Gary Easthope

Intensification, Extension and Complexity of Teachers' Workload

Teachers in Tasmania, Australia, gave accounts of their experience of increased workload in the 10 years between 1984 and 1994. They reported working longer hours, teaching more students and having increased professional, pastoral and administrative duties. The reasons for this increased workload include: (1) less money being spent on education; (2) changes in student assessment from a norm basis to a criterion basis; (3) a change in the administrative structure within the state colleges in which most respondents teach; (4) a change in the student population. The result, they reported, was that their workload was both increased and extended (intensified), leading to a much more complex workplace. Significantly, complexity was also produced by the attempt of teachers to maintain their professional commitment while adapting to the economic rationalist policies of administrators. However, loss of teachers through redundancy, stress and a move to part-time work has meant that those teachers remaining have had to rationalise their work and reduce their professional commitment.

General practitioners’ attitudes toward complementary therapies

Attitudes toward complementary therapies were elicited from a postal survey of all identified general practitioners in the state of Tasmania, Australia. Regression analysis of the data indicated that demographic features associated with favourable attitudes were younger age and location in small or single practices. Personal experiences of such therapies or patient endorsement of them were also associated with favourable attitudes. Those who saw the holistic orientation of complementary medicine as an advantage were likely to hold favourable attitudes. Those who saw the cure rate of complementary therapies as problematic and/or had personal knowledge of the harmful effects of such therapies were less likely to have favourable attitudes.

Exploring the relationship between women's health and the use of complementary and alternative medicine

In this paper we identify the need for further research exploring the relationship between complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and womens health. We offer our personal thoughts on the direction such future research might take outlining a number of research domains (type of CAM consumption, longitudinal analysis of womens use of CAM, cross-cultural analysis of womens CAM consumption, reasons for womens CAM consumption). We hope that this brief paper helps inspire greater research attention upon what we believe to be a well deserving sub-field of study within the social science of CAM.

Postmodern consumption and alternative medications

Alternative medicine consumption is examined as a paradigm case of postmodern consumption. Content analysis of advertisements and analysis of a survey of purchasers of such medicines demonstrate niche markets delineated by life style, an emphasis on symbolic value rather than use value and the use of such medicines as a means of self-assembly – all features predicted by theorists of postmodern society. However, purchasers are predominantly female, and age and gender distinguish different types of products purchased, purchase is not entirely symbolic and many purchases are made to be consumed by others, making it uncertain whether they are used for self-assembly. These results suggest modifications to theories of postmodern consumption are necessary.

The Response of Orthodox Medicine to the Challenge of Alternative Medicine in Australia

The recent rise in the usage of alternative medicine is a consequence of the interaction between most orthodox doctors and their patients, changes in the medical market and a general societal shift toward postmodernity. The Australian Medical Association has recently responded to this rise by seeking to exclude alternative practices from funding by the government. The success of this tactic is partly dependent on the governments response. The government is faced by two major constituencies in this area: the AMA, who seek more funding for orthodox medicine and the Treasury, who seek to limit funding by capping devices and by arguing for preventive medicine. The governments response has been to channel preventive health practices through orthodox medicine. They are unlikely to support alternative practitioners as they would constitute a further drain on funds. However, this does not mean the AMAs tactic of exclusion will be totally successful. The consumers of medical care are demanding choice, control over their own health and individual attention. If orthodox practitioners do not meet that demand then their patients will desert them.

Convergence between Orthodox and Alternative Medicine: A Theoretical Elaboration and Empirical Test

The idea that orthodox and alternative medical systems are converging, postulated by Willis (1989), is tested through a survey of general practitioners and interviews with alternative practitioners in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, undertaken in 1997. The results suggest that there is convergence between the practices of both therapeutic modalities evidenced by use of medical diagnostic procedures by alternative practitioners, use of alternative therapies by doctors and cross-referral of patients. However, it is argued, such convergence is only weak and the use of the term complementary, rather than alternative by both doctors and alternative practitioners, allows differences in interests between the two groups to be glossed over. Weak convergence is more compatible with a postmodern society than strong convergence.

Researching the Utilisation of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is now a major component of healthcare and also a popular choice of treatment for many consumers in a large number of countries. The increasing level of CAM consumption raises a number of important issues of direct relevance to health researchers and practitioners (regarding such topics as potential drug interactions, integrative health service planning and the equity and accessibility of provision of effective treatments). However, there is limited research focusing on the use of CAM and CAM users, and we still know little about CAM consumers and consumption around the world.In response, this paper outlines four areas for future research in this field: gender and CAM consumption; locality and CAM consumption; health service utilisation and CAM consumption; and motivations, experience and perceptions of CAM users. These four areas offer health researchers one particular framework for further exploration of this neglected field of study.

Heritage Sailing in Australia: a preliminary schema

Distinguishing between replica and restored sailing vessels in terms of their emphasis on heritage and sailing and between the intellectual and kinaesthetic appreciation of heritage produces a simple classificatory schema. Using this schema enables one to distinguish stationary exhibits, ?museum? vessels, sail training vessels and commercial vessels. The schema suggests several research areas for further enquiry.

The Incorporation of a Complementary Therapy by Australian General Practitioners: The Case of Acupuncture

Complementary therapies may be rejected by doctors as quackery or incorporated as part of their practice, although such incorporation may be limited. In Australia acupuncture has been incorporated as a normal part of general practice, although it is not accepted as an orthodox technique. This incorporation is demonstrated through analysis of national data on acupuncture usage and through analysis of two surveys of general practitioners undertaken independently in the states of Tasmania and Victoria, Australia. Further, it is argued, from examination of interview and focus group responses, that experienced doctors turn to acupuncture to deal with patients who do not respond to orthodox therapies. This move is possible because the valuing of clinical judgement allows practitioners to suspend their scientific judgement of the therapy although they are uneasy about doing so.

Effects of needle exchanges in Hobart, Tasmania

An examination was conducted of three Tasmanian cohorts of injecting drug users interviewed before the introduction of needle exchanges, during the operation of illegal exchanges and after the introduction of legal exchanges. The drugs reported as used were comparable with reports from Perth and Sydney samples. There are clear downward trends for both males and females toward reduced sharing of injecting equipment and increased use of new equipment which begin when the illegal exchanges were operating and accelerate when the number of exchanges increased and became legal. The use of bleach to clean equipment also increases in the 4-year period. There was a much higher use of open fires to dispose of equipment than has been reported elsewhere. These results strongly suggest that needle exchanges do lead to reduced sharing and to less needles in public places; vital outcomes if AIDS and hepatitis are to be contained.