Topics
General medicine
Topical timolol for a chronic ulcer — a case with its own control
An off-label treatment and an outstanding outcome
Melissa N Manahan BPharm, MB BS(Hons) · Peter Peters BSc(Hons), MB BS · Salvatore Scuderi BSc, BMedSci, MB BS(Hons) · Devita Surjana BSc, MB BS · Graeme L Beardmore OAM, MB BS, DDM, FACD
Rural, urban: the real world for medical education
Beyond the medical boundaries of clinic and hospital to the fields of public health and welfare
John D Hamilton MB BS, FRCP(UK), FRCP(Can)
Rural general practice placements: alignment with the Australian Curriculum Framework for Junior Doctors
Benefits go beyond the competencies achievable with adequate supervision and mentoring
Louise Young MPsychEd, PhD · Sarah L Larkins MB BS, MPH · Tarun K Sen Gupta MB BS, FACRRM, PhD · Suzanne H McKenzie MB BS, MMedSci, FRACGP · Rebecca J Evans BSptExSci(Hons), GradCertGovernancePolicy · Michael J Crowe BSc(Mgmt), MIT, PhD · Elizabeth J Ware BSc, DipEd, GradCertClinEd
Peter Thomson MB BS, FFARACS
Peter Thomson was born on 12 June 1940 in Esher, near London. His mother May was a highly trained registered nurse. His Australian-born father, George Macdonald Thomson, was a medical graduate from the University of Sydney who qualified and practised as a surgeon in England in the 1930s until he was conscripted into the British Army in World War II. Peter and the rest of the family ...
George Thomson
The sources of pharmaceuticals for problematic users of benzodiazepines and prescription opioids
This study shows that different approaches may be required to reduce unsanctioned use of different pharmaceuticals due to differences in how drugs are sourced. The data also highlight that plans to monitor only Schedule 8 benzodiazepines and prescription opioids may have limited effects on prescription opioid users who use non-prescribed sources and may represent a lost opportunity for reducing unsanctioned benzodiazepine use.
Suzanne Nielsen BPharm, BPharmSc(Hons), PhD · Raimondo Bruno PhD · Louisa Degenhardt BA(Hons), MClinPsych, PhD · Mark A Stoove PhD, BAAppSci(Hons) · Jane A Fischer BA, MSPD · Susan J Carruthers MPH, PhD · Nicholas Lintzeris MB BS, FAChAM, PhD
A difficult conversation
Breaking bad news is a necessary, never-ending challenge for doctors.
Emma Foster MB BS
Hubert (Hugh) Roy Harris MB BS
Hubert (Hugh) Harris was a country doctor who earned the respect and affection of all who knew him. Hugh was born in Stockton, New South Wales, in 1919 to Dr Hubert and Emily Harris. He was educated at Armidale and studied medicine at the University of Sydney. On graduating in 1943, Hugh was appointed a resident medical officer at Grafton Base Hospital. In 1944, he enlisted in the ...
James Rae
Update on the management of atrial fibrillation
Part 5 of our Cardiology series provides a practical review of the issues faced in managing patients with AF, including considerations in deciding between rate control and rhythm control approaches, the role of catheter ablation, and the use of warfarin and the new oral anticoagulant drugs.
John V Amerena MB BS, FRACP, FCSANZ · Tomos E Walters MB BS · Sam Mirzaee MD · Jonathan M Kalman MB BS, PhD, FRACP
Pregabalin-associated rhabdomyolysis
The case of a woman who developed severe rhabdomyolysis shortly after the addition of pregabalin to a stable atorvastatin regimen serves as a reminder to clinicians to be aware of possible adverse drug reactions.
Roshan Gunathilake MB BS, MD · Laura E Boyce BPharm · Anne T Knight MB BS(Hons), FRACP
Difficult-to-treat-depression: what do general practitioners think?
AbstractObjective: To understand the perspectives of a group of general practitioners regarding management of patients with difficult-to-treat depression (DTTD).Design, setting and participants: A qualitative approach using a focus group and semi-structured telephone interviews conducted in 2011 with 10 GPs from urban and rural Victoria. Five main topics were explored: (1) understanding of DTTD; (2) understanding of other terms used to describe DTTD; (3) ...
Kay M Jones BSW, MT · David J Castle MD, FRANZCP, FRCPsych · Eleanor M Curran MB BS(Hons), BMedSc(Hons), MPM · Leon Piterman MB BS, MD, FRACGP
A framework to support team-based models of primary care within the Australian health care system
Summary Health systems with strong primary care orientations are known to be associated with improved equity, better access for patients to appropriate services at lower costs, and improved population health. Team-based models of primary care have emerged in response to health system challenges due to complex patient profiles, patient expectations and health system demands. Successful team-based models of primary care require a ...
Lucio Naccarella BSc(Hons), GradDipTranscultural MentalHlth, PhD · Louise N Greenstock BSc(Hons), PGCertSS, PhD · Peter M Brooks AM, MD, FRACP
Psychosocial treatment approaches to difficult-to-treat depression
Summary Coexisting psychiatric and medical conditions, environmental and contextual factors, inadequate diagnosis and treatment, medication non-adherence, and issues such as low self-esteem, hopelessness and cognitive reactivity, can play a role in difficult-to-treat depression. A reduction in symptoms due to pharmacological treatment does not equate with full recovery, and some level of rehabilitation is often required. The evidence base for psychosocial therapies in ...
