Clinical Conversations podcast | Listen online for free

Available Episodes

5 of 125

Poisoning in the Older Adult (31 Mar 2025)
In this episode of clinical conversations, Dr Kat Ralston chats with consultant toxicologist Dr Emma Morrison about poisoning in the older adult. They explore why we need to think differently about deliberate self-harm in the older adult and talk through common toxicology cases, including decision-making around escalation. Finally, they consider a common sense approach to what we can do differently as clinicians to reduce the risk of self-harm and suicide in this patient group. Dr Morrison trained in medicine at the University of Glasgow, with an intercalated BSc in Physiology. She also completed a PhD investigating to role of short RNAs as biomarkers and mediators in toxic injury. In 2020, Emma become a Consultant Physician at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Emma’s NHS work continues to support her passion of ensuring transparent and equitable decision making in prescribing, supporting the central tenets of value-based medicine. Her roles within medicines governance include Chairing Lothian’s Area Drug and Therapeutics Committee and is a committee member of the SMC. Dr Kat Ralston is a geriatric medicine registrar in Edinburgh. She is also the Education Co-Vice Chair and the joint Podcast Lead for the RCPE Trainee & Members' Committee (T&MC). --Useful Link-- TOXBASE - https://www.toxbase.org/ Recording date: 19 December 2024 -- Follow us -- https://www.instagram.com/rcpedintrainees https://twitter.com/RCPEdinTrainees -- Upcoming RCPE events -- https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/events -- Become an RCPE Member -- https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/membership/join-college Feedback: [email protected]
--------
42:37
Palliative Care in Heart Failure (17 Mar 2025)
In this episode, Dr Kat Ralston chats with Prof Miriam Johnson about palliative care in heart failure. They discuss the evidence supporting specialist palliative care input in this patient group and explore how to develop effective integrated services. They chat about holistic, needs based assessment and share top tips on the approach to the debilitating symptom of breathlessness. Professor Miriam Johnson is Professor of Palliative Medicine at Hull York Medical School, Associate Director of the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre at the University of Hull. She is Adjunct Professor of Palliative Medicine at the University Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia. For twenty years (2000 to 2020), she also provided consultant palliative physician services to Scarborough General Hospital and Saint Catherine's Hospice, Scarborough where she set up one of the UK’s first integrated palliative care services for people with heart failure. Dr Kat Ralston is a geriatric medicine registrar in Edinburgh. She is also the Education Co-Vice Chair and the joint Podcast Lead for the RCPE Trainee & Members' Committee (T&MC). Recording date: 5 December 2024 -- Useful Links -- Abel et al (2024), Hospital admissions in the last year of life of patients with heart failure, https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjqcco/qcad047. Balata et al (Oct 2024), Early integration of palliative care versus standard cardiac care for patients with heart failure (EPCHF): a multicentre, parallel, two-arm, open-label, randomised controlled trial, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanhl.2024.08.006. Barnes-Harris et al, Barriers and facilitators for cardiopulmonary resuscitation discussions with people with heart failure, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314631. Campbell et al (2018), Which patients with heart failure should receive specialist palliative care?, https://doi.org/10.1002/ejhf.1240. Date et al, Modified-release morphine or placebo for chronic breathlessness: the MABEL trial protocol, https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00167-2023. Ekström et al, Effect of regular low-dose extended-release morphine on chronic breathlessness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: the BEAMS randomized clinical trial, http://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.20206. Ferreira et al, The effect of regular, low-dose, sustained-release morphine on routine physical activity in people with persistent breathlessness– a hypothesis-generating study, https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.01484-2022. Johnson et al (2024), Benefits of specialist palliative care by identifying active ingredients of service composition, structure, and delivery model: A systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004436. Jordan et al (2020), Duration of palliative care before death in international routine practice: a systematic review and meta-analysis, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-020-01829-x. King et al (2022), Concurrent Validity and Prognostic Utility of the Needs Assessment Tool: Progressive Disease Heart Failure, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2022.01.014. McConnell et al (2023), Integrating palliative care and heart failure: a systematic realist synthesis (PalliatHeartSynthesis), https://doi.org/10.1136/openhrt-2023-002438. Roch et al (2020), Utility of the integrated palliative care outcome scale (IPOS): a cross-sectional study in hospitalised patients with heart failure, https://doi.org/10.1177/1474515120919386. Breathing, Thinking Functioning Model - https://www.btf.phpc.cam.ac.uk/ Caring Together - https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/professionals/working-in-partnership/caring-together Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines - https://rightdecisions.scot.nhs.uk/scottish-palliative-care-guidelines/ -- Follow us -- https://www.instagram.com/rcpedintrainees https://twitter.com/RCPEdinTrainees -- Upcoming RCPE events -- https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/events -- Become an RCPE Member -- https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/membership/join-college Feedback: [email protected]
