Supporting Continuing Professional Development of Rural Dermatologists: Online
Building on the e-portal developed under Round Seven of the SSRS, the project aims to further refine this technology to provide expanded and strengthened peer networking and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities to support rural dermatologists.
Primary objectives of this project will include:
w Further / ongoing development and enhancement of the e-portal interface to support virtual meetings and CPD objectives.
w Four special interest virtual meetings to be conducted, facilitated by topical experts.
w The development and deployment of up to three online Learning/Resource Modules for the purposes of CPD. These will be developed by Fellows with special interests, or knowledge in the particular area. Their development and completion by participants will attract CPD points.
w A face-to-face Rural Dermatology Meeting, to be held in March 2009. This will provide rural dermatologists the opportunity to discuss issues specific to rural dermatology in a small group interactive forum. Other meeting sessions will include familiarisation with and training in the use the e-portal.
City-based ACD Fellows who undertake regular rural rotations will also be eligible to participate in several project activities, and will be involved in the development of the professional development modules and the proposed special interest virtual meetings.
The implementation of this project will assist participants meet the objectives identified in the ACD Personal Development Program, by enhancing their access to relevant educational resources and activities.
Target audience:
For more information, contact Dr Bob Corderoy
Rural Radiology Online Education
Building on the successful online education modules developed under Round Seven of the SSRS, this project will develop a further six, one and a half hour education modules developed by trained educationalists, with the expertise from radiologists.
The target group for this project is all rural radiologists within Australia, including trainees and International Medical Graduates (IMGs).
Each module will be supported by expert facilitators, who will be available to respond to questions and offer guidance to participants.
The learning goals will be developed so that they complement the College’s existing education programs:
- The RANZCR CPD Program which provides ongoing education in areas the College recommends should be maintained and/or developed and
- The College’s curriculum for registrar training which focuses on the competencies that registrars need to demonstrate in order to achieve their specialist status.
This will ensure that rural radiologists are being provided education where the outcomes match the Colleges educational aims, from pre Fellowship through to post Fellowship.
This will be of particular importance for rural radiologists who are unfamiliar with changes to the radiology curriculum, and for IMGs, who may be considering sitting College examinations leading to Fellowship.
Target audience:
For more information, contact Ms Pamela Taylor
Peer Review Generated Education Seminars for Rural Psychiatry
This project builds on and extends the work from the previously successful Peer Review Network for Rural Psychiatrists project implemented under Round Seven of the SSRS.
Eligible participants include psychiatrists based in rural and remote Australia, from private or public practice. International Medical Graduates and trainee psychiatrists in rural locations are also encouraged to participate.
Project activities will include:
- The continuation of sub-speciality focused rural peer review groups to meet on a monthly basis via videoconferencing or teleconferencing;
- The creation of new rural peer review groups to accommodate additional participants if the need arises;
- The presentation of four videoconferenced seminars determined on the basis of questions arising from rural peer review meetings (topics of seminars to be decided on the basis of those receiving the highest levels of endorsement); and
- Web forum follow-up of seminars using the existing Rural Station website.
Target audience:
For more information, contact Ms Rachael Williams
Simulation Supporting Rural Specialists as Leaders of Clinical Teams
This project will include three, one-day, and one, two-day simulation-focussed courses that will be conducted on site at the Sydney Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre (formerly Sydney Medical Simulation Centre).
Relevant to a number of specialist disciplines, including adult internal medicine, paediatrics, anaesthesia, emergency medicine and intensive care medicine, courses will include:
1. Acutely Deteriorating Patient: An intensive two-day up-skilling course for adult physicians addressing the acutely deteriorating patient
- This course will be run over two sequential days. The first day will run as a skills development day. The second day will focus on integrated clinical management of acute presentations. These will provide participants an opportunity to rehearse the management of medical emergencies and discuss these amongst peers. Indicative clinical problems will include: cardiac arrest, coma, respiratory distress, and shock. Non-technical skills development will address their role as leaders including leadership, teamwork, communication, handover and conflict management.
2. Obstetric anaesthesia emergencies.
- This is a single day course, highly relevant to anaesthesia providers.
- Many anaesthetists are required to care for pregnant women and many encounter pregnant women infrequently. The SMSC will be adapting a previously piloted course, ensuring the content is relevant to rural specialist anaesthetists.
3. Paediatric trauma management. This one-day course will address a team-based approach to the management of children and infants suffering trauma.
- This course is suitable for paediatricians, emergency physicians, intensive care specialists, anaesthetists and surgeons.
- The SMSC will be engaging with the NSW Institute for Trauma and Injury Management (ITIM), which will provide guidelines, training resources and clinical experts.
Target audience:
For more information, contact Joanne Gream
ERRNEST – Educating Rural Rehabilitation Networks, Enhancing Specialist Teams
Rural and Remote Rehabilitation Physicians work in relative isolation and often have an extended practice role in the absence of accessible specialists in other disciplines. This project will give this isolated group of specialists access to a range of educational activities, aimed at enhancing their broader clinical skills and knowledge.
