Why do we struggle to listen to patients properly?
In medical school, we are taught the 90-second rule: avoid talking during the initial stages of a consult to elicit the patient’s concerns and agenda.…
Tag: Art of Medicine
I’m a doctor with hearing loss: Here’s my story…
How do I begin to explain how it feels to grieve the loss of something intangible? I remember that first moment in the waiting room,…
Can an older GP be taught new tricks? What Dr Vivienne Tedeschi learnt going ‘back to school’ in her 60s
After dreaming of practising obstetrics since medical school, GP Dr Vivienne Tedeschi finally took the plunge while aged in her 60s to train as a…
What’s happening to our acute care skills? The broken heart of general practice
Dr Ashraf Saleh is a Queensland GP — for now. He is leaving the specialty due to what he sees as its diminished scope, the…
The gentle probe of the tongue that changed a patient’s diagnosis and my perspective on medicine
“Dance with the one who brought you.” This phrase is often attributed to legendary American football coach Darrell Royal. There have been lots of interpretations…
Why this registrar plays chess with a retired doctor living in aged care
ICU registrar Dr Aquib Chowdhury, 31, volunteers to regularly visit a doctor living in aged care as a way of giving back to the profession.…
What should GPs charge patient no-shows? $50 appears to be the magic number
Patients not showing up at appointments is a growing problem in general practice, according to an AusDoc survey of GPs, as well as Dr Mukesh…
Functional disorders: top-down or bottom-up?
Need to know: Patients with functional conditions are frequently over-investigated and yet still misdiagnosed. But even with the correct diagnosis, a systematic approach to management…
24 surgeries in 24 years: The remarkable story of Dr Caitlin Rutherford-Heard
“The doctor didn’t come to speak to me afterwards. They didn’t tell Mum and Dad that the surgery hadn’t worked. “They didn’t visit me in the ICU or on the ward. I never had a follow-up appointment. …
Why the next generation of doctors could shun city practices
“My most memorable case where I had to put my foot down was an 18-year-old tradie apprentice who had put a circular saw across the…
