28/10/19 - 2/11/19
What a week!
This week we have been pushing the GPLL forward on a number of fronts, refining the project so that we can get this proof of concept off the ground. We have established our Twitter, cleaned up our Facebook Page, and are putting the final touches on the website’s T&C’s before we launch for good next week.
This week saw the GP19 conference take flight in Adelaide, with a phenomenal range of projects. In particular I wanted to shine the spotlight on Project ECHO, with Dr. Sanjeev Arora. This project focussed on finding ways to increase access to specialist expertise and knowledge in rural and remote areas. The core concept that leapt out to me was the concept of democratising knowledge. A large part of healthcare society is comprised of the under-the-table deals; a black market of information on who to talk to, how to handle issues, and what it is we should even be doing with our time. The phrase “democratising knowledge” spoke to the soul of the GPLL: the equalising and diversifying effects that de-prioritising certain spokespeople over others can have.
It’s also worth having a quick look at the abstract for Dr. Alison Brown’s cross-sectional study on GPs’ non-billable workload. It will come as no surprise to clinicians that factors associated with non-billable work are on the rise, and accordingly the amount of unpaid work that GPs perform just as part of a clinic comprises a significant portion of their working week. Judging when to bill has been a challenge for many clinicians who want to engage in healthcare society, or to be part of the knowledge trading and expertise sharing community, but the normalisation of GPs performing unpaid labour can only make this position more uncertain in the future. In this light, it is always important to ask: who is being heard? Who is being paid? Who can afford to share their experiences? We look forward to more from Dr. Brown and any further studies in this area.
Finally, some last minute news: Morrison Government Health Ministers (including an appearance by Greg Hunt on ABC Insiders), have responded to the interim report from the Aged Care Royal Commission. Changes to Aged Care and to the implementation of the Quality Use of Medicines are expected in the near future, so we’ll keep an ear to the ground.
Leave a comment about your favourite experience from the GP19 conference, or the project you most look forward to publication, or your thoughts on the upcoming week of GP news.
See you next week!