This project will also seek to involve other specialist groups, with the intention of enhancing rural specialist networks and the quality of rural care, whilst at the same time providing greater peer support to isolated specialists.
The project will include several Continuing Professional Development activities, including:
w Four educational videoconferences, covering topics such as the management of depression post stroke and other neurological conditions, high risk foot management and cultural competency
w One skills workshop that will be in response to the educational needs of rural and remote rehabilitation specialists.
These CPD activities will be relevant to a number of specialties, including rural and remote Neurologists, Endocrinologists, Geriatricians, General physicians, Psychiatrists and Surgeons and International Medical Graduates (IMGs). Where appropriate, members of the allied health team will also be invited to participate.
It is estimated that 20-30 rehabilitation physicians will be involved and an equivalent number of other specialists and other health professionals
Target audience:
For more information, contact Ms Jayne Lakeland
Consisting of three full day workshops offered in rural locations including Alice Springs, this project will be applicable to any medical specialist who may come into contact with diabetic patients with high risk foot complications.
Expecting to benefit up to 40 medical specialists, including rural surgeons, International Medical Graduates (IMGs) and trainees, the workshops will demonstrate how to effectively recognise, assess and treat diabetic patients with ‘high risk’ foot complications.
The workshops will include a range of diverse teaching and learning methods, including theory and practical clinical skill demonstrations that will combine to enhance the learning opportunities for participants.
Target audience:
For more information, contact Ms Rebecca Clancy
Northern Australian Surgeons Network
This project will primarily target general surgeons and surgical trainees in centres across northern Australia, including Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Mount Isa, Darwin, Alice Springs and Broome.
Largely consisting of monthly peer presentations via video-link, including case discussions and literature reviews, these presentations will provide a unique collegial experience for rural surgeons to develop educational activities and share collective wisdom in an informal, welcoming setting.
Fellows and trainees from both public and private sectors will be invited to address these meetings, and opportunities will also be available for rural physicians from the North of Australia in the delivery of some educational sessions.
Other strategies that will be implemented under this project to support the continuing professional development of rural based medical specialists will include a ‘Northern Australia Surgeons Conference’, and a NASN webpage located at www.surgeons.org.
Target audience:
For more information, contact Ms Hilary Waugh
Many rural surgeons feel uncertain about their role in the management of acute head injuries. This one-day workshop will provide rural surgeons, International Medical Graduates (IMGs) and surgical trainees an opportunity to upskill in burr-hole surgery for neurotrauma emergencies, providing the foundation for improved head injury management skills.
Eligible participants will be those clinicians who have not attended this workshop previously, as well as previous participants who are in need of a refresher course.
Headed up by two leading neurosurgeons, the workshop will be offered in a metropolitan location in order to utilise fully equipped skills centres, and for access to human cadaveric material.
The workshop is expected to benefit up to 20 rural surgeons, IMGs and rural trainees.
Target audience:
For more information, contact Ms Ally Chen
Australian Indigenous On-line Health Program
Targeting all rural medical specialists, this project incorporates a series of web-based discussion and education sessions, with one videoconference meeting, aimed at increasing interaction of specialists in rural and remote locations who care for indigenous patients.
Program content reflects the complexity of working with indigenous communities in an often fragmented system that makes delivering of health care difficult. Comprising eight online modules, the program focuses on educating specialists on indigenous-specific health issues, and developing a support network to assist in resolving current and future specialist medical issues. Participants will explore issues encountered when treating Indigenous patients including:
· Indigenous culture and its impact on health decisions
· Communication styles
· Common clinical/ practice issues (e.g. compliance and absconding)
· Trauma (safety promotion)
· Multidisciplinary care roles and responsibilities
Recommendations in relation to content will be sought from a number of Indigenous health organisations. Indigenous health workers will be recruited to act as facilitators for the modules.
Target audience:
For more information, contact Ms Debbie Sayers
Emergency management of severe burns
This project will consist of three workshops offered in Launceston, Bendigo and Cairns, and will be applicable to any rural medical specialist who may come into contact with a severe burn shortly after the injury is sustained, and needs to be able to assess, resuscitate and stabilize the patient for transfer.
The Emergency Management of Severe Burns Course is a whole day workshop which demonstrates how to recognise, assess, stabilise and transfer the severely burnt patient.
The workshop will include a range of diverse teaching and learning methods, including theory and practical clinical skill demonstrations that will combine to enhance the learning opportunities for participants. Life-like case simulations using rural scenarios will then be used to consolidate and integrate the course material.
Each workshop can accommodate a maximum of 24 participants. If there are registration vacancies, allied health workers will also be invited to attend the workshop
Target audience:
For more information, contact Ms Glenda Webb
This project will build on the successful outcomes of the 2006-2008 Rural Craft Group Audit projects, and is expected to involve around 90 rural surgeons, trainees and International Medical Graduates (IMGs) from up to five rural centres.
