The media horror stories about spinal cord stimulators risk denying my patients a better life
Pain medicine is what I do every day. The art of pain management is difficult, and the journey is long. When it comes to spinal…
Medical Observer
Unique doctor-written opinion and analysis
Do you feel challenged when your patient requests a second opinion?
When a patient asks for a second opinion, it’s natural for doctors to worry that their expertise is being challenged, or to feel nervous that…
Do NSW psychiatrists deserve a 25% pay rise? Here’s my take as an emergency doctor
Watching from afar, the new US regime’s changes to the management of healthcare, superimposed on an already dysfunctional system, elicit a sense of foreboding. The…
My first year of medical school was sudden death — an era of big egos and elitism
Recently, I was given a copy of a paper, published in the Australasian Annals of Medicine in November 1962, entitled ‘The Art of Medicine’. It…
Has a patient asked to record a consultation? It’s worth thinking twice before saying no
Ever been faced with a patient asking if they can record the consultation, or suspected that a patient is recording covertly? Recording healthcare consultations is…
Social media is awash with medical lies: As doctors, we have a moral obligation to fight back
A tweet on X, dated 2 January 2024 and attributed to Elon Musk, stated that “heavy use of C-sections allows for a larger brain, as…
Sharing my personal history brought me closer to my patients — some boundaries are meant to be broken
In these troubled times, I feel a responsibility to increase awareness of history’s lessons and the role of the individual in fighting tyranny to create…
The doctor–patient tango: How I avoid a misstep before the consult turns frosty
Dr John Launer recently shared his favourite question to throw in mid-consultation: “How is this conversation going for you so far?” It helps him figure…
For me, telehealth is a revelation – sometimes it’s better than seeing patients in person
My move into emergency telemedicine, after decades of public hospital practice, has been a revelation. I like to call this type of practice ‘community emergency…
Is Trump totally wrong to withdraw the US from the WHO?
Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw the United States from the WHO has been met with dismay in the public health field. Some have called one…
