguments. Methods: All articles from 2002 to 2007 were assessed for errors of fact and logic. Fact was defined as that which was supported by the most current evidence-based medical literature. Errors of logic were assessed using a classical taxonomy broadly based in Aristotle's classifications. Results: Numerous errors of both fact and logic were identified, predominantly used by anti-immunisation proponents, but occasionally by health authorities. The proportion of media articles reporting exclusively fact changes over time during the life of a vaccine where new vaccines incur little fallacious reporting and established vaccines generate inaccurate claims. Fallacious arguments can be deconstructed and classified into a classical taxonomy including non sequitur and argumentum ad Hominem. Conclusion: Most media 'balance' given to immunisation relies on 'he said, she said' arguments using quotes from opposing spokespersons with a failure to verify the scientific validity of both the material and the source. Implications: Health professionals and media need training so that recognising and critiquing public health arguments becomes accepted practice: Stronger public relations strategies should challenge poor quality articles to journalists' code of ethics and the health sector needs to be proactive in predicting and pre-empting the expected responses to introduction of new public health initiatives such as a new vaccine. Key words: Mass media, immunisation, vaccination. Aust NZ J Public Health. 2010; 34:521-6 doi: 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00601.x

Karen Lyons, International Social Work: Themes and Perspectives, Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 1999. 193 pp.. No price given. 'The world is becoming smaller all the time.' I have [...]

Jennifer M. Scherer and Rita J. Simon, Euthanasia and the Right to Die: A Comparative View. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1999. 122 pages, $59.00 cloth and $22.95 [...]

THE WASHINGTON CONSENSUS RECONSIDERED: TOWARDS A NEW GLOBAL GOVERNANCE Narcis Serra and Joseph E. Stiglitz, eds. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), 382 pages. As Wall Street experiences a meltdown, [...]

To the Editors: Maternal weight gain during pregnancy has been identified as a modifiable risk factor (1) that dietitians, nutritionists, and clinicians working in antenatal care might be able to [...]

I read with interest the article on Harriet Sergeant and Beverly Malone's debate (features April 20). I believe that one of the reasons for the current shortage of trained nurses [...]