Specialty

Ophthalmology. Many patients either present with bilateral disease or progress when having the macula affected in one eye, to both eyes within a few years. The key clinical question is; how clinical practice should be adapted when moving from unilateral to bilateral anti-VEGF therapy. In this interview we discuss pragmatic considerations to reduce the burden of bilateral anti-VEGF injections while mitigating any additional risks.

Ophthalmology. Since the introduction of anti-VEGF therapies, real world outcomes have generally not been as good as those observed in the trials. The question is whether this is due to the use of reactive approaches to therapy or whether proactive approaches to therapy might actually be better, and is there any evidence for ophthalmologists moving to proactive therapy. We discuss some of these questions in this interview.

Respiratory. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the disease course can be unpredictable, progressing rapidly in some patients and quite slowly in others. Patients need to know about the diagnosis and the treatment, to be informed about survival and palliative care, and what life is going to be like. So at what point do you give this information?

Respiratory. A lot has changed in the world of pulmonary fibrosis in the last few years, in terms of what treatments are available and what this means for our patients. We now have options to slow disease progression down and to prolong life, listen to learn more.

Psychiatry: Evidence-based medicine and treatment effectiveness are important considerations when treating individuals with schizophrenia. We don’t have a medicine cookbook, instead we need our clinical experience and knowledge, together with the relevant evidence. In this interview we discuss how to evaluate the evidence that is presented to us.

Psychiatry. Trauma is much more common than people often estimate it to be, so why do some people present with PTSD after trauma while others don’t? This is just one of the questions covered in this comprehensive interview with Prof. McFarlane, who’s research has focused on the epidemiology and longitudinal course of PTSD as well as the neuroimaging of the cognitive deficits in this disorder.

NEW Psychiatry. Patients with schizophrenia want the same things we want in life, they want to return back to life, having a sense of purpose, being able to have their symptoms improve, where they can go back to having relationships with those around them. How can we achieve this post-discharge from hospital?

NEW Psychiatry. In this interview we speak with Prof. Roger McIntyre, named as one of ‘The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds’! We discuss the heterogeneous nature of depression and how to minimise residual symptoms, such as tiredness or the inability to concentrate when treating depression.

NEW Neurology. How can we fill the gap between available therapies and more advanced technologies used to treat Parkinson’s? In this interview we discuss how to manage patients experiencing unpredictable off periods out in the community, as well as the involvement of movement disorder clinics and the necessary assistance and infrastructure.

NEW Neurology. Where do we go when patients continue to have symptoms? In this interview we discuss the practicalities of continuous infusions, intestinal gels and deep brain stimulation, including key considerations when deciding between them and the need for early identification and education.