Eighty thousand spectators hold their breath as they watch the penalty. Hushed anticipation. Fearful will he hold his nerve, handle the pressure, cope with the stress. But, is it that important? Nobody dies. Not like the decisions you make every day. For a surgeon or anaesthetist, fatal outcomes can be immediate. For others their mistakes […]
Category: Domhnall MacAuley
Domhnall MacAuley: Docs in the box—at International Forum on Quality & Safety in Healthcare
We live in our own little boxes. Maureen Bisognano from the Institute of Healthcare Improvement , in her keynote address, told us we need to get out of our own little boxes if we are to improve healthcare. Quality improvement means breaking out of silos. She told us we needed to focus more on our […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Cycling spo(o)ked
At the Commonwealth Games I met the cyclists. At the end of each day we grouped together in the television room to watch the edited highlights of the Tour de France. Towards the end of the Games, I went to watch the road race and was hooked. As the sun went down on my first […]
Domhnall MacAuley on Andy Murray, exercise tsar.
Andy Murray is the new Scottish Government Physical Activity Champion. No, not Andy Murray the tennis player. A real athlete—an elite ultra distance runner, Edinburgh GP, and sports medicine expert. He leads by example. Ultra marathons in the Gobi desert, the Arctic, the Indonesian jungle, never mind little diversions like the West Highland Way, a […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Northern Ireland happiness
People in our wee country are the happiest. Unexpected, perhaps, given the long history of violence and social unrest. But, people can be happy in the most difficult circumstances and happiness isn’t always related to the social or material environment. Almost impossible to define, we often only recognise true happiness when its gone. So, it’s […]
Domhnall MacAuley:The “Hole in the wall”
From le paradoxe français to a tiny tavern off a narrow alley in Kilkenny. An unlikely journey. But not, perhaps, if the barman is a cardiologist. Red wine has much more than cardiovascular benefits and it was such a pleasure to enjoy a glass with friends in the company of Michael Conway, with jaunty hat […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Stress, morale, and compassion fatigue
Another part time middle aged GP. Another almost apologetic explanation. Another slightly embarrassed colleague. Why is it that so many GPs in their prime seem to be going part time, retiring, or changing direction? This was a generation who selected general practice as their first choice career. They aspired, not to a specialist training, but […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Are you a sports and exercise medicine award winner?
Olympic medals may be presented to individuals—but no one achieves greatness alone. Behind every great sporting success is a team of coaches and support staff that includes doctors, physiotherapists, nutritionists, psychologists, and a range of other experts. […]
Domhnall MacAuley: On the rocks
The captain made a mistake. We don’t know why; misjudgement, show boating, foolishness. After hitting the rocks, he seemed to ignore the consequences, delaying action, almost pretending it didn’t happen, and leaving people fend for themselves. Master of a recently built vessel of such scale, he was clearly at the top of his profession having […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Who stole health
Who stole health. I used to think it was something to do with medicine. As a straight laced, card carrying, GMC registered proper doctor, perhaps I should relax, chill, and discover my inner calm. The health industry has less and less to do with medicine— everyone wants a piece of the action. The high street […]