Bipolar is one of the UK’s commonest long-term conditions with almost as many people living with bipolar as cancer. 1.3 million people in the UK have bipolar, that is one in fifty people. It takes an average 9.5 years to get a correct diagnosis of bipolar disorder and there is a misdiagnosis an average of 3.5 times. In this podcast Dr Thomas Round,…

In this 15 minute podcast, Dr Michael Mulholland, RCGP Honorary Secretary, talks to Dr Joy Shacklock, GP and RCGP Clinical Policy Representative for Safeguarding, about the new RCGP safeguarding standards. Joy explains the new document and the drivers behind the updates, as well as the supporting resources and how they can be used. In particular, s…

An estimated 10 million people (6 million women, 4 million men) in the UK have osteoarthritis, with an estimated 5.4 million people affected osteoarthritis in the knee and 3.2 million in the hip. An estimated 350,000 people are diagnosed with osteoarthritis each year with a median age of symptom onset of 55 years. In this podcast Dr Thomas Round, a…

Sponsored by Pfizer Limited. Pfizer has had no involvement in the editorial component of this educational material. Editorial and content decisions were made solely by the RCGP. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an RNA virus which causes respiratory infections; the most significant clinical effects are in infants and people who are elderly and h…

A person’s risk of developing cancer depends on many factors, including age, genetics, and exposure to risk factors (including some potentially avoidable lifestyle factors). In this podcast Dr Thomas Round, a GP and EKU Clinical Lead, talks with Dr Nicola Weaver, a GP and Clinical Cancer Lead in Southwark, Southeast London about familial breast can…

Both the combined and progestin-only pills are highly effective with perfect use, with a failure rate of less than 1%. However, the failure rate with “typical use” is 9%, which accounts for inconsistent or incorrect use. In this podcast Dr Thomas Round, a GP and EKU Clinical Lead, talks to Dr Toni Hazell, a GP with an interest in women's health and…

In this podcast Dr Emma Nash talks to Dr Pranav Sharma about gender bias in pain. They discuss what gender bias in pain is, and what evidence there is that it exists. Dr Sharma goes on to explain the possible reasons why it came about and what we can do to address it in our own practice.بقلم RCGP eLearning Podcast

Aspergillus is a mould which is found in soil, organic matter and sometimes in air conditioning units. Its size means that it can easily be breathed in and can cause respiratory disease, as well as pathology in other body systems including the skin and the eye. This podcast focuses on allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, a condition which is pr…

Health inequalities, the differences in health levels and outcomes between individuals and groups of individuals, are an issue of fundamental importance for general practice. For the RCGP's chair, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, tackling health inequalities is an integral part of general practice: because GPs are expert medical generalists at the heart…

More than 1 in 4 women aged 16 to 24 years report having self-harmed at some point, compared to around 1 in 10 men of the same age. Research suggests as many as two thirds of people who self-harm will have seen their GP in the month before or after an episode of self-harm. In this podcast Dr Thomas Round, a GP and EKU Clinical Lead, talks to Profes…

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in the UK, with over 40,000 new cases each year. The positive predictive value of Faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) far exceeds that of symptoms and makes FIT an important tool for triaging patients with symptoms suggestive of colorectal cancer to the right diagnostic pathway. In this pod…

In this series of two podcasts, Dr Dirk Pilat, the medical director for professional development of the RCGP, discusses the resurgence of measles in the United Kingdom. In the first part, Dr Michael Mulholland, the honorary secretary of the RCGP, reminds us of the severity of the disease, the efficacy of the MMR vaccine and how to prepare for a pot…

In this series of two podcasts, Dr Dirk Pilat, the medical director for professional development of the RCGP, discusses the resurgence of measles in the United Kingdom. In the first part, Dr Michael Mulholland, the honorary secretary of the RCGP, reminds us of the severity of the disease, the efficacy of the MMR vaccine and how to prepare for a pot…

In this podcast, RCGP Clinical Champion for veterans' healthcare Dr Emily Brookes talks with Beth Lambert, National Service Lead for Op RESTORE, and Mr Shehan Hettiaratchy, National Clinical Director for Op RESTORE, about their specialist service designed to improve physical healthcare for Armed Forces veterans. Become veteran friendly at rcgp.org.…

Depression is both under-recognised and under-treated. Only 60% of people with symptoms of depression consult a GP and of these only 60% are diagnosed. It causes significant morbidity and mortality. Mental health problems are the cause of 10% of all certified sickness episodes and depression leads to more than 3,000 deaths by suicide each year in t…

In this podcast, Dr Emma Ryan introduces the concept of gambling related harms, starting with background information on gambling in the UK and how it affects adults and children. She goes on to discuss the definition of gambling disorder, which populations are at particularly high risk, and the recent gambling white paper. The second podcast in thi…

