May issue of Australian Journal of General Practice now available

The May issue of the Australian Journal of General Practice (AJGP) focuses on diabetes, the fastest growing chronic disease in Australia, with 1.2 million people known to have type 1, type 2 or gestational diabetes.
 
Focus
Teaching patients with type 2 diabetes to self-administer insulin
Glucose-lowering medications are initiated, maximised and combined throughout the patient journey. The aim of this article is to provide practical guidance to assist commencement of insulin.
Ginn Chin, Michelle Robins  
 
Recent advances in management of type 1 diabetes
Management options for people with type 1 diabetes mellitus ere evolving rapidly. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of new and changing therapeutic management options.
Felicity Pyrlis, Fran Brown, Elif I Ekinci  
 
Hyperglycaemic presentations in type 2 diabetes
Hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state is a syndrome that occurs in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and is comparable to diabetic ketoacidosis seen in patients with type 1 diabetes. This article reviews the hyperglycaemic states that can occur in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Clare Willix, Emma Griffiths, Sally Singleton  
 
Diagnosis of type 2 diabetes using serial fasting plasma glucose versus HbA1c in the primary care setting
There are few studies investigating the diagnostic accuracy of type 2 diabetes mellitus by comparing fasting plasma glucose (FPG) with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). This proof-of-concept study looked at the correlation between FPG and HbA1c in the early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Ashraf Saleh
 
Editorial
The pervasive impact of diabetes
Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease in Australia, with 1.2 million people known to have type 1, type 2 or gestational diabetes. Similar to other rapidly growing non-communicable diseases, a whole-of-society approach is ultimately required to implement evidence-based interventions.
Sophia Samuel
 
Clinical
Breast hamartoma in an adolescent female
An unusual breast lesion in an adolescent female highlights the need go adherence to a validated algorithm for investigation of a new breast symptom.
Georgia Fox, Raja Devanathan  
 
Advanced breast cancer: An update to systemic therapy
Goals of treatment in advanced breast cancer are to prolong life, manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
Emma Carson, Rachel Dear  
 
Persistently itchy papules
A man presented with a three-year history of intensely itchy legs following failed treatment with mild to mid-strength topical steroids elsewhere.
Tim Aung, Karl Rodins  
 
Paediatric neck lumps: An approach for the primary physician
While paediatric cervical masses are most commonly benign and transient in nature, judicious consideration of red flag and congenital conditions is crucial.
Aaron Smith, Matthew Cronin  
 
Firm nodule in the scalp
Pilomatrixoma is a rare benign appendageal tumour that can easily be mistaken for more frequent subcutaneous modules because of some similar features.
Ana Cláudia Raposo, Artur Correia, Joana Vaz, Liliana Alves, Paulo Morais  
 
Research
Association of continuity of care with blood pressure control in patients with chronic kidney disease and hypertension
Reaching blood pressure targets in patients with chronic kidney disease is a challenge, but can be more easily achieved with greater continuity of care.
Masuma A Khanam, Alex Kitsos, Jim Stankovich, Ronald Castelino, Matthew Jose, Gregory M Peterson, Barbara Wimmer, Syed Tabish R Zaidi, Jan Radford  
 
Interdisciplinary spinal pain clinics in primary care: Outcomes from one service
Complex spinal pain interdisciplinary assessment in a primary care setting shows reasonable long-term outcomes comparable to more intensive interventions.
Scott Masters, Luke Hogarth  
 
‘Your head can literally be spinning’: A qualitative study of general practice supervisors’ professional identity
Supervisor’s identity is strongly tied to relationships that support and reinforce their role; it is important to recognise, protect and cultivate a program that values these relationships.
Belinda Garth, Catherine Kirby, Debra Nestel, James Brown
 
Content and implementation of advance care plans: A retrospective cohort study
Not all preferences outlined in an individual’s advance care plan are implemented during their end-of-life care.
Laura Panozzo, Bernadette Ward, Pam Harvey, Jason Fletcher  
 
Professional
Melioidosis: An updated review
An updated overview of Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, including epidemiology, risk factors for infection, spectrum of clinical disease, diagnosis and management.
Arindam Chakravorty, Christopher H Heath  
 
Clinical challenge
May clinical challenge
The clinical challenge is based on this month's Focus articles. The activity has been endorsed by the RACGP Quality Improvement and Continuing Professional Development (QI&CPD) program and has been allocated four Category 2 points (Activity ID: 156521). To complete this activity, go to gplearning and log in with the username and password you use to log in to the RACGP website.

AJGP Australian Journal of General Practice diabetes