NEWS V O L 4 9 | N U M B E R 7 2022 S E P T E M B E R
DRJIEGU DRHUAYANG DRJULIENARTIGNY
CONTENT
WORLD PATIENT SAFETY DAY PAGE 20
WP & SIGS NEWS PAGE 15
WONCACHIEFEXECUTIVEOFFICER DRHARRISLYGIDAKIS
MARIADOLORESZAVALA EMAIL:EDITOR@WONCANET
WPA WORLD CONGRESS OF PSYCHIATRY 2022
WHO 72ND REGIONAL COMMITTEE FOR AFRICA A CALL TO HONOUR SALVADOR TRANCHE BUILDING THE FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH, POLICY, AND ADVOCACY TO STRENGTHEN FAMILY MEDICINE IN SOUTH ASIA
EMAIL:SECRETARIAT@WONCANET PHONE:+32(0)23290075
WONCAIMMEDIATEPAST PRESIDENT DRDONALDLI(HONGKONG)
FROM THE PRESIDENT PAGE 3
YOUNGDOCTORS'REPRESENTATIVE DRSANKHARANDENIKUMARA(SRILANKA)
POLICY ADVOCACY FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAM OF YUMA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER IN ARIZONA
WONCA CONFERENCES
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REGIONALPRESIDENT,WONCASOUTHASIA DRTARIQAZIZ(PAKISTAN)
WONCAEDITOR
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REGIONALPRESIDENT,WONCAASIAPACIFIC ASSOCPROFMOHAMMADHUSNIJAMAL(MALAYSIA)
REGIONALPRESIDENT,WONCAEUROPE PROFSHLOMOVINKER (ISRAEL)
EXECUTIVEMEMBERATLARGE DRMARÍAPILARASTIERPEÑA(SPAIN)
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPDATES
PRESIDENTELECT ASSOCPROFKARENFLEGG(AUSTRALIA)
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REGIONALPRESIDENT,WONCAEAST MEDITERRANEAN PROFTAGHREEDMOHAMEDFARAHAT(EGYPT)
FROM THE HEADQUARTERS
REGIONALPRESIDENT,WONCAAFRICA DRDANABUBAKAR(NIGERIA)
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REGIONALPRESIDENT,WONCANORTHAMERICA DRJEFFMARKUNS(USA)
TRANSLATIONS
REGIONALPRESIDENT,WONCAIBEROAMERICANA CIMF ADJ/PROFJACQUELINEPONZO(URUGUAY)
WONCAWORLDSECRETARIAT WORLDORGANIZATIONOFFAMILYDOCTORS AVENUEDESARTS78 1210BRUSSELS BELGIUM
WONCA REGIONS
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FEATURED STORIES
EXECUTIVEMEMBERATLARGE& HONORARYTREASURER PROFVALWASS(UK)
EXECUTIVEMEMBERATLARGE PROFSHABIRMOOSA(SOUTHAFRICA)
WONCAPRESIDENT DRANNASTAVDAL(NORWAY) EMAIL:PRESIDENT@WONCANET TWITTER:@ASTAVDAL
Objective1:RAISEglobalawarenessofthehigh burden of medication-related harm due to medication errors and unsafe practices, and ADVOCATE urgent action to improve medicationsafety.
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A bit of background: Launched in 2019 by WHO, the17thofSeptembereachyearisnowtheglobal “Public Health Day”. Their emphasis is on solidarity and strengthening concerted action worldwide, both among countries and international partners. As the quality of care and patient safety are core themes in the Family Doctors’professionaldevelopment,it’snatural
DR ANNA STAVDAL
S
We can look more closely at how we get our information about the medications we choose among, including how prescription guidelines have been devised, how specific they are about their treatment applicability, including within differentfieldsandcontexts.Thepharmaceutical industryiscentralhere
That’swhyweatWONCAaresosupportiveofthe selection of “Safe Medication!” as the theme of thisyear’sannualWHO“PatientSafetyDay”
that WONCA’s Working Party on Quality and PatientSafetyhasforgedsuchstronglinkstothe WHODepartmentofPatientSafetyinGeneva.We can thank them for leading the way in WONCA`s effortstocontributetothisglobalcampaign
Thedoctoristhedrug
F R
2 0 2 2
I recommend that all WONCA members explore what contributions Family Doctors can make towardmeetingthefourobjectivesthattheWHO has set for “Patient Safety Day, 2022 : Safe Medication! (Just so you know, WONCA’s Secretariat has created a toolkit for addressing theseaims):
PATIENT SAFETY DAY, 2022 : SAFE MEDICATION!
