Synapse: The Australian GP Studycast

Send us Fan Mail Are you a registered health practitioner or employer unsure about when you are legally required to report a colleague to AHPRA? Deciding whether to make a mandatory notification can be a difficult decision that requires balanced judgement. In this episode, we break down the official Ahpra Guidelines on Mandatory Notifications to clarify your legal obligations under the National La...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we explore the clinical approach to evaluating and managing short stature in children. While short stature is a common cause of parental concern, the primary task for a general practitioner is to distinguish between healthy children with normal growth variants (such as familial short stature or constitutional delay) and those with an underlying pathology. Join us...

Send us Fan Mail Distal fibular (lateral malleolus) fractures are the most common type of ankle fracture, affecting a wide bimodal distribution of patients—from younger individuals experiencing high-energy trauma to older adults who have suffered a simple fall. In this episode, we dive into the comprehensive clinical management of acute ankle injuries with a suspected distal fibular fracture. We g...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we explore the complex legal and ethical landscape of medical consent for children and young adults. While parents or guardians typically provide consent for patients under the age of 18, there are critical exceptions where minors can legally take control of their own medical decisions. Join us as we break down 'Gillick competence' , a common-law princip...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we explore the clinical management of Travellers' Diarrhoea (TD) , the most common and predictable travel-acquired illness affecting 20–50% of short-term travelers. Designed specifically for general practitioners and travel medicine professionals, this discussion provides a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for conducting effective pre-travel consultati...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we dive into the clinical assessment and management of palpitations, one of the most common presentations in general practice. Palpitations account for roughly 16% of general practice visits and are the second most common presentation to cardiologists right after chest pain. While they are often benign, they can sometimes signal a life-threatening arrhythmia. A ma...

Send us Fan Mail Are you tired of catching the sniffles and wondering what you can actually do to feel better? In this episode, we dive into the facts about managing colds, coughs, and the flu—and why reaching for antibiotics might actually do more harm than good. We break down the essential differences between a common cold and the more serious influenza, and explain exactly why antibiotics are c...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we take a deep dive into the clinical management of influenza, a viral respiratory infection that causes significant morbidity and mortality globally and in Australia every year. We explore why the routine annual flu vaccine remains our most critical intervention, and break down the circulating subtypes, including Influenza A (H1N1 and H3N2) and Influenza B. Join...

Send us Fan Mail Dive into the major shifts in Australia's regulatory landscape following the Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Act 2024 . With all vapes now exclusively sold through pharmacies, this episode breaks down what healthcare professionals and patients need to know about the transition. We explore the October 2024 changes that allow adults to access...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we dive into the essential updates from the ASHM 2025 National PrEP Guidelines , providing a comprehensive clinical management and prescribing summary tailored for GPs and Nurse Practitioners. Join us as we break down exactly how Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) works, utilizing co-formulated tenofovir disoproxil and emtricitabine (TD/FTC) to safely block HIV repli...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we take a deep dive into the clinical indications, diagnosis, and management of distal biceps tendon ruptures. Whether you are a medical student studying orthopedics or a clinician looking to refresh your knowledge on shoulder and elbow injuries, this episode covers everything you need to know about this rare but functionally impactful injury. What We Cover: The M...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we delve into the intense and often debilitating condition known as Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN). Known historically as tic douloureux due to the sudden wincing it induces, TN is characterized by paroxysmal attacks of severe, stabbing, and "electric shock-like" facial pain. Join us as we explore the hallmark symptoms of TN, including how these sudden attack...

Send us Fan Mail Red, gritty, and chronically irritated eyes walking into your clinic? Before you reach for the antibiotic drops, let's talk about why consistent lid hygiene is the unsung hero of primary care ophthalmology. In this episode, we dive deep into the diagnosis and management of blepharitis, a staple presentation in general practice. We unpack the clinical differences between anter...

Send us Fan Mail A child who “won’t sleep” can trigger the fastest reflex in medicine: write a script and hope tonight is easier. We slow that moment right down and show why the quick fix often misses the real problem. Kids run shorter sleep cycles than adults, so brief overnight arousals are normal. The difference between a settled house and a 2 am crisis is whether the child can resettle indepen...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Overview: Deprescribing is not the withdrawal of care—it is a sophisticated, highly planned, and person-centred element of good prescribing. In this episode of Synapse , we unpack the clinical mechanics of safely reducing or stopping medications in older adults experiencing polypharmacy. Drawing directly from the latest Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing (WACH...

Send us Fan Mail  In this episode, two GPs sit down for a peer-to-peer discussion on non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis—a chronic suppurative lung disease that is increasingly recognized as a major cause of chronic cough and recurrent chest infections in general practice. Up to 45% of patients given a clinician-assigned COPD diagnosis may actually lack airflow obstruction or a consistent smoking h...

Send us Fan Mail Cat scratch disease is caused by Bartonella henselae — a bacterium carried by cats and their fleas — and it's far more common in general practice than most GPs realise. The classic presentation of tender regional lymphadenopathy after a kitten scratch is easy enough, but 10–15% of patients develop systemic disease involving the liver, spleen, eyes, or nervous system, and in p...

Send us Fan Mail Are your patients repeatedly presenting with "recurrent boils" in the axillae or groin that just won't resolve with another course of antibiotics or an incision and drainage? It is time to think about Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS). In this episode of Synapse , we dive into the management of HS—a chronic, debilitating, and frequently misdiagnosed inflammatory skin di...

Send us Fan Mail What does a positive ANA result actually mean — and when should you have ordered it in the first place? In this episode, an experienced GP educator and a curious colleague sit down to untangle one of the most commonly misused tests in general practice: the antinuclear antibody test. Drawing on Therapeutic Guidelines, UpToDate, and the RACGP literature, they cut through the confusi...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really mean to help someone die well — and how can GPs lead that journey? In this episode, a seasoned GP and a curious registrar sit down to talk through one of the most human — and most underappreciated — parts of general practice: caring for patients as they approach the end of life. Drawing on the RACGP Silver Book, the Australian Family Physician framework for pro...

Send us Fan Mail Think gout is just a lifestyle disease you treat with ibuprofen and send home? Think again. In this episode, we unpack why gout is one of the most undertreated chronic diseases in Australian general practice — and what you can do about it today. We walk through the full clinical picture, from that classic 3am big-toe presentation to the easily-missed older woman with inflamed fing...

Send us Fan Mail When a patient walks in with pain in five or more joints, where do you even start? In this episode, we break down one of general practice's most diagnostically challenging presentations — polyarthralgia. From distinguishing inflammatory from non-inflammatory causes, to navigating the investigations minefield, to knowing when to refer and when to watch and wait — we cover it a...

Send us Fan Mail It's been 40 years since your patient worked on a farm in rural Southeast Asia. They feel fine. You're about to start them on prednisolone. Should you pause? In this episode of Synapse Clinical, we unpack Strongyloides stercoralis — the soil-transmitted worm with a unique trick: it can complete its entire life cycle inside the human host, persisting silently for decades,...

Send us Fan Mail Steatotic Liver Disease affects roughly 30% of adult Australians. Are you screening correctly? This episode is a practical guide for the frontline GP. We discuss how to pivot your consults from a "diagnosis of exclusion" to a "positive diagnosis" based on cardiometabolic risk factors.  Nomenclature Shift: Why we stopped saying "Non-Alcoholic" and &quo...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we dive into the management of Acne Vulgaris, one of the most common dermatological presentations in Australian General Practice. We move beyond the basics to discuss the stepped-care approach, comparing current evidence for various topical combinations, the role of oral antibiotics, and when to consider a referral for oral isotretinoin. The podcast is based on th...