Australian Family Physician May 2005 - Skin Inflammation
Vol 34, (5):305-400
This month's Australian Family Physician explores the
issue of skin inflammation. It includes articles on occupational
dermatoses, eczema and systemic illnesses.
Itch to scratch
Steve Trumble
The words boomed out across the lecture theatre in their distinctive Germanic tones: 'I haff one of ze largest organs of sexual attraction in zis room!' It takes a lot to silence 160 first year medical students, and Fritz had what it takes.
Management of inflammatory skin conditions in Australian general practice
Janice Charles, Helena Britt, Anthea Ng
The BEACH program, a continuous national study of general practice activity in Australia, gives us an analysis of the management of inflammatory skin conditions recorded between April 2003 and March 2004. This provides a backdrop against which relevant articles in this issue of Australian Family Physician can be further considered.
Eczema - practical management issues
Timothy Ross, Gayle Ross, George Varigos
Eczema is a common, and at times challenging, condition to manage. It often involves an irritable child, concerned parents and numerous return visits. A variety of mainstream and alternative treatments can confuse both the clinician and patient.
Occupational dermatoses
Rosemary Nixon, Kathryn Frowen, Mignon Moyle
This article explores common causes of occupational contact dermatitis and details high risk occupations utilising local data. Tips for improved understanding and management of occupational contact dermatitis are also presented.
Cutaneous manifestations of systemic disease
Jennifer Cahill, Rodney Sinclair
While most patients who present with a rash have no associated systemic illness, many systemic illnesses have skin manifestations at some stage.
Management of infantile eczema
Emma King
Eczema is a very common skin condition in children. Fortunately it can be easily managed and most children will grow out of it before the age of 5 years. Eczema causes the skin to become red, dry, and itchy; your child's sleep can be disturbed by the itch associated with eczema.
Fatal adverse drug reaction to trimethoprim
Neil J Mortimer, Mark R Bermingham, Sarah J Chapple, Michael J Sladden
Trimethoprim is the antibiotic of choice for treating uncomplicated community acquired urinary tract infections.
Procedures in primary care dermatology
Antonio AT Chuh, William CW Wong, Samuel YS Wong, Albert Lee
General practitioners can provide a range of diagnostic and treatment procedures for patients with dermatological problems.
Management of benign breast conditions (part 3)
Meagan Brenna, Nehmat Houssami, James French
This is the third article in a series of breast disorders with an emphasis on diagnosis and management in the general practice setting.
Nipple discharge
The New South Wales Breast Cancer Institute.
Nipple discharge - the release of fluid from the nipple - is very common. There are 15-20 milk ducts opening onto each nipple. Discharge can come from one or more of these ducts.
Assessing fitness to drive (part 1)
Morris Odell
The requirement for general practitioners to write reports about their patients' fitness to drive will increase as the population ages and licensing criteria change.
The hazards of horse riding
F Teixeira, S Punjabi, O Dadzie, E Charakida
Case history: A healthy woman, 25 years of age, presented on a winter's day for evaluation of thigh lesions. On examination there were two symmetrical, purple, indurated plaques on the lateral upper thighs that were cold to the touch.
Standards and performance - attainment and maintenance of professional capabilities
JP Sturmberg, K Atkinson, EA Farmer
The nature of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) examination came under scrutiny in a recent debate among RACGP members, some of who suggested exploring an alternative pathway for assessment linked to continuing medical education.
Meeting the needs of patients with cancer - a GP guide to support services
Navaz Hiramanek, Brian R McAvoy
A diagnosis of cancer places huge psychological and physical demands on individuals. Early stage cancer patients will frequently experience depression and elevated levels of anxiety.
Brain teaser: Recurrent dry cough
Jerzy K Pawlak
Case history: A woman, 46 years of age, presented with recurrent dry cough and left sided chest discomfort for the
past 10 days. She is a nonsmoker. A chest X-ray was performed.
Clinical Challenge
Timothy Ross, Rosemary Nixon, Jenni Parsons
Questions for this month's clinical challenge are based on articles in this issue. The style and scope of questions is in keeping with the MCQ of the College Fellowship exam.
Consent to medical treatment
Sara Bird
Obtaining patient consent is good medical practice and a legal necessity. This article examines the duty of general practitioners to obtain consent from patients for medical interventions and outlines the process of obtaining consent.
Government involvement in general practice
Kathryn Dwan
In an increasingly regulated society it is hardly surprising that the important work performed by general practitioners has come under the scrutiny of public servants charged with implementing health policies and politicians wishing to be re-elected.
General practitioner, specialist providers case conferences in palliative care
Geoffrey Mitchell, Margaret Cherry, Rosemary Kennedy, Karen Weeden, Letty Burridge, Alexandra Clavarino, Peter O'Rourke, Chris Del Mar
Case conferences provide useful information exchange between GPs and specialist staff, and are acceptable to both parties. Much depends on the individual GP's attitude toward participation, as well as the timing of the conferences in the course of the patient's illness.
Australian Cancer Helpline
M Jefford, B Kirke, S Grogan, G Yeoman, A Boyes
The Cancer Helpline is a telephone information and support service operated throughout Australia.
Patient view on chronic illness and its care in general practice
Tim Shortus, Vanessa Rose, Elizabeth Comino, Nicholas Zwar
Computer use in general practice consultations
Derrick Bui, Chris Pearce, Elizabeth Deveny, Teng Liaw
In 1998 the Australian government sought to enhance the quality of patient care by providing general practices with financial incentive to computerise.
