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: Objective: To examine general practitioners’ views about how health assessments for older people should be conducted. Methods: General practitioners were randomly sampled from a national database of medical practitioners and invited to complete a survey. Survey items explored general practitioners’ views about essential components of a 75+ Health Assessment and who should assess each component, consultation time, use of standardised templates and tools, and home visits. Results: Overall, 185 (19.2%) general practitioners participated. Of 61 items presented, 24 were rated ‘essential’ by ≥70% of practitioners, with an average estimated consultation time of 65 minutes. Of the 24 essential items, it was perceived that 21 could be assessed by either a general practitioner or clinic nurse. Most practitioners indicated a standardised template (86%) and standardised tools for complex issues (79%) should be used, and home visits conducted (75%). Conclusions: General practitioners agreed on 24 items as essential for every health assessment, with assessments estimated to take more than one hour. Implications for public health: Increases to remuneration for prolonged assessments or mechanisms for improving efficiency and quality of assessments are needed. Acceptable mechanisms may include standardised patient‐reported tools, standardised templates and the use of non‐medical staff to assist with assessments., Globally, many countries are projected to experience ageing populations.[sup.1] In Australia, approximately 15% of the population was aged 65 or older in 2017, with this figure expected to rise to [...]

The article focuses on the gait, arms, legs and spine (GALS) locomotor screening examination used by the doctors to understand problems related to the joints.

We report on an elderly lady with a large hiatus hernia presenting with presyncope and syncope associated with large meals. Though left atrial filling and mitral inflow was unimpaired, this case is interesting since the symptoms resolved with adjustment to meal size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The letter to the editor refers to a fictional study entitled "Evidence based physicians' dressing: a cross-over trial," in which we documented the effect of "retro" dress (flared jeans, Hawaiian shirts, moussed hair, and nose rings) on patients' confidence. Despite what we and others saw as the obvious lightheartedness of this story, it has been reported as a serious research finding by the BBC and now the BMJ, both with a commentary from a medical expert.