New AJGP issue examines why 'less is more' in modern medicine

The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has released the June 2026 issue of the Australian Journal of General Practice (AJGP), under the theme ‘When less is more’. 

This issue explores the growing challenges of overdiagnosis, overtesting and overtreatment in healthcare, and highlights the important role GPs play in delivering evidence-based and patient-centred care. 

Articles reflect on topics including managing uncertainty in clinical decision making, navigating invisible illnesses, the impacts of social media health information on consultations, and the potential benefits and harms of long-term antidepressant use. 

RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said it highlights the importance of thoughtful, measured care in an increasingly complex healthcare environment, and GPs’ innate strengths in navigating this. 

“General practitioners are experts in balancing evidence, clinical judgement and patient preferences to deliver high-quality care,” he said. 

“This AJGP issue highlights how a ‘less is more’ approach can help avoid unnecessary interventions while ensuring patients receive the care that is most likely to benefit them. Increasingly fragmented care and new sources of advice and information are making it harder for patients to access the care they need. Shared decision making and strong doctor–patient relationships can help reduce low-value care while maintaining patient trust and quality outcomes.”

RACGP’s Handbook of Non-Drug Interventions (HANDI) supports this approach by making effective non-drug treatments more accessible to GPs. As the world’s first online formulary dedicated to promoting effective non-drug treatments in general practice and primary care, HANDI enables clinicians to offer a greater choice of interventions to a patient. 

Additional topics featured in this issue include: management of poor muscle health; artificial intelligence-assisted mental healthcare; voluntary assisted dying; and paediatric allergic rhinitis, among others. 

The AJGP provides evidence-based, peer-reviewed information to support GPs in delivering high-quality care across diverse clinical and community settings. As an open access publication, AJGP is available to clinicians, researchers, educators, students and the wider healthcare community.