Major success for landmark drug and alcohol education program

By JASMINE SIMMONS

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has announced the success of its Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) education program. The program was established to strengthen GPs’ capacity to address alcohol and drug related harm in a community setting. The AOD program has exceeded the Government target number of GPs completing the training by three times the set amount.

According to the RACGP, participants of the AOD program were “highly engaged”, with the final report stating that 86-99% of GPs met their training needs across different learning pathways.

Dr Paul Grinzi, an AOD program educator and co-author of the report, said that several factors determined the program’s success.

“The program was designed to address alcohol and other drug educational needs of all GPs, from fundamental ‘essential skills’ through to bespoke ‘advanced skills’ opportunities,” Dr Grinzi said.

Skills for everyone involved

To assist GP skill uptake, the AOD program introduced a ‘whole-of-practice’ package. The package allows for the entire clinic, including reception staff, nurses and practice managers, to develop skills in caring for RACGP patients.

The program was centred around five main training pathways and offered a range of training levels and delivery modes. Essential Skills, Treatment Skills and Advanced Skills training allowed GPs to participate based on levels of prior knowledge and already acquired needs. An online community practice forum called ‘AOD Connect’ allowed colleagues to practise and discuss skills, and seek support from peers. Training for higher risk groups was based around common factors leading to harms associated with substance abuse and drug use trauma.

3042 completed their training via the learning pathways, a majority from rural and remote areas. The final report on the AOD program is available via the RACGP website.

“Alcohol and other drug health issues are often chronic and comorbid with many other conditions we see daily,” Dr Grinzi said.

“GPs are experts in navigating this complexity and developing skills in alcohol and other drugs can only add to our ability to care for our communities.”