Educating doctors: Dow University to start online courses for GPs
The 35 modules of the programme will be based on the most common diseases in the country.
KARACHI:
The Dow University of Health Sciences is launching an online Pakistan College of General Practitioners, which will help doctors bone up on skills for general practice.
“Family physicians and general practitioners (GPs) are the backbone of any healthcare system,” said DUHS Vice Chancellor Prof. Masood Hameed Khan at a press conference on Saturday.
The duration of the programme is approximately two years. It plans to enforce structured programmes to meet local needs and form collaborations and accreditations according to the requirements. A faculty, a council and multiple committees will administer the college and conduct examinations. The college will offer diploma and membership or fellowship status to successful participants after assessments.
The programme will be open to qualified doctors. According to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, there are 120,000 registered doctors in the country. An estimated 11,000 of them are specialists.
“A well-trained GP can treat 90% to 95% of all diseases without having to refer the patient [to a specialist],” said Dr Muhammad Yahya, a family medicine doctor from Australia who is assisting with the initiative. “A strong first line of defence can prove cost effective as well as lighten the load on specialists.”
The programme will offer 35 modules. So far, ten modules have been decided. They will be based on the most common diseases or conditions that have been identified by a research team.
They include hypertension, ischemic heart disease, tuberculosis, management of hepatitis C and headaches. “We looked into a number of issues when deciding which modules to offer,” said Khan. “For instance, we discovered that the main reason for TB in the population is the body’s immunity, followed by improper prescriptions.”
Part the programme’s goal is to provide doctors with a place to go for refresher courses. “Some doctors received their qualifications in the 1960s and have been practicing the same techniques and medicines since then,” explained the Aga Khan University Hospital assistant professor of family medicine, Dr Aziz Jiwani. “It is important to keep up and prescribe the most effective evidence-based medication.”
Quoting a study by Journal of Pakistan Medical Association, Jiwani said, “99% of doctors receive updated information on medicines by pharmaceutical representatives, but they need other sources of information as well.”
Doctors can study from across the country as DUHS has gone online with this continuing education curriculum. “In 2010 we launched a year-long continuing education curriculum with various modules,” Khan explained. “But we could accomodate only 250 doctors at a time...that is not enough.” With an online system, doctors can log in from anywhere, develop their profile and select the modules they want to study.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 27th, 2011.
The Dow University of Health Sciences is launching an online Pakistan College of General Practitioners, which will help doctors bone up on skills for general practice.
“Family physicians and general practitioners (GPs) are the backbone of any healthcare system,” said DUHS Vice Chancellor Prof. Masood Hameed Khan at a press conference on Saturday.
The duration of the programme is approximately two years. It plans to enforce structured programmes to meet local needs and form collaborations and accreditations according to the requirements. A faculty, a council and multiple committees will administer the college and conduct examinations. The college will offer diploma and membership or fellowship status to successful participants after assessments.
The programme will be open to qualified doctors. According to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, there are 120,000 registered doctors in the country. An estimated 11,000 of them are specialists.
“A well-trained GP can treat 90% to 95% of all diseases without having to refer the patient [to a specialist],” said Dr Muhammad Yahya, a family medicine doctor from Australia who is assisting with the initiative. “A strong first line of defence can prove cost effective as well as lighten the load on specialists.”
The programme will offer 35 modules. So far, ten modules have been decided. They will be based on the most common diseases or conditions that have been identified by a research team.
They include hypertension, ischemic heart disease, tuberculosis, management of hepatitis C and headaches. “We looked into a number of issues when deciding which modules to offer,” said Khan. “For instance, we discovered that the main reason for TB in the population is the body’s immunity, followed by improper prescriptions.”
Part the programme’s goal is to provide doctors with a place to go for refresher courses. “Some doctors received their qualifications in the 1960s and have been practicing the same techniques and medicines since then,” explained the Aga Khan University Hospital assistant professor of family medicine, Dr Aziz Jiwani. “It is important to keep up and prescribe the most effective evidence-based medication.”
Quoting a study by Journal of Pakistan Medical Association, Jiwani said, “99% of doctors receive updated information on medicines by pharmaceutical representatives, but they need other sources of information as well.”
Doctors can study from across the country as DUHS has gone online with this continuing education curriculum. “In 2010 we launched a year-long continuing education curriculum with various modules,” Khan explained. “But we could accomodate only 250 doctors at a time...that is not enough.” With an online system, doctors can log in from anywhere, develop their profile and select the modules they want to study.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 27th, 2011.