Guest Post: Doug Phillips – Men’s Health and Beer – Enemies or Allies?

February 1, 2021 by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in General Practice, Glenelg, GP, health, How to, Influence, Information, Men, Men's health, Men's Health Week, Mental health, PartridgeGP, patient info, thoughtoftheday

So, personally I’ve been one month OFF alcohol now. I’ve booked in to run a half marathon and will get back towards the glory days! However, I’ve still made time to catch up with Doug Phillips of Hallmark Commerical and his Men’s Health group, at some pub venues around Adelaide. For me, there has been no beer. For others, a couple. No one has felt the need for more. It’s been great. Enough about me, let’s hand over to the man, the myth, the legend – Doug Phillips!

Before we start here, it’s probably important to clarify that I’m not a Health Care Professional. Not at all. In fact, I’m a construction industry professional. By now you may be wondering what business I have writing a blog about men’s health for a medical practice, and that makes two of us. But here we are, so let’s just see where this goes.

The closest I come to being qualified to comment on anything health-related is my association with a group that (funnily enough), revolves around two topics that are normally considered ‘unhealthy’. Beer and pub food. I organise a group of blokes who get together once a fortnight at a different pub each week, to have a few beers and enjoy some pub grub.

PARMY AND A PINT.

Beer and parmys aren’t the focus of the group though. They are the two interests we all have in common, but the group is actually about promoting men’s health. Our fortnightly meetups are designed to be an environment where men can talk openly about anything they want, which promotes discussions about physical and mental health. Two topics that Australian men are notorious for neglecting.

Most of the time we just talk non-health-related stuff though. Sport, women, work, kids, the usual topics. Occasionally something will come up in conversation that leans more towards a mental health discussion, and that’s great, but not imperative. Just having a space where men can feel relaxed and off-guard without fear of being labelled weak or a “pussy”, is often all the respite required to allow men to relax and recharge.

THIS IS NO ‘LOCKER ROOM’.

The group is organised through a Facebook group, which can be a risk sometimes. We aim to be non-judgemental and promote healthy attitudes. But a group consisting solely of blokes can sometimes find itself with memes or other content posted that border on sexist or unhealthy. For example, the relationship between men, their women, and their beer, or jokes about drinking that seem funny at first, until you drill down and realise that they are only funny due to our unhealthy attitudes towards drinking in Australian culture.

So neither the group, its outcomes, its members, or its management are perfect, but that’s part of the point really. In a world where men can often feel like we’re expected to be perfect, while constantly having it pointed out how far from perfect we are, sitting back with a beer and a deep-fried chunk of meat amongst other men who don’t expect perfection is a little vacation in the lives of men who want to do better, and are actively attempting to do so.

SCIENCE TOLD ME TO DO IT.

There are a plethora of articles out there suggesting that beers with your mates down the pub is actually good for your health (Google “Study Suggests Blokes Should Enjoy A Pint At The Pub With Their Mates Twice A Week“). So if you’re finding that you often feel frustrated, anxious, depressed, unsatisfied, or any other negative emotions, perhaps what you need is a pint at the pub with your mates, but regularly.

FOR THE GREATER GOOD.

And Ladies, please don’t take this just as an excuse for your man to get on the piss. That’s not what this is about. In fact, men who look after their mental health well are generally better husbands, fathers, and members of society. I might be that all you need to do to help your man be the best man he can be, is to drop him off at the pub and pick him up a few hours later. Pretty easy really. I know less about women’s health than I do men’s health even, but logic would suggest that a regular pub night for you Ladies would be a great idea too.

Pub Night. I’m a fan, most blokes are. And if the path to great men’s health is made easier by having a few pints at the pub with your mates, then it seems like a no-brainer to me.

Thanks Doug, love your work (and if you think his writing is good, wait until you see how good he is at his day job!). Men, if you’re keen to explore this further – in a group, or in a consult, hit the links above or below, for the NOMAD Hotel Social Club, or PartridgeGP!

