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Dr Magazine is circulated GPs and specialists throughout South East Queensland, including Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Moreton Bay.
With Australia on track to be the first country to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035, there is a concerted effort to educate people about the importance of vaccination and screening against cervical cancer.
Deaths from cervical cancer and the number of new diagnoses have halved since the National Cervical Cancer Screening was first implemented in 1991.
However, in Queensland, around 200 people are diagnosed with preventable cervical cancer each year.
Australia-wide, around 70 per cent of patients diagnosed with cervical cancer were not up to date with screening.
Cervical cancer prevention has never been more accessible with just one dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine plus cervical screening every five years being lifesaving initiatives.
The cervical screening procedure, which replaced the invasive Pap test in 2017, tests for the HPV infection, which is the cause of almost all cervical cancers.
A HPV vaccine is offered to all students through the school immunisation program in early high school. A free catch-up program is available for people aged 25 years or younger.
After vaccination, five-yearly screening from the age of 25 is the best chance of detecting this cancer early and implementing effective treatment.
The self-collection option of cervical screening is a game changer for women and people with a cervix who find the standard cervical screening process difficult or confronting as they can now take their own sample from their vagina using a simple swab in a private space at their local general practice.
Primary Sense a population health management and clinical audit tool , which is provided by GCPHN to GC practices for free can be used to identify patients who are due or overdue for screening. Patients can then be invited in for a cervical screening appointment and offered the different options for screening.
MBS statistics over the past year indicate the number of women accessing self-collection is doubling each quarter.
The data shows that people aged between 30 and 74 who had never had a cervical screening test before were getting tested with one-in-five of these choosing to self-collect their sample.
In older cohorts, the preference for self-collection for women aged between 60 and 69, who had never screened before, was one-in-three.
Because cervical cancer can take up to 10-15 years to develop, the early detection of HPV and cell changes means it may be possible to prevent HPV infection developing into cervical cancer.
One dose of the HPV vaccine and cervical screening every five years can protect people from cervical cancer.
The HPV vaccine is available free of charge to all young people aged 25 years or under.
This one vaccination plus screening tests every five years for people aged between 25 and 74 is all it takes to maximise protection.
The National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR) is a single electronic record for each Australian taking part in the bowel and cervical screening programs.
Practices can integrate their clinical software (Best Practice Premier or Medical Director Clinical) with the NCSR, which brings the following benefits:
This article was distributed in the November/December 2023 edition of Doctor Magazine.
We’ve heard the statistics and it never gets easier. Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged between 15 and 49 and the second leading cause of death for those aged between 50 and 54.
With September being World Suicide Prevention month, Gold Coast Primary Health Network turns its focus on how it can support general practitioners to support the community. Three useful programs for GPs are:
Initial Assessment and Referral (IAR) Guidance and Decision support tool (DST)
This helps determine the most appropriate level of care for a person seeking mental health support, and offers a standardized, evidence-based approach to mental health care across the sector.
The IAR guidance identifies eight domains that should be considered when determining the next steps in the referral and treatment process for a person seeking mental health support. The information gathered is then used to recommend a service type and intensity (level of care) and inform a referral decision.
This process is based on a clinically informed algorithm and is calculated automatically using the digital Decision Support Tool (DST) which can be found at https://iar-dst.online.
Register your interest for local training in the IAR-DST by emailing iar-dst@gcphn.com.au. GPs can self-report to RACGP for CPD hours and are eligible for a $300 reimbursement.
Head to Health Phone Service
This free phone resource offers mental health service navigation for GPs and other health professionals looking to find appropriate mental health support for their patients.
The phone service can also be accessed by anyone of any age including children, young people, older adults, families, and carers. Calls are answered by an experienced team of mental health clinicians, who use the IAR-DST to make appropriate referral and support recommendations in collaboration with a patient’s preferences. They use their knowledge of the broad range of services available to identify the best option to suit an individual’s needs.
With the person’s consent, the intake team will keep GPs informed on the referral outcomes to support patient continuity of care.
Call 1800 595 212 Monday to Friday, 8:30am until 5pm (AEST), excluding public holidays.
GP Psychiatry Support Line
This is a free phone-in service exclusively for GPs to speak directly with a qualified psychiatrist to help manage the mental health care of your patients. It covers advice related to, but not limited to, diagnosis, medication, investigation, treatment pathways, and safety planning. After the call, receive a report of what was discussed including any psychiatry advice.
Call 1800 16 17 18 Monday to Friday, 7am until 7pm (AEST), excluding public holidays.
This article was distributed in the September/October 2023 edition of Doctor Magazine.
Gold Coast GPs can now directly refer into the Supporting Minds program, which provides free psychosocial services for people experiencing situational distress and people who identify as part of the LGBTIQAP+ community (aged 12-65 years) or, are gender questioning.
The Supporting Minds mental health service provides up to 3-months, moderate- intensity mental health support under two service streams:
The Supporting Minds model includes a brief mental health assessment, structured psychological interventions, and other structured interventions such as group-based lifestyle interventions.
The service model includes:
To refer into the Supporting Minds program:
If your patients require other mental health support, they can contact Head to Health on PH: 1800 595 212 where they can speak to a mental health professional and connect with a service that meets their needs. The Head to Health Phone Service provides information, advice and referrals to free and low-cost service in the area.
This article was distributed in the July/August 2023 edition of Doctor Magazine.
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