In this RCT, 382 children aged 5-15 years with asthma using budesonide 50 μg-formoterol 3 μg, two actuations as needed, equivalent to 1 puff Symbicort 100/6 or Vannair 100/6, were compared to salbutamol 100 ug as needed. 1 The primary outcome was asthma attacks as rate per participant per year. The annualised rate of asthma attacks was lower in the budesonide-formoterol group than in the salbutamol group, cluster-adjusted rates 0·23 versus 0·41 per participant per year (rela

As we come to the end of 2025, we want to thank you for being part of an extraordinary year. Together with your peers, you contributed to 25,000 webinar registrations, 60,000 podcast downloads, and 12,000 eLearning starts. In 2026, we’re committed to bringing you even more premium content created to empower primary care professionals. And we’re starting as we mean to go on, with: Adult ADHD: From diagnosis to long-term management WEBINAR 3 February, 7.30pm: Join Psychiatrist

In a paper by Walsh et al, 1 there was concern expressed that excess body weight (EBW) contributes to many cancers in New Zealand, compounding health inequities with higher proportions of EBW-attributable cancers within Māori and Pacific populations. Pacific peoples had the highest population attributable fraction (PAF) (11.8%), and this was highest among Pacific females (16.1%). Māori also had a higher PAF (6.9%) than European/Other (4.5%). Early detection and prevention ar

Coming up in CPD: Tricky question... What do Ralph Stewart, Samantha Newman, Ben Chan, Hannah Giles, Ryan Paul, Buzz Burrell (and about 60 others) all have in common? Here's the answer Post-partum hypertension; practical management WEBINAR 2 December: Dr Jamie Kitt, dual accredited Cardiology & General Internal Medicine Consultant on how to achieve optimal blood pressure control in women puerperium. Register here Cannabis-based products The March Medicines Amendment Act

Smarter consults, better care: What to expect at the 2026 Symposium Need a fast and simple toolkit for mental health consults? Sophie Ball can help with that. Insomnia: a very common complaint within general practice. Alex Bartle will walk us through medication options and strategies to deliver some behavioural treatments within a short consultation. Prostate cancer care is changing fast. Discover how to lead smarter testing, engage in better conversations, and follow up more

A 2025 BMJ review found that a range of exercises were helpful for knee osteoarthritis 1 . The findings demonstrated that exercise was effective at improving pain, function, gait performance, and quality of life in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. There is a lack of studies comparing different types of exercise. None of the exercise interventions resulted in more adverse safety events than the control group, suggesting that exercise therapy is a safe treatment approach.

Coming up in CPD: Goodfellow Symposium 2026 21/22 March 2026: Practical, evidence-based clinical skills you can use next week: Check it out here . Asthma update: latest treatments and practical tips WEBINAR 18 November: Angela Moran reviews the NZ Asthma guidelines and discusses the types of asthma and which treatments may be appropriate for these, including biologic therapies. Register here Updates in gout and weight management WEBINAR 25 November: Join Lisa Stamp, R

Sleep is something we are frequently asked about in primary care. One interesting study 1 , albeit dated, used a cohort of patients with self-reported sleep problems. Participants consumed two medium-sized kiwifruit one hour before bedtime for four weeks and tracked activity using actigraphy and sleep diaries. There was an association with improvements in sleep quality, sleep onset latency, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency. The proposed mechanism includes the presence

Coming up in CPD: Goodfellow Symposium 2026 21/22 March 2026: Practical, evidence-based clinical skills you can use next week: Check it out here . Herpes zoster and cardiovascular disease WEBINAR 4 November: Hasan Bhally and Rachael Niederer on understanding the burden and prevention of herpes zoster in patients with cardiovascular risk. Register here Beyond borders: Challenges in bariatric surgical tourism WEBINAR 11 November: Equipping clinicians to provide safe, non-judge

There has been a theoretical concern that the starting DOACs after an ischaemic stroke with known AF may cause an increase in haemorrhagic transformation of the acute infarct. A review of four RCTs examining the question of starting within the first 4 days or waiting 5 or more days 1 . There was an improvement of the primary outcome, a composite of recurrent ischaemic stroke, symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage 30 days 57 cases (2.1%) versus 83 (3.0%). This an NNT of 111 c

