Perceptions of work-life balance and gender issues in private radiology in Australia.

INTRODUCTION: Women comprise almost 30% of practising clinical radiologists in Australia. Despite three-quarters of clinical radiologists working in private practice, there is limited research regarding the experience of female radiologists in private practice and issues surrounding work-life balance. The primary aim of this study was to identify gender issues within private radiology and investigate work-life balance, focusing on issues relevant for female practitioners. METHODS: Clinical radiologists working in private practice at five major Australian private radiology service providers were sent an email on behalf of the researchers, containing study information and a link to an online questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis and Fisher's exact test were used. Binary logistic regression was used to determine odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Responses to short-answer questions were analysed manually and grouped into themes. RESULTS: There were consistent gender differences in perceptions of gender and its implication upon working and career progression in radiology private practice. There was near unanimous agreement that private radiologists should be able to work flexible/reduced working hours for a proportionate decrease in pay. Two themes with distinct gender differences related to pay equity and transparency. Key themes relating to work-life balance for private radiologists included workload, setting boundaries and flexibility of work hours in private radiology. CONCLUSION: This preliminary survey highlights areas related to work-life balance and gender issues relevant for female practitioners in private practice radiology in Australia that can be targeted for further investigation and improvement, namely pay equity and transparency, and part-time leadership opportunities.

Influence of rural clinical school experience and rural origin on practising in rural communities five and eight years after graduation.

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between extended medical graduates' rural clinical school (RCS) experience and geographic origins with practising in rural communities five and eight years after graduation. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS: Cohort study of 2011 domestic medical graduates from ten Australian medical schools with rural clinical or regional medical schools. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Practice location types eight years after graduation (2019/2020) as recorded by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, classified as rural or metropolitan according to the 2015 Modified Monash Model; changes in practice location type between postgraduate years 5 (2016/2017) and 8 (2019/2020). RESULTS: Data were available for 1321 graduates from ten universities; 696 were women (52.7%), 259 had rural backgrounds (19.6%), and 413 had extended RCS experience (31.3%). Eight years after graduation, rural origin graduates with extended RCS experience were more likely than metropolitan origin graduates without this experience to practise in regional (relative risk [RR], 3.6; 95% CI, 1.8-7.1) or rural communities (RR, 4.8; 95% CI, 3.1-7.5). Concordance of location type five and eight years after graduation was 92.6% for metropolitan practice (84 of 1136 graduates had moved to regional/rural practice, 7.4%), 26% for regional practice (56 of 95 had moved to metropolitan practice, 59%), and 73% for rural practice (20 of 100 had moved to metropolitan practice, 20%). Metropolitan origin graduates with extended RCS experience were more likely than those without it to remain in rural practice (RR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.3-2.9) or to move to rural practice (RR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2-3.1). CONCLUSION: The distribution of graduates by practice location type was similar five and eight years after graduation. Recruitment to and retention in rural practice were higher among graduates with extended RCS experience. Our findings reinforce the importance of longitudinal rural and regional training pathways, and the role of RCSs, regional training hubs, and the rural generalist training program in coordinating these initiatives.

Birthing in regional Australia: women.

ObjectiveAlthough there is some research on women's choice of birthplace, most of this research has been conducted overseas. This study explored factors influencing the decision to use public or private maternity services within regional Australia.MethodsThis cross-sectional study consisted of a community-based, anonymous, online questionnaire focused on factors influencing a woman's choice of birth location and included adult females who had given birth in the past 2 years within two regional areas. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse demographic characteristics and factors influencing decisions regarding birthplace. Pearson's Chi-squared test was used to compare public and private births for multiple variables. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the odds ratio for each potential factor based on whether participants with private health insurance (PHI) elected to birth in the public or private regional hospitals. Open coding was used to group responses to open ended questions into themes.ResultsData from 510 questionnaires were analysed. The three most frequently reported factors influencing a woman's decision about birthplace were financial reasons, the ability to choose their doctor and not having PHI. Women with PHI who opted for birth in the public system were almost four-fold more likely to select access to intensive care services and 2.6-fold more likely to select a preference for a low-intervention birth as one of their top five most influential factors. The results highlight that women want access to midwifery continuity of care.ConclusionThis study provides insights into the factors influencing a woman's complex decision about where and with whom to birth and how health insurance affects that decision, an area where there is a paucity of peer-reviewed literature. This research highlights the importance of being able to choose one's doctor and the desire for access to midwife-led models of care, and provides evidence to advocate for improved access to additional models of care in the private sector.What is already known?The viability of regional private maternity hospitals is in question because, once the birth rate goes below a certain threshold, providing private obstetric service becomes unviable. Closure of regional private hospitals means less choice in regional areas. Minimal information is available about the factors influencing a woman with PHI to give birth in the public system, and much of the evidence is anecdotal.What does this paper add?This study provides insight into how PHI status and other factors influence a woman's decision to birth in the public versus private sector, an area where there is a paucity of peer-reviewed literature. It also highlights a desire from women for access to midwifery continuity of care in the private system.What are the implications for practitioners?This research provides evidence to advocate for improved access to additional models of care, especially for midwifery-led care in the private sector.

