No 0810: April 3rd, 2008
eNews is a weekly electronic newsletter sent to all GP practices
(with email addresses) within the
Editorial New board member
Aged Care ACFI Information session
Chronic
Disease Management Diabetes Management in General
Practice
Professional Development CPD events
Immunisation Pertussis Myths and Facts
Information
Management includes Medical Director tips and New on the
Web
Items of
interest Informed
choice the key to prostate cancer testing, Public health alert, BECC waiting
times
NPS Diabetes
Audit, Audits for QPI PIP Year May 2008 – April 2009, New Edition of RADAR
Women’s Health Post Partum Perineal Trauma - What to do when it all falls apart?
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At its February meeting the Board formally approved an invitation for the Division’s Practice Managers & Practice Nurses to become Associate Members of the Division. We are probably one of the first divisions to do this and it reflects our commitment to support the wider general practice community and it is an acknowledgement of the vital role practice staff play as part of the general practice “team”.
In its March meeting the Board selected Colleen Price, Practice Manager of Livingstone Street Medical Clinic, to take up that role. Congratulations Colleen as the newest board member!!! We will be encouraging our PMs and PNs to sign up as associate members. You can download the invitation and form - Associate Membership Form
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ACFI Information session
From March 20th 2008
aged care homes will be grappling with the “ACFI” (Aged Care Funding Instrument).
ACFI will replace the old RCS system. As overall facility funding is based on
these assessments, staff will be anxious to get their assessments performed as
well as possible. The new ACFI system will be far less reliant on nursing care
plans, but more reliant on documentation of diagnoses and management. This
is where the GP comes in!
Click here
for details on the information session we are offering on ACFI run by ex-aged
care home DON and Manager
Click here
to access our ACFI information sheet for GPs.
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General practitioners continue to provide most of the medical care to people
with type 2 diabetes. The complexity of care for this common disease requires
systematic care from the practice team and the timely referral to community and
hospital based specialists. The Diabetes Management in General Practice guide,
in its thirteenth edition, provides a readable summary of current guidelines
and recommendations from various sources on the management of type 2 diabetes
in the general setting. The booklet is a guide for type 2 diabetes only. For
copies of this guide, contact Diabetes
Erratum
An error has been identified in the printed version of the 2007/8 edition of Diabetes Management in General Practice. The following insulins were regrettably omitted from the PRE-MIXED INSULINS section at the bottom of the '6.4 Insulins available' chart on page 38 of the guide:
Pre-mixed insulins Brand Name Manufacturer Nature
Neutral 30% Mixtard 30/70*++ Novo Nordisk Human
Isophane 70%
Neutral 50% Mixtard 50/50* Novo Nordisk Human
Isophane 50%
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For GPs and Practice Managers and Practice Nurses. The evening will look at TWO new and exciting developments in general practice – the Practice Health Atlas and the Pen Clinical Audit Tool (see editorial). You will be able to sign up for one or both on the night.
Wednesday April 23, 2008, 6:30pm – 9.00pm (dinner provided), John Scott Meeting House, La Trobe University, Bundoora (Entry via Car Park 7). [Application Form]
Meetings are held each Tuesday starting at 12.30 in the Lecture
Theatre, Ground Floor, Pathology Building, Repatriation Hospital, Austin
Health, West Heidelberg. Lunch is provided. Course Leader: Dr Vin Nursey Phone:
9457 1736
April 8 - Myocardial Perfusion Imaging: General Practice Aspects - A/Prof
Christopher Rowe
For full term Tuesday lecture program click here
Department Of Neurology - “Tropical and Indigenous Neurology.” Speaker -
Dr John Archer, Senior Lecturer Medicine, The
Wednesday
9th April, 2008 12:10pm at John Lindell Lecture Theatre, Level 4, Lance Townsend Building
Opposite Medical Library - followed by lunch Zeltner Hall at 1pm
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4. Myth: Patients with
pertussis can be identified by their ‘whoop’ sounding cough.
Fact: The symptoms for
pertussis are different in adults and infants. Adult pertussis is often a milder
form of the disease, without the characteristic cough and inspiratory ‘whoop’.
There can be immense variation in the severity and duration of the illness,
however the non-paroxysmal cough in adults can persist for up to three months
and is often associated with vomiting. Pertussis is more readily identified in infants and young children as
they have the distinct ‘whoop’ cough. The cough may continue for three months
or longer and can lead to significant weight loss from post-tussive vomiting.
5. Myth: Siblings are
the main source of infection in infants.
Fact: Siblings are a source of
infection, however mothers were found to be the primary source of pertussis
infections in infants, accounting for 42% of cases in one Australian study. Maternal
antibodies passed on from mother to infant do not provide adequate protection
against pertussis. As a result, infants are at great risk of
acquiring pertussis infection from adults or adolescents in close contact with
them until they receive their final primary immunisation at six months of age.
More myths next week
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In MD 3.7 (March 2008) there is a new button when running a patient search called “Inactivate patients”. This allows you to quickly inactivate many patients at the same time, a handy feature in the data cleansing process. For example if you wish to inactivate all those patients not seen in the last 3 years you do a database search:
· Search >Patient... – click on the Not seen since button and type in a date of 3 years ago. Then click Search. A list of patient will appear. Click on the Inactivate patients at the bottom of the screen. You will be given a warning “Do you wish to continue?” Click Yes.
