RACGP Standards for general practices (5th edition)
Maintaining and adhering to high quality practice standards is absolutely critical for all GPs in the 21st century.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) will shortly be seeking feedback on the first draft of the RACGP Standards for general practices (5th edition) (the Standards) from stakeholders, including GPs, practice managers, administrative staff and patients.
Centred on quality patient outcomes, the Standards are led, developed and maintained by our profession for our patients and communities.
The Standards protect patients from harm and improve the quality and safety of health services by ensuring GPs and their staff adhere to best practice as determined by the best available evidence, based on studies of relevant areas and, where studies are not available, Level IV evidence (evidence from a panel of experts). Level IV evidence involves testing the Standards in Australian general practices and with consumers, and is overseen by an expert committee of GPs, academic GPs, practice nurses, practice management and consumers.
Government imposition on general practice standards has occurred in the UK, where a government agency defines the practice of the profession. The equivalent body in Australia does set hospital standards, but not those for general practice.
Community-based standards of practice are contextual and different from those in the hospital sector, so the RACGP will continue to be the standard-setter in this area. In order to be as effective as possible, the Standards must be meaningful to the practising GP, hence the RACGP interest in your involvement and perspectives.
In my practice, like many others, much of the ‘nuts and bolts’ work involved in adhering to the Standards is carried out by practice staff, in conjunction with the GPs. I encourage you to engage all of your staff members in this important consultation; comprehensive, practice-wide feedback and input is critical.
Consultation for the first draft will run from Monday 15 February to Friday 1 April 2016 and will be available via the RACGP website.
The current 4th edition of the Standards was released in October 2010. To ensure the Standards remain relevant and reflect contemporary general practice in Australia, the RACGP began development of the 5th edition in February 2015, with the final document expected to be launched in October 2017.
The RACGP undertook an initial consultation phase last year in order to seek feedback from stakeholders, and review available evidence and comparable international primary care standards. This information has been used to guide the development of the 5th edition.
The first draft of the 5th edition Standards is exactly that – a draft. It is a work in progress and it is expected that there will be further revisions to successive drafts before the document is finalised.
The RACGP hopes to engage extensively with stakeholders to seek feedback that will be used to inform the second draft, which will be open to a further stakeholder consultation in May.
Stakeholder feedback is vital to ensuring the Standards are as beneficial as possible for patients, practices, accreditation agencies and surveyors, and I encourage all to have their say.
Visit the RACGP website for more information.
Dr Frank R Jones
RACGP President
RACGP members receive Australia Day honours
The RACGP extends sincere congratulations to all GPs acknowledged in the 2016 Australia Day Honours List, seven of whom are RACGP members. These seven members, of 13 total GPs to receive an accolade, have shown tireless dedication and commitment to primary healthcare and community wellbeing in Australia:
- Dr Peter William Ford AM, for significant service to medicine and to professional medical organisations, to healthcare delivery for the aged, and to the community.
- Dr Paul Raymond Mara AM, for significant service to medicine, particularly through the recruitment and retention of medical practitioners in rural and remote areas.
- Dr John Houston Paradice OAM, for service to the community, particularly as a GP.
- Dr Thakorbhai Babubhai Patel OAM, for service to the community through a range of volunteer roles.
- Dr Jeffrey Shapiro OAM, service to medicine as a GP, and to the community.
- Adjunct Associate Professor Rashmi Sharma OAM, for service to medicine, and to professional organisations.
- Dr Creston Ivan Magasdi OAM, for service to local government, and to the community.
Further information can be found on the 2016 Australia Day Honours Lists website.
GP16 Perth – call for abstracts now open
GP16, the RACGP annual conference for general practice, will take place in Perth from Thursday 29 September to Saturday 1 October 2016.
The RACGP, in association with the RACGP Foundation, welcomes you to share your research, knowledge and expertise at GP16.
The principal theme for GP16 is Clinical, Digital, Leadership. The scientific committee invites submissions for workshops, oral sessions, short papers and posters on the following streams:
- Public health
- Chronic conditions
- General practice education
- Models of business
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
- Rural general practice.
GP16 is your opportunity to collaborate and connect with colleagues, gain further insights into general practice and improve clinical, digital and leadership skills.
Visit GP16 website for further details and submission guidelines.
The call for abstracts closes at 5.00 pm AEST on Friday 26 February 2016.
Clinical pearl
The DASH diet
The prevalence of hypertension increases dramatically with age among most populations in developed countries.
The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is an eating plan designed to lower blood pressure. It is similar to the Mediterranean Diet, emphasising a high intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts, and a reduced intake of sodium and saturated fats.
The diet has been shown to reduce blood pressure by 6mmHg systolic and 3 mmHg diastolic within 2–4 weeks. Effects are more pronounced in people who are hypertensive rather than normotensive.
DASH may further reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk through reduction in total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and body mass index (BMI). Changes achieved predict a reduction of CVD of approximately 13% using the 10-year Framingham risk score.
The eating plan consists of foods that are readily available in Australia and can easily be followed by patients in general practice.
Refer to the RACGP’s Handbook of non-drug interventions (HANDI) for more information about the DASH diet, including details of a diet plan.
In Practice poll
Work is underway to draft the next edition of the RACGP Standards for general practices (the Standards). As part of this process, the RACGP called for stakeholder feedback on the 4th edition Standards, including what works well, what needs changing and any identified gaps.
During the consultation period a number of stakeholders suggested that defibrillators should be included in the next edition of the Standards. The RACGP has included an indicator on defibrillators in the first draft of the 5th edition Standards, however it is unflagged and therefore not mandatory. The draft indicator is:
Indicator 3.1 G – Our practice has a defibrillator.
You are invited to participate in the RACGP poll to determine whether this indicator is appropriate for inclusion in the next edition of the Standards and, if so, whether the indicator should be a mandatory (flagged) requirement or not (unflagged).