February 2019

It has been a busy time for RACGP Queensland over the holiday period and into 2019. I would like to take this opportunity to outline a few of the headlining issues affecting Queensland GPs.

North Queensland floods

As per the communications sent over the past few weeks, I would like to extend my heartfelt concern and best wishes to members and their families who have been affected by unprecedented weather conditions in areas of greater Townsville through to North West Queensland.

I’d like to reiterate the message that all members are eligible to use the free and confidential GP support program offered by the RACGP.

RACGP Fellowship and Awards Ceremony – Townsville

In addition to our annual Brisbane-based ceremony, RACGP Queensland is introducing a Fellowship and Awards Ceremony in North Queensland. This will become an annual event and will move to different locations each year across North Queensland. The first ceremony in North Queensland will be in Townsville on Friday 9 August 2019. Invitations and event details will be sent in the coming months.

RACGP Queensland continues the commitment to service all of Queensland with an ongoing program of multiple events across the state that include active learning modules (ALMs), OSCEs and practice OSCEs in North Queensland, as well as increasing education via webinars.

Mandatory reporting

The RACGP has taken a strong stance against the Queensland State Government’s plan to remove the exemption for clinicians receiving medical treatment. Doctors need to be able to seek treatment without the fear their treating clinician will be pressured into reporting them to the authorities. Unfortunately, the Queensland Government seems determined to press ahead with legislation forcing clinicians treating doctors to report their colleagues. Hope is not lost, however, as there are promising signs we will receive support from the Queensland opposition on this important doctor health issue.

Pharmacy prescribing

The Queensland Parliament is due to consider legislation giving pharmacists the ability to write prescriptions, including repeat prescriptions and antibiotics prescriptions. The RACGP vigorously continues to oppose this legislation. It represents a dangerous fragmentation of patient care and an irresponsible relaxation antibiotic stewardship at a time when the world desperately need to preserve our limited antibiotics and avoid a potential antibiotic resistance disaster. The RACGP will continue to campaign in the interests of public safety and good medical practice.

Real-time prescription monitoring

The RACGP has been working closely with the Queensland Department of Health to develop a system of real-time prescription monitoring. With narcotics prescriptions growing at an annual rate of 12% and prescription overdoses now killing more Australians than automobile accidents, I thank the department for their hard work on this important initiative.

As such, the RACGP continues to work hard to maintain strong academic standards, high standards of practice, and reward and recognition for the great job we do as GPs.

Cheers,

Dr Bruce Willett
RACGP Queensland Chair

Registration is currently open for the above linked events. Bookmark the Queensland events page to keep up to date with education and networking events across Queensland.

Friday and Saturday 3–4 May 2019

With a clinical program developed by a committee of Queensland GPs, Clinical Update is now in its 61st year providing RACGP Queensland members with education and collegiate opportunities.

Fulfil your Category 1 Quality Improvement and Continuing Professional Development (QI&CPD) requirements by registering early for one of the ALM streams:

• chronic respiratory disease
• musculoskeletal conditions and pain.

Do you prefer a range of topics across the two days? Category 2 QI&CPD points are also available for the above topics, as well as:

• the business of general practice (a 'chronic condition' for all GPs)
• Parkinson's disease
• chronic dermatology conditions (eczema, psoriasis and acne)
• inflammatory bowel disease
• kidney disease
• haematological diseases
• chronic heart failure
• diabetes
• schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder
• general practice research
• CPR
• and more.

   

Free registration is also available to successful submitters of abstracts in general practice research. These abstracts will be presented at the research plenary at 9.00 am, Saturday 4 May 2019.

Both students and GPs are encouraged to submit general practice research abstracts.

View more information on the RACGP website.

Congratulations to the following Queensland members who received honours on Australia Day 2019:

• Dr Eleanor Chew OAM (Provost of the RACGP Queensland Council)
• Dr Peter Marendy OAM
• Dr Gregory Thompson OAM

Honours recipients are recognised for their contributions to patients, the general practice profession and their broader communities.

Last December, I formally moved into the role of RACGP Queensland New Fellows Committee Chair. Now in its third year of supporting Queensland new Fellows through what is no doubt the most important professional and personal life stage of their career, the New Fellows Committee is looking forward to an exciting program in 2019. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the two previous Chairs, Dr Marlene Pearce and Dr Lucinda Ingram, for their strong foundational work.

