A wise choice 8 May 2012 0 comments A 57-year-old man had presented to ED exhibiting signs of a bowel obstruction and septic shock. Here I was, holding the clamps in place and all I could think of was: "Why am I here?"
A proliferation of profs 7 May 2012 0 comments The title 'professor' comes from the Latin profiteor and refers to a person expert in some branch of knowledge. Up until the 1980s, such persons were of high degree and found solely in…
Memories and other songs 1 May 2012 0 comments We are moving house and during one of the tedious chores of throwing out things once thought "might come in useful", I came across a box labelled 'Memories'. The contents proved fascinating.
Act before it's too late 30 Apr 2012 0 comments Do you have an advanced care directive? Do the people you love have one? If you're like most doctors I know, you haven't got one.
Diagnosing Dr Google 26 Apr 2012 0 comments It’s a weird world. As a child, I expected things would in time become explicable. Instead, I now do more eye-rolling and head-shaking than a Pentecostal patient with drug-induced dyskinesia.
The after-hours dilemma 23 Apr 2012 0 comments Crunch time has come for after-hours care services. It has been acknowledged by GPs, the Federal Government and the wider community that more needs to be done in this area. The operative words being…
Rural term a benefit to all 23 Apr 2012 0 comments Dr Jonny Levy is right in calling for a mandatory rural term for all medical trainees. I, too, believe that after our graduating students have completed their supervised intern year, they should be…
Swisse Vitamins highlights the failure of industry self-regulation 19 Apr 2012 0 comments Swisse Vitamins has caused more controversy recently by e-mailing subscribers of an online GP educational service (ThinkGP) offering the Swisse Practitioner range.
Mad or bad? Expert witnesses and the Breivik trial 18 Apr 2012 0 comments Anders Breivik killed 75 people as a statement against Norway’s immigration policies. He was involved in an extreme right-wing group and had a dysfunctional childhood. But was he bad or mad?
On your marks, get set … 16 Apr 2012 0 comments General practice is uncomfortable. We feel as if we have entered a marathon to support a patient's noble cause, and are now wondering how well prepared we are, what pain will ensue, and whether the…