Reality check: GPs are now regarded as expensive script vending machines
The patient sits down at the start of their 15-minute appointment and pulls out their list. My face betrays the surge of anticipatory anxiety inspired…
Medical Observer
Unique doctor-written opinion and analysis
I’d be rich if I had a dollar for every unwanted comment about my weight
Something I’ve struggled with my whole life is my weight. Not because I’m unhappy with my body, but because others seem to be. × Welcome…
From lipid rage to toilet rapture: A tale of two patient letters
The highs and lows of being a patient are sometimes communicated to the GP by an appreciative letter, and sometimes by one of searing complaint.…
What a dying patient’s handshake taught me about life and love
I was working in my oncology ward as usual when I received a call from the ICU to evaluate a patient. The patient was a…
We have ways of tracking patient deterioration. So why aren’t we using them to save lives?
I like to look back at my career — both the successes and the failures. Although I am now non-practising, I believe I have insight…
I watched my mother die a slow death: VAD laws need to change
I have just spoken the eulogy for my mother, who died aged 99.333 years of age. She was a tough old bird, having knocked on…
Australia is being menaced by managed care: We’d be foolish to ignore the warning signs
They say everything is bigger in America — cars, coffee cups, and, as I recently saw firsthand, corporate control over healthcare. The US health system…
I’d rather deal with drunks and criminals than a bullying supervisor: My message to junior doctors
Not all that long ago, I watched a surgeon publicly dress down a young registrar for writing up a bag of magnesium for a post-op…
My patient demanded a 2am telehealth consult: She thought her request was reasonable
Over the years, I have seen how people expect doctors to remain reasonable no matter how unreasonable they themselves are. For example, a mother with a…
A win for patients or medicalising ‘normal’? Why I’m uneasy about GPs diagnosing ADHD
The recent announcement that NSW GPs will be allowed to diagnose and treat ADHD raises concerns for this old silver fox. Over the past few…