Coming up in CPD: Goodfellow Symposium 2026 21/22 March 2026: Curated specifically for Primary Care: Check it out here . Breast health in midlife: Risk assessment & cancer detection WEBINAR 21 October: Magdalena Biggar, Carla Pajak and Sugania Reddy in this comprehensive session on midlife breast health. Register here Back to basics: Sun, sunscreen, skin cancer prevention WEBINAR 28 October: Dr Sam Mayhew, GP Specialist and Skin Cancer Doctor, on skin cancer prevention. Regi

There is a (currently free) clinical information AI tool called Open Evidence 1 . It has been developed by the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association. It aims to support evidence-based decision-making at the point of care by providing accurate information grounded in medical research. It can be considered a "ChatGPT" for quality medical information. It gives up-to-date information on diagnosis and treatment, and guidelines with ref

Coming up in CPD: Unlocking Options: Insulin Use in Type 2 Diabetes Management WEBINAR 14 October: Ryan Paul on the current role of insulin in the treatment pathway for Type 2 Diabetes. Register here Breast health in midlife: Risk assessment & cancer detection WEBINAR 21 October: Magdalena Biggar, Carla Pajak and Sugania Reddy in this comprehensive session on midlife breast health. Register here Back to basics: Sun, sunscreen, skin cancer prevention WEBINAR 28 October: Dr Sam

Lemborexant for Insomnia Lemborexant (DAYVIGO) is a dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA) used to treat insomnia in adults by helping them fall and stay asleep 1 . It blocks wake-promoting signals in the brain and is effective for difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early. The recommended starting dose is 5 mg once nightly. It is contraindicated in narcolepsy and those allergic to lemborexant. Extra assessment is advised in patients with depression, ps

Coming up in CPD: Navigating radiology: Referral to result WEBINAR 30 September: Learn about the new Community Radiology Programme and Regional Hubs, including the tools and context to confidently refer under the new system. Register here Unlocking Options: Insulin Use in Type 2 Diabetes Management WEBINAR 14 October: Ryan Paul on the current role of insulin in the treatment pathway for Type 2 Diabetes. Register here Breast health in midlife: Risk assessment & cancer detectio

Anxiety is just a prediction error of the brain Prof. Lisa Feldman Barrett likens the brain to an energy-budgeting, prediction-making machine rather than a reactive organ to peripheral stimuli. 1 Anxiety, depression, and trauma arise when that predictive system misfires. Our emotions are constructed from past experiences and the sensory present, meaning every feeling we have is a blend of memory and present input. Because predictions occur faster than conscious awareness, we

Continuing Professional Development Podcasts | Webinars | Gems | eLearning | MedCases Coming up in CPD: Prostate cancer’s devastating, under-discussed effects on patient’s lives WEBINAR 9 September: Vincent Chan will cover erectile dysfunction and Sum Sum Lo will cover off incontinence following prostate cancer treatment. Register here Prescribing and deprescribing in chronic pain WEBINAR 16 September: Buzz Burrell outlines what interventions genuinely assist

Continuing Professional Development Podcasts | Webinars | Gems | eLearning | MedCases Coming up in CPD: Acute vs chronic joint pain: sorting the urgent from the wait and see WEBINAR 12 August: Differentiating traumatic injuries from degenerative conditions can be tricky, and would you recognise the red flags for referral? Join Jacob Munro and Tim Godwin to learn more. Register here The latest in weight management for New Zealand WEBINAR 19 August: James Shand

Stay updated, earn CPD points, and hear from frontline experts who understand the pressures and priorities of primary care including: What’s Hot in Sexual Health Rose Forster brings a timely update on: Emerging trends in HIV. The alarming resurgence of syphilis. Practical guidance for managing bacterial vaginosis. Cracking the CKM Code: Cardiovascular, Kidney, Metabolic Health Struggling with the guidance(s) around cardiovascular, renal, and diabetes management? You’re not al

Continuing Professional Development Podcasts | Webinars | Gems | eLearning | MedCases Coming up in CPD: Antibiotics: DoxyPEP, plus the national antibiotic guidelines WEBINAR 29 July: Join Jeannie Oliphant, Stephen Ritchie and Sue Tutty for this Te Whatu Ora webinar. Register here Acute vs chronic joint pain: sorting the urgent from the wait and see WEBINAR 12 August: Differentiating traumatic injuries from degenerative conditions can be tricky, and would you r