Maintaining health and function into older age is a priority for patients, clinicians and policy-makers. The Focus articles in this issue discuss the care of ageing patients in general practice.

This issue focuses on cardiovascular diseases and includes articles on cardiac rhythm management devices, assessment and management of chest pain in primary care, and abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Professional and research articles explore the new Australian guidelines on familial hypercholesterolaemia, while articles on myeloproliferative neoplasms and HbA1c provide clinical guidance.

Maintaining health and function into older age is a priority for patients, clinicians and policy-makers.

The use of medical cannabis is an area of great interest for both general practitioners and patients and is an area of extensive ongoing research and legislative evolution.

The use of medical cannabis is an area of great interest for both general practitioners and patients and is an area of extensive ongoing research and legislative evolution.

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its resulting city lockdowns, mass quarantines and social isolation worldwide, has uniquely highlighted the importance of mental health.

The Focus articles in this issue highlight the diagnosis and management of neurological conditions in general practice.

As medical practitioners situated on the forefront of primary care, general practitioners play a crucial part in limiting injury through the use of prevention strategies.

Respiratory tract and sleep disorders – including obstructive sleep apnoea, difficult-to-treat asthma in adults, and insomnia – are commonly encountered in general practice.

Primary healthcare, with its established principles and multisectoral approach, is an ideal mechanism to provide support and care in response to health threats.

Dedicated men’s sexual and reproductive health clinics have the potential to improve health outcomes for men by overcoming barriers to healthcare and engaging men in healthcare services.

The connection between sleep and health has been recognised for centuries, but it is only relatively recently that the treatment of sleep disorders has developed as a medical specialty.

This article discusses the options available for the surgical management of male infertility in cases where a male factor may be found as a contributing cause in infertile couples.

The inclusion of the lived experience of patients and carers as an integral component of clinical care provides an essential perspective.

A primary care journal such as AJGP will almost inevitably have individual readers who find some articles much more interesting than others.

It is the ability of primary care specialists to manage all aspects of a patient’s health that is associated with critically important positive outcomes on an individual and societal basis.