PartridgeGP works with you to help you make your best health decisions, and we won’t back away from being your companion, guide, advisor, and sounding board through your health journey. We pride ourselves on great communication and we’re ready to share our professional skills and knowledge with you. This is only MORE important now, in the time of a global pandemic with a new vaccine on the horizon. The way forward is clear: make your appointment with us conveniently online right here – or call our friendly reception team on 82953200.

Better, for you.

Want more?

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For everyone, we believe that having a usual GP or General Practice is central to each person’s care and recommend that people with any health issues that come to the attention of other health professionals should be advised to attend their usual GP or General Practice rather than a specialised service (ie a place not providing the holistic care a specialist GP would). If they say that they don’t have a usual GP or general practice, they should be helped to find one and to actually attend it. Call PartridgeGP on 82953200 or make an appointment online here.

(Hat tip: Dr Oliver Frank)

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If you’re employed, get a side hustle and get into business. If you’ve already got a business, get a network. Want to get started? Find your tribe here!

If you are a great GP or a great Allied Health Professional, and you want to serve your clients or patients to the best of your ability, without worrying about all the non clinical things that get in your way, lets talk. Call Mrs Hayley Roberts on 8295 3200 and have a coffee and chat with us as to how PartridgeGP can help you to help others.

slippers

January 23, 2021 by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in future, General Practice, Glenelg, GP, health, How to, Influence, Information, Medical, Men, Men's health, News, PartridgeGP, patient info, thoughtoftheday, Virus

The vaccines are coming!

Win, lose, or draw in 2020, you would have had to have been living under a rock to not be aware of the virus. It has coloured every aspect of life. People have died, people have lived, elections have been influenced, Presidents have fallen. How are we going to move past this? Let’s have a look at Bayesian thinking. Bayesian decision making involves basing decisions on the probability of a successful outcome, where this probability is informed by both prior information and new evidence the decision maker obtains. The statistical analysis that underlies the calculation of these probabilities is Bayesian analysis.

Bayesian thinking is probabilistic thinking – rather than this will or won’t happen, we consider what is more or less likely to happen. This applies to risk. As Jim O’Shaughnessy has said, ‘we are deterministic creatures living in a probabilistic world’. We want certainty. We get probabilities. Vaccines are not 100% effective or 100% safe (NOTHING IS). Neither are masks, nor social distancing, nor even simple hand sanitiser. Yet all of these, little by little, piece by piece, will lower our risk so we can get back to the new normal of life. Better probabilities, not 100% certainty. More poetically:

PartridgeGP works with you to help you make your best health decisions. We will take you through the risks as we see them – online, through our social media, our email newsletters, and in our consultations with you. We pride ourselves on great communication and we’re ready to share our professional skills and knowledge with you. This is only MORE important now, in the time of a global pandemic with new vaccines on the horizon. The way forward is clear: make your appointment with us conveniently online right here – or call our friendly reception team on 82953200.

Want more?

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

(Hat tip: Dr Oliver Frank)

(TL;DR – Get a regular GP or General Practice and use them!)

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

If you’re employed, get a side hustle and get into business. If you’ve already got a business, get a network. Want to get started? Find your tribe here!

The Golden Month v2.0

January 21, 2021 by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #justagp, Comprehensive, Empowering, General Practice, Glenelg, GP, health, How to, Information, Medical, Men, Men's health, New doctor, News, Occupational medicine, Partridge Street General Practice, Professional, Return to work, Self help, Workcover

A guest post by the excellent Dr Kar Loong Ng of Next Generation Occupational Medicine – NGOM.

Time. Timing. Such a critical aspect of Medicine. When a patient is in VF (Ventricular Fibrillation) the medical team has seconds, tens of seconds to act before the probability of successful resuscitation decreases exponentially. Act too fast (not yelling ‘CLEAR’) whilst activating the defibrillator and they risk hurting a team member and losing further precious seconds whilst the machine recharges. Act too slow and the patient is lost forever.