New fellows are a valuable group of GPs with an exceptional ability to provide innovations that are solutions to the big world problems. Their memories are fresh with experience of training and examinations, have digital technology expertise that most of us only dream of and have different expectations of life and healthcare. Most importantly, it is because they retain the idealism of youth and the feeling that the way things are is not good enough. 'The world still desperately needs idealism,' said Steve Jobs (American Academy of Achievement, 26 June 1982). It is the role of organisations and leaders to harvest these ideas, help people express them effectively and build them into the processes that make change.

Save the dates

The committee is excited to present the following three events for 2019:

• Business of general practice and careers information (Brisbane) – Saturday 9 March 2019
• Hot topics for new Fellows (Brisbane) – Saturday 7 September 2019
• New Fellows event (location TBA) – Saturday 23 November 2019 (if you have any ideas for this event, please contact us or join the committee!)

The New Fellows Committee is always interested in new members with a particular interest in representing the diversity of our population and profession. Being involved in the group offers the opportunity to have your say, to influence the RACGP, to meet with leaders in the profession and understand the structure and processes of the RACGP and GP training.

Please email your expression of interest and curriculum vitae to James Flynn, State Manager of RACGP Queensland.

The RACGP Queensland Education Committee is looking for proactive members to join the ranks. To be eligible, you must be an RACGP Fellow and have a keen interest in general practice education.

Your duties will include:

• providing clinical guidance for the annual RACGP Queensland education program
• developing ideas for new education initiatives, including content, delivery and place
• assisting with sourcing the appointment of clinical leads, speakers and facilitators for a range of education activities, including the Clinical Update Weekend, ALMs and webinars
• representing the RACGP at educational and stakeholder events as required.

Availability to chair sessions at the Clinical Update Weekend (Friday and Saturday 3–4 May 2019) is preferable.

Please send your expression of interest and curriculum vitae to Courtney Walker, Education and Marketing Coordinator.

If you are interested in becoming an examiner and practice on the Gold Coast or in Beaudesert, the RACGP Queensland Examinations team would like to hear from you. Training will be available for successful applicants in September 2019 (exact dates to be advised).

Contributing to the RACGP examinations is a valuable accomplishment and allows examiners to earn QI&CPD points.

For more information, email qld.exam@racgp.org.au or call 07 3456 8944. Alternatively, download and submit the application form.

This article pick was submitted by Dr Alex Hofer, a GP from Thursday Island.
 
Peanut allergy in children is on the rise in Western countries with peanuts being the leading cause of anaphylaxis and death due to food allergy. Two decades ago, guidelines recommended excluding allergenic foods in high-risk infants and their mothers during pregnancy and lactation. Infants are generally deemed high risk if they have severe eczema, egg allergy or both. An epidemiological study¹ in 2008 showed that Jewish children in the United Kingdom (UK) were ten times more likely to develop peanut allergy than Jewish children living is Israel. It was observed that peanut-based foods were introduced around seven months of age in Israel, while not until 12 months of age in the UK. This led to the hypothesis that early introduction of peanuts might actually be protective against developing peanut allergy and served as the hypothesis of the LEAP trial.
 
The LEAP trial² was an open-labelled random controlled trial in the UK. It randomised 640 high-risk infants (4–11 months old) into two groups – a peanut group (children given regular peanut protein until five years old) and an avoidance group (children instructed to avoid peanuts). At five years of age, all children were given an oral food challenge with 5 gm of peanut protein to illicit the proportion of children with allergy in both groups.
 
The prevalence of allergy in the peanut group was 3.2% compared to 17.2% in the avoidance group (p <0.001). In other words, early peanut consumption significantly reduced the risk of developing peanut allergy in high-risk infants (or peanut avoidance was associated with greater frequency of allergy).
 
The results of this trial are now reflected in Australian guidelines³, which recommend the introduction of peanuts to infants with severe eczema and/or existing food allergy around six months of age. This can be done at home or under medical supervision. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) outlines a suggested procedure for introduction of peanut for professionals.³
 
References

1. Du Toit G, Roberts G, Sayre PH, et al. Randomized trial of peanut consumption in infants at risk for peanut allergy. NEJM 2015; 372:803-813
2. Du Toit G, Katz Y, Sasieni P, et al. Early consumption of peanuts in infancy is associated with a low prevalence of peanut allergy. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2008;122:984-991
3. Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA). Guide for introduction of peanut to infants with severe eczema and/or food allergy. 2017; Available at https://www.allergy.org.au/hp/papers/ascia-guide-peanut-introduction

 
The RACGP Queensland Research Support Committee coordinates the ‘Article pick’ segment. We are looking for contributors for 2019. Please submit your article pick or send any queries about contributing to Queensland Research Support.
 
