Monash Health

Bridging the divide: addressing gaps in Australian health library services

Access to evidence-based information is vital for safe, effective health care, yet Australia's health library services are increasingly fragmented and inequitable. This perspective highlights the critical role of clinical libraries and professional librarians, revealing gaps acro...

Improving access to cardiac rehabilitation in Australia: a policy reflection on equitable secondary prevention

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is an evidence-based secondary prevention intervention associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality and hospital readmissions and improved quality of life. Despite strong guideline recommendations, participation remains low in Australia and interna...

Patient preferences for medicines information in cardiovascular disease and the influence of unmet needs on medication adherence: A cross‐sectional study

Limited evidence exists on how patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) prefer to receive medicines information and whether having unmet needs influences medication adherence. We conducted a cross‐sectional study using national survey data (20/05/2025–25/06/2025) from Australia...

Automating the triage of rheumatology outpatient referrals: a comparative evaluation of 23 large language models under simple and advanced prompting

Abstract Triage of rheumatology outpatient referrals is a high-volume administrative task that consumes senior specialist time without advancing patient care. The human triage system is only moderately accurate and reproducible. We assessed whether contemporary large language mod...

Comparative Performance of Federated and Centralized Learning for Brain Tumor Classification and Segmentation

Purpose To compare federated learning (FL) and centralized learning (CL) performance for brain tumor classification and segmentation and examine whether specific configurations confer measurable performance advantages. Materials and Methods In this systematic review and meta-anal...

Questionable Evidence for Berberine in Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome: An Integrity-Based Reappraisal

Prior systematic reviews suggest that berberine may match or exceed the effects of metformin on metabolic and hormonal outcomes in polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS; previously referred to as polycystic ovary syndrome). This review aimed to assess the reported effica...

Geographic variation in access to Medicare-subsidised psychotherapy

OBJECTIVE: Within Australia, evidence is limited regarding how access to mental health care varies across geographical regions, and which areas experience the lowest levels of service use. This study aimed to provide new population-level evidence on the geographic variation in th...

Physical Activity and Risk of Liver Cancer: A Competing Risk Analysis

Physical activity is associated with lower risk of liver cancer, but obtaining an unbiased estimate of the causal effect is challenging due to the competing risk of death due to any other cause. We performed a causal competing risk analysis to estimate the total effect of physica...

A Cross-Lagged Panel Model of Mental Health Amongst UK Undergraduates: The Role of Autism and Gender

Abstract Purpose The aims of this study were to explore the bidirectional relationships between depression, anxiety, and suicidality among autistic and non-autistic undergraduates in the UK, and the impact of gender and autism diagnosis on these relationships, over time. Method A...

Quantifying the direct and indirect impact of COVID-19 vaccination: evidence from Victoria, Australia

Vaccines not only directly protect vaccinated individuals but also contribute to protecting the entire population via indirect herd-immunity benefits. However, researchers have long struggled to quantify these indirect effects at the population level, hindering the assessment of...

The feasibility of a tailored follow-up service for people living with stroke via a registry-based randomised controlled trial (A-LISTS)

After stroke, people report ongoing health challenges to national registries without any follow-up. We aimed to assess the feasibility of a co-designed, registry-initiated, follow-up service provided by hospitals and tailored for people reporting health-related challenges between...

Reducing Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Use in Adult Acute Care: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) are the most frequently inserted invasive device in acute care, yet up to 52% remain unused, exposing patients to avoidable risks and increasing healthcare costs. Despite growing awareness of inappropriate PIVC use, unnecessary in...

A Review on Current Challenges and Knowledge Gaps in Artificial Stone Silicosis

BACKGROUND: The global emergence of artificial stone (AS) silicosis represents a critical occupational health challenge. The aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of the clinical, functional, radiological, and occupational characteristics of patients affected by...

Gastric Outlet Obstruction Secondary to Cholecystoduodenal Fistula With Gallstone-Induced Extrinsic Duodenal Compression

ABSTRACT Gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) caused by gallstone disease is rare and typically results from the Bouveret syndrome, with intraluminal gallstone impaction following cholecystoenteric fistula formation. We report a 69-year-old woman with GOO caused by extrinsic duodenal...

The Many Faces of Contrast-Associated Encephalopathy: A Systematic Review

Abstract Objectives The increased use of endovascular procedures shows an increase of neurological deficits after intravascular administration of iodine-based contrast media (ICM). Unfortunately, nonuniform terminology is confusing and may explain low awareness of this ICM-associ...

Trends of sexually transmitted infections among pregnant women in Melbourne, Australia, 2012–2025: a rise in burden of syphilis

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections in pregnancy threaten both mother and baby, so early detection matters. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and temporal trends of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among pregnant women attending a large public sexual hea...

Storiform Collagenomas With Unusual Morphology: Expanding the Histologic Spectrum in Two Molecularly Proven Cases

ABSTRACT Storiform collagenoma is a rare benign dermal neoplasm recently shown to harbor concurrent PTEN and PDGFRB mutations. While most are sporadic, a subset occurs in the context of Cowden syndrome. We describe two storiform collagenomas with unusual morphology including infi...

Identification of immunodominant ERV peptides critical for anti-metastatic immunity in a model of TNBC

Abstract The integration of immunotherapy into neoadjuvant treatment for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has improved outcomes in some patients. Pre-clinical investigation of immunotherapy resistance in the aggressive 4T1 TNBC model has been hampered by a lack of known tumou...

Early life trauma and endometriosis: A case-control study on type and timing of adverse experiences

PURPOSE: Endometriosis is a common chronic inflammatory gynaecological condition characterised by the abnormal presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. Different risk factors for endometriosis have been proposed, with some research finding a significant relationship bet...

Neurophysiological and neuromuscular responses associated with the repeated bout effect following eccentric exercise in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Muscle damage severity decreases after repeated eccentric exercise bouts (the repeated bout effect [RBE]), but whether accompanying neural and neuromuscular changes contribute to protection or arise secondary to reduced damage remains unclear. This systematic review and...