Enhancing palliation in patients with advanced cancer in rural areas of Australia
Update your knowledge of palliative cancer treatment
the latest on anticancer therapies
a refresher on pain management
a review of oncological emergencies
This short course was developed by the Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA) to provide primary care practitioners, especially those in rural and remote Australia, with up-to-date information on the use of palliative cancer treatments.
For many patients with cancer, good palliative benefits can be achieved by treating the specific cancer or cancer-related symptoms with anticancer therapies, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, biologic therapies, and targeted therapies, in addition to supportive care. Join our panel of cancer specialists as they present an overview of the different types of anticancer therapies available, how to assess the suitability of patients for these therapies, and what to consider when making decisions about them. Collaborate with your colleagues to assist our virtual doctors as they tackle some challenging cases. Print out the ‘cheat sheets’ from the toolkit to use in your practice and take part in an activity to build multidisciplinary networks and partnerships.
This short course is accredited as an Active Learning Module for RACGP QA&CPD Category 1 points. Accredited for ACRRM PDP. You need to complete 6 hours of education, not including the ‘Starting up’ and ‘Finishing up’ activities to be eligible for Category 1 points. Your points will be automatically reported to the RACGPperiodically.
This Rural Health Support, Education and Training (RHSET) Program has been generously funded by the Australian Federal
Government through the Department of Health and Ageing with additional support from Hospira Australia Pty Ltd.
At the completion of this course, students will be able to:
Know the types of palliative cancer treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy, radiotherapy, interventional radiotherapy) available
Be familiar with the use of palliative cancer treatments to manage cancer symptoms
Know the risks and benefits of palliative cancer treatments and be confident in discussing them
Be able to assess patients for palliative cancer treatments
Be aware of ethical considerations in relation to risk-benefits of palliative cancer treatments
Be confident in assisting patients with decision-making about palliative cancer treatment choices, i.e. palliation vs. cure
Recognise when palliative cancer treatments are inappropriate
Be familiar with and able to manage palliative cancer treatment side-effects
Be aware of the role of supportive care in palliative care of patients with cancer
Have a multidisciplinary approach to developing and implementing treatment plans for cancer patients
Understand the composition, organisation and processes of the primary care team, anticancer team and palliative care team
Be able to develop partnerships with specialist services and other health care providers
Have strategies for improving continuity of care for patients with cancer
Be able to assess pain, using verbal and visual pain scales, and pain history
Be confident in the use of analgesics and opioids in managing cancer pain
Have tools to assist in assessing and managing cancer pain in the palliative setting
Understand principles of pain management in patients with advanced cancer
Be able to recognise psychiatric symptoms (e.g. anxiety, depression, delirium) in patients with cancer
Be able to recognise and safely manage oncological emergencies
