We never want to lose the doctor patient relationship in General Practice. It’s the most valuable part (and the most rewarding part) of our vocation and service as GPs. If we can have technology in the background rather than in the way, I think we can strengthen this. Facebook is one example.
Here’s another. Step one: buy a gaming keyboard. Step two: Program some macros. Step three: Spend more time with Our Valued Patients and less with our technology and medical software!
Here’s me cutting my login time to zero. It’s one small step for Dr Nick….
16 macros to go…
Be Better (thanks Dr Ajay Naidu for the flattering pictures!)
What do you think?. Is this part of the future? Too soon?
Not what you want? Let me know. In the meantime, we’re all still here for you at Partridge Street General Practice, face to face, IRL 😎
Not so long ago it was quite hard to contact Your GP. You had to phone the practice to make an appointment (some waiting), come to the practice (more waiting), and then sit in the waiting room (more waiting). We live in an instant world and we seek convenience. How can technology give you more of what you want while Your GP gives you more of what you need? Try this!
More and more of our valued patients are choosing to book online but You can still call Partridge Street General Practice and we’re always happy to talk to you. You can also email us or contact us here for non-urgent inquiries, remembering that email is not a secure form of communication.
Imagine if you could ask some simple questions of Your GP, without waiting on the phone or sitting in the waiting room. Simple questions that have been asked of me in the past:
When should I come in to see you next?
I lost my script, what do I do?
I was discharged from hospital, what next?
We never want to lose the doctor patient relationship in General Practice. It’s the most valuable part (and the most rewarding part) of our vocation and service as GPs. If we can add to it, by improving communication before a face to face consult, I think we can strengthen this. We have a trial project with free access to a secure app where you can speak with me (not Facebook!). It’s not for urgent consultations! It’s free to sign up – you only pay if you use it.
What do you think – tell me here (or on the app!) about what you think. Is this part of the future? Too soon? Not what you want? Let me know. In the meantime, we’re all still here for you at Partridge Street General Practice, face to face, IRL 😎
The first two commercial shipments of medicinal cannabis products to be legally imported to Australia have arrived in Melbourne and Perth, following action taken by the Australian Government. Patients have expressed interest in this and so here is what we know:
Just revisiting an old post after listening to a great podcast – ‘The Good GP‘. It got me thinking. We know that General Practice is a good thing and reduces hospitalization rates (and hence healthcare costs) – but how can we measure this in our own practices?
Professor Barbara Starfield’s work clearly demonstrates that countries with a strong GP-centred system have much better health outcomes than countries that don’t.
We have all wished for superpowers – I know I have! Flying, changing the past, and predicting the future would all be fantastic abilities to have. I can’t promise the ability to fly, nor can I give you last weeks winning Lotto numbers prior to last weeks draw. However, I can predict the future for you. At some point in the future, all of us will be unable to make decisions for ourselves. We may be unlucky enough to be in an accident, have a severe illness, or we may just be facing the final stages of a long life well lived, but the time will come. I was lucky enough to hear Dr Chris Moy speak eloquently on some changes to the law here in South Australia that will give all of us the power to have decisions made for us, according to our wishes, if we cannot express them at the time.
Why is this important?
This is why.
From SA Health:
From 1 July there will be a clear decision-making framework and new protections for health practitioners when they find themselves in the difficult position of trying to determine what someone in their care might want, at a time when their patient’s ability to make decisions is impaired.
Plan Ahead
The new Advance Care Directive Form replaces the existing Medical Power of Attorney, Anticipatory Direction and Enduring Power of Guardianship with a single Advance Care Directive Form (however any of these existing forms will continue to have legal effect post 1 July 2014).
The Advance Care Directive Form allows individuals to appoint substitute decision-makers and/or to clearly document their values, wishes and instructions with respect to their future health care, living arrangements and other personal matters.
Most nursing home residents want CPR if their heart stops in the belief they’ll have a good outcome, a national survey reveals.
While survival rates after cardiac arrest are as low as 5% for older people receiving CPR, a survey of more than 2000 nursing home residents found 44% believed they had a good chance of recovering.
“This view is perhaps not surprising given that opinions about the likely outcomes from CPR are often informed by television medical dramas,” said researchers from Monash University.
The misplaced perceptions likely explained why 53% of residents expressed a desire to receive CPR in the event of cardiac arrest, they added.
“These findings highlight the need for older people to be better informed about cardiopulmonary resuscitation, including a clear understanding of what is involved … and a realistic perception of outcomes,” they suggested.
The researchers said the wide gap between expectations and reality also showed the need for novel approaches to end-of life planning in nursing homes.
A new ‘Goals of Care’ model had been developed to replace the old ‘Not For Resuscitation’ orders, they noted.
Under this system, the doctor could assign a patient to curative, palliative or terminal phases of care, based on an assessment of their likely treatment outcomes.
“This transfers the technical medical decision-making responsibility to a physician, who can work with the preferences of the patient or resident, but has an understanding of how likely it is for victim to achieve their previous health state,” the authors explained.
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