General Practice

Dr Barbara is an experienced General Practitioner who has been living and working in Gladstone since 1998. She is very happy to consult at the Gladstone GP Superclinic, and so have access to it’s well resourced treatment areas and nursing staff, and also to it’s many talented General Practitioners and Allied Heath professionals who make up the team. A well- established General Practice in Gladstone, it is staffed by by a wonderful administration and reception team, who help to make your experience visiting the practice a good one.

Dr Barbara mentors medical students who visit the practice from time to time. She extends her heartfelt thanks to those many patients who were happy to have the students learn from their medical care with Dr Barbara.

General Practitioners in Australia are trained to be good at sorting out whatever problem a person brings to their consultation. Most issues can be managed in General Practice , but sometimes referral to a non-GP Specialist is appropriate.

General Practitioners must do mandatory Continuing Medical Education to make sure that they stay current with new developments.

Common medical problems managed by GPs include (this list is just a snapshot):

  • helping you decide whether a cough is just a virus, or something that warrants treatment with antibiotics or hospital admission.
  • childhood development checks and immunisations
  • cervical screening tests and well woman checks
  • diabetes and high blood pressure
  • arthritis and musculoskeletal injuries
  • depression and anxiety
  • skin lumps and bumps and rashes
  • contraceptives and hormones
  • negotiating Workcover and Aged care
  • allergies and asthma
  • thyroid issues
  • autoimmune disease
  • palliative and end of life care

Dr Barbara has developed particular experience in some procedural areas of general practice:

  • assessment and management (ie scissor release +/- suture) of lip and tongue tie and infant feeding and settling problems
  • male infant circumcision (under 14 days and only after consultation with parent/s, consultation occurring preferably before the baby boy is born)
  • insertion and removal of contraceptive implants and intrauterine devices (IUD, Mirena, Kyleena)
  • basic office ultrasound for obstetric and some gynaecological issues
  • wound closure of excisions using a subcuticular technique (stitches inserted below the skin and do not need removal)

Dr Barbara stopped delivering babies with the closure of the Gladstone Mater Maternity unit in 2018. Until that time she also performed procedural GP obstetrics including caesarians, vacuum and forceps births, resuscitation and stabilisation of unwell and premature babies.