In the second podcast in this series, Dr Emma Ryan discussed how a GP might notice that a patient is experiencing gambling harms, and what they could do about it. The podcast covers the four tiers of treatment, from local voluntary services up to residential care, as well as the rating scales which are used in both primary and secondary care, and t…

In this podcast, Dr. Anne Connolly discussed endometrial and cervical cancers, with a focus on early diagnosis. The podcast covers the different risk factors for the two cancers and how knowledge of these risk factors can help with diagnosis and prevention. As part of this the cervical screening programme is discussed, including the recent change t…

In this podcast, Dr Emma Nash talks to Professor Tony Avery, GP, Professor of Primary Health Care at the University of Nottingham, and National Clinical Director for Prescribing. Key points from the two prescribing safety modules are touched on, in the context of the Medicines Safety Improvement Programme (MedSIP) and there is discussion of how med…

Diagnosing cancer in primary care is difficult. Many patients present with non-specific symptoms and the positive predictive value of even the ‘red flag’ symptoms is low. In this podcast, Dr Thomas Round and Professor Willie Hamilton discuss the issues around cancer diagnosis in primary care, including the positive predictive value of symptoms, the…

In this podcast, Dr Emma Nash talks to Professor Derek Connolly about cardiovascular disease and lipid management. Measuring and interpreting lipid profiles and when to initiate treatment are discussed. Professor Connolly takes us through the various treatment options and their respective benefits, in light of the updated lipid pathway, and illustr…

To learn more about Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) please access the newly designed RCGP Inflammatory Bowel Disease Toolkit, which allows users to learn about IBD through different formats including three bite-sized NUBs - New Useful Bits, a 30 minute module and a recorded podcast. The toolkit provides tips to help those working in Primary Care susp…

Inflammatory bowel disease is a lifelong condition which can impact on many areas of a person’s life. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell and Dr Kevin Barrett discuss how we can diagnose inflammatory bowel disease at an earlier stage and make logical use of the tests available to us. They then go on to discuss the management of flares of the disease an…

In this podcast we talk to Dr David Kernick about the relationship between women's health and migraine. The effect of hormones and changes to the pattern of migraines throughout life are explored, and the relevance of migraines in the prescription of contraception and hormone replacement therapy is also discussed.…

In this podcast we talk to Dr David Kernick about migraine treatments and the availability of newer medications to help manage uncontrolled symptoms. Both preventative and therapeutic options are explored, in conjunction with discussion about the roles of primary and secondary care.بقلم RCGP eLearning Podcast

In this podcast, Dr Nicholas Jones, GP cardiologist, academic GP and Wellcome Trust Doctoral Research Fellow, discusses heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Left ventricular function in HFpEF is normal, or near normal - that is, 50% or greater - but with symptoms that we recognise as being of heart failure. He talks about recogni…

Despite the apparent simplicity in the two options available, the combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP) and the progestogen-only pill (POP), choosing the right oral contraceptive pill can be challenging. In this podcast, Dr Thomas Round, a GP and EKU Clinical Lead, talks to Dr Sally Higginbottom, a GP in Camden with a special interest in health i…

It's estimated that between one and two in every 100 people in the UK are affected by gout. It mainly affects men over 30 and women after the menopause. In this podcast, Dr Thomas Round, a GP and EKU Clinical Lead, talks to Dr Louise Warburton, a GP, Clinical Lead for Telford Musculoskeletal Service (TEMS) and Primary Care Rheumatology and Musculos…

Practices are well into the flu vaccination season by now, but how often do we actually stop and think about what is in the vaccinations that we give, and how we know when flu is circulating? Dr Toni Hazell talks to Professor Simon de Lusignan of the RCGP Research and Surveillance Centre (RSC). They discuss the strains of flu that are in the vaccin…

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a very common problem. In England alone, approximately 835,000 people have AF. This number is rising rapidly, and prevalence is predicted to double by 2050. This reflects the rising prevalence of risk factors, such as hypertension and obesity as well as being a consequence of population ageing. In this podcast, Dr Thomas…

In this podcast Dr George Kassianos (National Immunisation Lead for the RCGP and President of the British Global & Travel Health Association) chats with Dr Dirk Pilat (Medical Director for Professional Development of the RCGP), about the importance of immunising pregnant patients, the choice available and its benefits. Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 and …

Chronic primary pain occurs without a clear underlying condition or when the pain - including associated emotional distress and functional disability - is disproportionate to observable injury or condition. These conditions, including fibromyalgia, chronic primary headache, and chronic primary pelvic pain, affect between 1% and 6% of people in Engl…

