Clinical Update

We've had some brilliant guests this year, and you'll hear clips from interviews with the experts on health inequalities in cancer care, severe mental illness, how to support members of the LGBTQ+ community, and inspiration for tackling vaccine hesitancy, as well as tips on frailty and care of nursing home residents. Our guests include Dr Ravi Ramanathan, Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham, Dr Susru Su...

In this episode, Dr Prina Ruparelia, joint clinical director for respiratory medicine at St Bartholomew’s and Royal London Hospitals, talks to Dawn Liz Powell about identifying and managing chronic cough in primary care. Dr Ruparelia explains that after ‘worrying conditions’, such as lung cancer, have been excluded in patients with chronic cough, a thorough history should be taken to identify any...

Are you aware of the recommended steps in managing anaphylaxis on your surgery premises? When could back pain be an emergency? Find out with this episode of the Clinical Update podcast, discussing just a few of the potential emergencies that you could encounter as a GP. After listening to this podcast, healthcare professionals should be better able to: Reflect on management of epistaxis Recall the...

Grief is a universal human experience, and the support people receive in the aftermath of a bereavement can have ongoing implications for their health and wellbeing. Linda Magistris, CEO and Founder of The Good Grief Trust, talks to MIMS Learning deputy editor Rhiannon Ashman about effective signposting for bereaved people, appropriate language around death, peer-to-peer support for healthcare pro...

In this episode of the MIMS Learning podcast, the MIMS Learning editors look at the diagnosis and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in primary care.  They explore why the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) has changed its definition of COPD in recent years and why this is important. They also look at the risk factors for COPD, how it is diag...

Prostate cancer is common: one in four Black men will develop it, and one in eight white men. Professor Mike Kirby talks to MIMS Learning editor Pat Anderson about how GPs should approach diagnosis, and provides tips on best care for people who are undergoing or have undergone prostate cancer treatment. He says GPs have a vital role to play in managing cardiovascular risk and managing treatment-re...

Skin, hair and nail symptoms that may indicate a systemic illness are the focus of this episode of the podcast, including pruritus, skin pigmentation, and hair loss. We also discuss how oral symptoms can act as a marker of deteriorating glycaemic control in patients with diabetes, the link between inflammatory skin conditions and cardiovascular risk, and some cutaneous manifestations of psychologi...

Frailty is a state akin to walking on a tightrope - a relatively small `wobble’ can have significant consequences. In an interview with MIMS Learning editor Pat Anderson, frailty GP Dr Alistair Robertson explains the concept of frailty and how it can be usefully applied in general practice. After listening to this podcast, healthcare professionals should be more aware of: The definition of frailty...

Though women often experience sexual health difficulties, few seek medical help for these difficulties. In this studio discussion, the MIMS Learning editors review the potential reasons for this under-reporting, and they also discuss the various ways in which GPs can improve consultations for sexual health issues. The editors also talk about some commonly encountered conditions, like vulvodynia, c...

In this episode, GP Professor Lesley Kavi (chairperson of the charity PoTS UK) talks to Dawn Liz Powell about diagnosing and managing postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) in primary care. Professor Kavi explains that PoTS refers to an abnormal response to an upright posture — defined as a persistent increase in heart rate of more than 30 beats per minute (40 beats per minute in children) upon stan...

GPs commonly see patients who are experiencing hearing loss, ear pain or inflammation, or who can hear sounds with no external cause (tinnitus). In this episode the MIMS learning editors focus on how to eliminate red flags, how to address causes of hearing loss, manage acute otitis externa, and support patients with tinnitus. After listening to this podcast, healthcare professionals should be more...

In this episode, Monica Boulton, healthcare integration lead at the National Academy for Social Prescribing talks to Rhiannon Ashman, deputy editor at MIMS Learning, about how all members of the primary care team can embed the ethos of social prescribing into their practice. Monica highlights the importance of finding out from patients, ‘not what’s the matter with you, but what matters to you’.&nb...

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for more than 3 months, and it can be primary (with no underlying cause identified) or secondary (with an underlying cause identified). In this episode, the MIMS Learning editors look at the diagnosis and management of chronic pain in primary care. They review what NICE says about assessing chronic pain, the possible causes of chronic pain, and management options.&n...

