Projects currently being undertaken with competitive external grant funding received by the Research and Evaluation Unit are:
RACGP Education Research Grant 20
Independent practice characteristics of early-career GPs in the two years post-fellowship, and associations with training experiences.
The project aims to establish characteristics of early-career GPs’ clinical practice; associations of these characteristics, including associations with GP vocational training experiences; and early-career GPs’ perceptions of utility for post-fellowship practice of training experiences.
The project is being led by Prof Parker Magin. Other members of the team are Dr Kristen FitzGerald, Prof Neil Spike, Prof Mieke van Driel, Dr Alison Fielding, Dr Andrew Davey, Assoc Prof Elizabeth Holliday and Ms Amanda Tapley.
RACGP Education Research Grant 26
A qualitative study of a peer mentorship program for GP registrars: exploring the experiences of registrar mentees and mentors and perceived impact on registrar training and subsequent job satisfaction.
The goal of the project is to explore the experiences of mentors and mentees in a statewide GP registrar mentorship program for the purposes of improving the GP training experience and growing the evidence base for mentoring.
The study is being led by Dr Linda Klein. Other members of the team are Dr Alison Fielding, Prof Parker Magin, Prof Mieke van Driel, Dr Sara Yusef, Dr Angalie Abraham and Ms Sue Hefren.
Family Medical Care Education and Research (FMCER) RACGP Research Grant
GP registrars’ and their supervisors’ attitudes to, and experience of, the use of delayed antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections
The aim of this research is to explore the use of delayed prescribing of antibiotics for respiratory tract infections (that is, when the doctor gives the patient a prescription with advice to not use it unless symptoms worsen or improvement does not occur by a certain time).
The study methodology is a qualitative study employing thematic analysis. Study participants will be Australian general practice registrars and supervisors. Participants will be asked to complete a telephone semi-structured interview regarding their experience and perceptions of delayed prescribing of antibiotics.
The study is being led by Dr Anthea Dallas, University of Tasmania. This research is a continuation of her work with our team following her academic term as a GP registrar with North Coast General Practice Training. Other members of the team are Prof Parker Magin, Prof Mieke van Driel, Dr Andrew Davey, Prof Paul Glasziou and Prof Josh Davis.
RACGP Education Research Grant 03
Design, delivery and evaluation of an educational intervention for GP registrars in reviewing older patients’ medication regimens and deprescribing inappropriate medications.
The goal of the project is to design, deliver and evaluate an educational intervention on rational deprescribing. The educational intervention will provide registrars with the skills to critically review older patients’ (patients aged 65 and older) medication regimens using an approach that will facilitate deprescribing of potentially inappropriate medications in the elderly if, in the particular patient, they are more likely to cause harm than benefit.
The project is being led by Prof Parker Magin. Other members of the team are Prof Sarah Hilmer, Prof Mieke van Driel, Prof Billie Bonevski, Assoc Prof Elizabeth Holliday, Assoc Prof Chris Etherton-Beer, Ms Amanda Tapley, Prof Neil Spike, Dr Andrew Davey and Dr Linda Klein.
RACGP Education Research Grant 02
Improving guideline compliance for prescription of benzodiazepines and related drugs in general practice registrars: a pragmatic trial employing a non-equivalent control groups design and post-intervention qualitative evaluation.
The goal of this project is to decrease registrars’ inappropriate prescribing of benzodiazepines and related drugs (hereafter ‘benzodiazepines’). Previous ReCEnT study analyses suggest registrar benzodiazepine-prescribing, while probably less than that of established GPs, is still greater than recommended by evidence-based guidelines. Results of our previous ReCEnT cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses (establishing circumstances and associations of registrars’ benzodiazepine-prescribing), our literature reviews, and consultations with experts in drug and alcohol medicine and behaviour-change science has informed the construction and assessment of a behaviour-based educational intervention.
The project is being led by Prof Parker Magin and Dr Simon Holliday. Other members of the team are Prof Mieke van Driel, Prof Billie Bonevski, Professor Adrian Dunlop, Assoc Prof Elizabeth Holliday, Ms Amanda Tapley, Prof Neil Spike and Dr Andrew Davey.
