The COVID-19 pandemic has created a ‘perfect storm’ for the deterioration of mental health.

The Focus articles in this issue explore COVID-19 renal disease, acute kidney injury, renal colic, paediatric urinary tract infections and haematuria.

The interface of general practice and kidney healthcare has never been more important than it is in our current pandemic world.

Haematuria may be a singular symptom signalling underlying urological pathology; however, most patients with haematuria will have no identifiable cause found.

Although nutrition is important to bone health, the impact of different dietary patterns on bone density and fracture is unclear.

Asthma presentations are common in general practice, but opportunities to control asthma are often missed.

While clinical guidelines recommend increasing the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives, current contraceptive use and management in Australia do not reflect these recommendations.

General practice registrars are responsible for a significant proportion of immunisations in Australian older adults.

General practitioners’ ability to promptly recognise potentially serious side effects of treatment, especially those unique to newer therapies, can be crucial to patient safety.

Readers express their opinions on published articles and topics of interest.

This clinical challenge is based on this month’s Focus articles. To complete this activity, go to the RACGP website.

Patients and physicians need to be aware of the important implications that medical cannabis use may have for driving.

Medicinal cannabis is generally well tolerated, but the science related to its potential adverse effects is in its infancy.

There is a great deal of interest in the potential symptomatic benefits of medicinal cannabis for developmental disorders.

It is unlikely that medicinal cannabis will be used as a first-line agent for the management of pain, nausea and other specific symptoms, but it may have a complementary role within palliative care.