The same principles apply for non-emergency musculoskeletal workplace injuries. More often than not, I encounter patients, employers and insurers who request for MRIs at early stages of injury when there is no medical indication. The fact of the matter is, there is very little correlation between most MRI findings and the patient’s current injury or problem. Kind of like seeing all the imperfections on footy player’s faces on a 4K TV during a game. Additionally there are quite a large number of studies that show that early spinal MRIs that are not medically indicated often result in poorer outcomes and disability. I once saw a worker who was in such severe pain due to his belief that his ‘discs are squashed, bulged and spinal cord and nerves crushed’. When viewed I his MRI scans and told him that there is mild bulging of his lower 2 lumbar discs , his immediate response was “That’s where my pain is !! Between my shoulder blades……..”

Another example is that of shoulder impingement syndrome. A subacromial injection early on the injury is not going to be of benefit if the patient is not aware of how to perform rotator cuff exercises. An injection too late will also have less chance of success.

It is all about timing. Right, Roger Federer?

I previously wrote about Specialised Early Intervention and Second Opinion Medicine. With both services, we have been able to successfully rehabilitate a good proportion of complex worker injuries to normal work, alternative work, new employment or community restoration. Unfortunately some patients do not do so well. Being a sub-specialist practice, all our patients are referred from GPs. Despite extensive communication to the GP community, employers, insurers and rehabilitation providers emphasising the importance of early referrals, our earliest referral over the past few years has been 7 weeks post injury. This was an outlier, with the average referral being 6 to 9 months old. Well…….it beats my record a few years back when I saw a 50 year old man (with a six-pack) who had been on benefits since 19 and could not remember which leg his sciatica was on………..

Successful Early Intervention requires implementation at 2 to 3 weeks post injury. Some people refer to it as ‘The Golden Month’. For complex worker injuries, there is now good evidence that screening and intervention at day 1 of injury result in a significant reduction in disability and cost.

We are now in the process of implementing this with the introduction of services to GPs. The aim is to provide patients, workers and employers with a personally tailored comprehensive suite of medical and allied health care, as well as quick but well-timed access to medical sub-specialists.

I feel like I have been playing the game of RISK over the past few years. Disability is the enemy. I hope this strategy contains it.

Thanks Kar – it’s inspiring to see the passion you have for returning injured workers to work! Getting you better is what we’re about at PartridgeGP and so we’ll be working together with NGOM whenever we see injured workers.

Here to Help

Our Doctors at PartridgeGP are Here to Help Injured Workers – you can meet them here.

Want more?

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(Hat tip: Dr Oliver Frank)

(TL;DR – Get a regular GP or General Practice and use them!)

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If you’re employed, get a side hustle and get into business. If you’ve already got a business, get a network. Want to get started? Find your tribe here!

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Olympic Tennis and New Doctors at PartridgeGP

January 21, 2021 by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in Female, future, General Practice, Glenelg, GP, health, How to, Influence, Information, Medical, Men, Men's health, New doctor, News, PartridgeGP, patient info, thoughtoftheday

2021 – apparently the year of the rescheduled Olympics. Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics are agonizing over whether to hold the event amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in Japan and around the world. We live in Australia, arguably the greatest place to live in the world at any time, and certainly while there is a global pandemic. Australia has the benefit of being a wealthy island and is actually quite hard to get to. This applies to viruses, people, but not tennis players…

Heads up guys, with all the controversy about whether virus particles get through masks (spoiler – where there is low community transmission of COVID-19, wearing a mask in the community when you are well is not generally recommended. However, where there is significant community transmission (as determined by jurisdictional public health authorities), you may choose, or be required to, wear a mask. If physical distancing is difficult to maintain, for example on public transport, covering your face with a mask can provide some extra protection), I can reveal that virus particles get through the holes between the cross strings and main strings on a tennis racquet!

