UCRH’s Academic Coordinator Interdisciplinary Education, Frances Barraclough spoke at last week’s Australasian Association for Academic Primary Care (AAAPC) annual conference, outlining her work around building workforce capacity in primary care.
AAAPC is a representative body for people undertaking teaching and research in academic primary care, and their conference included a diverse range of speakers and topics.
The work Frances presented outlined a training framework that can align all stakeholders including government, educational and professional around the competencies taught to those who work in primary care such as GPs, pharmacists and allied health professionals. Where the current approach integrates training, the framework presented is based on a more comprehensive, global approach.
It is a result of work done by 21 experts around the world who are experienced in delivering and designing this type of training. The framework includes eight domains and 40 competencies incorporating early intervention and prevention, working across sectors within the acute and community setting, ensuring a person-centred approach to care, interprofessional teamwork, collaborative practice, care coordination, digital skills and technology, professional attributes and leadership.
The hope is that education providers, workplaces and accreditation bodies can look to use framework to guide discussion about curriculum content. The competencies can be used to shape job descriptions, orientation programs, performance reviews and as a resource for educators to shape curricula and training programs. The framework can also be used to guide policy decisions and the review and implementation of accreditation standards, ensuring patients and carers are part of this process.
Frances is a member of the AAAPC Executive Committee and chairs their education subcommittee.
