General practitioner’s guide to
Parkinson’s disease
General practitioner’s guide to Parkinson's disease
How confident are you in dealing with Parkinson’s disease? Find the help you need to make the best decisions for your patient.
Be more confident in diagnosing Parkinson’s disease
Gain a better understanding of how the disease progresses
Improve your confidence in prescribing medication for your patients with Parkinson’s disease
Gain a better understanding of the complications associated with Parkinson’s disease
Know where to find support for yourself and your patient
As a general practitioner, it is not often you see a patient with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. This means that when idiopathic Parkinson’s disease does present itself, you may feel ill prepared to deal with it. The education program ‘General practitioner’s guide to Parkinson’s disease’ (PARK2320) aims to fill in any gaps in knowledge, and provide a succinct refresher on idiopathic Parkinson’s disease.
This course deals with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease from diagnosis to advanced stages. There are four ways in which you can access the education:
Full course - embark on an in-depth study which allows you to ‘dip in and out’ as you like.
FAQs – access important and practical information quickly for immediate problems.
Resources - a collection of multimedia resources at your finger tips.
Cases – apply your clinical skills and experience to realistic cases.
This education program is specifically targeted at general practitioners, both rural and metropolitan. Others who may find this education useful include rural general physicians.
Enrol today!
Select one of the links below to enrol.
Click on the [+] symbol for more information.
In this module, you will learn how to identify the key features of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, including differentiating between a Parkinsonian tremor and other tremor types. You will have the opportunity to test your new-found skills using patient videos in a variety of activities. We highlight the red flags to look for in a person you suspect may have Parkinson’s disease and provide you with a decision tree to help you make a provisional diagnosis. Our expert will then guide you through making a provisional diagnosis using a series of cases. 110 minutes
Australia does not have any guidelines regarding evidence based medicine or clinical pathways for managing Parkinson's disease. In this module, we take a look at the drug options available to you and our experts will provide guidance on the best use of medication. Through cases, you will make decisions regarding when to initiate medication and what medication to use. You will also learn about the stages people with Parkinson's disease commonly go through, as well as, the roles nurses and allied health professionals have in early treatment. 90 minutes
As idiopathic Parkinson’s disease progresses, non-motor symptoms come to the fore and motor complications become a treatment challenge. This module looks at the common motor and non-motor complications experienced by patients with advanced idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. Motor complications include dyskinesias, ‘wearing-off’, fluctuations and ‘freezing’. While non-motor complications include depression, psychosis, dementia, hypersalivation and hypotension. Options for balancing medications to allow the patient the best quality of life are explored using realistic cases. 90 minutes
This module addresses the challenges facing general practitioners when managing patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease and has a particular focus on doctors working in rural and remote practices. Through discussions, you can share experiences and concerns and together identify ways to overcome these challenges. The module also offers practical techniques and tools you can use straight away. 60 minutes
Audience
Australian GPs, rural general physicians and other health professionals.
Timetable
This program is available at all times
Accreditation
RACGP - QA&CPD 40 Category 1 points on completion of full program (Activity 742132)
ACRRM - 6 PDP points (Activity OEACR-8010-PRIM)
Endorsement
This program has been endorsed by The Movement Disorder Society of Australia (MDSA)
Parkinson's
Australia
This program has been developed in partnership with A/Prof Martin Krause and Parkinson’s Australia. Funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing and John T Reid Charitable Trusts.
