Australian Prescriber Podcast

David Liew talks to gastroenterologist Varan Perananthan about his article on diagnosis and management of eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE). Varan explains the causes and symptoms of EoE, why the prevalence has been increasing, and how to differentiate EoE from gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Also discussed are dietary approaches for identifying food triggers and pharmacological treatments for EoE. Read the full article by Varan and his co-author, Rebecca Burgell, in Australian Prescriber.

Laura Beaton talks to Leonie Callaway, Obstetric and General Physician and Director of Research at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, about her article on the management of pre-existing diabetes in pregnancy. Leonie talks about maternal and fetal complications and the importance of high-quality preconception care, factors that can affect glucose control and the benefits of continuous glucose monitoring, and postpartum care. Read the full article by Leonie and her co-author Fiona Britten in Australia Prescriber.

Laura Beaton speaks to Karen Magraith, GP and immediate-past president of the Australasian Menopause Society, about treatments for menopausal symptoms. They discuss the benefits of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and how to choose the most suitable preparation, as well as duration of therapy and nonhormonal treatment options for those with contraindications to MHT. Read the full article by Karen and her co-author, Christina Jang, in Australian Prescriber.

Dhineli Perera sits down with Adam Nelson to discuss updates in the management of hypercholesterolaemia. Adam explains how triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol differ in their links to cardiovascular disease. He provides useful tips for checking a lipid profile and highlights other tests that may be helpful when assessing a patient with hypercholesterolaemia. Adam also explains the latest in treatments for reducing LDL cholesterol concentrations and what this means for the role of statins. Read the full article by Adam Nelson and Stephen Nicholls in Australian Prescriber.

Jo Cheah chats with clinical pharmacologist Richard Day about off-label prescribing. Ric explains why off-label prescribing occurs, the barriers to getting new indications added to a drug's approved label, and the potential risks of off-label prescribing without sufficient evidence. Read the full article by Richard Day in Australian Prescriber.

Justin Coleman sits down with Lee Fong to discuss the changes to the latest version of Therapeutic Guidelines: Dermatology. Lee talks about misconceptions around the use of topical corticosteroids, tailoring treatments to the subtype of acne, and management tips for scabies, sweating disorders, psoriasis and much more.

Dhineli Perera and Andrew McLachlan, Dean of The University of Sydney's Pharmacy School, talk about the 2022 National Medicines Policy. Andrew gives an overview of the refreshed Policy, what's changed, and how the Policy can be implemented into practice. Read the full article by Andrew and his colleague, Parisa Aslani, in Australian Prescriber.

Dhineli Perera chats with clinical pharmacologist and fellow podcast host David Liew about Australia's top 10 drugs over the last 2 years. David explains the relationship between the PBAC and the PBS and the different ways the top 10 drugs are presented, and offers some insights into why particular drugs are on the lists. Read the full articles for 2021-22 and 2022-23 in Australian Prescriber.

Laura Beaton speaks to psychiatrist David Castle about enhanced physical health monitoring for people with schizophrenia and the unique challenges to implementing preventive health care in these patients. David discusses modifiable physical health risk factors and how these can be addressed as part of a multidisciplinary holistic approach to care. Read the full article by David and his co-author, Amy Li, in Australian Prescriber.

Jo Cheah speaks with Jodie Austin, a clinical informatics specialist, about using new technologies to deliver health care. The conversation focuses on using digital health to improve prescribing and medication management, through the use of digital dashboards and machine learning. Jodie also outlines the role of the clinician in the developing digital world. Read the full article by Jodie Austin and her co-authors in Australian Prescriber.

Dhineli Perera talks to Geoffrey Sussman, an expert on wound management, about the latest updates in the field. The conversation covers the importance of identifying the cause of a wound and tailoring the treatment accordingly. Geoff also provides useful tips for assessing wounds, the difference between acute and chronic wounds, and best practice for applying wound dressings. Read the full article by Geoffrey Sussman in Australian Prescriber.

Jo Cheah and endocrinologist Benjamin Sly discuss devices for self-monitoring blood glucose concentrations. The conversation covers both capillary (fingerprick) monitoring and continuous blood glucose monitoring, the types of monitoring devices available to patients and their different features. Ben explains how to select the most appropriate device. Read the full article by Benjamin Sly and his co-author Janet Taylor in Australian Prescriber.

SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists now have well-established cardiovascular and renal benefits. What does this mean for their role in the management of type 2 diabetes? Justin Coleman chats with endocrinologist and clinical pharmacologist, Tilenka Thynne, about this and other updates to Therapeutic Guidelines Diabetes.

David Liew talks to Ketaki Sharma, a staff specialist at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, about the latest developments in COVID-19 vaccines and what the future of vaccination looks like in Australia—who needs boosters and which vaccine should they have? Read the full article by Ketaki and her co-author, Jean Li-Kim-Moy, in Australian Prescriber. This interview was conducted on 21 October 2023. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation released recommendations on the use of monovalent Omicron XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccines on 20 November 2023.

David Liew speaks with infectious diseases physician Ella Meumann. They discuss the latest developments in COVID-19 testing and how the pandemic affected our virus-testing strategies. Read the full article by Ella and her co-author, Jennifer Robson, in Australian Prescriber. This interview was conducted on 28 August 2023.

Laura Beaton talks to Professor Gayle Ross, a Dermatologist at Royal Melbourne Hospital, about treating atopic dermatitis, otherwise known as eczema. If you're itching for more information on the latest treatment options, this conversation will scratch that itch! Read the full article in Australian Prescriber.

