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Consultant gastroenterologist Rajaratnam Mathialagan talks to Kathy Oxtoby about tackling his patients’ concerns and sharing his skills with trainees
“Around 75% of medicine is about reassurance,” says Rajaratnam Mathialagan, a consultant physician and gastroenterologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust in Norfolk.
“Practising as a gastroenterologist for the past 25 years, I’ve found that most patients seeking medical help are worried and anxious and what they need is for you to reassure them.
“Taking time to explain their conditions and symptoms so they can understand them better, and tackling their concerns in detail is very rewarding,” he says.
While there have been huge advances in technology and diagnostic techniques in medicine, the basic skills like clear communication, taking a thorough history, and physical examination remain central to providing good patient care, Mathialagan says. “As clinicians re ....
GP Rodger Charlton talks to Kathy Oxtoby about the excitement and unpredictability of being a qualified cricket umpire
Rodger Charlton is known as the “Spin Doctor” by members of his local village cricket team in recognition of his skills as a leg spin bowler on the pitch. Even when he’s not playing the game or chairing his local cricket club, he keeps his eyes fixed firmly on the ball as a qualified cricket umpire.
Umpiring has given him time out of clinical practice and a chance to do something completely different and recharge his batteries. “When you’re on the field of play, the only thing you can and should think about is the game in front of you. Every other anxiety or worry is forgotten,” he says.
“Some might say cricket is boring and a very slow game. But there is never a boring moment it’s exciting and unpredictable,” says Charlton, a GP and professor of undergraduate primary care … ....
Consultant neonatologist Regina Nalliannan tells Kathy Oxtoby that hers is a specialty where there are miracles every day
“Many of the babies in my care are born prematurely. It never ceases to amaze me how babies are so fragile, yet so resilient. They can go through so much, and sometimes it seems they won’t come through. And then many do which is a powerful and humbling experience.”
Nalliannan, who works in the department of neonatal medicine at Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton, says she is challenged and inspired by a specialty that is both versatile and complex. “No two babies are the same they can have the same condition and behave in totally different ways so neonatology is not something where you can go by the book,” she says.
It’s also a specialty that has made huge advances. “I work with a large team caring for babies as young as 22 weeks, and we can make such a difference to their lives and their chances of survival.”