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General practice: The centre of health in Australia


Amanda Lyons


20/09/2018 3:21:44 PM

This year’s RACGP annual conference will bring together GPs from around Australia for education, skills-building and networking.

GP18 offers delegates a range of educational activities, talks and chances to socialise with colleagues.
GP18 offers delegates a range of educational activities, talks and chances to socialise with colleagues.

The RACGP’s 2018 conference for general practice, GP18, will be held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from 11–13 October. It will offer delegates a range of activities, education, and opportunities to socialise with colleagues from all over the country.
 
The overarching theme of this year’s conference, ‘General Practice: The centre of health in Australia’, contains five sub-themes – Healthy Patients, Healthy Communities, Healthy Nation, Healthy Future and Healthy GP – each of which will be explored in presentations and educational activities.
 
‘The theme is relevant because it really captures the depth and breadth of general practice, while at the same time recognising the crucial role of the GP at the core of the excellent healthcare we enjoy in Australia, which is the envy of the whole world,’ Dr Deborah Sambo, GP and GP18 Scientific Committee Chair, told newsGP
 
‘The learning activities on offer include 14 clinical sessions, 13 ALMs [active learning modules], 42 hours of abstracts, 13 hours of research, 21 CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation] sessions and many more extra sessions between now and the conference.’ 
 
This year’s pre-conference ALM day, which allows delegates additional learning time that doesn’t clash with conference presentations, will feature 13 ALMs on Wednesday 10 October. These modules cover a range of topics, from point-of-care ultrasound for rural GPs to examination skills for musculoskeletal pain.
 
The clinical skills stream, a particularly popular feature that was introduced last year, will return in 2018, this time with double the number of sessions – from seven to 14. These 90-minute practical sessions are designed to cover a variety of topics relevant to contemporary general practice.
 
Delegates can also hear from a number of keynote speakers over the course of the conference.
 
‘We kick off with Future Crunch at the opening: Argus Hervey and Tane Hunter,’ Dr Sambo said. ‘They will give you rocket fuel for your brain that will take you in all different directions about what the future of general practice looks like.’
 
‘Next comes Professor Peter Donnelly from the Welcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics in the UK. He will talk about ground-breaking research that will blow your mind.
 
‘We finish off with Professor Felicity Goodyear Smith from the University of Auckland, who will be speaking about “WONCA’s chocolate factory” as it relates to research.’
 
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt is also scheduled to provide an address to delegates during the Thursday morning plenary.
 
GP18 will include all of the usual scientific programs, poster presentations, and abstracts on offer at the RACGP’s conference.
 
There have also been improvements to the conference-specific apps that help delegates with tasks such as finding sessions and booking coffee, and the exhibition hall will feature a new Doctor Wellbeing Zone, an area focused on the health of GPs. The new zone is located within the Recharge Lounge and will include informal presentations from beyondblue and headspace.
 
The conference provides plenty of opportunities for delegates to socialise, from the Welcome Reception Garden Party to the Foundation Gala Dinner (with a ‘Havana Nights’ theme). 
 
‘Socialise with colleagues while learning and catching up with cutting edge research in the midst of the sun and the surf. How good can it get?’ Dr Sambo said.
 
Visit the GP18 website to learn more and register for the conference.



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