Pomegranate Health
Welcome to Pomegranate Health a podcast about the culture of medicine. This is also the home of [IMJ On-Air], Pomegranate [Journal Club] and [Case Studies] for Trainees.
We are currently recruiting new members to join the Podcast Editorial Group.
Key responsibilities of members are to
(1) Discuss potential podcast topics and prioritise them for development of new episodes
(2) For a chosen topic, suggest themes to explore and people to interview
(3) Listen to audio drafts before publication and provide feedback to the producer on content and structure
Group communication is entirely by email and there's a time commitment of 90 minutes per month which can be recognised in CPD credits. It’s helpful for applicants to be familiar with other podcasts or education platforms.
Please download an application form and return it by 31st January 2025 to podcast@racp.edu.au.
Subscribe
Search for ‘Pomegranate Health’ in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox or any podcasting app. For some apps, you may need to import . It also provides a single page you can search for topics that might interest you in specific podcast episodes. You can also sign up for an email alert when a new episode is published about once a month.
CPD
At each episode page there is a MyCPD link for Fellows to log hours of participation in a Category 1 Educational activity. Consider "levelling up" this experience into a Category 2 Performance Review activity. For example, you could organise peers into a journal club to discuss the podcast. This could be done in person, or virtually.
Reflect on aspects of the story that relate to your own practice and how it could be improved and visit MyCPD Handbook for further guidance or discussion templates.
Latest episodes
Ep29: Drug Interactions and Deprescribing
Drug-drug interactions might be responsible for a million hospitalisations in Australia every year. They have become more frequent over the decades, as more medications reach the market. More than half of people over the age of 75 are on five or more prescriptions—a state referred to as polypharmacy. This episode examines some of the systems that have led to current rates of polypharmacy, and some strategies for deprescribing. We also discuss a review from the Internal Medicine Journal on the common drug interactions physicians should be most concerned about.
Ep28: Transitions to Fellowship
Transitioning from trainee to consultant marks an exciting and daunting and step in a clinician’s career. Suddenly you take on responsibility for everyone on the ward—both patients and other staff. While the clinical skills have been hammered in over years of training, the ‘hidden curriculum’ can be harder to pick up. This episode captures the experience of striking out as a leader, manager and mentor to others. At the same time, recognising limitations and knowing when and how to seek help is all important.
Ep27: Severe Asthma
For years the management model for asthma has been empirical. The more serious the disease, the more the dose of controller therapy is increased. But this doesn’t work for everyone and a more rational approach involves identifying one of three distinct pathological pathways. This episode describes emerging diagnostic tools therapies such as monoclonal antibodies that are targeted to specific disease phenotypes.
Ep26: Dealing with Uncertainty – Part 2
Uncertainty is a frightening but unavoidable fact in every speciality. In the second of a two-part series, we look at the stigma and disorientation experienced by patients with medically unexplained syndromes, and some behavioural interventions for functional disorders. Since treatment outcomes are never guaranteed, we also discuss how a patient’s expectations must be managed from the beginning of a consultation, and the importance of long-term coping strategies.
Ep25: Dealing with Uncertainty – Part 1
Uncertainty is a frightening but unavoidable fact in every speciality. In the first of a two-part series, we examine the culture within the profession and general public that expects nothing less that perfection in medicine. We also ask whether hospital training might shelter younger doctors from the experience of complex, chronic conditions, and how much the simplicity of protocol can be relied upon.
Ep24: Social Medicine – Themes from Congress 2017
At May’s RACP Congress, there was great interest in sessions examining the moral obligations physicians have to society. On this episode of Pomegranate, three speakers from these panels reflect on some of the themes raised at the event.
Ep23: Managing Autism in the ED
People with autism spectrum disorder can become very agitated when experiencing pain, as they often have trouble making sense of their own emotional and physical states. Many also have difficulty communicating, and are thus difficult to assess in the emergency department. This episode covers techniques to calm distressed patients with autism and make medical assessments.
Ep22: Transitions to Retirement
It’s common to avoid thinking about retirement, and the idea can sometimes come as a shock—professionally, personally, or financially. This month, we speak with physicians both in and out of retirement, as well as two psychiatrists whose research focuses on medical professionals’ identity.
Ep21: Genomics for the Generalist – Part 2
This is a two-part series looking at how modern genomics is changing clinical practice. In our second episode, we consider genetic risk, the ethics of consenting patients, and gene-targeted treatments in cancer research.
Ep20: Genomics for the Generalist – Part 1
This is a two-part series looking at how modern genomics is changing clinical practice. In our first episode, we look at the differences in gene-testing technologies and their practical utility in clinical practice.