This method is infinitely quicker than printing a list and then manually deleting them one by one.
Please note: This feature is not available in MD2!!
Question: How do I get a printable border around a table? Gridlines are displayed but they don’t print.
Answer: Highlight the section of the table that you want a printable border. From the Table menu select Properties... A “Frame” diagram will be displayed. Click on the 1 to 4 edges where you want a border to be displayed and subsequently printed.
Table Properties can also be used to shade the cells of the table as well as set the Vertical alignment of a cell (top, centre or bottom).
1. AGPN Nurses News March 2008
NEW Practice Nurse Workforce Survey 2007 Report
– found under Nurses Network - AGPN
2. Referral Letter - Standard - improved version of the "Supplied" template. Includes specialist phone number and indents the addressee name and address to fit into a windowpane envelope. Found under IM Resources – No. 9 Other
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The Cancer Council is advising GPs to expect a surge in the number of requests they receive for PSA tests, as a result of football personality Sam Newman’s highly publicised prostate cancer surgery.
The Cancer Council has responded to media coverage of Sam Newman’s surgery by urging men not to be panicked into having a PSA test. Instead, men are encouraged to have a discussion with their GP about the issues around prostate cancer testing and treatment so they can make an informed decision about whether testing is right for them.
So why does the Cancer Council advise men to consult their GP about prostate cancer testing, rather than advocate population-based screening for all men of a specified age?
‘The answer is that not all men who have a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test will benefit from it. In fact, some may be harmed, so individual men should understand the pros and cons and make an informed decision,’ said CEO of The Cancer Council Australia, Professor Ian Olver.
The presence of
For the alert in full and further information please see http://www.health.vic.gov.au/chiefhealthofficer/alerts/murray_valley.htm
Waiting times for new referrals to Bundoora Extended Care Centre Inpatient Admissions are currently Gem > 14 days, Rehab 1- 3 days. Any queries regarding our waiting times please contact Access BECC on 9495 3109
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Friday April 11th is the deadline for submission of the 1st audit for the May 2008/April 2009 QPI PIP entitled ‘Optimizing management of type 2 diabetes’.
Please send completed audits directly to NPS.
Audit topics for the 1st May 2008 - 30th April 2009 QPI PIP year have been announced.
Therapeutic areas to be covered include diabetes, chronic heart failure & long acting beta agonists and corticosteroids in asthma & COPD. One electronic audit and 3 paper based audits are available. Download detailed summary sheet here.
RADAR provides you with independent, evidence-based assessments of new drugs, PBS listings & published research. Latest updates include:
• Fentanyl lozenges (Actiq) for breakthrough cancer pain (new product PBS listed April 2008)
Fentanyl lozenges are an oromucosal formulation for breakthrough cancer pain in people stabilized on regular opioid therapy for their persistent cancer pain. Oral morphine is the opioid of first choice on the basis of familiarity, cost and dosing flexibility. Consider fentanyl lozenges if an increase in morphine dose to control breakthrough pain causes intolerable adverse effects
• Paliperidone (Invega) for schizophrenia (new product PBS listed April 2008)
Paliperidone is the major active metabolite of risperidone. There is no published evidence to suggest that paliperidone is more effective than risperidone or any other atypical antipsychotic. The prolonged-release formulation of paliperidone is another option for people with schizophrenia
• Extended PBS listing for pioglitazone (Actos) for type 2 diabetes
• Methylphenidate (Ritalin LA): a second controlled-release formulation PBS listed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Smaller dose volume of influenza vaccine PBS listed for children aged 6-35 months
• Terbinafine cream & tablets now authority listed for fungal infections in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples
Click here for more information
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Tuesday
22 April 2008 7 - 9pm (refreshments from 6.30pm) at Lecture Theatre,
Level 4,
RSVP to Merran McDonald on 8458 4833 or email
mmcdonald@mercy.com.au or Janine
Martin on 8458 4819
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Please
note: only new ads, paid ads or resubmitted ads will be posted here. All other
ads can be found on the website
Ivanhoe Medical Clinic - Sessions for PT or FT VR GP, large supportive group (9 GPs), FT
nurses, computerized, EPCs, no A/Hs, friendly, flexible, mixed billing.
Contact:- Dr.Stephen Smith or Dr.David Doig on 9499
1245
Northcote area –Full time Div 1 Practice Nurse required to assist our medical staff in a busy general practice. Duties include wound care, travel health, immunisatons, health assessments, patient triage and all other duties required in a general practice. Visit our website www.doctorsofnorthcote.com for more information. To apply forward your resume to manager@doctorsofnorthcote.com.
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How to Tell the Sex of a Fly
A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband
stalking around with a fly swatter
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Hunting flies" he responded.
"Oh! Killing any?" she asked.
"Yep, 3 males, 2 females," he
replied.
Intrigued, she asked "How can you tell them apart?"
He responded, "3 were on a beer can, 2 were on the phone.”
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