Learning Objectives:

• Be able to demonstrate knowledge of important national and international policy and initiatives in evidence-based approaches to decreasing common risk factors for chronic disease in general practice
• Be able to demonstrate knowledge of the evidence for successful lifestyle intervention in a general practice setting
• Be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the skills involved in successful lifestyle intervention at the general practice level
• Be able to develop tools for early identification of those at risk of chronic disease at the general practice level

Expert presenter:
Professor Claire Louise Jackson

Professor in General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Qld Director, Mater Centre for Integrated Health Care and General Practice, Mater Hospital, South Brisbane.

Claire has been active in general practice undergraduate and postgraduate education and research for many years, and has been extensively involved in health services research and reform since the early 90s. As Director of the University of Queensland Field Support Service, she was heavily involved in the development of Australian Divisions of General Practice in the mid 90s. Her current primary area of research interest is in improved health system integration, a topic which she has published and presented internationally. With Inge de Jong, Claire co-authored ‘Achieving Effective Health Care Integration – the Essential Guide’ in 2000, a publication that has sold over 1000 copies to date. She is a member of Queensland’s General Practice Advisory Council Communications Workgroup, is the immediate past Chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (Qld Faculty), is a past Chair of the RACGP National College Council, is a long-serving member of the Brisbane Inner South Division of General Practice Board, and member of the Management and Steering Committees of the Brisbane Inner South Centre for Health Service Integration. Claire has been involved in numerous research and policy development projects at state and national level, including the National Demonstration Hospitals Program (3 and 4), the national Divisions/Hospital Integration Program, Health Connect, and the national GP/Hospital Demonstration sites program.

Claire is an active clinician in part-time general practice in Brisbane, and a member of the IBA Health Board.

She was appointed to the Chair of General Practice at the University of Queensland in May, 2005.

Dr Lorna O’Doherty
Lorna is a psychologist, with primary interests in psychological issues of chronic disease, including coping, quality of life and behaviour change. She has a PhD which investigates psychological adaptation in chronic neurological disease.

Currently, Lorna is a research fellow at the Discipline of General Practice, UQ. Her role involves supporting individual GP research and building research capacity in primary care throughout Queensland as part of the Commonwealth PHC Research, Evaluation and Development initiative. She is also involved in designing and implementing projects in ageing, palliative care, chronic disease and general practice evaluation.

References:
[1] RACGP. SNAP: a population health guide to behavioural risk factors in general practice. Melbourne: The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners; 2004. Viewed on 13/1/07, at: http://www.racgp.org.au/guidelines/snap
[2] Department of Health and Ageing. Lifescripts. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2005. Viewed on 13/1/07, at: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/Publishing.nsf/Content/health-pubhlth-strateg-lifescripts-index.htm
[3] RACGP. Sharing Healthcare Guidelines. Melbourne: The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners; 2003. Viewed on 13/1/07, at: http://www.racgp.org.au/Content/NavigationMenu/ClinicalResources/RACGPGuidelines/SharingHealthCare/sharinghealthcare.htm
[4] Harris MF, Hobbs C, Davies GP, Simpson S, Bernard D, Stubbs A. Implementation of a SNAP intervention in two divisions of general practice: a feasibility study. MJA 2005;183(10):S5-8.