Health guides for everyday decisions

Clear information to help you understand symptoms, prepare for a consultation and manage the practical side of care. Explore condition guides, work and study questions, and seasonal health planning. Each guide links to Australian sources and explains when professional assessment matters.

These guides provide general information. A doctor considers your circumstances and decides what care is appropriate. Call 000 for an emergency.

Condition guides

• Cold or flu: when should you see a doctor? — Understand worsening cold and flu symptoms, telehealth limits, recovery questions and when urgent assessment is needed.
• Gastroenteritis: hydration, time away from work and when to seek help — A practical Australian guide to gastro symptoms, dehydration, return-to-work questions and the limits of online assessment.
• Strep throat: why assessment matters before treatment — Understand why a sore throat is not always strep, when testing may help and which symptoms need urgent in-person assessment.
• UTI symptoms keep returning: what should you discuss with a doctor? — Prepare for assessment of recurring urinary symptoms, understand urine-test questions and recognise signs that need urgent care.
• Hay fever affecting sleep or lasting all year — Understand persistent hay fever, sleep disruption, indoor triggers, asthma warning signs and when to review your care plan.
• UTI symptoms: your first episode and what to do next — Understand new urinary symptoms, when a urine test or examination may be needed, and what to prepare for a doctor assessment.
• Hay fever: symptoms, triggers and getting the right assessment — Understand hay fever symptoms, cold and allergy overlap, trigger records and when breathing symptoms need urgent care.
• Migraine: recognising the pattern and planning care — Prepare for a migraine assessment, record headache patterns and understand warning signs, follow-up and telehealth limits.
• Acne: understanding your skin and preparing for treatment — A practical guide to acne assessment, skin routines, photographs, scarring concerns and planning a realistic follow-up.
• Reflux and heartburn: when to seek assessment — Understand reflux symptoms, chest-pain warning signs, practical symptom records and the questions to ask about persistent heartburn.
• Contraception: choosing a method and preparing for review — Prepare for a contraception discussion with questions about preferences, health history, missed doses, switching and ongoing review.
• Hair loss: understanding the pattern before choosing care — Prepare for a hair loss assessment with a useful timeline, photographs, scalp symptoms and questions about investigation and follow-up.
• Erectile dysfunction: a practical guide to assessment — Understand an erectile dysfunction consultation, the health history that matters, privacy and questions about appropriate care.
• Weight management: preparing for a health-focused review — A practical guide to weight management consultations, realistic goals, calculator limits, eating history and ongoing review.
• Sinusitis: facial pressure, blocked nose and when to seek care — Understand sinus symptoms, worsening patterns, assessment limits and how to prepare for a useful doctor consultation.
• Period pain: tracking symptoms and getting an assessment — Prepare for a period pain review with a symptom timeline, functional impact, bleeding details and questions about investigation.
• Insomnia: preparing for a sleep assessment — Understand difficulty sleeping, useful sleep records, daytime safety, treatment discussions and when to seek a doctor review.
• Anxiety check-ins: what to discuss with a doctor — Prepare for an anxiety check-in with a clear account of symptoms, daily impact, existing care and a practical follow-up plan.
• Migraine with aura: describing symptoms and recognising change — Understand how to describe possible aura, why new neurological symptoms need assessment, and what to discuss at a migraine review.
• Frequent migraine: using a diary to plan a better review — Prepare for recurring headache review with a practical diary, medicine-use record, functional goals and follow-up questions.
• Adult acne: reviewing new or persistent breakouts — A guide to adult acne, changing skin patterns, product routines, associated symptoms and preparing for an individual assessment.
• Blocked pores and comedonal acne: a practical guide — Understand blackheads and whiteheads, skin-routine questions, irritation and when a clinician should assess persistent blocked pores.
• Painful and inflammatory acne: when to seek review — A guide to inflamed and deeper acne lesions, scarring concerns, skin photographs, wellbeing and timely clinical review.
• Night-time reflux: symptoms, sleep and planning a review — Prepare for a night-time reflux review with a symptom timeline, meal and sleep context, warning signs and practical questions.
• Pattern hair loss: assessing gradual thinning — Understand a review for gradual patterned hair loss, useful photographs, scalp examination and realistic follow-up questions.
• Patchy hair loss: why an examination may matter — Prepare for assessment of a bare patch or uneven hair loss, including scalp symptoms, photographs and questions about alopecia areata.
• Diffuse hair shedding: building a useful health timeline — A guide to increased hair shedding, possible telogen effluvium, relevant history and deciding when further assessment is needed.
• Weight plateaus: what to review before changing the plan — Prepare for a weight plateau discussion using trends, health changes, sustainable routines and the limits of calorie estimates.
• Urinary symptoms after testing: understanding the next step — What to ask when urinary symptoms persist after a urine test, including result follow-up, changing symptoms and reassessment.
• Switching contraception: questions to settle before making a change — Prepare a contraception switch with questions about timing, protection, procedures, side effects and follow-up.
• How to get an ADHD assessment in Australia