Lavender as a source of novel plant compounds for the development of a natural herbicide.

In a previous study, lavender (Lavandula spp.) was found to be highly phytotoxic towards annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum, ARG), a major weed of winter wheat crops in Australia. This research aimed to further explore this relationship and determine the chemical(s) responsible for the observed effect. In bioassay, it was determined that the stem and leaf extract of L. x intermedia cv. Grosso ranked highest and had the potential to reduce significantly the root growth of several plant species. An extract concentration of 10% almost completely inhibited ARG root growth. When the extract was tested for stability, there was no loss in phytotoxicity after the 256 day trial. Via bioassay-guided fractionation and chromatographic techniques, it was determined that the sub-fraction consisting of coumarin and 7-methoxycoumarin was most phytotoxic towards ARG. Chemoassays of 18 structural analogues of coumarin showed that coumarin itself was the most phytotoxic and largely responsible for the observed phytotoxicity of the extract. Soil trials were conducted using pure coumarin and the lavender extract, and in both instances, shoot length and weight were significantly reduced by post-emergence application at all concentrations evaluated.

Identification and quantitation of compounds in a series of allelopathic and non-allelopathic rice root exudates.

An investigation of the chemical basis for rice allelopathy to the rice weed arrowhead (Sagittaria montevidensis) was undertaken using GC/MS and GC/MS/MS techniques. Twenty-five compounds were isolated and identified from the root exudates of both allelopathic and non-allelopathic rice varieties. Phenolics, phenylalkanoic acids, and indoles were among the chemical classes identified. Two indoles previously unreported in rice were detected in the exudates, 5-hydroxy-2-indolecarboxylic acid and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid. Several other compounds identified in this study have not previously been reported in rice root exudates, namely mercaptoacetic acid, 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, and 4-vinylphenol. The levels of 15 compounds present in the exudates were quantified using GC/MS/MS. Six of the seven most abundant compounds were phenolic acids. Significant differences exist between the allelopathic and non-allelopathic cultivars in their production of three of these six compounds. Greater amounts of trans-ferulic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and caffeic acid were detected in the exudates of allelopathic cultivars. The seventh compound, abietic acid, was significantly higher in the non-allelopathic cultivars.

Evaluation of putative allelochemicals in rice root exudates for their role in the suppression of arrowhead root growth.

In previous studies, 15 putative allelopathic compounds detected in rice root exudates were quantified by GC/MS/MS. In this study, multiple regression analysis on these compounds determined that five selected phenolics, namely caffeic, p-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, syringic, and p-coumaric acids, from rice exudates were best correlated with the observed allelopathic effect on arrowhead (Sagittaria montevidensis) root growth. Despite this positive association, determination of the phenolic acid dose-response curve established that the amount quantified in the exudates was much lower than the required threshold concentration for arrowhead inhibition. A similar dose-response curve resulted from a combination of all 15 quantified compounds. Significant differences between the amounts of trans-ferulic acid, abietic acid, and an indole also existed between allelopathic and non-allelopathic rice cultivars. The potential roles of these three compounds in rice allelopathy were examined by chemoassay. Overall, neither the addition of trans-ferulic acid nor 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid to the phenolic mix significantly contributed to phytotoxicity, although at higher concentrations, trans-ferulic acid appeared to act antagonistically to the phytotoxic effects of the phenolic mix. The addition of abietic acid also decreased the inhibitory effect of the phenolic mix. These studies indicate that the compounds quantified are not directly responsible for the observed allelopathic response. It is possible that the amount of phenolic acids may be indirectly related to the chemicals finally responsible for the observed allelopathic effect.