Teaching and Learning team shine at WONCA RACGP GP Conference 2023
The Department of General Practice and Primary Care (DGPPC) Teaching and Learning team recently returned from Sydney where they presented at the RACGP World GP Conference. The conference was well attended by general practitioners, educators and policy makers from around the world.
Ms Jane Henty, Associate Professor Caroline Johnson and Dr Rebecca Starkie talked to the audience about how to make medical education in general practice a success - focussing on quality improvement and the student experience. The DGPPC has developed a comprehensive framework that safely provides work-integrated learning and aims to deliver quality placement that support students choosing general practice as a future career. This framework currently supports over 700 medical student placements in general practice every year.
The key take aways from the talk were:
- Identify the key ingredients for creating positive placement experiences for medical students in general practice.
- Examine systematic processes for managing different types of risks for medical education within general practice.
- Differentiate the complex factors that contribute to the challenges of delivering large scale medical placement in general practice.
To view the ePoster: go.unimelb.edu.au/2b9s
Associate Professor Caroline Johnson also presented on bridging the gap between digital and face-to-face mental health services: integrating the Link-Me tool into a National Mental Health Platform. Most people in Australia who seek help for their mental health will do so via their GP. One of the challenges in improving outcomes of treatment in this setting is the appropriate tailoring of care according to the needs of the patient, contextual factors, and the resources available.
Until now, the ‘Head to Health’ platform has focused on directing consumers to government-funded digital mental health resources. The Link-Me trial demonstrated that prognosis-based matching of interventions reduces psychological distress in patients with anxiety or depressive symptoms, particularly in those with severe symptoms. It is also associated with better outcomes when patients access the recommended treatment.
The Link-Me project represents a significant shift toward integration of digital and in-clinic solutions to tailor mental healthcare solutions for primary care patients.
Dr Anneliese Willems spoke about a novel approach to treating plantar warts in general practice.
The management of plantar warts can be challenging and time-consuming owing to the difficulties in their definitive removal and the pain associated with some therapeutic modalities. A novel therapeutic option that could be considered in difficult-to-treat plantar warts is compounded cantharidin 1%, podophyllum 5% and salicylic acid 30%. The solution is applied topically after paring back and achieves positive results.
Dr Willems also held a workshop on recurrent boils and abscesses and how to determine if they are actually Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). HS is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that is characterised by recurrent and painful nodules, abscesses, and sinus tracts that affects approximately 1% of the population. It is often described as one of the most painful skin conditions, yet there are often significant delays to diagnosis.
The general practitioner plays an important role in the diagnosis and multidisciplinary management of HS. The workshop provided an overview of the diagnosis, staging and primary care management as well as approaches to therapies.