Picture: SANDRA MORELLO
TWO Mount Gambier resident general surgeons have collaborated to write a medical book in the field of gastroenterology, which is designed to help specialists across the world.
The book fills a void for medical specialists working in areas without the support of gastroenterologists, particularly those in non-metropolitan hospitals.
Professor Matthias Wichmann – who has previously written two medical books – penned the book along with Professor Timothy McCullough over three years.
Both of the regionally-based leading specialists have seen first hand the gap in local expertise and treatment decisions in the field of gastroenterology.
Often, these decisions have to be made by non-gastroenterologists.
The book – the first of its kind – addresses the problem by providing clear instructions on the diagnosis, medical management and ongoing treatment of the most common disease patterns encountered in gastroenterology.
Written by leading experts in their respective fields, it offers up-to-date evidence and insights into these conditions to enable adequate decision-making and safe management.
Speaking with The Border Watch in the consultant rooms at the Mount Gambier Hospital, both surgeons said they were thrilled the book had been published.
“The book is about gastroenterology, which is an area of medicine that is not typically surgical, but is relevant for general surgeons because it has to do with the gut and the organs such as the liver and the pancreas,” Prof Wichmann said.
He said the book was a guide for surgeons who did not have access to a specialist gastroenterologist.
“We needed a resource, something we can look up and we figured we were not the only ones who needed that – that was the idea for the book,” the well-known surgeon said.
Prof Wichmann scoured the world for experts to contribute to the book, which included surgeons and gastroenterologists and other medical contributors.
This work will bring up-to-date information to medical professionals given it would help improve patient outcomes.
Prof Wichmann said medical specialists were also continuing to learn through new medical breakthroughs, practices and medical challenges,
“No patient is the same, every person comes with a different question and challenge,” he said.
Prof Wichmann said medical professionals regularly purchased chapters they were interested in, not the whole book.
Chapters in his previous books had been downloaded thousands of times.
“This is a very interesting area for publishing houses. They do not make their money selling books, but by selling chapters,” Prof Wichmann said.
Meanwhile, Prof McCullough – who has contributed to other medical books – said he was pleased to work with his Mount Gambier colleague on this new publication.
“It was Matthias’ idea we produce up-to-date information for people like us without access to super specialists in the field to bring them into the right ball park when considering what to do with a difficult problem,” Prof McCullough said.
He said they both wanted to bring concise and modern information for surgeons starved of expert opinion.
In particular, this was important for medical professionals working in a rural setting.
While this expertise varied from place to place, Prof McCullough – who is a gastroenterological surgeon – said his work was often to consult with gastroenterologists.
“We try really hard to do that, but when there is not one physically present, that means you have to think of novel and innovative ways to make sure these discussions involve them,” he said.
Establishing his career in a city environment, he said it was not always possible to deliver the same services compared with a 800-bed hospital in Munich or the centre of London.
Prof McCullough said specialists needed to adapt in regionally-based scenarios.