Work, study and life admin

• Sick leave at work: rights, notice and medical evidence — An Australian guide to reporting illness, preparing medical evidence, checking leave records and returning to work.
• Carer's leave: organising care, notice and evidence — Understand carer’s leave evidence, planning an absence and distinguishing the caring role from the patient’s medical needs.
• University special consideration: a practical application guide — Prepare a special consideration request with the right dates, functional impact, supporting evidence and institution-specific requirements.
• Returning to work after illness: capacity, duties and evidence — Plan a return after illness by clarifying duties, requested evidence, ongoing symptoms and when a new clinical assessment is needed.
• Mental health leave: seeking care and managing work evidence — A practical guide to discussing mental health, work capacity, privacy, evidence and support beyond a leave certificate.
• Medical appointments and work: attendance, sick leave and evidence — Understand the difference between attending an appointment and being unable to work, and prepare the right evidence request.
• Several days off sick: assessment, evidence and review — Plan an absence lasting several days, explain the timeline and understand why the doctor may need reassessment before extending a certificate.
• Earlier illness and medical evidence: documenting the timeline — Understand retrospective certificate requests, truthful issue dates, supporting records and what a clinician can reasonably assess.
• Workplace injury: medical care, capacity and documentation — Separate immediate care, ordinary sick-leave evidence and workers compensation documentation after an injury at work.
• Medical certificate privacy: employer questions and clinical records — Understand certificate authenticity checks, requests for more information, consent and how to respond to a workplace evidence query.
• Illness during annual leave: evidence and practical next steps — What to do if illness interrupts annual leave, including prompt notice, medical evidence, overseas care and payroll follow-up.
• Preparing for telehealth: records, privacy and a useful care plan — A practical appointment guide covering symptom notes, technology, privacy, test results, follow-up and when in-person care is needed.
• Repeat prescriptions: planning review before you run out — Understand existing repeats, new prescribing decisions, medicine lists, pharmacy coordination and preparing for a prescription review.
• Travelling with medication: an Australian planning guide — Plan medicine supplies, destination checks, documents, storage and access to care before travelling overseas.
• Changing doctors: organising records and keeping care connected — A practical guide to transferring health information, medicines, outstanding results and follow-up when changing doctors.

Seasonal health and timely planning

• Flu season: a practical health plan for your household — Prepare for flu season with vaccination questions, a household illness plan, warning signs and sensible work and study arrangements.
• Hay fever season: prepare a plan before symptoms disrupt your day — Plan for seasonal allergy symptoms at home, work and outdoors, including breathing concerns and thunderstorm asthma awareness.
• Heatwaves: a practical plan for staying safe — Prepare for extreme heat with cooling, hydration, medicine-storage questions, care arrangements and emergency warning signs.
• End-of-year burnout: when to pause and seek support — Recognise a difficult work-stress pattern, prepare for a clinical check-in and plan practical support beyond a short break.
• Holiday prescription planning: avoid a last-minute scramble — Prepare for holiday closures by checking repeats, review needs, pharmacy supply, travel plans and access to appropriate care.
• Summer food safety: gatherings, leftovers and gastro — Plan safer food handling at summer gatherings and understand what to do if vomiting or diarrhoea develops afterwards.
• Back-to-school illness: a practical family plan — Prepare for family illness during school terms with care arrangements, return rules, evidence and appropriate clinical assessment.
• Exam season health: sleep, stress and getting help early — A practical guide to managing health during exams, recognising when support is needed and preparing evidence if illness affects assessment.
• Shift work and sleep: planning for busy periods safely — Organise sleep, commuting and clinical review around changing shifts, fatigue and safety-sensitive work.
• Bushfire smoke: prepare a health plan before air quality worsens — Plan for smoke exposure with current local advice, existing care plans, medicine access, evacuation needs and urgent warning signs.
• Before you travel: a practical health review — Prepare for overseas travel with destination-specific health questions, vaccination review, insurance, records and a plan for illness.
• New-year health goals: make a plan you can review — Set practical health goals without extreme diets or outcome promises, and know when symptoms or eating concerns need assessment.

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