Clinical tips: Complementary Medicines
Ben Basger casts a critical eye on the evidence base for complementary and alternative medicines Multivitamin/mineral and complementary/alternative medicines are used either daily or occasionally by approximately three quarters of …
Clinical tips: Antipsychotics
Ben Basger casts a critical eye on the use of antipsychotic medicines in non-psychotic illness Antipsychotics are prescribed for their sedative and tranquillising effects in very disturbed or aggressive patients; …
Clinical tips: Medical Cannabis
Ben Basger takes a look at some issues around medicinal cannabis, including the fact that data is still very much emerging Speaking to our Professor of Pain Management and Palliative …
Clinical tips: dementia
Ben Basger takes a look at the question of “what to do” when it comes to dementia Every general practitioner in Australia sees several new cases of dementia each year. …
Clinical tips: stroke
Ben Basger takes a look at the modifiable risk factors for stroke A recent Australian study reported that low education is associated with increased stroke risk, (BMJ Open 2018. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024070) …
Clinical tips: discharge
Keep an eye on patients being discharged from hospital, as they may have been prescribed a potentially inappropriate medicine, writes Ben Basger Would you know if an older patient of …
Clinical tips: Sun care
Ben Basger looks at poor sunscreen adherence, drug reactions to sunlight and how to handle a sunburn Ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause a lot more besides sunburn, such as photoageing, …
Clinical tips: allergic rhinitis
Don’t just let patients self-select a swallowed antihistamine… an intervention could really help, writes Ben Basger There is an interesting table in the Australian Medicines Handbook that lists the symptoms …
Clinical tips: bone health
All strategies to prevent or manage osteoporosis are not created equal, writes Ben Basger Did you know that the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners published online a document called …
Clinical tips: asthma
Ben Basger takes a look at helping patients with asthma better control the condition Do you have any patients on Symbicort 400/12 mcg or Seretide 500/50 mcg inhalers? Have they …
Clinical tips: statins and cholesterol
Just how much benefit is there in giving statins for secondary prevention for those 80 and over? wonders Ben Basger Do you have patients taking statins who have aged into …
Clinical tips: palliative care
Palliative care needs to be all about the patient, writes Ben Basger Do you think palliative care is about helping people die or helping people live? If people either with …