Health – Views & Research – The Conversation

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Closeup of a patient's arm, with medical care worker holding their hand

Could psychedelic therapy have a place in end-of-life care? We asked doctors

David Menkes, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

COVID, flu and RSV: who should be thinking about vaccination in NZ this winter?

Peter McIntyre, University of Otago; Joan Ingram, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau, and Nikki Turner, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Blood biomarkers could detect earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease – and slow its progression

Ashleigh Barrett-Young, University of Otago

Brain scans, with a fading edge of the image

Can Wegovy move the needle on NZ’s obesity crisis, or simply treat its symptoms?

Julie Trafford, Auckland University of Technology

Babies with older siblings have a higher infection risk, but are less protected through vaccination

Thomas Schober, Auckland University of Technology

‘Technostress’: why many older people feel shut out by the digital world

Melanie Stowell, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Doctors and nurses moving patient along hospital corridor

Budget investment in health signals continued austerity without long-term vision

Robin Gauld, Bond University

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Foreign-trained doctors sustain NZ’s health system – we weren’t always so welcoming

Barbara Brookes, University of Otago

Black and white image of surgeon at work reflected in window

Patient consent is a barrier to training junior doctors on the job – a rule change is needed

Ben Gray, University of Otago

The Winter Energy Payment is buying less warmth each year – could there be a better long-term fix?

Kimberley O'Sullivan, University of Otago

The hantavirus outbreak is the warning the world needs to improve pandemic preparedness

Michael Baker, University of Otago and Bill Hanage, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Passengers from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius arrive at Eindhoven Airport after being evacuated on chartered flights.

Conspiracy theories: do 300,000 Kiwis really believe Canada is building an army of mutant super-raccoons?

John Kerr, University of Otago; Mathew Marques, La Trobe University, and Matt Williams, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University

Nurses with higher cultural competence don’t always perform better – new study

Emmy van Esch, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Hanoku Bathula, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau, and Laszlo Sajtos, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

A nurse's hands holding those of a patient

NZ’s rejection of new WHO pandemic rules makes no real sense

Sharon McLennan, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

The World Health Organization symbol mounted on a glass wall

Doctors can act as gatekeepers or brokers for patients – how they decide can be crucial

Kevin Dew, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Chris Cunningham, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University; Elizabeth Dennett, University of Otago; Kerry Chamberlain, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University, and Richard Egan, University of Otago

A doctors or nurses gloved hand holding a patients hand, with an intravenous drip visible.

How unhealthy ultra-processed foods are designed and marketed to make us crave them

Kelly Garton, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau and Boyd Swinburn, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

A bowl of chips, with more being filled up