*Please note, the opinions expressed by 'Article pick' authors may not reflect the opinions of the RACGP.

This year, RACGP Foundation is proud to offer 16 research grants and awards to GPs and registrars. Up to half a million dollars is available in general practice research funding. You could play a vital role in shaping the health of Australia.

RACGP Foundation is where general practice research begins.

Online applications open on Tuesday 5 March 2019.

As we enter the final year of the 2017–19 QI&CPD triennium, now is a great time to review your progress and complete any outstanding requirements.

As a reminder, the 2017–19 triennium requires a minimum of 130 QI&CPD points comprising:

• two Category 1 activities, one of which must be a quality improvement (QI) activity
• one CPR activity.

If you are unsure of the current state of your progress, you can view it online:

1. Log into myCPD
2. Select My QI&CPD statement
3. Select triennium 2017–19

We encourage you to be proactive and avoid rushing to complete tasks. There is still a whole year ahead, but we encourage you not to leave things to the last minute.

For more information on the QI&CPD 2017–19 triennium, visit the RACGP website.

For further support, contact your local QI&CPD team.

Most Australians enjoy one of the highest life expectancies of any country in the world, but this is not true for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Close the Gap campaign was established over a decade ago to work towards closing the health gap and achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality within a generation. It transformed from a popular movement into a force that has shaped government policy.

But, there is more to be done!

You can join in and support change during the National Close the Gap Day on Thursday 21 March 2019.

To participate, you can:

• register your own event
• attend a Close the Gap event in your area
• sign the online petition calling for action from governments, or
• share information with your networks via social media.

No matter how big or small, every action is important to help raise awareness.

For more information and advice, visit the Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation website or email RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health.

Are you thinking about a career in general practice or know someone who is?

Expressions of interest are now open for the 2020 intake of the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program with the RACGP.

AGPT with the RACGP is a three to four-year, full-time training program offered in metropolitan, rural, remote or very remote locations around Australia. It comprises hospital training, general practice placements and extended skills training.

During the 2020 intake, RACGP applicants will be given the opportunity to express interest in Rural Generalist Training; this program combines the Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice (FARGP) with the Fellowship of the RACGP (FRACGP).

Applications open at 10.00 am, AEDT Monday 25 March and will close at 10.00 am AEDT, Monday 28 April.

Express your interest to stay up to date with the latest information and resources on AGPT.

Sunday to Wednesday 7–10 April 2019 – Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre

The program includes an exciting line up of international keynote speakers addressing topics relevant to primary care practitioners:

• Professor Beth Darnall, PhD – Clinical Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Stanford University.
• Dr Nanna Brix Finnerup (MD, DrMedSc) – Professor in pain research at the Danish Pain Research Centre, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark.
• Professor Tor Wager – Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Cognitive Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

There will also be two pre-conference workshops available to attend on Sunday 7 April 2019:

Morning workshop – Fundamentals of pain

This workshop will use a socio-psycho-bio model of pain developing a mechanistic-based approach to pain management. A case study will be presented for open discussion using the perspectives of a multidisciplinary audience.

Afternoon workshop – Pharmacology in pain management

This workshop addresses the challenges and opportunities of pain management within the clinical setting.

View the program.

Friday 29 March 2019

RACGP Queensland will be supporting the Queensland Office of Industrial Relations and WorkCover Queensland medical professionals' breakfast for GPs in the Townsville area.

Time: 7.00–8.30 am
Location: The Ville Resort, Sir Leslie Thiess Drive, Townsville QLD

This breakfast event will be an information and networking opportunity for all participants. RACGP Queensland staff will be present at an RACGP information table – feel free to come by and have a chat to us.

RACGP Queensland Deputy Chair, Dr Michael Clements, will be participating in the panel discussion and delivering one of the key addresses at the breakfast: Working at the coal-face – General practitioners’ experiences in managing work-related mental health conditions.

All RACGP members in the Townsville area are encouraged to attend this event.

More information and registration.

The Queensland Health Immunisation Program is excited to announce the launch of a suite of four comprehensive online courses for immunisation service providers in Queensland.

These high-quality, online courses are free and easy to access – they are self-paced, interactive and have been developed with the latest instructional design expertise in mind. They complement existing face-to-face training and education sessions already provided by public health units across Queensland.

View the available courses.