Medical

“You never know when you might have a day when the pain is so bad that you can do little other than rest and give into it”. This is not an uncommon situation with osteoarthritis (OA). Joint pain and reduced movement from OA can often impose limits on what people can do. In this interview we discuss options for pain relief.

Responsible prescribing of opioids means evaluating the risk and benefits for each individual patient and prescribing only for the right patient, at the right dose, and for the right length of time. To minimise the harm caused by opioid prescription medicines, regulatory changes are currently being implemented to ensure the safe and effective prescribing and use of opioids, while maintaining access for patients who need them. In this interview we discuss these changes and what they mean for GPs managing pain.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex disorder with many treatment considerations such as symptoms, exacerbations and medication side effects. In this interview, we discuss the recent updates to COPD-x guidelines, and some new real-world data which compares the safety and efficacy of LAMA/LABA/ICS to LAMA/LABA therapy.

Sexual difficulties are common. They’re even more common in people who are depressed. And they’re even more common again in depressed people who are taking antidepressant therapies. It’s important to include sexual functioning as a routine part of practice. So in this interview we discuss the when, where and how?

GPs are positioned in a prime spot to give patients a better chance of re-engaging in society on a personal level, relationship, and workplace level. In this interview we discuss some important tools such as providing patients with psychoeducation on that first point of contact, having a shared decision-making model and managing metabolic parameters.

The concept of chronic disease monitoring and prevention to stop negative outcomes is key to managing osteoporosis. In this interview we discuss what GPs can do to help keep patients on their osteoporosis treatment.

There seems be a great deal of misunderstanding about the actual risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw (MR-ONJ), so in this interview, we’re going to discuss osteoporosis and the potential risk of medication-related MR-ONJ and how dentists and medical practitioners can work together to ensure the best outcomes for their patients.

This audio file contains all 7 interviews on this edition.

• Track 1, How to ease osteoarthritis pain
• Track 2, TGA opioid reforms & PBS changes – impact on pain management for GPs
• Track 3, Avoiding confusion in COPD
• Track 4, The multi-layered relationship between depression and sexual dysfunction
• Track 5, Moving forward with schizophrenia management
• Track 6, Getting practical about preventing fragility fractures
• Track 7, Osteoporosis Update: Putting the risk of ONJ in perspective

To view reference lists or product information please go to the individual tracks.

Australia has had a very challenging start to 2020. In January and February we had so many bushfires that blanketed much of our country, and then we went into a global pandemic. We know that both viral and environmental factors can be huge triggers for asthma, which means it’s never been more important for our asthma patients to take their regular medications and be aware of their triggers to protect them against exacerbations.

Severe asthma is a serious problem that places a heavy burden on individuals and on their families. In Australia, seven out of 10 patients with severe asthma say they are impaired at work, and three out of 10 say they’ve missed work due to their health. The recent availability of targeted biologics has changed the treatment approach for patients with severe asthma.  So what do GPs need to know?