--------
49:11
T1 Diabetes and Technology (3 March 2025)
In this episode, Dr Marilena Giannoudi discusses Type 1 diabetes with Dr Sam Pearson. Topics include diagnosing T1 diabetes, recognising the impact of a new diagnosis of diabetes on patients and possible treatments, including technological interventions. Dr Sam Pearson is a diabetes consultant at St James hospital in Leeds. They help look after patients with all types of diabetes mellitus but have a particular interest in helping younger adults with type 1 diabetes and how technology may help them. Dr Marilena Giannoudi is a cardiology registrar based in Leeds. She is Co-Chair of the Trainees and Members’ Committee, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and is currently undertaking a PhD. Recording date: 14 November 2024 -- Follow us -- https://www.instagram.com/rcpedintrainees https://twitter.com/RCPEdinTrainees -- Upcoming RCPE events -- https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/events -- Become an RCPE Member -- https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/membership/join-college Feedback: [email protected]
--------
30:09
Palliative Care For Hospital Inpatients: A Geriatrician’s Perspective (17 Feb 2025)
In this episode, Dr Kat Ralston chats with Dr Imogen Smith about palliative care in hospital inpatients. They discuss what is different about the older adult when considering palliative care, including thinking about trajectories, communicating uncertainty, and parallel planning. They explore symptom control including a practical approach to syringe drivers (continuous subcutanous infusions) for the non-specialist. Dr Imogen Smith was appointed as Consultant in General Internal Medicine and Medicine for the Elderly at St John’s Hospital, Livingston, in April 2020. Her clinical interests are in Hospital at Home, and Hospital Based Complex Clinical Care/Palliative Care. She is an educational and clinical supervisor and also clinically supervises and educates Advanced Nurse Practitioners in HBCCC/H@H contexts. During training, she was appointed to the first cohort of NHS Lothian Chief Registrars (2018-2019). And she sat on the RCPE Trainees and Members Committee (2018-2020). Dr Kat Ralston is a geriatric medicine registrar in Edinburgh. She is also the Education Co-Vice Chair and the joint Podcast Lead for the RCPE Trainee & Members' Committee (T&MC). Recording date: 20 November 2024 --Useful Links-- Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines - https://rightdecisions.scot.nhs.uk/scottish-palliative-care-guidelines/ Patterns of Functional Decline at the End of Life - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/196538 REDMAP Framework for Future Care Planning Conversations - https://www.spict.org.uk/red-map/ -- Follow us -- https://www.instagram.com/rcpedintrainees https://twitter.com/RCPEdinTrainees -- Upcoming RCPE events -- https://events.rcpe.ac.uk/ -- Become an RCPE Member -- https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/membership/join-college Feedback: [email protected]
--------
50:09
Infective Endocarditis (2 Dec 2024)
In this episode, Dr Kat Ralston chats with Dr Nik Rae about infective endocarditis. They discuss the complexities of clinical presentation in this condition and share tips to help you in your diagnostic journey. They explore a pragmatic approach to management, including individualised decision making and the emerging evidence base for use of oral agents. Dr Nikolas Rae is a Consultant Physician in Infectious Diseases and Acute Medicine with a range of clinical interests including infections in people who inject drugs, blood borne viruses, mycobacterial and fungal infections. Dr Kat Ralston is a geriatric medicine registrar in Edinburgh. She is also the Education Co-Vice Chair and the joint Podcast Lead for the RCPE Trainee & Members' Committee (T&MC). Recording date: 7 November 2024 -- Useful Links -- Oral vs IV antibiotics systematic review - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8901545/ European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Endocarditis Guidelines - https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/44/39/3948/7243107 WikiGuidelines Endocarditis Consensus Statement - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2807791 Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG) penicillin allergy de-labelling guidance - https://www.sapg.scot/guidance-qi-tools/quality-improvement-tools/penicillin-allergy-de-labelling/ -- Follow us -- https://www.instagram.com/rcpedintrainees https://twitter.com/RCPEdinTrainees -- Upcoming RCPE events -- https://events.rcpe.ac.uk/ -- Become an RCPE Member -- https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/membership/join-college Feedback: [email protected]
--------
41:38