GP awarded for addiction medicine research

Dual-qualified GP and addiction medicine specialist Dr Eric Hadinata has been recognised by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) for his research into the role of telehealth in addiction care.
 
Co-Chair of RACGP Victoria’s Alcohol and Other Drugs Committee, Dr Hadinata completed his Advanced Training in Addiction Medicine with the RACP earlier this year.
 
He currently practices at the Victoria Clinic in Melbourne – a private facility specialising in both outpatient and inpatient treatment for addiction and psychiatric disorders.
 
At this year’s International Medicine in Addiction conference, Dr Hadinata was presented with the RACP 2025 AChAM Nghi Phung Research Project Prize, which is awarded every two years to the best Advanced Training Research Project on addiction medicine.
 
Dr Hadinata told newsGP he ‘felt deeply grateful and humbled to have been awarded’.
 
‘It was truly an honour to be part of a stellar research team comprising leading experts in addiction medicine, including Dr Thileepan Naren, Dr Jon Cook, GP and addiction medicine specialist from Western Health, Professor Suzanne Nielsen, and Dr Bosco Rowland from the Monash Addiction Research Centre,’ he said.
 
Dr Hadinata’s research, published in the Internal Medicine Journal, explores whether telephone consultations can remove barriers to treatment.
 
‘My research focused on assessing the impact of telehealth on addiction medicine care, particularly examining how the consultation modality affected attendance rates,’ he said.
 
‘Our findings revealed that telephone consultations significantly increased attendance rates in addiction medicine outpatient settings, suggesting they could play a valuable role in reducing barriers to care, if delivered as part of a comprehensive treatment program.’
 
According to the RACP, Dr Hadinata’s work reflects a commitment to improving access and engagement in addiction medicine through innovative, evidence-based approaches.


Dr Hadinata at the International Medicine in Addiction conference.

Combining a depth of understanding in primary care with addiction medicine helps Dr Hadinata provide comprehensive care.
 
‘As an addiction medicine specialist and GP, I find the skills from both specialties to be highly complementary,’ he said.
 
‘Addiction issues are prevalent and among the most challenging problems faced in general practice.
 
‘Conversely, addiction significantly impacts a patient’s overall and mental health, making the expertise of a specialist GP crucial in managing such cases.
 
‘Skills such as coordinating care, biopsychosocial formulation, and providing longitudinal care, which I honed during my GP training and practice, are essential.’

Dr Hadinata first developed an interest in addiction during his time as a GP, seeing many patients struggle with addiction issues.
 
‘I did [the RACGP’s] Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence training as a registrar and found working with addiction issues very rewarding,’ he says.
 
‘As I became more adept at managing both substance-use disorders and non-substance-related addictions – for example, gambling, gaming – I found that a non-judgemental approach to assessing potential addiction issues allowed patients to reveal their addiction to me, and hence commence treatment when they otherwise wouldn’t.
 
‘Over time, I became known as a doctor who sees patients with addiction issues and increasingly had patients with more complex and challenging conditions, for example, multi-substance use, severe mental health.’
 
He was eventually encouraged by colleagues and mentors to pursue Addiction Medicine Specialist Training, and now works at the Dual Diagnosis Program at the Victoria Clinic. He uses his role as Co-Chair of the RACGP Victoria Alcohol and Other Drugs Committee to ‘continue to advocate for the central role of general practice in the care of patients with addiction’.
 
Dr Hadinata adds that the committee also advocates for better government policies, support for general practice, funding and education.
 
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