MFM5000 - Principles of general practice and primary care - 2017

This unit is a compulsory core unit for the Primary Care stream of the Master of Advanced Health Care Practice award.

Within this unit, students will examine the philosophy of medicine, health and illness, sickness and disease, aetiology, diagnosis and prognosis and concepts of healing.

Students will explore their role and that of other primary health care professionals, critically examine models of primary health care, and debate cost effectiveness.

The underpinning principles of primary care will be examined, including discussion of how general practice and primary care forms the cornerstone of the current model of service.

Students will demonstrate an ability to analyse theoretical principles and models of primary care to clinical consultations and evaluate their impact on consultation processes.

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Describe and critically review the nature of the primary health care setting, including its history, philosophy, practice, and future challenges;

2 Differentiate the roles of science and art in medicine, especially as it applies to primary care;

2. Investigate primary care practitioner roles, and compare and contrast with secondary and tertiary health care providers;
3. Explain patient centeredness, and how primary care practitioners facilitate the delivery of this model of care;
4. Articulate the underpinning principles of the primary health care setting, and explain how general practice forms the cornerstone for managing and allocating resources;
5. Analyse the current primary care model in your country, and debate cost effectiveness;
6. Critically evaluate different models of primary care, including the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Health Care Homes proposal within your own primary care profession;
7. Evaluate how primary care competes in the academic arena against more clinically specialised areas of medicine;
8. Demonstrate the ability to analyse the theoretical principles and models of primary care to clinical consultations, and evaluate their impact on consultation processes.

• Case study (2500 words) (20%)
• The current status of the primary care setting (using the candidate's own practice as a reference point) (3000 words) (25%)
• Measuring the quality and effectiveness of the Primary Care model in your country (3000 words) (25%)
• The future of Primary Care (using the candidate's own practice as a reference point) (3000 words) (20%)
• Reflective wiki (1000 words) (10%)

Dr Eli Ristevski