My $0.02 is that the Australian Open should go ahead, with firmly enforced quarantine rules, and the players should accept that the standard of play and injury risk will be different to previous years and compete (or not) accordingly. A further $0.02 worth of thoughts from me is that the Olympics should be a virtual event this year, as far as is possible, and should be sponsored by Zoom.

Parts of a Tennis Racquet With Video & Diagram for Beginners

Yesterday, we introduced our new and existing allied health providers – today, it’s our new GPs and non GP specialist doctors!

Dr Ciara Peddell completed her medical training at the University of Tasmania in 2014. Since then she has worked in hospitals and GP practices in Townsville and Brisbane. She completed the Diploma of Child Health in 2017 through the University of Sydney and received her RACGP fellowship in 2019. Dr Ciara is looking forward to moving to Adelaide in January to start her work at Partridge GP.

Dr Elias Salagaras completed his medical training through the University of Adelaide in 2017. He is enthusiastic about child health, having completed rotations at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. He was also worked throughout the Central Adelaide Local Health Network, and the Whyalla Hospital. He is looking forward to bringing all of this recent knowledge to his specialist GP training! He will kick off the new year with a great mindset and our Great Team here at PartridgeGP!

PartridgeGP is proud to welcome Dr Nick Brook and the EastWestUrology Team to our premises at 670 Anzac Highway! Another Dr Nick I hear you say – this Dr Nick is a specialist urologist: Urology is the surgical and medical management of problems of the male and female urinary system, and male reproductive system. There is some overlap with other areas of medicine and surgery, and sometimes joint care is required. Dr Nick is joined by Dr Dan Spernat, Dr Mark Lloyd, and Urology Nurse Specialist Louise, to provide a comprehensive service from PartridgeGP, for both males and females with urological (bladder and kidney and prostate) issues.

Dr Katherine Astill commenced her specialist General Practice training with PartridgeGP in August 2017, returned in August 2019, and is back again from February 2021! She graduated with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy from the University of South Australia in 2009 and furthered her education with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from Deakin University in 2013. After holding positions with the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, she decided to specialise in General Practice, with a special interest in Women’s and Children’s Health completing her Diploma of Child Health in 2016. Dr Katherine has a passion for holistic care and preventative health. She is also a strong advocate for a plant based diet and healthy lifestyle and looks forward to helping people with both of these.

PartridgeGP works with you to help you make your best health decisions. We pride ourselves on great communication and we’re ready to share our professional skills and knowledge with you. This is only MORE important now, in the time of a global pandemic with a new vaccine on the horizon. The way forward is clear: make your appointment with us conveniently online right here – or call our friendly reception team on 82953200.

Want more?

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

(Hat tip: Dr Oliver Frank)

(TL;DR – Get a regular GP or General Practice and use them!)

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

If you’re employed, get a side hustle and get into business. If you’ve already got a business, get a network. Want to get started? Find your tribe here!

I like steak

January 8, 2021January 7, 2021 by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in carb, Diet, General Practice, Glenelg, GP, Grass fed, health, How to, Influence, Information, LCHF, lowcarb, Men, Men's health, Men's Health Week, Natural, News, PartridgeGP, patient info, prevention, Self help

I like steak. It tastes good, it looks good, and I think it is good for you (like everything, everything in moderation). My preferred steak is grass fed, thickly cut, with a generous fat content, well marbled, and cooked with love, care, and attention. Cattle are meant to graze on pasture, not corn, and not soy. I am listed on Low Carb Down Under and am very happy to give medical advice on medical issues to do with Low Carb, Healthy Fat (LCHF) eating and diet. You can read some of my previous posts on this here, here, and here.

I wrote earlier this week about the theory of maximum taste, where our minds are defined by their upper limits; the best content they are used to consuming regularly. Whether it is the content you read, the food you eat, or the company you keep, better quality improves you and your life. To this end, I like to source good quality steak. This requires time, effort, energy, and investment. I know my local butchers well. They know me. They will often have exactly what I want (sometimes knowing what I want better than I do) and will have it packaged up for me and ready to go in far less time than others would. This is very valuable to me. I liken this to the service we provide at PartridgeGP – high quality, relational, and proactive. We add value.