Dhineli Perera talks to Dr David Liew, clinical pharmacologist and rheumatologist, and Elizabeth Su, clinical pharmacist. David and Liz share their experiences working in medicines stewardship and outline the objectives and broad strategies used in stewardship programs. Read the full article in Australian Prescriber.

Justin Coleman chats with GP and addiction specialist, Dr Hester Wilson, about Therapeutic Guidelines' first ever Addiction guidelines.

A spoonful of sugar? Dhineli Perera chats with pharmacist Lucinda Smith about some of the tricks and tips that help make the medicine go down. Read the full article in Australian Prescriber.

Justin Coleman chats with Professor Nick Zwar about the latest changes to the Australian Asthma Handbook. These include updated advice on exercise-induced asthma, dosing information, and use of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation.

Justin Coleman chats to gastroenterologist Chris Rayner about gastrointestinal disorders – from the top to the bottom.

David Liew chats with rheumatologist Lyn March and trainee physician Jimmy Zhu about the latest in osteoporosis – how to assess risk, lifestyle factors, and the drugs used to treat.

Dhineli Perera chats to infectious diseases specialist Anna Ralph about acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Who gets these conditions, how are they diagnosed, and how do we manage them?

Dhineli Perera chats to nephrologist Gopi Rangan about autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease – simple interventions, drug treatment and pain management.

Laura Beaton chats to sexual health physician Michael Lowy about the causes, assessment and management options for men with erectile dysfunction.

Normally used as a glucose-lowering agent in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, SGLT2 inhibitors have been found to have beneficial effects in patients with heart failure and kidney disease. Jo Cheah finds out more from cardiologist John Atherton.

Justin Coleman chats to infectious diseases physician Emily Tucker about one of the more common presentations in primary care – sore throat.

Many people with well-controlled asthma are prescribed unnecessarily high doses of inhaled corticosteroids, which can increase the risk of adverse effects and costs for patients. Laura Beaton chats with respiratory physician Helen Reddel about how to step down treatment.

To image or not to image? When is imaging recommended for patients presenting with headache? Laura Beaton chats with neurologist Jason Ray.

Justin Coleman chats to Charmaine Tate about how to prevent, prepare for and manage injuries incurred from being exposed to the great outdoors.

Laura Beaton chats with Psychiatry Professor Jayashri Kulkarni about the effects of the oral contraceptive pill on mood.

Many drugs can interfere with antiretroviral therapy. Dhineli Perera chats with Yasmin Hughes, an advanced trainee in sexual health medicine, about the importance of checking potential interactions when prescribing other medicines.

David Liew chats with Jo-Anne Manski-Nankervis about using technology to bring clinical guidelines into practice, removing some of the barriers to their use.

Patients with obesity often need help with hunger suppression to maintain the weight loss achieved by diet. What drugs are used, and how do they work? David Liew chats with obesity clinician Professor Joseph Proietto.

Some commonly prescribed medicines can cause severe damage to the skin and internal organs. Jo Cheah chats with infectious diseases physician Jason Trubiano about how to identify the drugs responsible and assess the allergy.

When and for whom should home oxygen therapy be prescribed, and what is the evidence behind it? David Liew chats with respiratory physician Christine McDonald.

What are the issues surrounding rational prescribing of oral antivirals for COVID-19? David Liew chats with clinical pharmacist Amy Legg and infectious diseases physician Andrew Henderson.

David Liew talks with clinical pharmacology registrar Gloria Wong about some of the challenges involved in the pharmacological management of chronic non-cancer pain in frail older people.

Cluster headache is one of the worst pains that can be experienced. Apart from the pain, what distinguishes a cluster headache from other headaches, and how do you go about treating them? Dhineli Perera finds out from neurologist Jason Ray.

Tobacco smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and illness in Australia. Jo Cheah chats to GP Colin Mendelsohn about the most effective ways to stop smoking.

What's the latest management advice for anxiety, insomnia, dementia, suicide risk and personality disorders? Justin Coleman chats to GP Nick Carr who is one of the authors of the 8th edition of the Psychotropic guidelines.

Dhineli Perera chats to Australian Prescriber Editor John Dowden about the top 10 drugs prescribed last year in Australia and their costs to government. How have these drugs changed compared to previous years, and why?

Ashlea Broomfield talks to Medical director of Family Planning NSW Deborah Bateson about medical abortion – a safe, cost-effective alternative to surgical abortion in early pregnancy that can be provided by GPs.

David Liew talks to haematologist Cecily Forsyth about this common yet under-recognised condition that can cause a range of non-specific symptoms such as lethargy, irritability and restless legs.

Justin Coleman chats to Nick Lennox, one of the authors behind the latest update to the Developmental Disability guidelines, which involves a strong focus on what to look out for as a GP.

Tendinopathy, aortic disease, retinal detachment… These are just some of the adverse events which may be linked to fluoroquinolones. Dhineli Perera chats to Diva Baggio about the evidence for these effects, and the associated risk factors.

Could patient groups be compromised by accepting pharmaceutical industry sponsorship? Ashlea Broomfield chats with clinical researcher Lisa Parker.

Jo Cheah chats with nephrologist George Mangos about high blood pressure disorders that can occur during pregnancy, and how best to manage them.

Ashlea Broomfield chats with clinical pharmacist Geraldine Moses about the potential adverse effects from some commonly used vitamins and minerals, especially when taken in high doses.

Justin Coleman chats to hepatologist Alex Thompson about livers and what can go wrong with them, including hepatitis B, C and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.