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Articles

Read the latest articles relevant to your clinical practice, including exclusive insights from Healthed surveys and polls.

By reading selected clinical articles, you earn CPD in the Educational Activities (EA) category whenever you click the “Claim CPD” button and follow the prompts. 

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Vasu Appanna
  • Clinical Articles

The human microbiome is a treasure trove waiting to be unlocked

Bacteria are at the centre of all life forms on planet earth and are the essential building blocks that make living organisms the way they are. Both the mitochondrion — found in most organisms, which generates energy in the cell — and the chloroplast — the solar energy-harvester located in plants — can be traced to their bacterial ancestors. These specialized microbes laid the foundation for the biodiversity we live amongst.

By Vasu Appanna
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Dr Linda Calabresi
  • Clinical Articles

WHO can take what contraceptive

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has developed an app that is sure to prove valuable to health professionals who manage sexual and reproductive health as part of their clinical practice. The ‘Medical eligibility criteria for contraceptive use’ app will help clinicians recommend safe, effective and acceptable contraception methods for women with medical conditions or particular characteristics that require individual consideration.

By Dr Linda Calabresi
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Prof Deborah Bateson
  • Clinical Articles

An app to prevent pregnancy? Don’t count on it

Fertility awareness apps are being championed as a new approach to contraception. In reality, while the technology may be new, women have been predicting the fertile days in their menstrual cycles to prevent pregnancy for a very long time. But the growth of the “femtech” industry, alongside a seemingly growing wave of younger women looking to move away from hormonal methods of contraception, has led to a renewed interest.

By Prof Deborah Bateson
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Dr Linda Calabresi
  • Clinical Articles

Melanoma in pregnancy

Did you know that melanoma is the most common malignancy in pregnancy? It accounts for one third of pregnancy-associated malignancies in Australia. Terrifying stuff isn’t it? Fortunately, melanoma occurring in a pregnant woman remains a very rare occurrence. But no one wants to be the doctor that misses it, especially as we all know picking it up early can, quite literally, be the difference between life and death. The really tricky part is that pregnancy does add an extra dimension to detecting and managing melanoma. For a start melanocytic naevi darken during pregnancy in one in ten women.

By Dr Linda Calabresi
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Dr Linda Calabresi
  • Clinical Articles

Podcast series for patients with advanced cancer

Cancer Council NSW has developed a fantastic new podcast series specifically for patients with advanced cancer. The series, entitled ‘The Thing About Advanced Cancer’ provides evidence-based information and practical tips for this group of patients who are often hungry for answers and guidance beyond the usual facts and statistics currently available for their condition.

By Dr Linda Calabresi
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Dr Linda Calabresi
  • Clinical Articles

Subclinical hypothyroidism in pregnancy, is it a real risk?

In the ‘largest analysis to date’, researchers have determined that subclinical hypothyroidism is associated with preterm birth but have stopped short of recommending screening. It is well-known that overt thyroid disease in pregnancy is linked with preterm birth, as defined as delivery before 37 weeks. But whether milder forms of thyroid disease make a difference has been controversial.

By Dr Linda Calabresi
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Dr Lawrie Bott
  • Clinical Articles

Understanding glomerular filtration rate

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the best single measure of kidney function. A subnormal GFR is an important early indicator of possible chronic kidney disease. However, it also does not identify the cause. It is also not a ‘catch all’, for example, in early diabetes mellitus, GFR will typically be normal or even increased, due to ‘hyperfiltration’. Optimal detection and risk stratification of early kidney disease also requires measurement of urine albumin, rather than just eGFR.

By Dr Lawrie Bott
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Dr Linda Calabresi
  • Clinical Articles

Paracetamol – the hidden harm

While the ‘opioid epidemic’ might be grabbing all the headlines at the moment, Australian toxicologists are reminding us that paracetamol is the most common drug used in overdoses in this country. What’s more the numbers of both paracetamol-related hospital admissions and liver injury have been increasing over the past decade at a rate that far exceeds the rate of population increase. According to a retrospective study recently published in The Medical Journal of Australia, there has been an average 3.8% annual increase in the number of paracetamol-related hospital admissions since 2007, and a mean 7.7% annual increase in paracetamol-related liver injury cases, whereas the population has been increasing at a rate of only 1.6% annually.

By Dr Linda Calabresi
Help for LGBTI patients
Dr Linda Calabresi
  • Clinical Articles

Help for LGBTI patients

Here is a useful resource for those GPs who have patients who are struggling with issues related to their sexuality and need more specifically tailored support. Even though there is much more awareness and openness about different sexual orientations, it is likely GPs will appreciate the support of this free counselling and referral service developed for people who are LGBTI.

By Dr Linda Calabresi
Nursing homes need to provide multicultural care
Helen Rawson
  • Clinical Articles

Nursing homes need to provide multicultural care

This week, the aged care royal commission looks at diversity in aged care, an issue becoming increasingly relevant to both residents and the staff who care for them. Diversity includes gender, sexual orientation, religion and social background. The issue is important because if we aim to offer older people and families choice and control in aged care, we must meet the diverse needs of all older people. Australia’s rich diversity is reflected in its older population. In 2016, more than one-third (37%) of Australians aged 65 and over were born overseas and one-fifth (20%) were born in a non-English speaking country. These figures have increased continually since 1981, when one-quarter (25%) of older people were born overseas.

By Helen Rawson
How music therapy can help anxious children
Elizabeth Coombes
  • Clinical Articles

How music therapy can help anxious children

According to the NHS, as many as one in eight children aged five to 19 faces a mental health challenge. And a significant number of these cases are related to some form of anxiety. Of course, a degree of anxiety or worry may be a normal state of affairs for young people – particularly when moving schools, or around exam time. But for some, anxiety can affect every aspect of their daily lives. One effective method of providing support for this anxiety is music therapy, where music becomes the main tool the therapist uses to connect and work with the patient. This kind of therapy has been shown to be effective when treating children and young people living with anxiety based disorders.

By Elizabeth Coombes
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Dr Linda Calabresi
  • Clinical Articles

Amiodarone in the aged

This week’s valuable resource award is a little different to the usual. Rather than a handy algorithm or useful assessment tool, this is, in fact an article from a recent Australian Prescriber. It’s about all the potential complications and side effects that can potentially occur with amiodarone, that reasonably popular drug that tends to get started in patients with AF and ventricular arrhythmias. In fact, the list of potential side-effects is quite extensive and not all that intuitive, particularly in elderly patients, which is why having this article bookmarked somewhere to be able to access at a moment’s notice is such a good idea.

By Dr Linda Calabresi

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