Arthritis eLearning platform launched

A new eLearning program is now available for GPs looking to brush up on their knowledge on arthritis and its management and treatment.
 
The ATLAS program, launched on Wednesday, was developed to address the issue that ‘major evidence-practice gaps currently exist in arthritis care’, and was designed to be relevant for all health practitioners who work with patients with arthritis.
 
Its creation was sparked by the 2019 National Strategic Action Plan for Arthritis and was funded by the Australian Government.
 
Professor Rana Hinman, a research physiotherapist who worked directly on ATLAS, told newsGP the new resource will be useful to GPs looking to upskill in this area.
 
‘We know that exercise, self-management and non-pharmacological care is what’s considered best practice and high value care for people with arthritis, but we know in Australia and elsewhere in the world that clinicians aren’t always providing high value care,’ she said.
 
Professor Hinman said research has shown that GPs often default to surgical referrals rather than lifestyle interventions.
 
‘We know that one of the reasons why clinicians don’t always do high value care is because they tell us that they don’t know what the best treatment is,’ she said.
 
Professor David Hunter, consultant rheumatologist at Royal North Shore Hospital who also worked on the project, said he now wants ‘all clinicians to have access to the tools to provide better care for the millions of Australians living with the pain and disability of arthritis’.
 
‘Many of whom currently don’t have access to the evidence-based care that could help them avoid joint damage and more invasive treatments such as surgery,’ he said.
 
‘The ATLAS program represents a fantastic opportunity to drive better care that will also help address unsustainable joint replacement surgery costs and waiting lists for osteoarthritis.’
 
Professor Hinman agrees that ATLAS will aid in addressing any knowledge gaps in this area.
 
‘It’s a condition that many GPS will encounter on a regular basis, and it’s really hard to keep up to date with all of the changing evidence in this space, and so that’s where ATLAS really helps to fill that gap,’ she said.
 
‘This training program has all of that up to date and evidence-based information in it that’s relevant for all health professionals, including general practitioners, and covers the whole gamut of what’s really important for person-centred arthritis care.’
 
For time-poor GPs, Dr Hinman said ATLAS’ design allows them to take modules at their own pace and in their specific areas of interest.
 
‘The way we’ve structured the course is so it’s modular and you can either do all of the learning modules, or you can pick and choose to brush up on the areas where you might feel less confident about your knowledge,’ she said.
 
‘It’s something that you can do in your own time, from home, at your own pace, and really adapt it to suit what you need.’
 
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