RCGP eLearning Podcast

In this podcast, Professor Pali Hungin and Dr Emma Nash discuss functional gastrointestinal disorders. The podcast explores the nature of functional GI disorders, the evolving understanding of the pathophysiology behind them, and how this knowledge can help GPs manage the conditions. There is a focus on irritable bowel syndrome, including how it may be positively differentiated from other conditio...

Primary care clinicians need a clear and structured approach to the diagnosis and treatment of people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD). This can help clinicians to identify the small proportion of people who need urgent investigation or long-term surveillance, whilst offering holistic treatment aimed at symptom improvement for the larger population with symptomatic but benign GORD. In t...

In medicine we talk about the upper and lower airway, but in fact these two tracts are continuous with each other, lined with the same epithelium and affected by the same disease processes. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell and Professor David Price discuss how this knowledge affects the management of asthma and allergic rhinitis. Patients with asthma are more likely to have allergic rhinitis than t...

Lung cancer is common and the cause of a fifth of all cancer deaths. Early detection in primary care is key in improving survival rates by enabling curative treatment. In this podcast, Dr Sally Higginbottom and Dr Steve Holmes discuss the role of imaging and screening for lung cancer. This episode was updated in October 2022, to reflect recent guidance. Reviewed: May 2025  An educational grant was...

GPs and other NHS clinicians are often pressed for time, but there is a lot to talk about in the first consultation for a patient with eczema. In this podcast Dr Toni Hazell talks to Dr Angelika Razzaque about what should ideally be covered, whether in one appointment or split over more than one. This includes how to break the news of a chronic condition, whilst still giving some hope for effectiv...

Eczema is often seen as purely a skin disease, but it is associated with other allergic conditions and can cause significant stress for patients and their families. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell and Dr Angelika Razzaque discuss the links between eczema and other allergic illnesses, the management of hand eczema, psychological stress due to eczema and how to manage children with disturbed sleep d...

Every year approximately 2% of adults seek medical attention for moderate to severe dizziness. In this podcast, Dr Thomas Round, EKU Clinical Lead, talks to Dr Devina Maru, a GP Speciality Registrar in Greenwich with a special interest in ENT and audiology and RCGP National Clinical Champion for hearing loss, about sudden onset dizziness and vertigo. Their discussion includes the definition of diz...

There are many urban myths which circulate in the world of allergy. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell and Professor Adam Fox attempt to put the record straight regarding some of them. We will cover vaccination and egg allergy, progression of allergic reactions, the use of adrenaline auto-injectors and allergy tests which are available to buy online. Editorial and content decisions were made solely b...

In the UK over 3 million people are estimated to have osteoporosis and there are estimated to be over 500,000 fragility fractures that occur in the UK each year. In this podcast Dr Thomas Round, EKU Clinical Lead talks to Dr David Stephens, a locum and OOH GP in Scotland, and a member of the SIGN Guideline Development Group, concerning osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures includi...

Approximately 4 million people in the UK have an autoimmune disease, many of whom have been affected by COVID-19, by either contracting the disease itself or negotiating the rapidly changing rules regarding shielding. In this podcast Dr Sam Robinson talks to Dr Kevin Barrett about the interaction between COVID-19 and autoimmune diseases, the concerns these patients may have regarding COVID vaccina...

Further listening :  RCGP podcast: Perspectives on... black women in health RCGP podcast: Perspectives on... being a South Asian GP Reviewed : June 2025

Coeliac disease affects 1% of the population, however it remains under diagnosed. In a disease which is mainly managed by diet, why do we need to investigate and make a formal diagnosis? In this podcast Dr Sam Robinson talks to Professor David Sanders, Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Sheffield and a consultant at The Royal Hallamshire Hospital, about why a diagnosis is important...

Alzheimer’s disease is the commonest cause of dementia. In this podcast, GP Sally Higginbottom interviews Dr Clare Wadlow, Consultant in old age psychiatry on practical tips in assessing and managing patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

In this RCGP podcast, Dr James Matheson, RCGP Chair of the Health Inequalities Standing Group talks to Christiana Melam, CEO of the National Association of Link Workers about how those in primary care can best work with Social Prescribing Link Workers. They discuss the what a Social Prescribing Link Worker is, their role in addressing health inequalities, specialist roles evolving from Link Worker...

