News
In Practice: Upskilling and networking opportunities
A bumper edition of In Practice features new tips on named referrals, information on upcoming webinars, and much more.
There are a number of clinical and professional opportunities for GPs in this week’s In Practice.
The RACGP is also celebrating 30 years of its Rural Faculty, inviting GPs from across Australia to take part in its Family Violence GP Education Program, and accepting applications for the 2022 round of RACGP Foundation grants.
Named referrals
The Department of Health (DoH) has provided quick tips on named referrals to help GPs have conversations with patients, other specialists or hospitals.
The tips cover a range of issues, including clarification that a named referral is not needed for patients to be seen in hospital outpatient clinics. Detailed advice is also provided about the differences between public and private care, and the GP’s role in supporting patient decision making.
Members can access frequently asked questions or further information via the DoH website, which outlines when Medicare benefits can be claimed for services provided to hospital patients.
Practice Owners National Conference
Which method is better for your patient – video or phone consults? The patient consultation format has changed enormously during the past two years.
Join the 2022 Practice Owners National Conference from Saturday and Sunday 14–15 May to hear from Dr Ganesh Naidoo, Medical Director and CEO of the Medmate Group, who will discuss the digital transformation of patient medication supply and what implementing eScripts in your practice could look like.
Dr Naidoo’s presentation will help attendees identify the key benefits of telehealth for medical centre business models, outline a high-level understanding of the technology behind electronic prescriptions and outline the digital experience for patients and doctors with a fully integrated telehealth, electronic prescribing, and online medication ordering services.
Visit practiceowners.racgp.org.au for the full program and to register.
AusCAPPS webinar series
Webinar 2: Preparing your practice for Early Medical Abortion
Monday 9 May, 7.30 pm – 8.30 pm AEST
One in five Australian women will have an abortion in their lifetime.
However, access to services – particularly in rural areas – and high out-of-pocket costs remain significant hurdles for women wishing to exercise reproductive choice.
This webinar will focus on preparing a general practice to deliver Early Medical Abortion (EMA). It will highlight the considerations a general practice and their teams should make regarding resources, training, and preparation for medical abortion. This includes patient and practice support needs.
Presented by the AusCAPPS network and RACGP Specific Interests Sexual Health Medicine.
Celebrating 30 years of the RACGP Rural Faculty
In 2022, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of RACGP Rural – a significant milestone. The faculty was formed on 26 April 1992, and we’re marking this date by coming together online with RACGP President Adjunct Professor Karen Price and Rural Chair Dr Michael Clements to celebrate our history and achievements, and to share member stories.
Rural Faculty members from across Australia also due to speak include:
- Dr Ross Wilson
- Associate Professor Ayman Shenouda
- Dr Chris Mitchell
- Dr Sue Page.
Date: Tuesday 26 April
Time: 7.00 pm – 8.00 pm
Place: Online via Zoom
Connect with rural colleagues from around Australia for this
special event, share your own reflections and find out what else we have planned throughout the year to celebrate 30 years.
Rural member meet-up: Doctors for Women in Rural Medicine
Join this member meet-up to find out about the RACGP’s new gender inclusive new Doctors for Women in Rural Medicine Committee which aims to elevate, empower and encourage women working in rural practice.
Date: Thursday 21 April
Time: 7.00 pm – 8.00 pm
Place: Online via Zoom
This new committee is open to RACGP members across Australia to join. Together we will work to identify and meet the unique interests, challenges and needs of rural women GPs and empower them to reach their full professional capacity, and in turn support rural communities.
In our first meet-up you’ll hear directly from two GPs who will share their stories of working in rural general practice, including the benefits and the challenges:
- Dr Sarah Edmundson
- Dr Emma Moffatt
You’ll also have the opportunity to connect with your colleagues and join the discussion to share your own concerns.
Family Violence GP Education Program now open to all members
The RACGP is inviting GPs from across Australia to undertake a new training program to build skills in responding to domestic and family violence.
The new training program resulted from findings from Australia’s first
Royal Commission into Family Violence, held in Victoria, which recommended professional development training for GPs in family and domestic violence.
The training is moderated by the RACGP and facilitated by a family violence expert who will lead small GP peer group learning sessions, delivered online.
For more information visit the Family Violence GP Education Program
webpage.
Upcoming sessions:
Wednesday 27 April, 6.00 pm – 7.00 pm, facilitated by Dr Aadhil Aziz
Tuesday 3 May, 10.30 am – 11.30 am, facilitated by Dr Anne Saunders
Saturday 28 May, 10.00 am – 11.00 am, facilitated by Dr Niroshe Amarasekera
Attendees will receive 40 points in the RACGP’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) 2020–22 Program.
