James talks to Bridget Johnson about palliative care and helping people with a life-limiting illness to live their life as fully and comfortably as possible. This is done by identifying and treating symptoms that may be physical, emotional, spiritual, or social.
Summary Writer: Emily Nash
Editor: Bridget Johnson
Interviewee: Bridget Johnson
Bridget Johnson is a Palliative Care physician who enjoys working in a teaching hospital and palliative care unit in Sydney. Bridget completed her Bachelor of Medicine in 2003 at the University of Newcastle and was a physician trainee at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. She completed her advanced training in 2013 and since then has worked as a palliative care staff specialist.
With Dr Bridget Johnson, Palliative Care Consultant in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Palliative care helps people with a life-limiting illness to live their life as fully and comfortably as possible, by identifying and treating symptoms, which may be physical, emotional, spiritual, or social.
You are a junior doctor on the Geriatrics ward and asked to review a patient with a reduced level of consciousness. The patient is an 85-year-old man who was admitted 5 days ago from a nursing home following an extensive acute stroke. He has significant co-morbidities including ischaemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, COPD and chronic renal failure. The nurse has been handed over that he has an Advanced Care Directive, but can’t find it in the notes.
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Tamar
April 18, 2017 at 8:58 pmDr Johnson, living your dream. I am so proud of you and all the fantastic work you do. Much love from an old friend from halfway round the world.
Demi Naylor
November 13, 2017 at 7:38 amI’m ao proud of you and everything you’ve done! It seems a lifetime ago that you gave yourself just one morning tea and lunch time a week off studying so you could follow this dream!