Thursday 26 April, 2007
Summary of treatment of asthma in adults
Original article by: Michael Tam :: Printer friendly
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The management of asthma is clearly and in excruciating detail described by the National Asthma Council of Australia. Last year, the NAC published the 2006 update to the Asthma Management Handbook (1) which for all intents and purposes, should be considered the “gospel” of asthma management. Nevertheless, I have a number of criticisms against the publication. According to its own introduction, it is designed as an evidence-based guideline of asthma management aimed at general practitioners. However, I question whether more than a handful of GPs would actually read the entire 157 pages of the handbook! The lack of summary pages on management is unhelpful.
This article was written to address some of the deficiencies by distilling the management of asthma in adults into digestible chunks.
Tuesday 6 February, 2007
How to write a PBS prescription
Original article by: Michael Tam :: Printer friendly
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Writing an R/PBS (repatriation/pharmaceutical benefits scheme) presciption (aka “external” script for hospital based JMOs) is easy and simple when you know how. Incredibly (looking retrospectively), I don’t think that anyone actually went through with me how to write one. I’m sure there were more than a handful of community pharmacists shaking their heads (or their fists) at my dodgey scripts when I was a resident in ED!
This article is aimed mostly at interns and residents on how to write a community R/PBS prescription.
Free medical textbooks
Original article by: Michael Tam
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I recently came across a blog by a Victorian anaesthetic registrar “gasboy07” about his exploits. I noticed on his blogroll a number of links to “free medical textbooks” and was amazed by what I found.
Chances are that these resources are somewhat illicit. Nevertheless, the convenience of being able to search through your favourite textbooks (rather than the tedium of looking through the page of contents and index) is extraordinary. In fact, it completely changes the act of studying!
Get them while they’re still available!
Saturday 6 January, 2007
The new cervical cancer vaccine
Original article by: May Su :: Printer friendly
There has been much in the media recently about the new cervical cancer vaccine, “Gardasil”. The first vaccine was initially produced in the 1990s by a team of researchers in Queensland, headed by Professor Ian Frazer; who received Australian of the Year in 2006 for his work. The vaccine was then marketed by CSL pharmaceuticals and released in 2006. It is a vaccine aimed at preventing infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV), also known as the wart virus.
There is a clear relationship to human papilloma virus (HPV) and the development of cervical cancer (1). There are more than 100 different forms of human papilloma virus (HPV), but not all of them are linked to causation of cervical cancer (2). HPV 16 and 18 are indicated in causing over 70% of cervical cancers detected. The other genotypes linked to developing cervical cancer are types 45 and 31. Types 6 and 11 are linked to the clinical manifestation of genital warts and are low risk for developing cervical cancer.
Sunday 12 November, 2006
Common MBS item numbers for general practitioners
Original article by: Michael Tam :: Printer friendly
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For better or worse, general practitioners who chose to run a bulk billing practice must wade through the arcane tome that is the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). Despite Medicare Australia’s attempts to make this volume “user friendly” with copious indices, colour coding and cross-referencing, it is nevertheless futile using it to find an item number on-the-fly. Although the MBS has now been released on-line, I still find it next to useless given its primitive search capabilities.
Know the NSW Public Hospital (Medical Officers) Award
Original artcle by: Michael Tam :: Printer friendly
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Looking back, I never even once received a copy of the Public Hospital (Medical Officers) Award when starting work at a number of NSW Public Hospitals. The Award sets out the conditions of employment for junior medical officers (i.e., interns, residents, registrars) and is set by the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW.
The second publication is a policy directive from the NSW Department of Health that I will go through.
I strongly encourage that all JMOs read through the Award. My experience is that NSW Public Hospitals (or their administration) do not follow many of the finer details of the Award when they think that they can get away with it. This is really quite disgusting. The purpose of the Award is so that your rights and entitlements are documented in stone. You shouldn’t have to fight for them.
Don’t let medical and hospital administration get away with labour theft because of your own ignorance of your employment contract and conditions.
Monday 16 October, 2006
DMARDs for rheumatoid arthritis
Original article by: Michael Tam :: Printer friendly
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Thursday 21 September, 2006
Doctors’ Health Advisory Service
Original article by: Michael Tam :: Printer friendly
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Doctors’ Health Advisory Service 24 hour helpline: (02) 9437 6552 Website: |
The Doctors’ Health Advisory Service (DHAS) operates independently and confidentially, and aims to ensure that no doctor or medical student in NSW lacks access to health care.
Wednesday 13 September, 2006
Menopause – a summary of management
Original article by: May Su :: Printer friendly
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Menopause usually occurs in women aged between the ages of 45-55 years. In general women in their peri-menopausal years are more likely to seek medical advice than the post-menopausal woman.
Sunday 30 July, 2006
Paediatric resuscitation on a card
Original article by: Michael Tam :: Printer friendly
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One of the best resources I received when I worked at The Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, was a laminated card (the size of a business card) attached to my ID badge lanyard. On this card included normal values for weight, heart rate, respiratory rate for infants and children, the correct dosage for a variety of emergency drugs as well as the recommended sizes for endotracheal tubes, nasogastric tubes and indwelling catheters by age.
