Resources

It can be hard to navigate the mammoth amount of medically-related content on the Internet. Here are some helpful resources I've found along the way. Additionally, check out my reading list. There's bound to be at least one book you'd also love.

Helpful educational resources:

The NHS has useful modules on their e-integrity system to help junior doctors navigate the practical and theoretical aspects of their jobs
NPS online has helpful tools for drug prescribing and de-prescribing
DermNet is the go-to resource for everything to do with skin
Life in the Fast Lane is the best resource for critical care in tiny tid-bits.
EM Sim Cases has resources on frequent resus cases with critically ill patients
Bloodsafe Learning has modules on transfusion and blood products
Acute Pain Management: Scientific Evidence [PDF] - a five-yearly publication by ANZCA and FPM covering a variety of management methods for acute and chronic pain. This is suggested reading for the GSSE and an essential tool for any junior doctor.
Institute for Healthcare Improvement Open School - if you're curious about more than medical knowledge, these modules can help you to iterate your clinical practice and improve the systems in which we work.
BJUI knowledge - if you are interested in Urology, these interactive modules are helpful for trainees trying to improve their knowledge-base.
The Scope - if you're looking to make quick-grabs at medical education because you're short on time, this weekly email will keep you learning with minimal time investment. And they're funny too.
RCH clinical practice guidelines provides management algorithms for paediatric patients.

Podcasts:

The Curbsiders - internal medicine with very entertaining presenters. Check them out! This is my "brain food" for my daily commutes
Behind the Knife - surgical education and training
AUA university - I particularly recommend the "court cases" for those of you who want to know what sort of legal issues may result from your practice
On the Wards - an Australian-based podcast for junior doctors
TEDRadioHour - a great podcast reflecting on broad concepts for making the world better. Engaging and inspiring.
The Peter Attia Drive - a surgical trainee who took a meandering course to be an evidence-based wellness physician talks to experts about how to improve long-term health.

Presentations I've put together:

Skin and soft tissue infections: an operative approach
Written for in hospital teaching

Antibiotics: the basics
Written for in hospital teaching

Drugs for the heart
Written for in hospital teaching

Surgical nutrition and metabolism
Written for in hospital teaching

Palliative care: a basic guide
Written for in hospital teaching

My favourite papers:


Books to read:

Medically-related:

Bad Pharma - this book will make you question everything you learnt in medical school about evidence-based medicine. It will ask you big questions about where evidence comes from and if our current practices are ethical. If you want to be better at reading the research, or you want to be an ethical researcher, you must read this.

Virolution - you have probably heard about the power of the microbiome. But what you might not have considered is how viruses play a role in our wellbeing and why. This might be a little brain-bending.

10% Human - my top read of 2019. Modern medicine was built on the back of antibiotics. Now we have to consider how to preserve and respect our own body's microbial defences while harnessing antibiotics for pathogenic invaders. This book has altered my clinical practice.

Missing Microbes - alongside 10% Human, this book will help you understand how microbes are involved in both pathogenesis (think gastric ulcers) and immunity (think about the gut microbiota). Understanding the complexities of bacteria and how they relate to our health will help you improve your own health and that of others.

Infectious - if you weren't sick of my obsession with bugs yet, this book looks at how infections occur and will make you re-consider how we treat infections. Written by one of my favourite Infectious Diseases specialists, it is both funny and informative.

Private Parts: How to Really Live with Endometriosis - this book provides a step-by-step guide to women living with endometriosis and their loved ones. If you're a clinician treating endometriosis, this book may help you understand what they are going through.

Good Reasons for Bad Feelings - have you ever wondered why depression exists? Or how we've evolved to have any of the long list of mental illnesses? This evolutionary psychiatrist explains why our brains have evolved to (sometimes) develop these conditions. A fascinating and insightful read.

This is going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor - if you haven't read this already, buy a copy or borrow it from the local library. This funny yet stomach-churning rendition is all-too-familiar for those of us in the field. And it might be a good one for your aunt/cousin/non-medical-friend who doesn't quite understand the medical life.

Being Mortal - another game-changing read for my clinical practice, this book will ask you to consider why we do medicine, and what we are hoping to achieve. There are limits to what we can provide and there are also limits to what patients want from us. Learn how to re-frame your questions and learn how to listen better.

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness - given that we so often read from the clinician's perspective, it's helpful to occasionally read about the patient experience. Here a talented journalist describes how medicine initially failed her and how inquisitive clinicians and a failure to give in lead to a rare diagnosis, and ultimately to cure.

Anaesthesia - did you know that we have very little idea of how anaesthetic actually works? As in, how does it create oblivion? And did you know that it doesn't always completely obliterate your perceptions of the world. Another game-changing read.

About the environment and sustainable living:

Cradle to Cradle - if you're interested in understanding how we could re-structure our systems for the betterment of planetary health, or if you're curious as to the principles of environmentally-friendly production, this book will introduce you to important concepts. It will also make you think hard about how we presently discuss environmentally-friendly products.

Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Save the World - this book takes an upbeat, educational and amusing tone to improving our planet. There are big ideas for governmental policy as well as achievable ideas for what you can do around the home. You'll probably get a few chuckles too.

Other great reads:

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World - no time could be better for reading a book about avoiding unnecessary distractions. In a life constantly interrupted by the pinging of the phone, the demands of various work-colleagues, and flashing advertisements, it's wise to reflect on how to achieve what actually matters to you.

Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men - caveat: I'm quite the feminist. This book still managed to surprise me with the number of ways policy fails to remember women and how cities often neglect the needs of 50% of the population. If you make policy or care about women, this book will matter to you.

Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire - it's hard to believe this insightful analysis of race politics in Britain is written by a rap artist. But perhaps that is the stigma placed on this community of artists by popular media. Eye-opening, saddening, and also inspiring change. Get reading.

The Course of Love - we all need a little perspective on troubles with love in our lives, whether that be a platonic friendship or a romantic significant-other. A philosopher and a magnificent writer, Alain De Botton will make you wonder why you didn't read this earlier.

The Ten Types of Human: A New Understanding of who we are, and who we can be - this deep-dive into the lives of people all around the world will make you question your own understanding of humanity and what is normal. Ask yourself some deep questions and then work on making your life what you wish it to be.

Americanah - one of the best reads of my 2018. A (rare) fiction book in my collection describing the life of a Nigerian woman who moves to the US - and how racism can change everything.

Prisoners of Geography - if you've ever held an interest in global politics and how things have evolved to their current state, this book may help you unravel the reasons behind current conflicts. It's written in an impossible-to-put-down fashion.

The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas - alongside my many reads on humanity and race, this book will make you question what it means to be a patriot. Written by a journalist with a penchant for long-form pieces, this book will get under your skin.