Good Practice

Issue 5 | May 2014 People living in rural and remote parts of Australia have a naturally limited choice of healthcare professionals, but their inability to choose a female GP can lead to undesirable health outcomes. However, the Royal Flying Doctor Service’s (RFDS) Rural Women’s GP Service (RWGPS) is helping to improve the situation by offering women in these remote communities access to female GPs. By ensuring a choice of gender in their GP, the RWGPS providing these women with healthcare they may not have otherwise sought.

Managing a modern general practice has evolved into a professional position and the importance of the role has never been greater. In fact, the Australian Association of Practice Managers estimates that not having a practice manager can cost a business up to tens of thousands of dollars a year in lost income.

Successfully conquering the notorious Kokoda Track was not the end of Dr James Lannigan’s adventures in Papua New Guinea. The NSW GP went on to spend almost three weeks volunteering at clinics in the country’s remote highlands, where he learned a lot about providing healthcare in difficult circumstances and how to do more with less.

Doctor, politician, lecturer, farmer and author, Dr Frank Madill has managed to fit an awful lot into his life.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the RACGP Library and its vital role in GP research. From the early days of sending resources out in the mail to today’s online searches, the library has undergone more than a few changes in its four decades.