RACGP Specific Interest in Addiction Medicine

The specific interest group is for general practioners (GPs) who:

• have contact with drug and alcohol issues as part of typical general practice
• work in areas with a higher burden of drug and alcohol problems
• choose to practice for all or part of their working week in environments specific to addiction, either in a hospital or community setting
• have an interest in the impact of alcohol and other drugs on their patients and communities.
• The context in which a GP engages in addiction medicine varies from state to state and is also dependent, to an extent, upon the regulations imposed by the state and territories.

The role of this specific interest group is to develop the skill and knowledge set of doctors either in these areas of practice or for doctors seeking to enter practices with high presentation loads of addiction medicine by:

• developing professional development opportunities
• collaborating with other organisations to deliver training and education opportunities specific to addiction medicine
• collaborating to design and create educational resources for addiction medicine
• creating networks for GPs in addiction medicine offering peer support and peer education
• facilitating or driving more primary care research into addiction medicine to develop a sound evidence-base relevant to the practice experience of doctors
• being a point of contact for GP advocacy and support in addiction medicine
• making representations to regulators and governments
• utilising external organisations, regulators, and governments to seek assistance or advice.

Sign up to the RACGP Specific Interest Addiction Medicine Group or join the Facebook group.

Post-Fellowship Recognition in Addiction Medicine

The RACGP Board has endorsed the implementation of Post-Fellowship Recognition (PFR), from late 2023. It is a process to formally recognise the considerable knowledge, skills and experience of Australian general practitioners using extended skills in their practices.

PFR acknowledges that: 

• many GPs develop specific expertise to meet the needs of their patients and communities
• this expertise is embedded in generalism
• without such expertise, many patients would have to be referred elsewhere or go without the treatment or care they need.

PFR is a way for the RACGP to formally recognise GPs with these extended skills. It would be an acknowledgement from the RACGP that a GPs skills and experience meet the recognition standard in that area of specific interest.

For further information, contact PFR@racgp.org.au

Other ECHO offerings around Australia

Victoria – Victorian Opioid Management ECHO - St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne 

Western Australia – Alcohol & Other Drug Network – A Project ECHO Initiative; WA Primary Health Alliance

For more information, contact Project Officer Isobel Storey, at Isobel.storey@wapha.org.au

Conferences

IMiA23

The biennial International Medicine in Addiction (IMiA) conference provides an opportunity to learn from, meet and collaborate with other health professionals with an interest in addressing the complex issues that come from addiction.

The event is a collaboration between the RACGP, RACP and RANZCP and will present a diverse and thought-provoking program which will cover the latest in addiction research and clinical practice.

Register online now www.racgp.org.au/imia-2023