PHC5302 - Common problems in primary care - 2019

This unit has been created in collaboration with the Department of General Practice for students undertaking studies in ONE of the following five topics:

• Depressive and anxiety disorders in General Practice
• Mindfulness-based stress management
• Dermatology.

Students undertaking this unit must choose only one topic. Each topic is equivalent to 6 credit points.

Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to;

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

7. 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.
8. Critically review research demonstrating the benefits of psychological interventions like stress management and mindfulness
9. Practice the mindfulness meditation exercises in their various forms and critique their effectiveness.
10. Apply the principles of the mindfulness-based cognitive strategies and critique their effectiveness.
11. Critically reflect on their own experience of stress and ways in which they manage it.
12. Develop and implement mindfulness-based stress management in practice.
13. Demonstrate professional skills as a counsellor in mindfulness-based stress management.

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

14. Analyse the psychosocial context of women's lives and apply this analysis to women's sexual and reproductive health
15. 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
16. 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
17. Develop a systematic and evidence based approach to contraceptive counselling and counselling for unplanned pregnancy and sexual problems
18. Critically appraise the evidence concerning hormone replacement therapy and screening for cervical, breast and ovarian cancer
19. 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)

20. 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
21. 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
22. Formulate a comprehensive management plan surrounding child health by collaborating with other health professionals
23. Analyse the psychosocial and environmental context of children's lives and apply this analysis to child health.
24. Identify paediatric emergencies which commonly present in the Primary Health Care setting and formulate an appropriate initial management plan
25. Effectively use the available literature to inform ongoing learning needs relating to child health

    Dermatology

26. Analyse how the structural components of the skin function in both healthy and diseased states
27. Demonstrate a systematic approach to generating and exploring an appropriate list of differential diagnoses, in a patient with a dermatological complaint
28. Deduce what further investigations, if any, are required, to aid diagnosis
29. 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
30. Devise a plan for future personal practice and professional development in the diagnosis and management of patients with dermatological conditions

See individual topic guides for details - some topics will require students to write up cases on patients they have seen in practice, to write up journals based on clinical activity and/or to perform audits on clinical activity

Depressive and Anxiety Disorders in General Practice

• Case study - Depressive Disorder (2,500 words) (40%) (hurdle)
• Case study - Anxiety Disorder (2,500 words) (40%) (hurdle)
• Clinical decision tasks (1 hour) (20%)

Hurdle requirement:

Throughout this unit there are a number of activities (eg: discussion forums, individual wikis, group wikis, quizzes and virtual patients). Satisfactory participation in ALL of these activities is a requirement in order to progress through this unit.

Mindfulness-based stress management

Scientific stream:

• Clinical decision tasks (1,500 words) (25%)
• Essay (1,500 words) (25%)

Practical stream:

• Journal - personal (2,000 words) (30%)
• Journal - clinical (1,000 words) (20%)

Hurdle: Throughout this unit there are a number of activities (eg: discussion forums, individual wikis, group wikis, quizzes and virtual patients).

Satisfactory participation in ALL of these activities is a requirement in order to progress through this unit.

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

• Clinical decision task (case study 2,000 words) (25%)
• Clinical research tasks (amounting to a total of 6,000 words) (50%) (hurdle)
• Clinical research task (audit of current practice in one of the areas of contraception, screening or menopause (2,000 words) (25%)

Child health

• Case report (1,500 words) (20%)
• Case scenario report (1,000 words) (10%)
• Individual structured oral presentation (20 minutes) (30%)
• Clinical decision tasks at the end of each module (up to 2,500 words in total) (10% for each module) (40%) (hurdle)

Hurdle requirement:

Throughout this unit there are a number of activities (eg: discussion forums, individual wikis, group wikis, quizzes and virtual patients).

Satisfactory participation in ALL of these activities is a requirement in order to progress through this unit.

Dermatology

• Pictorial case studies (1.5 hours) (25%)
• Pictorial case studies (1.5 hours) (25%)
• Case report (2,500 words) (50%) (hurdle)

Hurdle requirements:

Throughout this unit there are a number of activities (eg: discussion forums, individual wikis, group wikis, quizzes and virtual patients).

Satisfactory participation in ALL of these activities is a requirement in order to progress through this unit.

Equivalent of 12 hours a week in 6 credit point units run over 12 weeks

See also Unit timetable information

Primary health care