Hospital should be a last resort for elderly patients, not the default destination
The recent AusDoc article on elderly patients languishing in hospital beds without needing acute care inspired me to think about the changing roles of hospital…
Medical Observer
Unique doctor-written opinion and analysis
Doctors are writing thousands of medicinal cannabis scripts for chronic pain, but is it a waste of time?
More Australians than ever are being prescribed medicinal cannabis. Medicinal cannabis refers to legally prescribed cannabis products. These are either the plant itself, or naturally…
Let’s talk about sex in general practice
I was walking down a shopping aisle when I spied a sign for ‘Period Care’. Haven’t we come a long way now, able to mention…
I like to think I’m getting better with age — my patients seem to agree
I am a late-career doctor. In fact, given the latest proposals by the Medical Board of Australia, I qualify twice: once for being over 70,…
Life as a bush kid: ‘When I woke up, I immediately checked my balls — whew, all okay’
Growing up in the far outback on a cattle station was different. I had eight years of Mum’s home schooling, supplemented with School of the…
Insulin, T-cell receptors and child-proof medicine bottles: Why Trump needs to keep his hands off Canada
My love affair with Canada began well before Canada’s sovereignty was threatened, or I had a Canadian son-in-law and an Australian-Canadian grandson and daughter. It began on…
My GP dad taught me something more valuable than clinical skills — how to be happy
I want to tell you a story about the time I visited my dad on Father’s Day and what he taught me about finding happiness…
Breaking my old habit of running late has been liberating: It’s extended my working life
Everyone has a different awareness of the passage of time. There are those who are always late, others who are always early, and some who…
Paternalism is bad but why do so many doctors expect me to mother my patients?
Sometimes we GPs can get quite attached to our patients. It’s probably no accident that many of us, having pursued a career based on helping…
I became paranoid about cardiac risk factors: What autopsies taught me about heart disease
Another National Heart Week has finished and I missed it. Heart disease is a bit like this, easily overlooked despite being the commonest cause of…
