Pot-pourri eBulletin - 18 December 2023
Season’s greetings to all, in this our last Pot-pourri President’s message for 2023. I’d just like to touch on a few highlights from this very busy year as it comes to a close.
It was my great pleasure to attend several Convocation Ceremonies, welcoming 115 new Paediatric Fellows (including several in the Chapter of Community Child Health) to our PCHD/RACP family. It’s always a joyful experience to share such special milestones with our new colleagues and their loved ones.
Support for our trainees has remained at the forefront of PCHD Council discussions. Working with the Paediatric Research Committee, we are seeking to further streamline and speed up the marking process for Advanced Training Research Projects (ATRPs). As a result of discussions within the College, we’ve seen the CPD allocation for marking ATRPs changed from Category 1 to Category 2, in an effort to attract more reviewers and decrease the turnaround time for results. We continue to work closely with those in the College’s Education Learning and Assessment team to advocate for ongoing improvements to the trainee experience, and we thank those staff who have taken time to attend our committee meetings to share their expertise and advice.
I also want to thank our Council members and members of our other PCHD committees for their efforts and the many hours they’ve contributed this year. Outside of our scheduled committee meetings, we are often called upon out-of-session to provide feedback and to review/endorse matters falling within the paediatric wheelhouse. Some pieces of work this year include, but are not limited to, ongoing advocacy around climate change action, raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14, and the Kids Catch Up campaign (including Switch off the Junk, a campaign calling for regulation of junk food advertising to children). Thanks to the College Policy & Advocacy team for their ongoing expertise and support.
In our July Pot-pourri we announced Professor David Isaacs as this year’s very worthy Howard Williams Medal recipient, celebrating his many years of advocacy for the rights of underprivileged children. Linked in that same July edition is Dr Niroshini Kennedy’s summary of the Parliamentary Roundtable and launch of the Health Care of Children in Care and Protection Services position statement. Working in paediatrics and child health, we must continue to champion the rights of those children who are least able to advocate for themselves. As President of PCHD I am proud to represent so many professionals who hold this as their guiding principle.
As we are such a broad church in this College, it is imperative we maintain close ties with our affiliated specialty societies. This year saw two engagement events: one hosted by the RACP President on 17 March (37 specialty societies attended across PCHD and AMD) and our own PCHD Council forum on 17 August where 13 paediatric societies joined us for a day of discussions. We’re looking forward to further collaboration and conversations with our colleagues from these societies in 2024.
I would also like to thank the PCHD Secretariat: Kerri Clarke, Charlotte Duffy, and Engy Henein, for their support throughout the year for our committees, our members, and particularly myself and Niroshini as PCHD President and President-elect. Our weekly informal catch-ups have enabled us all to ensure we’re on the same page and keeping our common goals in focus.
Zoom meeting with Prof Nitin Kapur, PCHD SEO Kerri Clarke and PCHD EO Charlotte Duffy
With just a few weeks to go before the Christmas holidays begin, I hope that most of you are planning to take some well-earned leave. I encourage you to relax and refresh so that we can all continue our important work in 2024. It remains for me only to wish you all peace, happiness, and a joy-filled time with your loved ones.
Professor Nitin Kapur
PCHD President
Please keep an eye on the EOIs page on the College website for vacant positions on PCHD Committees.
All Expressions of Interest
RACP Congress 2024
RACP Congress returns in May 2024 at the International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Sydney. Be part of Australasia's leading specialist event and help us drive the conversation on "Shaping Healthcare". This two-day event provides a forum to exchange knowledge, engage with thought leaders, receive the latest specialty society clinical updates and networking opportunities. Don't miss your chance to help shape the future of healthcare - mark your calendar for RACP Congress 2024 on Thursday, 16 and Friday, 17 May.
RACP Congress 2024: Shaping Healthcare is a forum for physicians to unite, collaborate, and drive the future of healthcare. Join us and take this opportunity to engage with the broader specialist community.
Register now
Gender Equity in Medicine Action Plan
The College has launched its Gender Equity in Medicine Action Plan 2023-2026. The GEM action plan is based on recommendations from the Gender Equity in Medicine Working Group (GEMWG) Report, which sets out six recommendations for implementation to better support gender equity in medicine:
- Gender equity in medicine is a strategic priority for the College.
- Gender representation and equity on College bodies and College leadership is prioritised.
- The College is an active advocate for gender equity in medicine.
- College policies reflect the Gender Equity in Medicine Principles.
- The College is an active supporter of gender equity in medicine activity through external partnerships.
- The College establishes a Gender Equity in Medicine College Body to implement the GEM Action Plan and drive member engagement.
View the Gender Equity in Medicine Action Plan 2023-2026 and find out more.
The Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health publishes original research articles of scientific excellence in paediatrics and child health. The latest edition is now live and available to view online.
Articles in this edition include:
- Macronutrient content of donor milk
- Trends in retinopathy of prematurity
- Scabies common in Auckland children
- Ethical decision-making framework
- School-based integrated health-care model
Read the journal
Doctors' Perception and Engagement in Clinical Governance Survey
Clinical Governance lies at the heart of quality and safety in Australian hospitals. To be effective, doctors must be engaged in the clinical governance process. Several recent investigations into hospital complications have raised concerns that doctors may not be actively involved in the identification or management of adverse events.
To determine the level and extent of your engagement in quality and safety at your hospital, the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA) has developed a survey for medical staff working in hospitals. The survey has received ethical approval through Monash Health, with the intent that the results will be published in a peer reviewed journal. For more information, contact clinicalgovernance@racma.edu.au
Complete the survey
Tools to assist in meeting MyCPD Category 3 Measuring Outcomes requirements
The Audit Curated Collection provides a range of information, ideas and tools to help you complete clinical and non-clinical audits which can be counted towards your MyCPD Category 3 requirements. It has been recently updated with improved guidance and resources, including a new FAQs page.
New medication prescribing audit templates have also been added to assist users with reviewing their prescribing practice. All audit templates within the collection can be modified to suit individual needs.
October 2023 Divisional Written Examination (DWE) – Status update
The October 2023 Adult Medicine (AM) and Paediatrics & Child Health (PCH) Divisional Written Examination (DWE) was held on Tuesday, 24 October 2023 in a paper-based format. The exam was successfully delivered to 235 candidates who sat the exam in 15 locations across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
We want to thank our Directors of Physician/Paediatric Education DPEs and RACP supervisors for their ongoing support and guidance to trainees in the lead up to the exam and in guiding them through the post-exam feedback. We also want to thank our RACP team members who have been involved in the examination process for their hard work and support.
Exam results were released on Thursday, 23 November 2023 and detailed feedback provided on Friday, 1 December 2023. We thank all team members for working to prepare and release this detailed feedback three weeks ahead of schedule. This will allow time for those candidates wishing to re-sit the DWE time to review their results and consider applying for the February 2024 examination.
Offering written examinations in February and October each year supports our Flexible Training Policy. Recently, the College Education Committee, in consultation with the College Trainees’ Committee, made the decision to offer one reserve exam each year following the February DWE if a significant event or disruption occurs. The option for a reserve exam following the October DWE will be discontinued from 2024. This will maintain the robustness of the exam process and the production and use of reserve exams and will not affect trainees’ progression through training.
Median survival for patients diagnosed with advanced cirrhosis is around 2 years and quality of life is poor. Fewer than a quarter of such patients receive referrals to palliative care and advanced care plans are also rare. Existing research from abroad suggests that hepatology staff aren’t familiar with referral criteria and assume that palliative services become involved only at the very end of life.
To try and reduce barriers to referral, clinicians at Royal Brisbane Hospital developed a model called Hepatocare. They adapted a palliative care referral algorithm to include cirrhosis specific markers and continuity of care between the teams was provided by a clinical nurse consultant. The model was piloted model in 30 consecutive patients to the liver clinic, and its impact was assessed on rate of referrals, incidence of unplanned admissions, length of patient stay and rates of polypharmacy.
Guests:
- Professor James O’Beirne FRCP FRACP (Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service; University of the Sunshine Coast)
- Dr Richard Skoien MBBS FRACP (Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital; University of Queensland)
- Dr Alison Kearney FRACP MRCP (Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital; University of Queensland)
- Olivia Cullen (Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital)
Please visit the Pomegranate Health web page for a transcript and supporting references. Login to MyCPD to record learning activity. Subscribe to new episode email alerts or search for ‘Pomegranate Health’ in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox or any podcasting app.
Did you know that you can now update your address details online? Simply Login to MyRACP and go to “Edit my details”.
As you know, the ROC (RACP Online Community) is the perfect place to share content, post questions, and connect with your colleagues. But did you know that the ROC also offers exclusive access to our Member and Special Interest directories and Mentor Match – an online tool with a searchable database that facilitates the establishment of mentoring relationships.
Log in to the ROC to access and find out more.
Our annual 12 Days of Christmas sale started on Friday, 1 December. With new offers every day on groceries, food delivery, travel, shopping and gifting, you are bound to save throughout the festive season. Log in and save with your Member Advantage.
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View all career opportunities on the RACP website.
To submit an article for publishing in Pot-pourri, please email paed@racp.edu.au. The article should be no more than 350 words. If you would like to submit an image with your article, it would be assumed that you have received appropriate permission to use the photo and it needs to be of high resolution, above 300 dpi. Please note that articles may need to be edited by the RACP Communications Team.