Now, all this service and value comes at a cost. My local butcher is a little bit more expensive than my local supermarket. They don’t open from dawn until midnight. They don’t open on a Sunday, or even late on a Saturday afternoon. I have to plan ahead; if I don’t organise myself during opening hours, I sometimes find myself steakless. Thankfully, there is a solution to this with my local supermarket being open for the vast majority of the week. They always have steak and I can grab some whenever. It’s cheaper, it’s generally not grass fed, or well marbled, or thick, and usually has supermodel amounts of fat. I am very grateful that my local supermarket exists. They provide a different level of service and value. I shop there far less often than at my local butcher but convenience is a virtue all of it’s own. I liken this to the value proposition from some other medical providers.

Just like with your food, your reading, and the company you keep, pick your medical care mindfully in 2021, and invest that time, effort and energy into your health. You can make your appointment with us conveniently online right here – or call our friendly reception team on 82953200.

Where to from here?

(Hat tip: Dr Oliver Frank)

(TL;DR – Get a regular GP or General Practice and use them!)

If you’re employed, get a side hustle and get into business. If you’ve already got a business, get a network. Want to get started? Find your tribe here!

Welcoming Dr Nikhil Tamminedi to PartridgeGP

April 16, 2020April 16, 2020 by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #justagp, Comprehensive, Empowering, Glenelg, GP, GPsCAN, health, How to, Information, Medical, Men, Men's health, Natural, New doctor, News, PartridgeGP, Professional, Training, Virus, Winter

Dr Nikhil Tamminedi commenced his specialist General Practice training with PartridgeGP in February 2020. He completed his undergraduate medical training at the University of Western Sydney. Prior to commencing General Practice training, Dr Tamminedi worked two Post Graduate years in metropolitan hospitals in New South Wales with a focus on surgical disciplines and emergency medicine. His particular interest include skin, minor surgery, and respiratory medicine. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and travelling..

Dr Nikhil has quickly settled in and has hit the ground running with the rest of our Great Team here at PartridgeGP!

PartridgeGP is an accredited General Practice and is further accredited by our Regional General Practice Training Provider GPEx.

This means that the GPs at PartridgeGP are teaching the Doctors and Medical Students who will be the future of medicine in Australia. It’s a big responsibility and a privilege we take very seriously.

All of our doctors here at PartridgeGP are fully qualified ‘Fellows’ (or are studying towards this) holding a specialist qualification with either the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) or the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (FACRRM) or both (3-4 years of full time study and 3 exams on top of an undergraduate university medical degree and supervised trainee ‘intern’ year in a hospital). This is our minimum specialist standard and we may have other qualifications and skills.

Our Fellows provide supervision and advice to our Registrars and you may find that they are called in to consult with the Registrar on your case. ‘Registrars’ are qualified doctors who have completed their hospital training and are now embarking on their General Practice training. Some may already have other qualifications in medical or other fields.

We also supervise and teach Medical Students from Flinders University. They are still studying to become doctors. All of us – Fellows, Registrars, and Medical Students – make up the Clinical Team here at PartridgeGP with our excellent Practice Nurses. We all uphold the highest standards of privacy, confidentiality, professionalism, and clinical practice.

Dr Nikhil Tamminedi is a valuable member of our growing Clinical Team!

