She trusted her mother who swore she was vaccinated. The blood test said otherwise
The young woman sat in my consulting room, there to talk about getting proof of her vaccination status for the allied health course she was…
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No doctor dies wishing for another on-call shift, so why is striking a work-life balance so hard?
One of my favourite questions to ask other doctors is: “If I was to take your job away from you right now, what would you…
Fresh air, playtime and empathy with incontinence — my patient’s return to the toddler room
Change is difficult to accept at both ends of life. I once witnessed (via video chat) my grandson, then aged two-and-a-half, arrive home from childcare…
Why isn’t this relatively cheap treatment for major depression more widely available?
Recently, I spoke with AusDoc about my journey from psychiatry inpatient to medical student — via some electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This period was an important…
$250,000 for a private investigator? You won’t believe the ludicrous legal costs in this medical negligence claim
This opinion piece is about the ludicrously high legal costs claimed for in a medical negligence claim. The only facts I have to work with…
Porn, lobster and a bag of faeces: The weird and wonderful items patients have brought me
Thinking back over my three-and-a-half decades of GP practice, I have been surprised by the diversity of things my patients have brought along to me. …
It’s time to stop dancing around VAD and properly integrate it into end-of-life care
Talking about death with patients is never easy, and the topic of voluntary assisted dying (VAD) adds an extra layer of complexity and sensitivity. VAD…
My message to younger doctors: Step up, not away, as your patients reach their end
Once upon a time, a wiser, older and more silvery fox than I began to dabble in the newly recognised area of palliative care. Previously,…
Why are we so quick to criticise other doctors when things go wrong?
Why are we so ready to criticise colleagues? We’re encouraged to develop empathy for our patients. Why can’t we be empathetic towards each other? ×…
The tragedy of baby Robbie: We need to talk about meningococcal B
Every doctor has patients they can’t forget. Sometimes, they are not even our own patients. But for all kinds of reasons, their stories stay with…
