Australian Family Physician November - Bites
Vol 38, (11) 849 - 944
The theme for the November issue of AFP is Bites. This
month's articles include Bites and stings, Spider bites - Assessment and
management, Management of mammalian bites, Dengue - Clinical and public
health ramifications & Bed bugs - What the GP needs to know
Once bitten
Kath O’Connor
Since I started commissioning articles for this ‘Bites’
issue of Australian Family Physician, I have been collecting
unusual bite stories.
General practice and the NHHRC report
Jan Radford
The long awaited National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC) report has the potential to be the tonic
needed to reinvigorate Australia’s general practice
community.
Letters to the editor
The opinions expressed by correspondents in this column are in no way endorsed by either the Editors or The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Bites and stings
Janice Charles, Salma Fahridin, Helena Britt
Of the 426 bite or sting problems managed, 312 (73%) were
caused by insects. There were 114 other types of bites
recorded, the most common being dog and spider bites.
Spider bites - Assessment and management
George Braitberg
Spider bite is common, but most species cause minimal or no
effects. Patients may be misinformed regarding the nature and
consequences of a bite.
Management of mammalian bites
Claire Dendle, David Looke
Mammalian bites are a significant public health problem
in Australia, with the majority of bites coming from dogs.
Complications include tissue damage from the bite itself,
infection and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dengue - Clinical and public health ramifications
Danielle Esler
Dengue virus infection is spread by the mosquito vector
Aedes aegypti and causes significant morbidity and mortality
worldwide.
Bed bugs - What the GP needs to know
Stephen L Doggett, Richard Russell
Since the mid 1990s, there has been a global resurgence of
bed bugs (Cimex spp.), which are blood feeding insects that
readily bite humans. Patients suffering with bite reactions are
increasingly presenting to medical practitioners.
Influencing behaviour change in general practice - Part 1 – brief intervention and motivational interviewing
Moira G Sim, Toni Wain, Eric Khong
Behaviour change toward achieving a healthy lifestyle is important
for all Australians, and general practitioners have a key role to play in
assisting patients to make these changes.
A purpuric rash
Ingrid Aguayo-Leiva, Sergio Vano-Galvan, Jose-Maria Arrazola
Kelly is 28 years of age and a recreational sea swimmer and surfer.
He presented with a rash on both arms of 6 months duration.
Pandemic preparedness - Risk management and infection control for all respiratory infection outbreaks
Annapurna Nori, Mary-Anne Williams
There has been substantial effort and activity in regards to pandemic planning, preparedness and response, mainly in the realm of public health. However, general practitioners and other primary care providers are important players in the health response to a pandemic.
Asthma and eligibility for the Australian Defence Force
Jodi Bailey, Felicity Williams
Entry to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for candidates with
asthma has recently changed.
Clinical Challenge
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. The quiz is endorsed by the RACGP Quality Assurance and Continuing Professional Development Program and has been allocated 4 CPD points per issue.
AFP in Practice
AFP in Practice questions are designed to get you started in a small group learning (SGL) activity in your practice or with colleagues. Requirements to earn 40 Category 1 CPD points for a SGL activity are: minimum of four and a maximum of 10 people, minimum of 8 hours of discussion in a year, and at least two GPs.
Vertical integration - Reducing the load on GP teachers
Katrina Anderson, Jennifer Thomson
With the increased medical student numbers in Australia there is an
expectation that general practice will train students, junior doctors
and registrars, and the teaching burden for busy general practitioners
will rise.
Health care reform - Facing inequities
Mark Harris, Julie McDonald
There are large differentials in the health of the most and
least advantaged Australians and primary health care has an
important role to play in reducing these.
Will the NHHRC recommendations drive quality performance?
Andrew Bonney, Elizabeth A Farmer
General practice is the heart of the Australian health care
system, addressing the health needs of people, in their
communities and in diverse locations and contexts across
Australia.
To treat or not to treat
Sara Bird
This article discusses a recent Supreme Court of Western Australia
case which examined a patient's right to refuse to consent to
medical treatment.
'I'm a happy little Vegemite, doctor!'
Declan O'Malley
At the onset of a mild Victorian winter, four enthusiastic,
fresh faced Irish general practice registrars made their way to
Australia on an academic and cultural exchange.
Weight management - Facts and fallacies
Garry Egger, Sam Egger
There is a great deal of misunderstanding about the facts around
weight loss among health professionals, and the general public.
Collaborative care - The role of practice nurses
Mark A J Morgan, James Dunbar, Prasuna Reddy
Comorbid depression can occur with diabetes and heart disease.
This article reports on a feasibility study focusing on additional roles
for practice nurses in detecting and monitoring depression with
other chronic diseases.
Older patients' attitudes to general practice registrars - A qualitative study
Andrew Bonney, Lyn Phillipson, Sandra C Jones, Don Iverson
iResearch suggests that older patients may be reluctant to engage
general practice registrars (GPRs) in their care.
ASPREN surveillance system for influenza-like illness - A comparison with FluTracking and the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System
Adriana Parrella, Craig B Dalton, Rodney Pearce, John C B Litt, Nigel Stocks
General practitioners play an important role in the detection and
clinical management of influenza.
Improving GP diabetes management - A PDSA audit cycle in Western Australia
Cynthia Porter, Charlie Greenfield, Ann Larson, Marisa Gilles
Tight glucose, blood pressure and lipid control in patients with diabetes
can reduce morbidity and mortality from macro- and micro-vascular
complications.
