The Australian Prescriber Podcast provides a regular dive into some of the many great articles that Australian Prescriber publishes every two months. In each episode, one of our hosts will chat with an author from a recent issue of Australian Prescriber.   

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Episode 163 – Managing pre-existing diabetes prior to and during pregnancy

Laura Beaton talks to Leonie Callaway, Obstetric and General Physician and Director of Research at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, about her article on the management of pre-existing diabetes in pregnancy. Leonie talks about maternal and fetal complications and the importance of high-quality preconception care, factors that can affect glucose control and the benefits of continuous glucose monitoring, and postpartum care. Read the full article by Leonie and her co-author Fiona Britten in Australian Prescriber.

Episode 162 – Management of menopause symptoms

Laura Beaton speaks to Karen Magraith, GP and immediate-past president of the Australasian Menopause Society, about treatments for menopausal symptoms. They discuss the benefits of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and how to choose the most suitable preparation, as well as duration of therapy and nonhormonal treatment options for those with contraindications to MHT. Read the full article by Karen and her co-author, Christina Jang, in Australian Prescriber.

Episode 161 – Managing hypercholesterolaemia

Dhineli Perera sits down with Adam Nelson to discuss updates in the management of hypercholesterolaemia. Adam explains how triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol differ in their links to cardiovascular disease. He provides useful tips for checking a lipid profile and highlights other tests that may be helpful when assessing a patient with hypercholesterolaemia. Adam also explains the latest in treatments for reducing LDL cholesterol concentrations and what this means for the role of statins. Read the full article by Adam Nelson and Stephen Nicholls in Australian Prescriber.

Episode 160 – Ongoing challenges of off-label prescribing

Jo Cheah chats with clinical pharmacologist Richard Day about off-label prescribing. Ric explains why off-label prescribing occurs, the barriers to getting new indications added to a drug's approved label, and the potential risks of off-label prescribing without sufficient evidence. Read the full article by Richard Day in Australian Prescriber.

Episode 159 – Therapeutic Guidelines Dermatology

Justin Coleman sits down with Lee Fong to discuss the changes to the latest version of Therapeutic Guidelines: Dermatology. Lee talks about misconceptions around the use of topical corticosteroids, tailoring treatments to the subtype of acne, and management tips for scabies, sweating disorders, psoriasis and much more.

Episode 158 – National Medicines Policy 2.0

Dhineli Perera and Andrew McLachlan, Dean of The University of Sydney’s Pharmacy School, talk about the 2022 National Medicines Policy. Andrew gives an overview of the refreshed Policy, what’s changed, and how the Policy can be implemented into practice. Read the full article by Andrew and his colleague, Parisa Aslani, in Australian Prescriber.

Episode 157 – Top 10 drugs 2021-22 and 2022-23

Dhineli Perera chats with clinical pharmacologist and fellow podcast host David Liew about Australia's top 10 drugs over the last 2 years. David explains the relationship between the PBAC and the PBS and the different ways the top 10 drugs are presented, and offers some insights into why particular drugs are on the lists. Read the full articles for 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 in Australian Prescriber.

Episode 156 – Physical health monitoring for people with schizophrenia

Laura Beaton speaks to psychiatrist David Castle about enhanced physical health monitoring for people with schizophrenia and the unique challenges to implementing preventive health care in these patients. David discusses modifiable physical health risk factors and how these can be addressed as part of a multidisciplinary holistic approach to care. Read the full article by David and his co-author, Amy Li, in Australian Prescriber.

Episode 155 – Digital health and prescribing

Jo Cheah speaks with Jodie Austin, a clinical informatics specialist, about using new technologies to deliver health care. The conversation focuses on using digital health to improve prescribing and medication management, through the use of digital dashboards and machine learning. Jodie also outlines the role of the clinician in the developing digital world. Read the full article by Jodie Austin and her co-authors in Australian Prescriber.