Virtual education boost during the COVID-19 pandemic

General practitioners have embraced virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic with over 1000 more NPS MedicineWise virtual educational visits in May compared to February’s pre-COVID levels.

Even as safe face-to-face visits are reinstated in the future, virtual visits will remain an important education option, enabling flexibility and convenience.

NPS MedicineWise educational visitors connect to over 12,000 individual GPs every year to facilitate independent discussion on the latest evidence and best practice recommendations around health conditions managed in primary care. Many GPs receive visits on more than one topic due to the high regard they have for these educational activities. While most meetings have traditionally been face-to-face, during the COVID-19 pandemic, only virtual visits have been offered.

“Being flexible and going with the flow has been the key,” says Pippa Travers-Mason, an NPS MedicineWise Educational Visitor based in Cairns in Queensland.

“Video conferencing in all flavours, phone calls, screen sharing – I have used them all in all possible combinations.

“Some GPs are less familiar with virtual technology but have embraced virtual visits and have reacted positively to the new way of learning,” she says.

Victoria based NPS MedicineWise educational visitor Kelly Abbott says many GPs are happy to have a break from COVID-19 and discuss other health topics.

“The educational visits are an opportunity for GPs to connect to their colleagues in the practice. With the many virtual patient consultations and some GPs working from home, GPs are connecting a lot less in the practice,” says Ms Abbott.

“Some have really embraced the flexibility that virtual visits offer making it easier to have the visit at the time and place that best suits GPs,” she says.

Dr Aimee Pikoos is a GP Registrar. “This was the first time I had a virtual visit. Despite this new type of training method, where we used Skype, the presenter did a great job in getting the info across,” she says.

NPS MedicineWise is continually reassessing the developing situation and will reinstate safe face-to-face visits when appropriate, in a way that follows all state and national regulations.

Virtual visits are approved activities under the RACGP and ACRRM CPD programs and are currently being offered on Opioids, chronic pain and the bigger picture and Paediatric asthma: breathing new life into diagnosis and management.