The Boothroyd Surgery

11/01/2024

A quick note to ask for your patience ( pun?🤔) We are having endless problems with our Telstra phone service and are hoping for technical support next week.( they didn't show up this week) I have managed to buy a mobile that will receive diverted calls so you should be able to get through on 33723383 but if there are difficulties please try again after a while or try a text to 0493 748 072 ( our temporary mobile )
Sorry for the inconvenience

08/12/2022

We have our CPR training this afternoon at the surgery (Friday 9/22/22 2pm). Anyway we have a late cancellation so have a free spot for someone who wants a CPR certificate for free. (We have to pay for the other person anyway ).
If this interests you then call the surgery this morning

31/07/2022

This large umbrella review confirms something I have always believed-
There is no evidence that brain serotonin levels have anything to do with depression.
To me, this always seemed an oversimplification of a very complex problem of an exceedingly complex organ ( the brain).
The article is a bit dry but thorough.
The question hanging is what do antidepressants actually do?
Perhaps another day?🤔

The serotonin hypothesis of depression is still influential. We aimed to synthesise and evaluate evidence on whether depression is associated with lowered serotonin concentration or activity in a systematic umbrella review of the principal relevant areas of research. PubMed, EMBASE and PsycINFO were...

12/07/2022

This is a shameless plug for my choir concert. We need to sell tickets to keep alive ( COVID has been tough on choirs!) Its only $25 a ticket and you will love our sound
We are singing in St John's Cathedral in the city on Saturday 23/7/22 at 5pm.
The repertoire is a mixture of classical , fun stuff plus a support group of top Brisbane singers Forment (and I managed to snag a part in a small group Billy Joel song 😎)
The link to the tickets is below, hope someone comes along😊🙏

Ignite Choir is performing CHORAL CLASSICS at St John’s Cathedral on Saturday 23 July.

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing?eid=919764&

Ignite is a community choir with people from all walks of life who enjoy the love of singing. “We’ve got all ages and experiences in the choir and singing brings a connection like no other”, Sam, Ignite Member.

Tickets $25
5pm, 23 July

12/05/2022

We have finally got ourselves organised to start giving COVID VACCINES at the surgery. We will have the Pfizer vaccine in both adult and children's ( 5-11 years) strengths available from the first week of June. We will be booking people in groups of 6 to avoid wasting vaccines. We have a list started at the surgery, please ring up and get on the list and we will arrange the times from there.
Please remember the current vaccines are only lasting 3-4 months.
If you are over 65 years old or have an immune problem you are entitled to a fourth dose 4 months after your third dose.
Australia has a very poor uptake of COVID vaccines in children, I wonder if this is because parents are not aware of the nasty long term effects we are seeing from this virus that are reduced by vaccination.
For other questions about when you are entitled to your next dose and to get on our list, please call the surgery

12/04/2022

I thought I would share some thoughts on COVID isolation. Having recently recovered from a mild case of COVID ( still pretty unpleasant but not as bad as some of the Rhinovirus illnesses I have had in the last few years ) I was faced with what to do 7 days after my positive test ( both RAT and PCR although I think the PCR was perhaps unnecessary).
The rules are I was allowed back to work without another test so I went back to work🤷🏼.
However some further research reveals that 16% of people are still contagious after 7 days😳. What to do?
I decided to continue to obsessively wear my N95 mask ( means I get quite dehydrated because I don't take it off ) and sanitise like mad. We also have high volume extractor fans throughout the surgery to keep the air fresh.
My research suggests that if your RAT is positive there is a 90% chance that you are still infectious!
Only 1% of people are still infectious by Day 14.
I think there are good grounds to wear an N 95 mask with a proper seal ( worn correctly you should not be able to smell perfume etc) for another week after you finish isolating.
Washing your hands with soap or sanitiser before handling things that others will touch is a nice idea but the VAST majority of coronavirus spread is by airborne droplets and aerosols.
Recent data suggests up to a third of the world's population has had COVID! That's amazingly infectious.

05/04/2022

Due to a perfect storm of me having COVID and health and personal issues of everyone else, we are without receptionists and doctors but just for today. Both Janine and I will be back at work in person tomorrow (Thursday 7/4/22). I can do video and phone appointments today, just text me to arrange and many things can be sorted in this way. Sorry for all the mucking around.

28/01/2022

Sometimes it is difficult to give detailed data about COVID vaccines that is specific to an individual, especially as Omicron is new and somewhat vaccine resistant.
This chart gives a detailed breakdown of how COVID vaccines reduce risk of death based on 90% Omicron 10% Delta as currently circulating in the community. The research is locally based and reputable.

This chart is only about risk of death so other parameters such as infection risk, transmission risk, hospitalisation and long-COVID are not here and for younger people these are perhaps more relevant numbers.

https://www.immunisation coalition.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022_01_25_Covid-risk-chart_logos_included.pdf

23/01/2022

Just to cover a few common questions:
When to get booster vaccine after having COVID?
A: As soon as symptoms subside.

How infectious are people after COVID infection?
A: Most data is pre-Omicron but decent data from the UK gives percentage of people still infectious:
7 days since symptoms begin/positive test: 16%

Plus one negative rapid test: 9%
Plue two test negative rapid tests on consecutive days: 6%
10 days since symptoms begin/positive test: 5%

14 days since symptoms begin/positive test: 1%
This explains why you need to really keep up your protection of others ( masks, distancing ,staying outdoors for social gatherings) after your infection for a week after isolation .

10/01/2022

This risk calculator for vaccines and COVID has been produced by a task force of local academic GPs and professors, well researched and referenced.
If you are uncertain about the benefits of vaccination for you specifically this tool will present the info in a clear fashion. It lacks showing the benefits of the reduced chance of transmitting COVID if you are vaccinated but perhaps the personal perspective is more persuasive these days.
Anyway I hope many of you can share it.

Australian Covid Risk Calculator by the Immunisation Coalition

20/12/2021

Just thought I would let you all know what we are doing to make the surgery a safe place for you to visit now that we have got COVID cases here.
-All of us will be testing ourselves twice a week with rapid antigen tests to ensure we do not become asymptomatic spreaders
- We have installed extractor fans in all the rooms of the surgery to change the air at least 6 times an hour.
-All staff and patients will wear masks in the surgery regardless of government requirements.
-all patients will be asked about possible COVID symptoms and if they do then be tested before arriving ( this test will be bulkbilled)
-any patients arriving untested at the surgery who have possible COVID symptoms will be asked to do a rapid antigen test in the car park which we can do at a cost of $15 to them. This takes about 10 minutes.

Hopefully all this will mean that whilst we are all at some risk now of getting COVID, you won't catch it at the surgery!

17/09/2021

This is a link to the RACGP position statement on why they support mandatory COVID vaccination for health care workers. Whilst this may raise concerns amongst many of us who champion individual freedom over public responsibility, I do believe that choosing to enter the healthcare profession comes with a deeper responsibity to protect our vulnerable patients. Frequently in healthcare we cannot help, but we are taught " First, do no harm".
Much as there was resistance to hand washing from doctors in the early days, the immutable facts from the scientific method that must guide what we do, lead to doctors accepting the necessity of protecting patients from germs that they spread.
I think the link makes a compelling argument.

The college’s stand is about showing leadership and protecting patients, practice staff and the wider community, President Dr Karen Price writes.