Tapentadol the most used opioid in Australia, study finds
Tapentadol has overtaken oxycodone as the most prescribed opioid in Australia, according to research that shows its use increased fivefold between 2015 and 2022. The…
Australian Doctor
The latest political and medical news
Federal Government will push for nationally-consistent ADHD prescribing rules
The Albanese Government will pursue nationally-consistent ADHD prescribing rules but has equivocated on 14 other recommendations from last year’s Senate report on ADHD assessment and…
Medical Must-See: Doctors cut out and cut open a 5kg myxoid ovarian tumour
A 36-year-old who presented after a month of left flank pain turned out to be carrying a 5kg myxoid ovarian leiomyoma. The patient presented to…
Changes to BP measurement guidance possible as GPs say current protocols take too long
Advice on optimal blood pressure measurement could change next year to reflect improving technology and the lack of available time in general practice, a leading…
Has the genie escaped? Health ministers uncap the bottle on nurses prescribing S4 drugs
There is no escaping that the gathering of the country’s various health ministers last Friday carried a historical significance when it comes to health reform.…
State government reveals GP payroll tax exemption
The Queensland Government has introduced draft laws to make GPs’ ‘wages’ completely exempt from payroll tax. After a multi-year saga of state tax collectors trying…
Are GP perceptions of the corporates finally changing? AusDoc survey results
They have been part of the specialty for 40 years but have they changed hearts and minds.
Registrar who fought ‘antiquated’ AHPRA fee rules says 30% rebate for parental leave doctors is not enough
A registrar who campaigned to reduce AHPRA registration fees for doctors on parental leave says the changes announced this week are positive but not enough.…
Nurse prescribing of S4 and S8 drugs to start in 2025 but will not be ‘open slather’
Nurses have received the green light to prescribe ‘in partnership’ with doctors or nurse practitioners from mid-2025, including S8 drugs for cancer and palliative care.…
The real Professor Jonathan Shaw talks to AusDoc about his AI deepfake and the wider threat to medicine
Leading endocrinologist Professor Jonathan Shaw was on holiday on K’gari (Fraser Island) off the coast of Queensland, with the patchy reception that entails, when he…