Building on the success of the previous project, five surgical fields have been selected for the audit to provide a basis for comparison of acceptable surgical outcomes in rural/remote hospitals:
- Colorectal Cancer (high, low and ultralow)
- Cholecystectomy (laparoscopic and open)
- Breast Cancer
- Adult Inguinal Herniorraphy
- Thyroidectomy
While the data will largely be collected at a hospital level, individual surgeons will also be contributing their data to the audit, and will receive feedback on their complication rates.
In addition, this project will also be investigating the feasibility of providing the audit tool online, and expanding linkages with other audit databases, including the National Breast Audit.
Target audience:
For more information, contact Ms Rebecca Clancy
Perinatal mortality and morbidity: learning from adverse events to improve care
This project will continue to build on the successful ‘Perinatal mortality and morbidity’ (PNM&M) project model implemented under previous rounds of the SSRS.
The project seeks to improve the audit, investigation and peer review skills of regional and rural obstetricians and paediatricians who have been involved in perinatal adverse events that have resulted in an unexpected transfer to a special care nursery, neonatal intensive care unit or, a perinatal death. By learning from these adverse events, clinicians can improve clinical and organisational practice.
The target group for 2009 will be rural and regional Obstetricians, Paediatricians, Neonatologists andPathologists from up to 10 rural sites from across Australia who have not had the opportunity to participate in the PNM&M project in previous years. This includes sites from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. In addition, rural based International Medical Graduates (IMGs) will also be eligible to participate.
It is estimated that these visits will benefit at least 20 rural based medical specialists.
A full day audit visit will be conducted by two facilitators which will include a retrospective 12-24 month record review; interviews with staff including obstetricians, paediatricians, midwives, registrars and anaesthetists; a review of practice surroundings, and checking compliance with the PSANZ guidelines. Verbal feedback will be provided at the conclusion of the visit.
The RANZCOG Continuing professional development (CPD) program guides and supports RANZCOG Fellows to maintain and continually improve their knowledge and practice in the provision of safe and quality healthcare for women. This project focuses on completing the quality cycle. Reviewing perinatal and maternal outcomes, learning how to conduct root cause analysis, improving communication skills, developing action plans and evaluating outcomes.
Target audience:
For more information, contact Ms Holly Coppen
Practice Visits: reviewing specialist practice to improve the safety and quality of care
Practice visits provide collegial peer review of specialists within their work environment. This type of review consists of a preliminary surgical audit, patient satisfaction questionnaire, practice profile survey, observation of major and minor surgery, a peer visit with two outside O&G's, interviews with colleagues, and record review.
This project will look to involve up to 10 rural sites with specialist obstetricians and gynaecologists, plus 12 visitors. The visit will include a review of all aspects of the participants practice against RANZCOG standards (i.e patient outcomes, policy and procedures, patient interaction, communication with peers, surgical techniques). It is anticipated that a number of participants will be willing to participate as both a visitor, and receive a visit.
The outcome of the visit is for the specialist to gain an understanding of their performance competencies, while gaining frank feedback about areas of risk and or weakness that could be addressed to improve patient care. Practice review offers detailed, in-depth professional development that is relevant to the context and setting of the specialist receiving the visit. The impact of this local Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is comprehensive through the use of a large variety of data and investigation sources, while input into the outcome includes a variety of interested stakeholders. An overview and summary of recommendations is made at the end of the practice visit.
Follow-up of the visited participants will be undertaken approximately one-month after the visit, to gauge whether recommendations have been acted upon.Target audience:
For more information, contact Ms Holly Coppen
Better management of Rheumatic Heart Disease and other chronic diseases in northern Australia throug
This project will be a continuation and expansion of the ARF and RHD project funded under Round Seven of the SSRS, which addressed the coordination and infrastructure support required to regularly link up physicians providing care to patients across Northern Australia , particularly those with valvular heart disease, and especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with RHD.
Under Round Eight of the SSRS, this project will see the continued development and strengthening of the Northern Australian ARF/RHD clinical network. The project will also seek to provide opportunities for the development of specialist collaboration in other clinical areas across the continuum of health care delivery in rural and remote regions in Northern Australia , while at the same time helping to reduce professional isolation.
The project will utilise a range of strategies aimed at supporting the education and peer support needs of specialists in
w The use of web based real time seminars, providing virtual and face-to-face education to those clinicians who are engaged in the treatment of people with RHD and other chronic diseases.
w A one day workshop, held in Broome, to allow the sharing of information and experiences of specialists from the North of Australia, and further strengthen and expand the established network of specialists and other health care team members involved with the diagnosis and treatment of RHD and other chronic diseases.
w Using the audit tool developed as part of the Round Seven project, undertake an audit of RHD management in regions of
Target audience:
For more information, contact Dr Jaye Martin
