Clinical

The prevalence of acute pancreatitis is between 5 and 30 per 100,000 population worldwide. It also represents the most common cause for gastrointestinal hospital admission in the United States.2 The main causes of acute pancreatitis are alcohol and gall...

More research has been urged after the creator of a breakthrough test for detecting Alzheimer’s disease said the test could be combined with daily doses of ibuprofen to eliminate the disease. In a recently published Journal of Alzheimer's Disease paper,...

Key considerations and a recommended course of action when a pharmacist is asked to supply medication to a third party. Scenario: A 20-year-old man approaches a community pharmacist, requesting the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) for his 18-year-old girlfriend. The man tells the...

Local community pharmacists play a vital role in improving health outcomes for LGBTI people and people living with HIV. There has been greater recognition of the health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) Australians among an increasing...

Status epilepticus is a medical emergency. It is commonly defined as 30 minutes of continuous seizure activity, or repeated seizures without full recovery of consciousness between attacks. However, as epilepsy seizures generally only last several minutes, the general consensus...

A 33-year-old woman was seen by an obstetrician. The patient did not know if she had previously had chickenpox. Her varicella-zoster antibody titre signified non-immunity. She had not been vaccinated. Three months later, she became pregnant. She was told...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been ranked as serious a threat to society as terrorism. With millions of lives at risk, and trillions in GDP potentially lost, antibiotic misuse must be prevented to avoid widespread resistance. Today, no-one expects a scratch...

With over-the-counter (OTC) codeine products being upscheduled, pharmacists and pharmacy staff need to review and understand every patient’s pain. In doing so, there’s an opportunity to provide better care and develop deeper relationships with those customers. Much debate and uncertainty...

Schizophrenia is a chronic illness characterised by a range of symptoms including positive and negative symptoms. Examples of positive symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, and bizarre and inappropriate behaviour. Negative symptoms include affective flattening, lack of speech, lack of motivation...

A 74-year-old man who had been self-medicating with antacids for recurrent indigestion consulted his GP when symptoms persisted for three months. After assessment, his GP prescribed a proton pump inhibitor and arranged review in four weeks. Two months later the...