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There continues to be questions raised around flu vaccination during pandemic times, including eligibility and whether multiple vaccinations can be given at the same time. In this podcast, Dr Dirk Pilat talks to Dr George Kassianos about the latest guidance for the 2022/2023 flu season. They cover eligibility for different age groups, vaccine hesit…

The 2022/23 flu season is fast approaching, bringing with it all the usual questions about who gets which vaccine and how to best organise a vaccination programme. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell talks to Dr. Sally Higginbottom, author of our eLearning module on influenza. Sally will delve into some of the practicalities of running a successful vac…

The National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD) was a groundbreaking publication which reviewed 195 UK asthma deaths, adult and child, that took place over one year. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell talks to Dr Shuaib Nasser who contributed to the report. They cover the different phenotypes of asthma, how this is relevant for clinical management, the fi…

In this podcast, Dr Emma Nash talks with consultant paediatric gastroenterologist Peter Gillett to examine common presentations in general practice and paediatric outpatient departments that can be attributed to functional GI disorders. Recognition and diagnosis are considered, along with management, and the important conditions to exclude are touc…

In this podcast, Professor Pali Hungin and Dr Emma Nash discuss functional gastrointestinal disorders. The podcast explores the nature of functional GI disorders, the evolving understanding of the pathophysiology behind them, and how this knowledge can help GPs manage the conditions. There is a focus on irritable bowel syndrome, including how it ma…

Primary care clinicians need a clear and structured approach to the diagnosis and treatment of people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD). This can help clinicians to identify the small proportion of people who need urgent investigation or long-term surveillance, whilst offering holistic treatment aimed at symptom improvement for the larger…

In medicine we talk about the upper and lower airway, but in fact these two tracts are continuous with each other, lined with the same epithelium and affected by the same disease processes. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell and Professor David Price discuss how this knowledge affects the management of asthma and allergic rhinitis. Patients with asthm…

Lung cancer is common and the cause of a fifth of all cancer deaths. Early detection in primary care is key in improving survival rates by enabling curative treatment. In this podcast, Dr Sally Higginbottom and Dr Steve Holmes discuss the role of imaging and screening for lung cancer. This episode was updated in October 2022, to reflect recent guid…

GPs and other NHS clinicians are often pressed for time, but there is a lot to talk about in the first consultation for a patient with eczema. In this podcast Dr Toni Hazell talks to Dr Angelika Razzaque about what should ideally be covered, whether in one appointment or split over more than one. This includes how to break the news of a chronic con…

Eczema is often seen as purely a skin disease, but it is associated with other allergic conditions and can cause significant stress for patients and their families. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell and Dr Angelika Razzaque discuss the links between eczema and other allergic illnesses, the management of hand eczema, psychological stress due to eczema…

In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell discusses the diagnosis and management of heart failure with Ahmet Fuat, honorary professor of primary care cardiology at Durham University, and Sarah Worsnop who shares her experiences of being diagnosed with heart failure at an early age. They cover the importance of the use of NT-proBNP test in patients with sympt…

Over 900,000 people in the UK are living with heart failure, and 3 million have chronic kidney disease (CKD). The prevalence of both of these diseases is rising in part due to increasing obesity and type 2 diabetes, as well as an aging population. In this podcast Dr Sam Robinson talks to Professor Ahmet Fuat, a GP Partner and immediate past preside…

Every year approximately 2% of adults seek medical attention for moderate to severe dizziness. In this podcast, Dr Thomas Round, EKU Clinical Lead, talks to Dr Devina Maru, a GP Speciality Registrar in Greenwich with a special interest in ENT and audiology and RCGP National Clinical Champion for hearing loss, about sudden onset dizziness and vertig…

In this podcast Dr Sam Robinson talks to Dr Sarah Jarvis MBE, a GP with a special interest in diabetes and a Visiting Professor of General Practice at Huddersfield University , about typ2 2 diabetes and how it interconnects with cardiac and renal pathophysiology.بقلم RCGP eLearning Podcast

There are many urban myths which circulate in the world of allergy. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell and Professor Adam Fox attempt to put the record straight regarding some of them. We will cover vaccination and egg allergy, progression of allergic reactions, the use of adrenaline auto-injectors and allergy tests which are available to buy online. …

In the UK over 3 million people are estimated to have osteoporosis and there are estimated to be over 500,000 fragility fractures that occur in the UK each year. In this podcast Dr Thomas Round, EKU Clinical Lead talks to Dr David Stephens, a locum and OOH GP in Scotland, and a member of the SIGN Guideline Development Group, concerning osteoporosis…

Approximately 4 million people in the UK have an autoimmune disease, many of whom have been affected by COVID-19, by either contracting the disease itself or negotiating the rapidly changing rules regarding shielding. In this podcast Dr Sam Robinson talks to Dr Kevin Barrett about the interaction between COVID-19 and autoimmune diseases, the concer…