PHC5302 - Common problems in primary care

Depressive and anxiety disorders in General Practice

1. Interpret the principal psychiatric classification system currently in use, and apply it, in conjunction with appropriate clinical reasoning skills, to determine whether or not a patient has a depressive or anxiety disorder.
2. Determine the risk factors and underlying causes of depressive and anxiety disorders, and argue how these influence treatment.
3. Devise and implement a systematic approach to assessing the severity of different types of depressive and anxiety disorders, including their morbidity and mortality.
4. Devise and implement a systematic approach to the management of depressive and anxiety disorders, which includes a synthesis of the best available evidence, in addition to considering patient wishes and circumstances, community resources and the clinician's experience.
5. Distinguish between the presentations in General Practice of different types of depressive and anxiety disorders.
6. Devise a plan for future personal practice and professional development in the diagnosis and management of patients with depressive and anxiety disorders.

Mindfulness-based stress management

1. Critically review the significant body of research linking psychological states like stress with a range of illnesses and lifestyle including disciplines within mind-body medicine such as neuroplasticity, psychoneuroimmunology and psychogenomics.
2. Critically review research demonstrating the benefits of psychological interventions like stress management and mindfulness
3. Practice the mindfulness meditation exercises in their various forms and critique their effectiveness.
4. Apply the principles of the mindfulness-based cognitive strategies and critique their effectiveness.
5. Critically reflect on their own experience of stress and ways in which they manage it.
6. Develop and implement mindfulness-based stress management in practice.
7. Demonstrate professional skills as a counsellor in mindfulness-based stress management.

Women's sexual and reproductive health in General Practice (available Semester 2 2017)

1. Analyse the psychosocial context of women's lives and apply this analysis to women's sexual and reproductive health
2. Develop a systematic and evidence based approach to the diagnosis and management of women's sexual and reproductive health issues which commonly present in the General Practice setting
3. Evaluate those factors contributing to the prevalence of unplanned pregnancy and based on best available evidence formulate an appropriate response that addresses these issues in the General Practice setting
4. Develop a systematic and evidence based approach to contraceptive counselling and counselling for unplanned pregnancy and sexual problems
5. Critically appraise the evidence concerning hormone replacement therapy and screening for cervical, breast and ovarian cancer
6. Evaluate the health outcomes of violence against women and formulate appropriate responses in the General Practice setting based on best available practice evidence

Child health (available Semester 1 2017)

1. Develop a systematic and evidence-based approach to the diagnosis and management of child health issues which commonly present in the Primary Health Care setting
2. Assess child development using valid and reliable assessment instruments, determine deviations from the norm and formulate appropriate management strategies in the Primary Health Care setting
3. Formulate a comprehensive management plan surrounding child health by collaborating with other health professionals
4. Analyse the psychosocial and environmental context of children's lives and apply this analysis to child health.
5. Identify paediatric emergencies which commonly present in the Primary Health Care setting and formulate an appropriate initial management plan
6. Effectively use the available literature to inform ongoing learning needs relating to child health

Dermatology

1. Analyse how the structural components of the skin function in both healthy and diseased states
2. Demonstrate a systematic approach to generating and exploring an appropriate list of differential diagnoses, in a patient with a dermatological complaint
3. Deduce what further investigations, if any, are required, to aid diagnosis
4. Devise and implement a systematic approach to the management of dermatological disorders, which includes a synthesis of the best available evidence, patient wishes and circumstances, community resources and the clinician's experience
5. Devise a plan for future personal practice and professional development in the diagnosis and management of patients with dermatological conditions