September 2019

Thunderstorm season is around the corner

Spring has arrived. The weather is improving and we are entering the sports season. We are also entering thunderstorm season and we, in Victoria, are particularly at risk. It is time to review the asthma and importantly allergic rhinitis management of our patients. Encourage our communities to download the Victorian Government app or visit the Vic Gov website.

RACGP Victoria Member Meeting

This month, our annual Members Meeting had a great turn out. Presentations were awarded to our State award winners in each category: General Practice of the Year, General Practitioner of the Year, General Practice Supervisor of the Year, General Practice Registrar of the Year.

CPD requirements

If you need to complete your CPD requirements, please make contact with our Faculty and let them help you complete your requirements.  You can see all the upcoming events on the RACGP Victoria events page.

If you still haven’t registered for GP19, there is still time. Register for GP19.

See you next month!

Webinar: Voluntary assisted dying	Tuesday 8 October 2019
Dealing with depression	Saturday 12 October 2019
Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence (MATOD): Module 2 – Bundoora	Saturday 19 October 2019
New Fellows Small Group Networking – Inner North Melbourne	Sunday 20 October 2019
Perform CPR – A workshop for GPs	Thursday 31 October 2019
Perform CPR – A workshop for GPs	Saturday 16 November 2019
MATDO: Module 2 – Bendigo	Saturday 16 November 2019
RACGP Victoria Fellowship and Awards Ceremony 2019	Saturday 23 November 2019
Challenging consultations and SafeScript: Making it work	Saturday 30 November 2019
MATOD:  Module 2 – Wangaratta	Saturday 30 November 2019
MATOD:  Module 2 – Warrnambool	Saturday 7 December 2019

The 'Dealing with depression' workshop is a highly interactive workshop that aims to provide GPs with a practical framework for diagnosing and managing depression. The program uses case-based learning to explore the key challenges that GPs experience when caring for patients with depression. Cases will be examined and effective strategies will be devised to address these challenges.

Approved by the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC) for Mental Health Skills Training (MHST).

Register online now.

On 8 September, RACGP Victoria piloted the new Medication Assisted Treatment of Opioid Dependence (MATOD) Module 2 workshop.

The aim of this four-hour, interactive workshop was to provide GPs with the skills and confidence to assess, manage and initiate patients on opioid replacement therapy.

The new workshop consisted of an online training component that focused on opioid use disorder and the pharmacology of buprenorphine and methadone as part of a case-based discussion. 

GPs from around Victoria attended the session and participated in role-playing activities and had the opportunity to collaborate and share experiences. It’s wonderful to have such enthusiastic and engaged practitioners.

We would love to see you at one of our MATOD workshops. Visit the RACGP Victoria Events webpage for information on upcoming MATOD workshops. 

On Thursday 29 August, approximately 50 members along with VIPs and award winners, attended the 2019 Members Meeting and awards night.  

Dr Cameron Loy presented an overview of the year, thanked the departing board members and introduced the new members.

Presentations were made to the following Award winners:

General Practice of the Year – Bendigo and District Aboriginal Cooperative


General Practitioner of the Year – Dr Caroline Johnson


General Practice Supervisor of the Year – Dr Niroshe Amarasekera


General Practice Registrar of the Year – Dr Pallavi Prathivadi – award accepted on her behalf by her parents.

RACGP Rural is offering registrars and GPs around Australia the opportunity to gain practical experience in ultrasound.
 
This full-day active learning module (ALM) will improve your understanding of point-of-care ultrasound applications in the diagnostic process. Ultrasound experts will guide you through the diverse applications of ultrasound in primary care services. You will be introduced to basic techniques using advanced, high-end mobile equipment. Each workshop is capped at 25 participants to allow hands-on experience.
 
This ALM is accredited for 40 Category 1 Quality Improvement and Continuing Professional Development (QI&CPD) points in the 2017–2019 triennium. It is also approved for all categories of the Rural Procedural Grants Program.
 
Event calendar

Adelaide, SA	Wednesday 23 October 2019	Register now.
Sydney, NSW	Thursday 28 November 2019	Register now.
Geraldton, WA	Saturday 22 February 2020	Register now.
Coffs Harbour, NSW	Saturday 21 March 2020	Register now.
Toowoomba, QLD	Saturday 16 May 2020	Register now.
Bendigo, VIC	Saturday 20 June 2020	Register now.

 
 What do former participants have to say?
 
'I would regard this as one of the best organised and best-run practical sessions I have been to. The teachers were universally brilliant. Loved the whole thing and would thoroughly recommend it.' – Hobart participant.

'Thanks so much for the unique opportunity of learning about point-of-care ultrasound and promoting the confidence of GPs to perform such a highly useful technique in an outpatient setting.'– Cairns participant.

'Great course, informative and very useful. Looking forward to using the skills.' – Lakes Entrance participant.
 
Register for a workshop.

Grass pollen season brings a seasonal increase in asthma and hay fever. It also brings the chance of epidemic thunderstorm asthma. 

Epidemic thunderstorm asthma events are thought to be triggered by a unique combination of high grass pollen levels and a certain type of thunderstorm with strong winds, causing a large number of people to develop asthma symptoms over a short period of time. Epidemic thunderstorm asthma events don't happen every year but when they do, they happen during grass pollen season, which is normally from October through December. 

Data from thunderstorm asthma epidemics suggest that the risk of asthma triggered by the particular thunderstorm is highest in adults who are sensitised to grass pollen and have seasonal allergic rhinitis (with or without known asthma). The worst outcomes are seen in people with poorly controlled asthma.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ thunderstorm asthma campaign resources, including posters and a brochure, are available in 15 languages and can be downloaded from the Health.Vic website campaign toolkit. Alternatively, they can be ordered at no cost using the link to the online order form on the toolkit page.

For further information, visit the Epidemic thunderstorm asthma webpage.

*Inclusion does not imply RACGP endorsement.

Over 60% of GPs are registered for SafeScript, which is helping GPs to open conversations about medication safety and identify patients at risk of harm. 

Good medical practice involves ensuring that continuity of care is provided for all patients. Should you identify that a patient is at risk, it is important to remember that abruptly discharging patients from your care or stopping treatment in patients who have been taking high-risk medicines over a long period may be contrary to patient safety. 

The SafeScript GP Clinical Advisory Service (1800 812 804) can help you to support patients with prescription medicine concerns. 

SafeScript training is available at www.vtphna.org.au/safescript-training-hub. 

For more information, visit the SafeScript website.
 

^Paid contribution.
*Inclusion does not imply RACGP endorsement.