The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is boosting the skills of GPs so that they can better address alcohol and other drug (AOD) use problems that are becoming more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the $7.9 million initiative funded by the Federal Government the RACGP will deliver the Alcohol and Other Drugs GP Education Program, which is tailored to meet the needs of GPs in all corners of Australia.
The program will encourage participation from rural and remote GPs and assist doctors in treating at-risk groups including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and LGBTQI individuals.
Essential skills training will provide a skills update for GPs wanting to improve their approach to conversations about alcohol and other drug use and is now available to all RACGP members through a self-directed e-learning module on gplearning.
Treatment skills training will be delivered via "AOD live" online workshops and self-directed e-learning modules.
Delivered via video conferencing between May and November this year, AOD live training provides participants with the opportunity to listen to presenters, interact with each other and discuss cases in small groups as well as receive feedback from AOD expert GPs. Alternatively, treatment skills can be completed at a GP's own pace through an online self-directed e-learning module on gplearning.
In addition to these opportunities, Project ECHO® provides a further opportunity to join a small-group online case discussion series and