Melissa F Casey DPsych, PGDipPsych, GDPsy · Dinali N Perera DPsych, BA, BSocSc(Psych)(Hons) · David M Clarke PhD, FRACGP, FRANZCP
WONCA inauguration speech 2013
New president of the World Organization of Family Doctors, Australian professor Michael Kidd AM, recently spoke about leading the response to the health and wellbeing needs of communities around the world.
Michael R Kidd AM, MD, FRACGP
Sexual harassment of Australian female general practitioners by patients
More than half of female Australian GPs experience sexual harassment from patients, while less than 7% report ever receiving training on this issue.
Peter A Bratuskins · Heather A McGarry · Stephen J Wilkinson
Trends in general practice services in two cohorts of Australian children between 2003–2004 and 2010–2011
To the Editor: Despite concerns about suspected reductions in general practitioner visits for Australian children,1,2 there has been a lack of research to investigate trends in GP visits over the past decade. We explored trends in GP visits using linked data between the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) database and the consecutive biannual survey (2004–2010) of two cohorts — the infant cohort (aged 0–1 years in 2004) and ...
Lixin Ou · Jack Chen · Kenneth Hillman
Sickness certification of workers compensation claimants by general practitioners in Victoria, 2003–2010
In Victoria, a high proportion of medical certificates recommend complete absence from work, particularly for patients with mental health conditions. These trends present major challenges in terms of return to work and issues such as viability of the compensation system, and are important given the growing evidence on the health benefits of work.
Alex Collie BA, BAppSc(Hons), PhD · Rasa Ruseckaite BSc, MSc, PhD · Bianca Brijnath BA(Hons), PhD · Agnieszka A Kosny BA, MA, PhD · Danielle Mazza MD, FRACGP
General practitioners’ use of different cardiovascular risk assessment strategies: a qualitative study
GPs disclose a range of factors influencing why they might follow or disregard guidelines recommending the use of absolute risk assessment.
Carissa Bonner MPH · Jesse Jansen PhD · Shannon McKinn MIPH · Les Irwig MB BS, PhD · Jenny Doust MB BS, PhD · Paul Glasziou MB BS, PhD · Andrew Hayen PhD · Kirsten McCaffery PhD
Australian women need increased access to long-acting reversible contraception
If these methods are cost-effective and highly acceptable to women of all reproductive ages, why do so few Australian women use them?
Kirsten I Black FRANZCOG, MFSRH, PhD · Deborah Bateson MA, MSc, MB BS · Caroline Harvey MB BS(Hons), FRACGP, DRANZCOG
The Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) program: where to from here?
To the Editor: I would like to endorse the call for better health data standards across Australia.1 However, while standardisation is a long-term goal, we at NPS MedicineWise believe that more can be done now, even with current limitations. NPS MedicineWise has recently embarked on an ambitious program called MedicineInsight to gather anonymised patient data from 500 general practices (equating to about 2 million patients) on an ongoing ...
Lynn M Weekes
The Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) program: where to from here?
In reply: Weekes agrees that better health data standards are needed, and suggests that MedicineInsight can gather valid data from current general practice electronic health records, to provide meaningful information. We have gathered representative data on general practice patient management through the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) program and earlier surveys for 20 years.1,2 In parallel we have worked to develop data standards with ...
Helena C Britt · Graeme C Miller
Infants born in Australia to mothers from countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis: to BCG or not to BCG?
To the Editor: BCG is an effective vaccine to prevent tuberculosis (TB) in young children travelling to countries with a high prevalence of TB.1 Although it does not completely mitigate the risk of developing TB, nor the need for preventive therapy after a significant TB exposure, it provides about 80% protection against the severe forms of TB that affect infants and young children.2 In Australia, ...
Amanda Gwee · Ranmali Rodrigo · Dan Casalaz · Nicole Ritz · Nigel Curtis
Management of heart failure
The fourth part of our Cardiology series provides the latest clinical information on pharmacological and other therapies for a complex clinical syndrome that affects about half a million Australians.
Henry Krum MB BS, PhD, FRACP · Andrea Driscoll MEd, PhD
Impact on diabetes management of General Practice Management Plans, Team Care Arrangements and reviews
A study examining the impact of the Medicare items introduced in Australia to increase support for the management of chronic illness shows some significant improvements in outcomes for patients with diabetes.
Leelani K Wickramasinghe BSc, PhD · Peter Schattner MD, MMed, FRACGP · Marienne E Hibbert BAppSc, MAppSc, PhD · Joanne C Enticott BSc, PhD · Michael P Georgeff BSc, BE, PhD · Grant M Russell FRACGP, MFM, PhD
Comprehensive primary health care and social determinants as top priorities
An incoming government must provide a full range of curative, rehabilitative, preventive and promotive health services and must take responsibility for the health impacts of every policy.
Fran E Baum BA(Hons), PhD
Supporting rural health care
Overcoming the barriers and seizing the opportunities to provide more equitable health care for Australia’s rural populationAustralia’s rural population, which comprises a third of our total population, presents distinct challenges for health care delivery. The low population density of much of rural Australia, the great distances involved, and the limited number of larger centres offering high-level medical care make equitable health care delivery difficult to ...
Gabriel J Shannon BSc, MB BS, FRACP