Dr Zoe Teh

Dr Gareth Boucher

Dr Nici Williams

Dr Penny Massy-Westropp

Welcoming Dr Phillip Maddocks to PartridgeGP

April 16, 2020 by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #justagp, Comprehensive, Empowering, Glenelg, GP, GPsCAN, health, How to, Information, Medical, Men, Men's health, Natural, New doctor, News, PartridgeGP, Professional, Training, Virus, Winter

Dr Phillip Maddocks commenced his specialist General Practice training with PartridgeGP in February 2020. Raised in Adelaide, he studied and practiced in NSW, and then returned to Adelaide earlier this year. Becoming an accomplished GP has always been his career goal and he is eager to commence community-based work. I’m passionate about paediatrics, emergency medicine, sports medicine, and teaching. Prior to my career in medicine I held numerous leadership positions across both business and sport, attaining many skills which are transferable to working in medical teams.

Dr Phil has quickly settled in and has hit the ground running with the rest of our Great Team here at PartridgeGP!

PartridgeGP is an accredited General Practice and is further accredited by our Regional General Practice Training Provider GPEx.

Dr Phillip Maddocks is a valuable member of our growing Clinical Team!

Dr Zoe Teh

Dr Gareth Boucher

Dr Nici Williams

Dr Penny Massy-Westropp

Secrets Healthy Men know with PartridgeGP and Coles

October 6, 2019October 6, 2019 by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #justagp, Comprehensive, Depression, Diet, Empowering, General Practice, Glenelg, GP, health, How to, Information, Medical, Men, Men's health, Men's Health Week, Mental health, Natural, News, Pap smear, PartridgeGP, prevention, Professional, Training, Virus, Winter

Tim Ferriss asked a question in his book Tribe of Mentors.

‘If you could put a message on a billboard, to be seen by millions (or billions) of people, what would you say?’

I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to answer this in real life when a journalist from Coles contacted me. They wanted to know a GPs views on Men’s Health. The article we produced is here (and reproduced below). This is in the Coles Health and Beauty magazine – they have printed 500,000 copies of this! What was that one message I wanted to get across?

dr nick tellis coles health and beauty the money quote — The Message!

Our practice, PartridgeGP, our GPs, and the rest of our team are here for you. No billboards needed – just book in for an appointment 😎

Men’s Health Week 2019 at PartridgeGP

June 13, 2019June 13, 2019 by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #justagp, Anxiety, Comprehensive, Depression, Diet, Empowering, Exercise, General Practice, Glenelg, GP, Grass fed, health, How to, Influence, Information, LCHF, lowcarb, Medical, Men, Men's health, Men's Health Week, Mental health, Natural, News, Occupational medicine, Partridge Street General Practice, Physiotherapy, Professional, Psychology, Return to work, Self help

June is Men’s Health Month and June 10-16, 2019 is Men’s Health Week at PartridgeGP. Men are important and Health is important so let’s look at some issues in Men’s Health.

Do you look after yourself like you do your car?

From the Men’s Health Week website:

A boy born in Australia in 2010 has a life expectancy of 78.0 years while a baby girl born at the same time could expect to live to 82.3 years old. Right from the start, boys suffer more illness, more accidents and die earlier than their female counterparts.
Men take their own lives at four times the rate of women (that’s five men a day, on average). Accidents, cancer and heart disease all account for the majority of male deaths.
Seven leading causes are common to both males and females, although only Ischaemic heart disease shares the same ranking in both sexes (1st). Malignant neoplasms of prostate (6th), Malignant neoplasms of lymphoid, haematopoietic and related tissue (7th) and Intentional self-harm (10th) are only represented within the male top 10 causes.

Smoking, Skin Cancer, Suicide, and So Much Alcohol

The above figures are taken from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Furthermore, there are specific populations of marginalised men with far worse health statistics. These marginalised groups include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, refugees, men in prison or newly released from prison and men of low socioeconomic standing.

Men’s Health Week has a direct focus on the health impacts of men’s and boys’ environments. It serves to ask two questions:

What factors in men’s and boy’s environments contribute to the status of male health as indicated in the table above?

How can we turn that around and create positive environments in men’s and boy’s lives?

We’re going to ask and answer those questions this week. Stay with us online and in person – we’ve got your back!

GET A GREAT GP!

