The Medical Republic

If Caitlin Delaney hadn’t pushed for genomic testing and off-label therapies, she might not have been around to share her insights on The Medical Podcast this week.  As a health professional she also had the benefit of health literacy and a personal assertiveness that may have well also helped her be at her daughter’s 10th birthday.  “There were lots of ‘sliding door’ moments.  If I...

With so much to learn in so little time, managing LGBTQI+ patients isn’t yet high on the priority list at medical schools.   Dr Asiel Adan Sanchez is a GP and clinical tutor at the university of Melbourne. He knows first-hand that clinical environments can be off putting for people who are queer, trans and gender diverse. He’s also created a solution for that called Wavelength: a learnin...

The number of spinal fusions performed in Australia has skyrocketed over the past few decades, with the number of privately funded procedures far outstripping those done in the public system.  Spinal fusions, which help stabilise the spine by surgically joining two or more vertebrae together, can be used following traumatic injury, or to help correct scoliosis in children. But the most common...

Future overlords or really helpful assistants? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does an app a day keep the doctor away or make them worried? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Voluntourism is an enticing form of travel: exotic locales, cultural immersion, serving needy populations with your skills – all wrapped up in your four weeks’ annual leave.  Not so fast. Before packing your passport and mosquito net tune in to The Medical Republic podcast to hear from two guests who might make you reconsider.  Dr Andrew Browning has been doing fistula surgery in Af...

The latest episode of The Medical Republic podcast is a special insight into female parts across the age spectrum. We speak first with Associate Professor Melissa Kang who was, for 23 years, the iconic Dolly Doctor in Dolly magazine – the Australian teen-girl’s bible for many decades. Professor Kang said that teenagers want to know how to navigate the health system and that young women are keen to...

Do you struggle to keep your practice running like a well-oiled machine?    Our line-up of experts today share insights on how to earn more profit, retain staff, cover your risk and level up your practice management.  Guests include an accountant, lawyer and cybersecurity guru. We also hear from a health economist and a GP who has scaled their clinic to good financial and patient reward....

When the choice is between writing a script for pain killers and a 45 consultation about weight management, which one do you choose? According to Associate Professor Kade Paterson, University of Melbourne, scripts for pain killers and referrals to orthopaedic surgeons are unnecessarily common for patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Professor Paterson says everyone who has osteoarthritis should be o...

There’s been a swell of advocacy lately around breast density, which increases cancer risk while reducing the sensitivity of mammograms.  The FDA in the US has recently mandated that women be notified by mammogram providers if they have dense breasts, giving them the opportunity to arrange supplemental testing.   But BreastScreen Australia’s 2020 position statement does not recommen...

South Australia’s long covid clinic loves GPs and keeps them close. Dr Angela Molga is a clinical pharmacologist and geriatrician at the long covid clinic at Royal Adelaide Hospital. “We engage the GPs very early on, from the moment we receive the referrals. The patients are kept updated on the length of the waitlist and we also send them out resources specifically around self-rehabilitation,” she...

What do you get when you cross advice from a health economist with that from a leading physiotherapist? Increased revenue and a better patient experience, say our guests on today’s episode of The Tea Room. Scott Willis is president of the Australian Physiotherapists Association and a proud Palawa man. He says better results come from general practices who genuinely embrace allied health as pa...

Professor Rob Moodie describes himself as “an eternal optimist”. He needs to be.  A long and distinguished career in public health has seen Professor Moodie tackle the “big four” industries – alcohol, tobacco, junk food, and fossil fuel – and these days he’s added a fifth to the list, gambling.  Those industries and corporate multinationals make up a large slice, but by no means all, of...

Struggling to hang on to doctor staff? This episode offers more than a few gems of wisdom from the most unlikely location.  Today, The Tea Room travels to Crystal Brook, a rural town 200 kilometres north of Adelaide. There we meet Dr Richard McKinnon co- owner of Crystal Brook Medical Practice – a small-town clinic that is anything but small. After 35 years in this farming community, he knows...

The recent shake-up in asthma management and what that might mean for GPs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An award-winning Australian trial has changed how we treat pneumothorax. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It sounds like common-sense that immunity declines with age. But new research suggests that some GP’s aren’t convinced. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We may never really know how many excess deaths the pandemic has caused, but it is well worth trying to find out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transvaginal ultrasounds are among the most invasive procedures women will undergo in their lives - but, surprisingly, the healthcare practitioners performing these procedures are almost entirely self-regulated. Now, the peak bodies representing sonographers are calling on AHPRA to regulate the profession. Our reporter, Sonia Kohlbacher, has the full story... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

As Australia’s first ever wellness officer, rheumatologist Dr Bethan Richards has focused on meeting the basic needs of hospital staff – offering protected lunch breaks, access to water, functioning rest areas and moments of human connection. It all sounds tragically obvious but has required deep changes in governance and culture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story of thalidomide is etched into the minds of every doctor and drug manufacturer. It serves as a warning of what can go wrong. The thalidomide mistake is why drugs are now so rigorously tested for safety. Decades after thalidomide was banned from being given to pregnant women, survivors are a living cohort still fighting to be seen and acknowledged. They’ve recently secured a major win with...

In this episode, Dr Megan Prictor from Melbourne Law School discusses the legal considerations of recording medical consults, how the files should be stored, and strategies to decline being recorded by a patient. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Subtle seizures can involve people zoning out from the conversation, experiencing unusual sensations, odd emotions, an intense feeling of déjà vu, or just not remember what they were doing and then coming back into the room like nothing has happened. The seizures may seem innocuous, but they can be quite dangerous if the patient happens to be driving a car, holding a cigarette or making a cup of t...

Breaking down the stoicism that often prevents GPs from looking after their mental health is more important than ever during COVID-19. Doctors are notoriously bad at being patients. This podcast contains a few tips… “We should share the secret code with everyone,” says Dr Kathryn Hutt, a GP and the Medical Director at the Doctors Health Advisory Service in NSW. “You don’t need to have a diagnosis...

People with intellectual disabilities often feel like the passive subject of scientific studies. And it turns out we can render much more valuable results about individuals experiences when they are part of the research team, rather than just a participant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.