Community Project: Case Study

My community project was titled Autism Spectrum Disorders: Tamworth Perspectives. The objectives included:

• Increasing awareness amongst health professional and the community
• Encouraging early assessment and access to services
• Streamlining communication and referral pathways between general practitioners, paediatricians and allied health.

Site visits throughout the project and a PHN facilitated education night at the end of the project provided opportunity to share perspectives and network with other interested professionals. 

Neurodiversity is a fascinating aspect of humanity that present various challenges in the community. I saw the project as an opportunity to improve my knowledge, give answers to families that presented to me, and help connect with the multidisciplinary teams required to care for affected children and families. 

The project focused on local resources within the Tamworth region. 

The community project was the last component of my Fellowship . I started planning in 2016 but completed the bulk of it in 2018. I had completed previously completed the Emergency Medicine Certificate, my JCCA anaesthetic training and my FRACGP. 

The final aspect of the project was a collaborative professional development night with the Primary Health Network. The night included various speakers including parent/carer, childhood early intervention, occupational therapy, psychology, paediatrics and general practice. Coordinating that range of speakers was the biggest challenge and the night was set back on two or three occasions. 

I found professional networking the most rewarding aspect of the project. I’ve personally met with and visited the majority of service providers catering for children with ASD in the Tamworth Region. This has been beneficial to my own understanding and helps with connecting patients with local services. 

As a family doctor I frequently had young families presenting seeking help. Prior to the project I felt a little lost as to how to handle, encourage and refer these families. After the project I had renewed confidence on the conditions involved and could help navigate families through various services. 

I believe the projected provided a great deal of encouragement between the services within town and improved understanding of how the services can interact. 

Get on and get it done. Pick a project that is personally interesting, beneficial to the community, and an appropriate challenge to be completed within 6-12 months.