RCGP eLearning Podcast

Estimates have suggested that 25% of primary care laboratory tests might be ‘unnecessary’, with research demonstrating unwarranted variation and overuse of specific tests including thyroid function tests, liver function tests, prostate- specific antigen tests, and vitamin D tests.

In this podcast Dr Thomas Round talks to Dr Jessica Watson, GP and Consultant Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol with an interest in evidence based rational testing, about rational testing in primary care. They explore why testing is undertaken in medicine and general practice, when doctors should use blood tests, how to share information about tests with patients, manage patient queries and demand and when to retest.

They discuss the increase in testing demand, the science behind testing and what the evidence shows us regarding over testing. In addition, they review recent research and guidance e.g. accessible results practical toolkits and the PITSTOP project. They also offer top tips for everyday practice and signpost to useful resources.

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Transcript

References & Further Reading:

In this podcast we interview Dr. Katherine Peterson, a GP partner and strategic clinical lead for learning disability, neurodivergence and mental health in North East and North Cumbria ICB. Patients with learning disability can have difficulties accessing primary care and have worse health outcomes than the general population. This podcast discusses some practical ways that practices can improve care for this cohort. 

In 2024 there were 3,043 new HIV diagnoses in the UK, this is a 4% decrease from 3,169 diagnoses in 2023; while in England, new HIV diagnoses decreased by 2% from 2,838 in 2023 to 2,773 in 2024.

In this podcast Dr Thomas Round talks to Dr Shrey Mathur, an academic GP in East London and researcher at Queen Mary University of London with an interest in HIV early diagnosis, about HIV and the role of primary care. They reflect on what HIV is, its historical context and the changes in diagnosis, treatment and management and the need to move away from potential bias within specific populations/at risk groups for testing and ways to reduce the stigma. 

They discuss when to test in primary care including thresholds and managing positive results, transfer of care to specialist services and communication between the two, coding patient records accordingly around medications, the use of Post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and long-acting injectables. They also offer top tips for everyday practice and signpost to useful resources.

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References:

It is estimated that there are almost 3.5 million people living with cancer in the UK and on average someone is diagnosed with cancer at least every 75 seconds (UK). In this podcast Dr Thomas Round talks to Professor Willie Hamilton, a Professor of Primary Care Cancer Research about the updates to cancer detection in primary care. They reflect on why primary care is so important in this area, the changing epidemiology in cancer and cancer in younger people including the increase in colorectal cancer. They discuss the changes in cancer screening e.g. cervical cancer (introduction of home screening) and bowel cancer (age reduction and Faecal immunochemical test (FIT) thresholds), Positive Predictive Value (PPV), symptomatic presentations, difficult to diagnose cancers and atypical presentations. They also offer top tips for everyday practice and signpost to useful resources.

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References

Respiratory disease, including infections, affects one in five people in England and is the third biggest cause of death, with around 68,000 annual deaths.

In this podcast Dr Thomas Round talks to Professor Paul Little, a GP and Professor of Primary Care Research at the University of Southampton about respiratory tract infections. They provide a discussion on the common presentations to primary care including symptoms and their duration, natural history, assessment (triage), red flags, treatment including best practice for the use of antibiotics (NNT and NNH, TARGET toolkit), point of care testing (CRP), the use of nasal sprays, encouraging at risk groups to receive vaccinations, continuation of hand washing, and the impact of stress on illness. They also offer top tips for everyday practice.

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Further reading:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects approximately 1 in 20 people in the UK, equating to around 3.2 million individuals, though some estimates suggest up to 1 in 5 adults experience symptoms, with potentially even more not seeking medical help. It's a common digestive disorder, more prevalent in women, often starting in the 20s or 30s.

In this podcast Dr Thomas Round speaks to Dr Kevin Barrett, a GP in Hertfordshire with a special interest in gastroenterology in primary care, about the prevalence, symptoms, diagnostic criteria, treatment and management of IBS and offers top tips for primary care practice!

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Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is estimated to affect 1 in 5 children and 1 in 10 adults in the UK, making it one of the most prevalent skin conditions experienced across all age groups. It is the leading cause of skin-related disability in the UK and there has been an increased prevalence of eczema in the last 10 years.

In this podcast Dr Thomas Round talks to Dr Khyati Bakhai, a GP in North East London about eczema. They discuss the definition of eczema, as well as the presentation, symptoms, risk factors including family history and other allergies, discussions during consultation, treatments such as emollients, protopics and steroid creams, assessing for infection, referral to secondary care when needed, management of flare ups and shared decision making with patients for ongoing management.

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In 2020 the NHS became the world’s first health system to commit to reaching Net Zero and take action to reduce the future impacts of climate change. 

Take a walk through London to the Story Garden with Dr Toni Hazell, Deputy Medical Director for eLearning and Dr Liliana Risi, provost and past chair of the RCGP North East London Faculty, a past NHS GP in Tower Hamlets and Associate of Greener Practice to learn more about the topic of Net Zero.

In this podcast we discuss climate health equity, the environmental benefits of social prescribing and preventing illness plant-based diet, all of which are covered within our three recently released eLearning courses, as well as Greener Practice, Singing for breathing and Clean air champions.

Correction: Green social prescribing can save the NHS more than £600 million per year.

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RCGP Net Zero Hub

RCGP eLearning modules on:

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), also known as Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is estimated to affect up to 1 in 5 people in the UK. Rates are increasing with rising levels of obesity. Although most cases of MASLD are linked to excess weight, you can develop the disease if you have a healthy weight.

In this podcast, Dr Thomas Round talks to Dr Helen Jarvis, a GP and Clinical lecturer and researcher at Newcastle University with an interest in liver disease about fatty liver disease in primary care.

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Your feedback plays a crucial role in helping us improve the CPD products and services we offer. We would be grateful if you could please complete our short RCGP Podcast Survey, which will take no more than 5 minutes to complete.