Pearls

Last week saw World Diabetes Day, and we wanted to support this by sharing some Red Whale diabetes content.

End-of-life care can be one of the most rewarding parts of our jobs. It can also be one of the most stressful. In this week’s Pearl, we consider the important issue of bleeding and haemorrhage in advanced cancer.

Could it be chronic urticaria? This is one of those conditions where a good photo at the time of the attack can make the diagnosis easier. How confident are you in spotting and managing it?

It’s November, the weather is starting to get colder and we’ve got the heaters coming on in the Red Whale studio! Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) discussions up and down the country are heating up too, so this month's trainee Pearl is all about the AKT.

In this week’s Pearl, we unpack the growing understanding of the importance of the gut microbiome, why it matters and future practical applications.

Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose at an early stage, and we do not have an effective screening programme. Reducing the risk of ovarian cancer death with risk-reduction surgery is an alternative for some at higher genetic risk of the disease, and is now recommended by NICE... so how?

In August 2024, the World Health Organization declared mpox a “public health emergency of international concern”. Our authors promptly set to work updating our original article from 2022.

Did you know... over the past year, there have been significant changes in the UK vaccination schedule? It’s a fast-changing area! If you want to refresh and update your knowledge, click here to read more

This hot topic just got even hotter, with lots of media coverage this week highlighting concerns about the risks of higher-dose oestrogen sometimes prescribed off licence. This just might have triggered a few phone calls and e-consults!

Our focused GP Trainee Essentials topic this month is hormone replacement therapy. It’s a subject that often requires demystifying because the terminology and management can be challenging. We're here to help!

Named after an octopus trap and sometimes called broken heart syndrome, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is being diagnosed more frequently. In fact, 2% of people initially labelled as having acute coronary syndrome will end up with the diagnosis.

Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome is the most common paediatric glomerular disease. Despite this, we won’t see it very often, but a quick reminder might help us spot it!

Building on last year’s successful GP trainee Pearls programme, we are back with another season of Red Whale resources to support the next generation of GP trainees, along with their supervisors.  

Alopecia is one of many distressing conditions that patients may have to pluck up the courage to ask about. Having a framework to help us approach topics such as this can be really helpful.

The choice of HRT regimens can feel baffling, but for all women who still have uterus, unopposed oestrogen can increase the risk of endometrial cancer, so it must be balanced with an adequate dose of progestogen.

On 15 April 2024, big changes were announced in the process for death certification, and these will come into play across all of England and Wales on 9 September 2024.