Sold out RACGP addiction conference puts vulnerable people first

Having worked extensively with patients in addiction, Dr Paul Grinzi has gained invaluable insights into their lives and their challenges.
 
Along the way, he has learned that someone’s socioeconomic status, geographical location and housing situation, among other factors, can determine their access to help and medical support.
 
Dr Grinzi says Saturday’s General Practice in Addiction (GPADD) Conference, and its 2024 focus on vulnerable populations, is something that will ‘help GPs give patients hope that there is treatment available’.
 
‘One of the things that is certainly a barrier to accessing care is the perception of stigma around addiction and I’m really pleased to see there’s a couple of keynote speakers addressing that directly, the unspoken thing in the room,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘It’s basically front and centre in this conference.’
 
The conference will discuss who is more likely to have issues with alcohol and other drugs ‘as addictions occur across all sectors in our communities’, Dr Grinzi says, but also the populations that are more vulnerable due to a lack of access to care.
 
‘For example, those patients that are in a custodial setting, gender diverse or homeless,’ he said.

‘There’s extra layers of complexity to work through, as well as just the addiction, which can be complex in itself.’
 
RACGP Victoria Alcohol and Other Drugs Committee Chair Dr Anne Saunders said the fact the conference had sold out is encouraging.
 
‘But I’m not surprised,’ she told newsGP.
 
‘The GPs that I see and teach and have exposure to are compassionate, wonderful people, and I see so many GPs constantly seeking to improve their care and respond and learn to the challenges that they have with individual patients.
 
‘It’s yet another reflection of how much GPs are committed to lifelong learning and continuing to do the work of updating their skills and keeping abreast of how medicine changes over time.’
 
Dr Saunders said even well-intentioned GPs can sometimes overlook the big picture when treating patients with substance abuse issues and complex backgrounds.
 
‘Even if your advice to the patient is evidence based and appropriate for them, if you are just treating a small field like alcohol use or something like that, if you’re not putting it in the context of the whole person, then it may be utterly ineffective as a strategy,’ she said.
 
‘Addiction medicine often has as much to do with environmental, and psychological, and counselling strategies as it does to prescription medicines.’
 
But Dr Saunders and Dr Grinzi agree that GPs are often in the best position to help.
 
‘They’ve actually got the skill set that aligns itself very well with addiction issues,’ Dr Saunders said.
 
‘We’re very used to managing the whole of person, and not just a specific subcomponent of someone’s health.’
 
‘We do have that insight and knowledge and experience of being specialists in generalism, which is really what addiction medicine needs, so we can help here.’  
 
Dr Saunders said GPs’ work in addiction is a part of the ‘bread and butter of general practice’.
 
‘But I encourage my colleagues to lean into this area of medicine and to be encouraged that there is support for learning more and ongoing education,’ she said.
 
The GPADD Conference- Vulnerable Populations will run from 9.00 am until 7.00 pm on 27 July 2024 (AEDT) and includes sessions on addiction with refugee health, trauma and mental illness, LGBTQI+ health, custodial health, and homelessness.
 
The free ‘Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence (MATOD) Digital workshop‘ is also available online for those wanting to learn more.
 
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addiction addiction medicine AOD harm reduction professional development stigma vulnerable communities