What does the future hold for general medicine?

O’Connor, Alan E

doi:10.5694/mja11.10847

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To the Editor: I commend Jenkins and colleagues for an engaging article on the future of general medicine in Australia.1 It mirrors a debate that is occurring in many acute-care hospitals, particularly in the context of a nationwide shortage of acute-care beds and increasing numbers of older patients presenting with chronic and multisystem disease.2

Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD.

Correspondence: alan_o’connor@health.qld.gov.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

1. Jenkins PF, Thompson CH, Macdonald AB. What does the future hold for general medicine? Med J Aust 2011; 195: 49-50. <eMJA full text> <MJA full text>
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia’s health 2010. Canberra: AIHW, 2010. (AIHW Cat. No. AUS 122.)
3. Kontos MC, Kurz MC, Roberts CS, et al. An evaluation of the accuracy of emergency physician activation of the cardiac catheterization laboratory for patients with suspected ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Ann Emerg Med 2010; 55: 423-430.
4. Boyle AA, Atkinson PR, Ahmed V, Kark WW. Emergency physician performed rapid sequence induction and system changes reduce time to intubation in critically ill emergency medicine patients. Eur J Emerg Med 2008; 15: 243-234.
5. Donald KJ, Smith AN, Doherty S, Sundararajan V. Effect of an on-site emergency physician in a rural emergency department at night. Rural Remote Health 2005; 5: 380.

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