RHCE Stream One Funding Round Four

The Committee of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC) is pleased to announce the successful applicants from the fourth funding round under RHCE Stream One.

Individual Grants. Funding has been awarded to 13 individual specialists working in rural and remote areas having a classification of RA3 or greater, as defined by the Australian Geographical Classification - Remoteness Areas (ASGC_RA) system catagories.

In total fifty-one applications were received, supported by eight Specialist Medical Colleges. This funding round was for individual grants only.

Online Resources for Physicians working in Rural and Remote areas of Australia

The development of online resources for Medical Specialists working in rural and remote regions of Australia has become the main focus of a number of projects being funded through the Rural Health Continuing Education (RHCE) Stream One Program.

Over a third of the twenty-five projects currently being funded through the Program
will provide a variety of online resources to help Medical Specialists working outside metropolitan areas.

It is hoped that as well as providing opportunities for Continuing Professional Development, the interactive learning modules, video-conferencing and online discussions with colleagues, will help to address the sense of professional
isolation felt by many rural health practitioners.

For health practitioners working in Indigenous communities a number of the projects contain a strong component of cultural awareness. More effective communication of health issues within these communities is now increasingly being acknowledged as a growing area of need.

The RHCE Stream One Program has actively encouraged collaboration between  Specialist Medical Colleges and Multi-disciplinary teams as well as providing support for 70 individual specialists to attend CPD events and workshops through Individual grants.

To view details of all the projects currently being funded through the Program please go to the project page on the RHCE Stream One website

"Bushtrack to Boulevard" with CICM

The first CICM Rural and Regional Update Course held in Byron Bay from 1-2 March, at The Byron Resort.

In an intimate natural and relaxed setting, the venue, as well has having excellent conference facilities, provided delegates with an ideal environment for valuable networking, discussion and social interaction.

Funded by the RHCE Stream One Program as part of “The Occasional Intensivist” project, this Course was intended as an update suitable for specialists, both CICM fellows and non-fellows, who currently practise Intensive Care Medicine. 

The program consisted of two days of presentations covering a diverse range of topics including ACLS, trauma, sedation management, echocardiography, sepsis, the elderly and indigenous ICU patients, as well as insights into current and future regional ICU practice. 

Also included was a comprehensive paediatric ICU update for non-paediatric intensivists, and all delegates were given the opportunity to participate in a small group paediatric simulation session.

The sessions were recorded on-site, with the intention that delegates will be subsequently provided with the course’s scientific content. 

This new initiative, with an attendance of 80, was fully subscribed with over two thirds of attending delegates from regional areas. Approximately half the attendees were non-CICM fellows, the majority of these being FACEM or FANZCA qualified.

There have been 41 respondents to CICM’s request for on-line feedback. Overall response has been extremely positive, as well as a number of constructive suggestions for the format and content of future meetings:
- 87% considered the course would impact on their future practice
- 100% would recommend the course to colleagues
- 90% would like to attend the course next year
The College intends to hold the next rural conference at the same time next year and we look forward to another very successful event.

The College of Intensive Care Medicine would like to thank the RHCE Stream One Program for supporting such a valuable meeting.

Dr Mike Anderson
Scientific Convenor, CICM 

Launch of Australian Aboriginal Child Health Modules

The first two of four learning modules focusing on Australian Aboriginal child health are set to go live during the RACP Congress being held in Brisbane 6 -9 May 2012.  

Another project funded by the RHCE Stream One Program, the Australian Aboriginal Child Health Modules project consists of two phases.

Phase one aims to develop a two-module course to introduce:

i. cultural awareness relating to Aboriginal families and communities
ii. the social determinants of Aboriginal child health – past, present and future

Facilitated online forum discussions will be run over a three-week period, with involvement from Aboriginal health workers, cultural services officers and medical experts.

These initial two modules and the facilitation session will be available from 6 May 2012, with the official launch scheduled for May 9.

Two further modules and additional rounds of facilitated discussion will occur from 6 August 2012 and focus on:

iii. the spectrum of common illnesses in Aboriginal children in remote and urban settings (including ear, skin, and eye infections, anaemia, bronchiectasis, rheumatic heart disease and post-infectious glomerulonephritis);
iv. developmental problems, including Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, and the effects of early life trauma (adverse social, nutritional and emotional experiences) on development.

The online modules will include video and audio footage. They are designed to be case-based and interactive including a question–answer format, with links to relevant clinical images and guidelines.

Indigenous Cardiovascular Health

A collaboration by the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) will see the development of three online learning modules focusing on cardiovascular disease and healthcare in indigenous rural and remote communities of Australia.

The project, funded through the Rural Health Continuing Education (RHCE) Stream One program, aims to develop web-based, interactive modules, to be released at the end of 2012, to provide continuing professional development for health professionals engaged in the delivery of cardiovascular health care for Indigenous Australians.

The key areas to be covered in the project include:
i) Coronary Artery Disease including cardiovascular risk factors and specific issues of cardiothoracic surgery in Indigenous Australians;
ii) Coronary Care in the context of cultural considerations for Indigenous Australians and understanding disparities in care of acute and chronic cardiovascular disease;
iii) Rheumatic Heart Disease and Acute Rheumatic Fever in Indigenous Australians.

The material in these topics will be drawn from recent Indigenous Cardiovascular Health meetings, literature, expert consensus and commissioned research efforts. These will be incorporated into online modules and include video and audio footage. The modules will also be interactive, incorporating a question and answer format and further reading.

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