Environmental health: Addressing patient concerns about per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
Webinar 11 Feb, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM (AEDT)
GPs are often the first point of contact for patients worried about potential exposure to environmental hazards and their potential health effects. GPs play a critical role in addressing these concerns, delivering evidence-based care, and guiding appropriate health monitoring. Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are just one example that might prompt a patient to seek guidance from their GP. PFAS are a global concern due to their persistence in the environment and the human body. As public awareness grows, this webinar provides a framework to help GPs respond confidently to PFAS-related concerns, provide appropriate patient management and communicate risk effectively in the primary care setting.
* CPD hours: Webinar EA 1 hour; with optional post-activity CPD: RP 1 hour and MO 1 hour activities.
Learning outcomes
- Describe the epidemiology of PFAS exposure in the Australian population
- Summarise the current evidence for the potential adverse health effects of PFAS exposure
- Implement appropriate counselling to patients on PFAS related concerns, such as their risk of adverse health effects, the utility of blood tests, side effects of PFAS blood removal methods, and patient management.
- Describe the principles of risk communication in the context of environmental hazards
Educational
Activities
1.0
hours
Measuring
Outcomes
1.0
hours
Reviewing
Performance
1.0
hours
Facilitator
Kim Loo
General Practitioner
Dr Kim Loo is a GP in north west Sydney and has direct experience of heat-related health impacts across communities in Western Sydney. She is the chair of the Hills Doctors association and actively advocates for a sustainable future through her work on the RACGP NSW Council, NSW AMA Council, and NSW General Practice AMA Council, and her many other involvements.
Presenters
Prof Alison Jones
Executive Director, Sunshine Coast Health Institute
Professor Alison Jones is the former Director of the UK National Poisons Service (London) and has advised NSW Health on toxicology matters for 14 years. She is a physician with Fellowships in medicine and toxicology and an active researcher in clinical and public health toxicology.
Prof Tim Driscoll
Professor, Sydney School of Public Health: University of Sydney
Tim Driscoll is an occupational epidemiologist and a specialist in occupational and environmental medicine and public health medicine. He is a Professor in the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney. Tim’s main areas of interest include the burden of occupational disease and injury; occupational cancer and exposure to occupational carcinogens; occupational lung disease; and improving the communication of epidemiological principles and findings to the general public.