Global incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is between 1 and 2 per 1,000 adults annually. In this podcast Dr Thomas Round, EKU Clinical Lead discusses with Dr Nicholas Jones, a salaried GP, GP Cardiologist and a Wellcome Trust Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, the diagnosis, management and thrombophilia testing of venous thromboembolic diseases including the changes in the...

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition, but if treated early with disease modifying drugs then it can sometimes be put into long-term remission. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell and Dr Danny Murphy discuss the need to treat rheumatoid arthritis at an early date as well as some of the less commonly covered areas of management, including psychological issues, contraception and ferti...

This podcast features a discussion between Dr Kevin Barrett, a GP in Hertfordshire and Maralyn Druce, a Professor of Endocrine Medicine. Topics include: The diagnosis of autoimmune hypothyroidism and how to interpret borderline results When it is appropriate to screen for thyroid disorders Prescribing levothyroxine and what to tell our patients The impact of thyroid disorders on pregnancy How to d...

Pollen food syndrome is a common allergy, characterised by a very rapid onset of mild symptoms which resolve quickly. Serious reactions such as anaphylaxis are rare. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell and Dr Isabel Skypala discuss the interaction between pollen food syndrome and hayfever and how to differentiate between pollen food syndrome and primary food allergy. They also cover the immediate trea...

Allergic rhinitis and asthma are common conditions which affect a single airway and are therefore inextricably linked. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell and Dr Glenis Scadding discuss the links between asthma and allergic rhinitis, when to suspect that a rhinitis may be non-allergic, the importance of trigger factors and the use of immunotherapy for the treatment of allergy. Editorial and content de...

Acne is one of the most common skin conditions in the UK leading to 3.5 million primary care visits every year. In this EKU2020.3 podcast Dr Thomas Round, a GP and RCGP Essential Knowledge Update (EKU) Clinical Lead discusses the condition of acne vulgaris with Dr Angelika Razzaque, a GP partner and trainer in South East London and Executive Chair of the Primary Care Dermatology Society (PCDS) Exe...

Syncope is defined as transient loss of consciousness due to cerebral hypoperfusion; it is a common problem which will affect an estimated 15-20% of children before the end of adolescence. The cause is usually benign, but it is important not to miss syncope due to a cardiac cause. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell talks to Professor Lesley Kavi about the different causes of syncope in children and y...

In this podcast, Dr Kevin Barrett talks to Dr Danny Murphy about osteoarthritis (OA) and how to diagnose and manage the condition in primary care. They also discuss what can be done to help patients who have been diagnosed and the useful resources available to support them. Financial support for the design and development of this Osteoarthritis Learning Hub is provided by Pfizer Ltd as a Medical a...

In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell talks to Dr Liz Angier about presentations of allergy and how the presentation is related to the underlying mechanism of the allergy, whether IgE mediated or non IgE mediated. The podcast covers history taking, referral, the interpretation of allergy tests and the use of community services such as dietetics to help in both diagnosis and management. Editorial and con...

In this podcast, we talk to Dr Kevin Barrett, a GP in Hertfordshire and Chair of the Primary Care Society of Gastroenterology. about autoimmune hepatobiliary disease. The discussion focuses on primary biliary cholangitis and autoimmune hepatitis, including when to consider them as diagnoses and what the next steps should be for a GP. Risk from COVID-19 is also touched on, along with how we can sup...

Eczema is a common, chronic, relapsing inflammatory skin condition which mainly occurs in childhood but can persist into or start in adulthood. In this EKU2020.2 Dr Dirk Pilat, a GP and RCGP Medical Director for eLearning discusses atopic eczema, dermatitis and emollients for eczema in children with Dr Matthew Ridd, a GP and Reader in Primary Healthcare at the Centre for Academic Primary Care at t...