Deadly Health Jobs – inspiring the next generation of Indigenous health professionals
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Health Professionals make valuable contributions to healthcare across Australia through their clinical and cultural knowledge skills. Creating sustainable career pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers in the health sector is vital to help close the gap in Indigenous...
Researching Remotely
You just can’t miss it. A grass green building with multi-coloured panels representing our frangipanis, sea and sand. The Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicines (AITHM) Tropical Research Centre (or as locals like to call it – the colour-colour building) was officially opened last fortnight on Thursday Island....
Rheumatic ❤️ Disease
‡ Yesterday I saw a four-year-old boy with school sores. The day before my colleague saw a 16-year-old girl with a fever and knee pain. Last week our visiting paediatric cardiologist saw an eight-year-old girl with a new cardiac murmur. Last month our clinic health worker saw a 25-year-old male receiving...
Living Remote – How to survive and thrive as a doctor in rural Australia
I have been privileged to call Thursday Island home for the last three and a half years. Initially I planned to commit for a year, but I soon fell in love with the island and it became home. The medicine is unlike anywhere else in Australia, the community is...
Ring, ring, why don’t you give me a call?
The phone rings. I wake from a deep sleep slightly panic stricken. It takes me a minute to comprehend that I’m in bed and on the phone to a nurse from an outer island. They run through their patient’s story, requesting advice. It takes me another minute to realise...
Non-sterile gloves for abscess I&D?
The clinic nurse was setting up for an incision and drainage (I&D) of an abscess. After opening the dressing pack and laying out the necessary equipment, she inquired about my glove size. I replied “small”. She said, “oh no, Doc, what size STERILE gloves?” This made me question a...
Multi-Dinghy Multi-Trauma: Triaging a multi-casualty with a phone and some blank paper
Note: The purpose of this site if to provide free open access medical education (FOAMed) in the context of rural and remote health. Though all stories have been inspired by real cases, all identifying details such as names, ages, locations and background descriptions have been thoroughly changed to ensure...
Deadly App
Here is a list of apps that we use in our day to day rural and remote medical practice. This is a follow on from our list of online resources we can’t live without! You can check them out here. What apps would you add to the list? ...
Silos in health care: how can we master them?
A friend of mine recently had a baby. Let’s call her Amy. She lives in one of Australia’s many quaint country towns. This week, in addition to managing the usual sleep deprivation and adjustment that comes with a newborn, she also had several appointments to attend. She saw her...
The Torres Approach to Hepatitis B
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is widespread in the Torres Strait. Over the last few years there has been a focused effort within the medical team to devise a strategy to ensure safe and appropriate diagnosis and management of CHB. Extensive consultation with the local workforce and relevant specialists guided...