Management of people with diabetes who choose to fast during Ramadan
The
Australian Diabetes Society has recently published a position statement on the
management of people with diabetes who choose to fast during Ramadan. This provides healthcare providers with:
- an understanding of the significance of Ramadan for Muslim people with diabetes
- knowledge of the implications and potential complications of fasting
- practical recommendations and strategies to safely and confidently provide management advice to those who choose to fast.
The link to the position statement is available in the ‘Diabetes management during Ramadan’ resources section in the RACGP
Management of type 2 diabetes: A handbook for general practice.
Last chance to register for the Academic Post pre-application webinar
Thursday April 21, 7.00 pm – 8.00 pm AEST
Have you considered undertaking an
Academic Post as part of your AGPT training?
An Academic Post is an AGPT training term in which you will learn academic skills through individualised learning plans with mentoring and support from training providers, universities and the RACGP.
Join the RACGP Education Research Unit and Monash University Academic Support team next Thursday to learn how this unique opportunity will benefit your career.
The webinar will provide a detailed overview of the program, the application process and give participants the opportunity to ask questions throughout the live session.
Participants will also hear from the Chair of the panel that will be assessing submitted applications, as well as a
previous Academic Post registrars.
Visit the
RACGP website for more information or
register now for the free webinar.
Citrate salts for preventing kidney stones
Recently potassium citrate Urocit-K tablets were discontinued in Australia.
These tablets were available over the counter and were used for the prevention of kidney stones. A replacement for these tablets is K-Citra 10, which contains the same concentration of potassium citrate.
Further information on the use of citrate salts in the prevention of kidney stones, and the Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) summary for K-Citra 10 tablets can be accessed on the
HANDI website.
RACGP ‘Mental bites’ webinar series
Prevention of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences)
Thursday 5 May, 1.00 pm – 1.30 pm AEST
1 CPD point available
‘Mental bites’ is a new lunchtime series with bite-sized information presented by RACGP Specific Interests Psychological Medicine.
GPs are aware of mental health assessments, diagnosis, and management, but this series will be an opportunity to learn more about how to do the work – the micro-skills of engagement, forming safe and effective therapeutic alliances and communication with patients.
The
third webinar of the series looks at the role of the GP and awareness regarding ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). This webinar will highlight a practical skill GPs can take away from the session to use with patients, as well as feature a Q&A with a GP expert in this field.
RACGP Foundation grants 2022
For more than 60 years, the RACGP Foundation Grants and Awards program has nurtured GP researchers to develop an evidence base, and discover new ideas and solutions to improve primary healthcare for all Australians.
Now’s your chance to
apply for a 2022 grant. Join the long list of exceptional GP and GP registrar researchers whose important work has received an RACGP Foundation grant and influenced Australian healthcare.
Applications close 2 May.
April 2022 PSR newsletter now available
The April 2022 edition of the Professional Services Review (PSR) Panel Newsletter is
now available.
Topics covered in the newsletter include:
- agency activity during the period from 1 January – 31 March 2022
- the current PSR Director’s resignation
- new appointments to the PSR Panel
- concerns over the pharmacy prescribing pilot in Queensland
- the work of the PSR in 2022
- Federal Court outcomes.
Webinar: Dating violence and technology abuse: Management in general practice
Presented by GP Dr Deepthi Iyer and Cynthia Brown from the University of Melbourne’s Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care,
this webinar will discuss dating violence and technology abuse and how to manage that in general practice.
This education is a CPD Activity under the RACGP CPD Program (3 points).
Date and time: Wednesday 4 May, 7.00 pm – 8.30pm AEST
Intimate Partner Violence
Every year, police respond to 75,000 cases of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) across Victoria.
Prevalence studies, however, indicate that this number is just the tip of the iceberg, and hundreds of incidents of IPV are occurring across our communities each day undetected.
Whether you recognise it or not, every day in your practice you are engaging with patients using or at risk of using IPV. IPV is a serious public health and social issue that every sector across our communities has a role in stopping.
The North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (PHN) is hosting a series of sessions on IPV, which will include:
- education to identify and manage people using intimate partner violence, facilitated by Matt Addison, from the University of Melbourne
- an expert panel case discussion and Q&A, featuring panellists from No To Violence, Odyssey House Victoria, The Royal Children’s Hospital, MAPS, Berry Street and North Western Mental Health
- facilitated networking with local general practices, hospitals, mental health practitioners, behaviour change programs, drug and alcohol and family and domestic violence services.
Registration
Read about last year’s sessions
on the North Western Melbourne PHN website.
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