Registrars commonly experience problems during vocational training. These may be related to structural, social and professional isolation, or a lack of flexibility in training arrangements and balancing work and other commitments. Some of these problems may be amenable to relatively simple solutions involving term placements, selection of training practices and administrative adjustments.

Head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) are not a significant public health concern but elicit great alarm among parents. The investigators host information websites through which they field several hundred queries annually. This study investigated the experience of those treating head lice infections focusing on control difficulties. A short web-based questionnaire (available August, 2006 and February, 2007) yielded two hundred and ninety-four eligible responses which were analysed using grounded theory analysis processes. The mainly female (91.1%), working (76.9%), respondents from Australia, U.S.A., Canada and UK identified constraints for effective treatment that encompass technological, biological and social issues. Product concerns, treating children and blaming others for re-infection were among the main themes. Available treatment technologies are incompatible with the lifestyles of families in developed market economies. The treatment methodology, nit comb and topically applied liquid, is several thousand years old. Future research and development efforts need to account for the social constraints experienced by lay consumers.

The significant negative reaction was expected. The range of feeling expressed demonstrates the stigma held for these ectoparasites within western market economies. This contrasts with conceptions of head lice in traditional societies. The negative social effects of this perception create more problematic issues than the infection itself; these include quarantine, overtreatment, and a potentially negative psychological impact. Head lice control strategies and programs that address these negative emotional reactions may prove more effective than current biomedical focus.

Background Humans and dogs have developed a mutually beneficial relationship that has spanned thousands of years. The evolution of society however, has changed the nature of human–dog relationship. Dog bites can cause serious injury and in some instances lead to death. Is it possible for humans and dogs to cohabitate without people being injured? Aims/Objectives/Purpose To explore the epidemiology of dog bite injury in Queensland, and community response to a fatal dog attack. Methods (1) Data on dog bite injuries between 1999 and 2010 were extracted from Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit (QISU), Emergency Department data. (2) Frequency and circumstances of dog bites in the population were investigated via the Queensland Social Survey (a state wide telephone survey of people 18 years+). (3) Community response to a fatal dog attack was examined through qualitative analysis of comments posted in response to a national newspaper article regarding a fatal dog attack 2011. Results/Outcome Between 1999 and 2011, 5680 patients were treated for a dog bite injury in Queensland EDs (8 per week). Not all EDs in Queensland are captured in the QISU database, so this is an underestimate. Almost half of these occurred in children (43%). Ten percent of participants in the QSS indicated someone in their household was bitten by a dog in the last 3 years. Of the 402 newspaper comments on the fatal dog attack themes included enforcement, government regulation and positives/negatives of banning specific breeds. Significance/Contribution to the Field This research explores the epidemiology of dog bite injury, and community perceptions regarding prevention strategies.