Mental HealthNew Disability Learning Activities For GPs
Treating someone with an intellectual disability can be challenging for general
practitioners, which has prompted the Royal Australian College of General
Practitioners (RACGP) to play an important role in the development of two new
learning activities to provide optimal care for patients with an intellectual disability.
The two new online learning activities "Communicating with people with an
intellectual disability" and "Challenging/problem behaviours in people with intellectual
disability" are now available for free on the RACGP"s online learning platform
gplearning at www.gplearning.com.au.
RACGP President, Dr Chris Mitchell, said it was vital that GPs were appropriately
trained in communicating effectively when seeing a patient with an intellectual
disability.
"Patients with an intellectual disability not only have complex health care needs but
also find it difficult to communicate their health problems," Dr Mitchell said.
"Communication is at the centre of the doctor-patient relationship and GPs need
these special communication skills and familiarity with behavioural management
approaches to ensure that patients with disabilities receive the care they need."
These new learning modules provide GPs with methods and tools used in
interpersonal communication and the ways in which people may communicate when
they have difficulty using speech.
Both learning activities were developed with the support of the Australian
Government and written by Monash University, Centre for Developmental Disability
Health Victoria (CDDHV) and have been approved for RACGP QA&CPD Category 2
points.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)