February 2019

Fellowship exams

RACGP Victoria recently ran the 2019.1 Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) and the Key Feature Problem (KFP) exams on 1–2 February. The exams are a large event – 327 candidates sat for the AKT and 261 candidates sat for the KFP. I hope our candidates achieved the results they were hoping for – we would like to see all of you at the OSCE exam on Saturday 26 May.

IMiA19

Occurring biennially, the International Medicine in Addiction (IMiA) conference will be held this year in Melbourne on Friday to Sunday 1–3 March. This long running event is a collaboration between three medical colleges and produces three days of high-quality learning and networking related to addiction and its various presentations in general practice.

New Fellows

The RACGP Victoria New Fellows Committee is hosting a new event, NEXT, on Saturday 16 March 2019, exploring where to go next in your career and next step post Fellowship. I am looking forward to spending the afternoon with the large group who have enrolled. Remember to look out for other networking and education events on the RACGP website.

RACGP Victoria events

RACGP Victoria is hosting a range of other events for GPs to get involved in.

• Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence (MATOD) sessions that will be held in regional parts of Victoria this year
• Clinical Emergency Management Program (CEMP) sessions
• Psychodynamic principles for general practitioners – a popular, long-running event
• CPR (please note, we are in the final year of this Quality Improvement and Continuing Professional Development (QI&CPD) triennium) 
• RACGP Women in General Practice Committee events – Planning for the unplanned on the Saturday 23 March 2019. 

Safescript

SafeScript is rolling out across the whole state in the coming months. Other organisations in Victoria are using the raw numbers of ‘red flags’ in their politics; the raw numbers do not represent what is occurring. This program provides GPs with pertinent information on their prescribing activities not previously visible.

12.30–5.00 pm, Saturday 23 March 2019

The RACGP Victoria Women in General Practice Committee is pleased to present 'Planning for the unplanned' workshop – the first in a series of education events.

This session will discuss unplanned pregnancy in general practice consultation, including the different laws in Australia.

We will explore surgical termination of pregnancy (sTOP) abortion pathways available now with the changes to the Pregnancy Advisory Service. We will also discuss medical termination of pregnancy (mTOP), what the GP needs to know, where and how to access it, and why it is encouraged to gain accreditation to become an mTOP provider for your patients and community.

The sessions will cover cases and allow time for GPs to network and seek out current providers of mTOP.

This session is accredited for six Category 2 QI&CPD points.

Register now.

8.15 am – 5.00 pm, Saturday 30 March 2019

The 2019 'Dermatology in general practice' workshop will provide GPs with the skills to confidently diagnose and treat a range of common skin problems frequently seen in general practice.

Topics will include:

• melanoma update
• skin signs of systemic diseases
• non-melanoma skin cancers
• atopic and contact dermatitis.

This interactive workshop will incorporate small group discussion and case studies. 

Accredited for 40 Category 1 QI&CPD points.

Register now.

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.

RACGP Rural has five, upcoming workshops for registrars and GPs around Australia to provide practical experience in ultrasound.

This full-day active learning module (ALM) will assist in increasing your understanding of the applications of point-of-care ultrasound in the diagnostic process. Ultrasound experts will guide you through the diverse applications of point-of-care ultrasound in primary care services. You will be introduced to basic techniques using advanced, high-end mobile ultrasound equipment provided by our sponsor, Sonosite.

This ALM is accredited for 40 Category 1 QI&CPD points. It is also approved for all categories of the Rural Procedural Grants Program.

What do former participants have to say?

RACGP Rural is proud of its series of successful point-of-care ultrasound ALMs receiving great reviews from across the country:

'This is amazing and I hope to see more of it. Thank you very much to all concerned, particularly the mix of sonographers and clinicians with primary care focus was really, really good and they were local, so now we have more connections in our own workforce!’ – Darwin GP

'Excellent course for beginners and advanced.’ – Registrar at Sydney workshop

‘A day well spent!’ – Bunbury participant

Workshop details

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 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 pro-active 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 our 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 has 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.

Maintaining good-quality patient health records support appropriate clinical decision-making and continuity of care, and contributes to the data provision for research and policy, education and medico-legal purposes. It is also a vital component of medico-legal protection for practitioners.

The RACGP has published a new guide, Improving health record quality in general practice, designed to help GPs maintain quality records. This guide outlines what constitutes a high-quality health record and how practices can put systems in place to ensure they produce health records that are fit for purpose.

Download the factsheet.

Online reviews are the new ‘word-of-mouth’ for recommending goods and services, including health services.

To assist members in responding to online reviews about individual GPs and general practice organisations, the RACGP has introduced a new resource, Factsheet: Responding to online reviews.

The factsheet provides information about when and how to respond to online consumer reviews, useful information about dealing with negative and positive reviews and relevant legislation regarding the use of reviews for advertising and marketing.

Download the factsheet on the RACGP website.

In February 2018, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner commenced the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme.

The scheme outlines the mandatory requirements for organisations, including general practices, for responding to data breaches.

The Notifiable Data Breaches scheme – Fact sheet has been developed to assist general practices with appropriately assessing and identifying notifiable data breaches and to know their reporting requirements under the NDB scheme.

Download the factsheet on the RACGP website.

Family Planning Victoria has a range of QI&CPD accredited courses:

• FPAA National Certificate in Reproductive & Sexual Health for Doctors – May, August, November
  Nationally recognised training for excellence in the delivery of sexual and reproductive health in primary care.
• An Australian perspective: Women’s reproductive and sexual Health – Monday and Tuesday 25–26 March
  Ideal for doctors seeking to gain foundation skills in women’s health in an Australian context.
• Contraception – online
  A flexible study option for clinicians seeking in-depth knowledge of the latest contraception options available in Australia.

For details and registration, visit the Family Planning Victoria website. 

From April 2019, SafeScript will be rolled out throughout the state, with face-to-face training and support services shifting to the whole of Victoria. Over 5500 doctors and pharmacists have already registered to use SafeScript.

Doctors have reported that SafeScript is easy to use and provides valuable information.

SafeScript has alerted doctors and pharmacists in Western Victoria to over 7000 unique patients at risk of harm from visiting multiple clinics or pharmacies, taking excessive doses or risky combinations of medicines.

The RACGP strongly recommends GPs complete the SafeScript training of online modules and face-to-face sessions. Training dates and locations are available from your local Primary Health Network or visit the PHN Victorian–Tasmanian Alliance website. 
 

In 19 June this year, Victoria’s voluntary assisted dying legislation will take effect.

The legislation will directly and indirectly affect the entire health system – it will have particular relevance for general practice.

In February and March, the Victorian Healthcare Association (VHA) will be running a series of Information sessions and webinars across the state to prepare GPs for the introduction of the voluntary assisted dying legislation.

The sessions will provide essential information on the model of care and quality framework.

For more information on information session dates, locations and online bookings, visit the VHA website.


*Inclusion does not imply RACGP endorsement.