News
In Practice: Power outages with at-home medical equipment
A new campaign reminds GPs to encourage all patients who rely on medical equipment at home to plan for potential power outages.
It is estimated 68% of people using medical equipment at home mistakenly believe their power will be restored before others’.
This week’s In Practice also includes a reminder to submit abstracts for the upcoming 64th Clinical Update, and to register for the annual Dementia Research Forum.
Preparing for power outages when using medical equipment at home
A new national public awareness campaign is urging people using medical equipment at home to be prepared for power outages, with GPs asked to help spread the word.
A power outage can be life threatening, and 68% of people using medical equipment in the home mistakenly believe their power will be restored before others’. Every person who uses medical equipment at home should have a plan in place for power outages, even if they are registered as a Life Support customer with their energy provider.
The Life Support Power Outage Plan campaign has been developed in close consultation with life support customers and care agencies, and asks users of medical equipment at home to: CHECK. PLAN. DO.
The campaign website includes a My Power Outage Checklist to get the right conversations and thinking happening. Users are then guided to create a My Power Outage Plan tailored to their unique needs that can then be shared with those they rely on for help in their community.
GPs are reminded to encourage all patients who rely on medical equipment at home to plan for potential power outages by using these campaign tools.
Present your research at the 64th Clinical Update
The RACGP Queensland 64th Clinical Update is just around the corner, and GPs are invited to submit abstracts now for the chance to present their research at the conference on the Gold Coast, from 22–23 February.
The theme, ‘Building a healthier future’, will feature a program delivered in a variety of formats, highlighting topics and skills including intergenerational care, the future of general practice, the diversity of general practice, and basic life support.
Learn more about eligibility requirements and submit an abstract by Friday 7 February.
Australian Dementia Research Forum
The Australian Dementia Research Forum 2025 (ADRF2025) is an annual event bringing together dementia researchers, health professionals, policymakers, and people living with dementia and their carers to discuss the latest research, innovations and best practices.
The ADRF2025 will be held in person in Perth from 3–5 June, with the theme ‘The Future of Dementia Prevention, Research and Care’ bringing a particular focus on new innovations in the field.
Six expert international and national speakers have been invited to deliver keynote addresses at ADRF2025 on topics covering discovery and science, prevention and diagnosis, and post-diagnostic care.
For a third consecutive year, the Continuing Professional Development sessions for healthcare practitioners will be on offer, with topics including:
- post-diagnostic interventions
- dementia in CALD communities
- voluntary assisted dying
- sleep complaints
- comorbidity
- allied health and nursing.
Register online, with
early bird tickets available.
Find your niche: Careers in general practice
Date: Thursday 3 April, 6.30 – 8.45 pm (AWST) (Registration and dinner from 6.00 pm)
Venue: RACGP College House, 20 Southport Street, West Leederville, WA
CPD: 0.5 EA and 1 RP hour
Cost: $30 for RACGP members
Where will your career in general practice take you? Are you looking for ways to mix up your career? Do you like the idea of balancing your time between different areas of general practice?
The RACGP New Fellows Committee invites members to an informative and interactive evening, featuring GPs sharing their career journeys and experiences.
Hear from local GPs on how they found their niche and balance different career interests. Speakers include:
- Dr Shawn Hsia (skin)
- Dr Shanil Yapa (surgical assisting)
- Dr Kim Isaacs (Aboriginal health)
- Dr Mohamed Almarzooqi (psychological medicine)
- Dr Sophie Genoni (possums care, lactation and fertility)
- Dr Emilie Pitter (medical education and research)
- Dr Ros Forward (transgender medicine)
Learning outcomes are to identify a niche area within general practice that might compliment current practice, and discuss the benefits of balancing general practice caseload with another niche area of general practice.
Register online.
Murtagh’s Patient Education Handouts available in AccessWorldMed
The suite of Murtagh eBooks and a range of other learning, teaching and clinical practice resources, including the Patient Education Handouts, are now part of AccessWorldMed.
Resources are grouped by format, including books, study tools and multimedia content. To access the Patient Education Handouts, click ‘More’ on the top ribbon and a resource section will open. The ‘View all’ link underneath the handouts heading will direct to an alphabetic listing of handout PDFs.
If an Access profile is created, favourite content such as the handouts, can be bookmarked. For more information, the
AccessWorldMed User Guide details search options, setting up a MyAccess Profile, downloading content and how to use other useful tools.
AccessWorldMed is a member-only resource (login to the RACGP website required).
Log in below to join the conversation.
continuing professional development dementia medical equipment power outages research
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