In this episode of the Clinical update podcast, neurogastroenterology clinical fellow Dr Mohsin Butt talks to Sangeeta Krishnan about the stigma around the term ‘functional gut disorders’, which are now called ‘disorders of gut brain interaction’ (DGBI). He discusses some of the most common DGBI, evidence implicating the microbiome in the pathogenesis of DGBI, and research investigating faecal tra...

Hair loss can be distressing for patients, and many over-the-counter remedies are expensive and ineffective. In this episode, the MIMS Learning team consider red flags for hair loss, possible causes, and which treatments are effective. Types of alopecia that are more common in Black women are discussed, including how you can offer sensitive advice on hair-styling practices.  Educational objec...

In this episode, Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham OBE talks to Dawn Liz Powell about how to support people with severe mental illness in primary care. She discusses how severe mental illness might present in primary care, how to take a comprehensive history, and how to build a good relationship with a person with severe mental illness. Professor Chew-Graham also looks at the physical health needs of...

Consultations for neurological conditions and for headache are very common in primary care. In this episode the MIMS learning editors focus on blackouts, dizziness and vertigo, facial pain, gait disturbance, and alterations in taste and smell.  They also highlight the recommendations of NICE and SIGN on migraine prophylaxis, including drug therapies, acupuncture, botulinum toxin and oxygen th...

In this episode, Dr Pipin Singh talks to MIMS Learning editor Pat Anderson about how to provide care for nursing home residents that meets their needs and enables them to have the best possible quality of life. His practice’s approach makes best use of time and draws in the support of pharmacists and nursing home teams to plan and deliver care and to plan ahead so that frail, older residents are t...

In this episode of the Clinical Update podcast, the MIMS Learning editors discuss the potential causes of chest pain, with a focus on diagnosis and management in primary care, including cardiac causes, gastrointestinal causes, and psychosocial causes. This episode explores how misconceptions about coronary artery disease in women can lead to its underdiagnosis, how changes to diet and sleep can he...

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 15% of all new cancer cases. In this episode, MIMS Learning editor Sangeeta Krishnan speaks to consultant medical oncologist Dr Jay Naik about the GP’s role in breast cancer screening and red flags, and the management breast cancer.  Discussing a memorable case, Dr Naik touches upon the importance of team effort in dealing with...

What are the symptoms of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism? Are some persons at a higher risk of thyroid disorders than others?  This week, the MIMS Learning editors discuss symptoms and risk factors for various thyroid disorders, the physiology of the thyroid gland, and how to interpret thyroid function tests. They also discuss NICE guidelines on management, as well as the latest consensus...

In this episode, Dr Sundhya Raman speaks to Dawn Liz Powell about how to ensure that lifestyle advice is culturally appropriate, specifically for people who are South Asian. She says that while white European people tend to eat more ultra-processed food, South Asian people are more likely to cook with the ‘wrong sorts of fat’. Therefore, lifestyle advice should take account of these cultural diffe...

How might the all-party parliamentary report on birth trauma impact primary care? What red flags should clinicians look for in pregnant patients? Are you confident in managing diabetes in pregnancy? And what are the latest recommendations on diagnosing hyperemesis gravidarum? Join the MIMS Learning editors for this episode of the Clinical Update podcast, in which we consider the all-party parliame...

Join us for this episode of the Clinical Update podcast, in which our guest, GP Dr Farzana Hussain, talks about the insights she gained from talking to patients who declined COVID vaccination, how these lessons can be extrapolated to other vaccination programmes, and what primary care professionals can do – on a practical level – to tackle vaccine hesitancy.  You can access the website versio...

Is this child’s rash an infectious disease, or something else? It can be hard for GPs to tell. Infectious conditions affecting children are the topic of this Clinical Update podcast, with our presenters, the MIMS Learning editors, passing on expert clinicians’ tips on diagnosing paediatric pertussis, measles, skin rashes, and scarlet fever. They also discuss the MIMS Learning campaign on heal...