(Here’s some we made earlier)

Melanoma May – and Uveal (Ocular) Melanoma at PartridgeGP

May 2, 2019May 2, 2019 by Dr Nick Tellis, posted in #justagp, Care plan, Comprehensive, Empowering, General Practice, Glenelg, GP, health, How to, Influence, Information, Medical, Men's health, News, Partridge Street General Practice, prevention, Professional, Self help, skin, skin cancer

Marissa Wreford writes (thank you!), and Dr Ian Kamerman from Northwest Health passes on:

May is Uveal Melanoma month.

Each year approximately 7 out of one million individuals are diagnosed with some form of Uveal (Ocular) Melanoma. Around half of those people will develop metastatic disease (Stage IV). Whilst average survival time has increased from 6 months to three years since my diagnosis in 2017, metastatic uveal melanoma still has a 5 year survival rate of just 15%.

The best chance of survival is early detection. This May do something for your health, and the health of your eyes – a very underrated, yet essential, sensory organ.

So remember to go and get a dilated eye exam. A standard eye checkup with your optometrist may not show small changes, which when found early can make a big difference. Don’t take your eyes for granted. Don’t think that wearing sunglasses or eating “organic foods” and general healthy choices will spare you or someone you love from this disease. Research regarding lifestyle risks are still to this day inconclusive. Your best chance is, and likely always will be, early detection.

So this May ask specifically for a DILATED eye exam. Then continue to do this every May.

Use Ocular Melanoma Month as a reminder to give your eyes some love.

And for the rest of your skin:

Dr Nick Mouktaroudis is a GP and co-owner at PartridgeGP. He’s passionate about health education, has a special interest in Skin, and a lot of expertise to share when it comes to helping people cope with and improve Skin Conditions. With our recent move we thought back to how we started Skin Cancer Surgery and Medicine at PartridgeGP and the story is below.

Imagine a perfect day in a perfect General Practice. Focus on a busy yet unrushed GP, consulting with another valued patient. The flow of the consult is perfect, the communication great, everything is as it should be.

We have to imagine days like this because they very rarely occur. Flow is fleeting and perfection is often aimed for and seldom reached.

Going back to that consult, we can see that the GP is busy – but is definitely not unrushed. You can feel the pressure in the room as the patient seeks answers and closure and the GP senses the minutes ticking by. The consult comes to a close and both stand, the patient heading towards the door, the GP wishing them well, the patient’s hand is on the door and then. It happens.

‘By the way Doc, what do you think of this?’

The GP turns away from the flashing screen and sees, across the room, a spot on the patients leg.

Should we get the patient back at a later date? Offer reassurance we don’t feel confident giving?

Or, as the GP in this story does, do you reach for the dermatoscope, call the patient back, and look. There’s no such thing as a quick look and so the light comes out, the gel is applied, and a good thorough look is had.

It’s an ugly duckling, a chaotic little mishmash of colours and globules.

It would turn out to be a nasty – a nasty better appreciated in the pathologist’s dish than in the patients bloodstream.

A good result.

At the end of the day, the GP sat and wondered how this could be avoided in the future – how could we improve and be better. These challenges see us but we do not always see them.

This was our practice and so we had to change.

Plan

Study

Act

Patient safety is paramount. We decided to solve for quality improvement and patient safety at the same time and made the decision to upskill one of our GPs, Dr Nick Mouktaroudis. He undertook multiple courses and extensive study in Primary Care Skin Cancer Medicine, Surgery, Therapeutics, and Dermatology. Following this we spent time and money upgrading our procedure facilities, equipment, and systems to support Dr Nick. We then allocated time for dedicated skin checks and adjusted our online booking and reception protocols.

