Wet Tuesday. October. General practice. Year 28, day 11. Radio news. Car park. Medical bag. Waiting room- half full. Hi all. Open surgery. Password. Mouse. Press. Wait. Headache, blood pressure, fundoscopy, acne, GCSE abdominal pain, MSSU, delayed letter, hospital letter, hypertension, change prescription, foot injury, chest infection, recent hospital in ICU, flu vac, emergency contraception, […]
Category: Domhnall MacAuley
Domhnall MacAuley: Medicine, marriage, and a bright future
There were enough doctors to run a medium sized hospital. Doctors in training in almost every specialty- I could identify those in paediatrics, obstetrics, cancer care, and ophthalmology, but most were from general practice. There was an overall air of understated professional competence and they were comfortable in each other’s company; as might have been […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Doctors in this week’s sports headlines
Caught in a spat between a multi million pound footballer and a multi billion pound football club. Bet they didn’t warn him about that in medical school. Owen Hargreaves said he felt like a “guinea pig” while his injury was treated at Manchester United – and the club doctor, Steve McNally, was named in the media. We don’t […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Nurses’ and doctors’ caring skills
Too many new nurses are “simply not up to the mark” said Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nurses, quoted on the front page of the Times 22.9.11. They “arrive in hospital incapable of caring for patients because they have spent too much time in the classroom and not enough on the […]
Domhnall MacAuley: 17th Wonca Europe Conference, Warsaw
A celebrated Polish pianist, Waldemar Malicki, opened the Wonca Europe conference. A masterful performance by a maestro. His improvisations were funny, fascinating, and faithful to the theme of the conference; science and art. He drew different emotions from the same melody- from humorous to heartbreaking, uplifting to depressing, and showed how music tells a story […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Fitness, beauty, rowing, and reality
A festival of fitness, athleticism, and aesthetic beauty – the world rowing championships. After a week watching some of the world’s top athletes, you begin to think everyone is tall, muscular, toned, and tanned. Only for mirrors you might believe you were one too. Very few fatties to be seen and only amongst the coaches or […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Analgesia and GP anxiety
Last night we were pulled in by the police. Nothing like a flashing blue light in the rear view mirror to make you feel guilty. They asked for my driving licence and I could hear them call my name in on the radio. No problem. There had been a robbery. They got away, apparently, in a […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Doctors behind the riots
Would you take a bus through the riot areas that made the news? Would you be comfortable walking along the streets that featured in the TV footage? Would you work there? Many of our colleagues do and I wonder how they are getting on with their immunisation targets, cervical smears, and QOF scores? Are all their […]
Domhnall MacAuley: The silence next door
The sun streams in my surgery window overlooking the garden next door. For years our neighbours were older and the garden neatly manicured. The only sounds of summer were the occasional tinkle of tea cups on a sunny afternoon or the delicate trimming of rose beds. The garden eventually became too much, fewer cups for […]
Domhnall MacAuley: GMC and the Olympics
Ever wonder what it would be like to be a team doctor at a major sporting event like the Olympic Games? Drama and excitement; giving vital medical support to bring the team or athlete to victory, pushing you into media spotlight, basking in the reflected glory, the envy of your colleagues. Think again. Most team […]