GP Training - Catalogue

This program explores the case of Graham who presented to his GP with inadequately-controlled risk factors. His GP focused on Graham’s absolute cardiovascular risk as a tool to guide a treatment plan, and to help communicate with Graham about his situation. It includes opportunities for you to reflect on your own practice.

This module – the first of three in the program – examines the
identification and assessment of patients at risk of cardiovascular
disease, the challenges in communicating concepts of risk to
patients, current treatment targets, and our success in meeting them.

At the conclusion of this online learning module you will be able to:

• Explain the value of assessing a patient's absolute cardiovascular risk, and perform such an assessment
• Describe strategies for communicating concepts of risk to patients
• Incorporate the concept of absolute risk in determining the optimal management for patients
• Identify some strengths and weaknesses in your current approach to managing cardiometabolic risk factors.

This second module examines some strategies for achieving
evidence-based targets for blood pressure,
lipids and blood glucose in patients at elevated risk
of cardiovascular disease.

At the conclusion of this online learning module you will be able to:

• Describe the recommended approaches to antihypertensive medication to achieve a patient’s treatment goal.
• List the targets for individual lipid components and describe how these can be achieved.
• Explain the recommended sequence of glucose-lowering treatments in patients with type 2 diabetes, and the potential contribution of incretin-based therapies to glucose control.
• Identify some strengths and weaknesses in your current approach to achieving treatment targets in your patients with cardiometabolic risk factors.

The final module in this program explores strategies for sustaining
successful, long-term management of cardiometabolic risk factors,
particularly hypertension, lipid abnormalities and diabetes.

At the conclusion of this online learning module you will be able to:

• Describe three different strategies that can be used in general practice to motivate behavioural change by patients
• Explain the concept of 'therapeutic inertia' and list factors that might contribute to it
• Understand the strong physiological basis to weight maintenance and its contribution to the challenges of sustained weight loss
• State at least five ways of encouraging adherence with long-term medication
• Describe strategies for responding to inadequately-controlled or 'treatment-resistant' hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes
• List at least three strategies funded by Medicare to encourage comprehensive care of patients with chronic medical conditions.