These were the first steps and in conjunction with our most recent AGPAL accreditation we have repeatedly run through this cycle, improving every time. We now have dedicated times for skin checks and skin cancer surgery, as well as protocols, systems, and education supporting Dr Nick and the other GPs in the practice. Patients enjoy seeing a GP they know and trust who can deliver appropriate care at a Primary Care level and price point. We receive great feedback from patients and local sub-specialists. It’s a clear win for patients, GPs, and our practice – and the mindset of continual quality improvement that we share with AGPAL was the way to get there.

What is a Skin Check?

A Skin Check is a Comprehensive Skin History and Examination which is done at PartridgeGP.

Your GP will ask you questions to assess the extent of Your risk/exposure to UV radiation and Your risk of solar related cancers.

They will examine you head to toe, examining the skin surface, focusing on any areas of concern (including the eyes, mouth, and anywhere else you may have noticed any spots, lumps, or bumps).

Are there any tools used for the Skin Check?

A proper examination needs proper equipment and we use handheld LED illumination with magnification as well as polarised light and clinical photography.

A dermatoscope is used to examine specific skin lesions. This is a particular type of handheld magnifying device designed to allow the experienced examiner to further assess skin lesions and determine whether they are suspicious or not.

Who should have a Skin Check?

We encourage all Australians over the age of 40 to have a Skin Check annually. Australians have one of the highest rates of skin cancers in the world.

Australians who have above average risks should be having Skin Checks before the age of 40 and sometimes more than annually.

You should have a Skin Check at any age if You are concerned about Your skin or particular skin lesions/areas.

We ask You to identify any lesions of concern prior to the Skin Check wherever possible.

These may include new lesions that You have noticed or longstanding lesions that may be changing in some way or that You are concerned about. If You are worried – Ask!

Risk factors for skin cancer

People at higher risk of skin cancer are those who:

have previously had a skin cancer and/or have a family history of skin cancer

have a large number of moles on their skin

have a skin type that is sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and burns easily

have a history of severe/blistering sunburns

spend lots of time outdoors, unprotected, during their lifetime

actively tan or use solariums or sunlamps

work outdoors

Does My GP take photos of My Skin?

During a skin check at PartridgeGP Your GP will ask Your Specific Consent to take photos if they are concerned or want to make note of a particular skin lesion.

Photographs are useful as an adjunct to description of the lesion and act as a reference to position and comparison if required.

The photos will be uploaded onto Your Private Medical Record at PartridgeGP.

What if My GP finds something?

This will depend on what Your GP has found.

If they are concerned about a particular skin lesion they may suggest a biopsy to clarify the diagnosis.

A biopsy is a surgical procedure during which they take an appropriate sample of tissue from the lesion of concern and send it to a pathologist for review.

Generally pigmented lesions (coloured spots), will be biopsied in their entirety whereas non pigmented skin lesions may be sampled partially if the lesion is too large to sample in its entirety.

The results of the pathology report will guide further treatment.

Your GP may elect to treat without a biopsy if they are confident of the diagnosis.

This may include freezing/cauterising a lesion, cutting it out (excising), or offering topical treatments such as creams.

Biopsies are scheduled in the PartridgeGP theatre and our Practice Nurse will assist Your GP.

What do I wear for a Skin Check?

Comfortable clothing.

Your GP will ask to examine you down to your underwear.

A sheet or towel will be provided for you to preserve your comfort and dignity.

A chaperone (Our Practice Nurse) is always offered.

Please avoid makeup or nail polish as the Skin Check involves the face and skin under the nails.

How long is a Skin Check?

Allow half an hour for Your GP to perform a thorough history and examination.

Do I need to see My GP or should I see a dermatologist?

GPs are Primary Care Physicians on the front line of Skin Cancer detection.

All GPs can check your skin, though not all GPs have formal training or a specific interest in skin cancer medicine and dermatoscopy.

Dr Nick Mouktaroudis has trained extensively in General Practice, Skin Cancer Medicine and Surgery, and has formal qualifications in Skin Cancer Medicine.

Dermatologists are non-GP specialists in all skin conditions including Skin Cancer Medicine and Surgery although some will focus on other skin conditions.