Australian journal of primary health
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Multicenter Study
Nutrition in general practice: role and workforce preparation expectations of medical educators.
Nutrition advice from general practitioners (GPs) is held in high regard by the general public, yet the literature investigating the role of GPs in the provision of nutrition care is limited. This qualitative study aimed to explore the perceptions of general practice medical educators (GPMEs) regarding the role of GPs in general practice nutrition care, the competencies required by GPs to provide effective nutrition care and the learning and teaching strategies best suited to develop these competencies. Twenty medical educators from fourteen Australian and New Zealand universities participated in an individual semi-structured telephone interview, guided by an inquiry logic informed by the literature. ⋯ Numerous barriers to providing nutrition care in general practice were identified. These include a lack of time and associated financial disincentives, perceptions of inadequate skills in nutrition counselling associated with inadequate training, ambiguous attitudes and differing perceptions about the role of GPs in the provision of nutrition care. Further research is required to identify strategies to improve nutrition care and referral practices provided in the general practice setting, in order to utilise the prime position of GPs as gatekeepers of integrated care to the general public.
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Australia is facing a primary health care workforce shortage. To inform primary health care (PHC) workforce policy reforms, reflection is required on ways to strengthen the evidence base and its uptake into policy making. ⋯ Six key thematic questions emerged. (1) What makes PHC workforce planning different? (2) Why does the PHC workforce need to be viewed in a global context? (3) What is the capacity of PHC workforce research? (4) What policy levers exist for PHC workforce planning? (5) What principles can guide PHC workforce planning? (6) What incentives exist to optimise the use of evidence in policy making? The emerging themes need to be discussed within the context of current PHC workforce policy reforms, which are focussed on increasing workforce supply (via education/training programs), changing the skill mix and extending the roles of health workers to meet patient needs. With the Australian government seeking to reform and strengthen the PHC workforce, key questions remain about ways to strengthen the PHC workforce evidence base and its uptake into PHC workforce policy making.