Dr MichaelBalint
But make no mistake about it: In our field, the prescriptionpadisoneverypowerfultool!
FROM THE PRESIDENT E P T E M B E R
O M T H E P R E S I D E N T
WeFamilyDoctorsmustconsidereachaspectour Hippocratic Oath in every clinical decision we make: “Preferably cure, often alleviate, always comfort But,firstofall:Donoharm”Amongour moredifficultchoicestobalancearemedications: prescribing them for patients, following up on their effects and side effects, and making decisionsaboutceasingtoprescribethem
Whatisthedrugyouusewithpatientsallthetime?
Yes Sixty years of studies have validated, repeatedly,thatthedoctor patientrelationshipis a key to the placebo factor how patients get well. It may represent as much as 30 40% of healing therapeutic responses, regardless of which medical personnel are involved, and including when medication is part of the treatment.
Objective3:EMPOWERpatientsandfamiliesto be actively involved in the safe use of medication.
Family Doctors work at the community level where they engage with other professionals in Primary Care teams Important assistance is provided by nurses, community health workers, pharmacists, among others, in the administering ofmedication,notleasttoelderlypeopleexposed to polypharmacy. Secondary Care hospital servicesalsoprescribemedication Whenpatients return to their usual environment, be it their home or a nursing facility, the medications initiated during Secondary Care hospital treatments will need to be reevaluated. It serves the Family Doctor well to have established good collaborativerelationshipswiththeirhospitaland community co workers. An example is when taking a patient off a specific medication that is nolongerappropriate.Deprescribingturnsoutto arderthanprescribing,oftenrequiring nicalcourage.Itisfarlessdauntingto d carry through on such difficult when they’ve been arrived at on the utualprofessionalassessment.
Alsoavailablein: Français Español
Obviously, they also play a major economic role Funding is crucial to developing new treatments, carrying out research, and distributing research results. But: revenue is a primary goal for Big Pharma. If we’re to be trusted, we physicians at the prescribing end of the process need to help each other catch on to marketing ploys before we fall for them. We must also sharpen our skills at interpreting research results to protect our patientsfromharmfuldruginteractionsaswellas other potentially negative effects, such as becoming over medicated This requires us to trust our clinical experience, especially the individualized knowledge we gather about our patients thanks to the relationships that our commitmenttocontinuityofcarehelpsusbuild Resultsfromrandomizedcontrolledtrialsarenot necessarilyapplicabletothepatientinfrontofus!
This aim invokes the person centered nature of Family Medicine. Recommending that someone take a medication every day is actually quite a radical intervention Patient compliance whether or not a patient follows our advice depends also on us. Has the information we’ve communicated been sufficient, and tailored to that specific person right now? Have we made clear what positive effects we expect, as well as potentialsideeffects?Havewealsoinformedthe patient what risks and/or benefits that might result from not taking the medication? Our patients need to experience that we evaluate eachprescriptioncarefully,andtrustthatwewill reassess regularly whether or not the medicationcontinuestobeusefulforthem.
WONCA NEWS PAGE 4 F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T
'Better Living Through Chemistry’ was an AmericanadvertisingslogantheDuPontchemical company came up with in the 1930’s. I’m told it was embraced as a rallying cry for mind expandingdrugsduringtheculturalupheavalsof the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. Yet, from penicillin, to the smallpox vaccine, to stopping the scourge of polio, to slowing deaths by COVID, etc., it has provedprophetic
Tread carefully, however. We’re all aware of the doctor assisted opiate addiction epidemic, and theburgeoningcrisisofantibiotic resistanceafter decades of over prescribing, and, of course, there’stheanti vaxxdistrust
Objective 4: SCALE UP implementation of the WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge: MedicationWithoutHarm.
We have our work cut out for us to achieve an honest mix: pharmaceuticals in service of our doctor patientrelationships.Nottheopposite! O N C A P R E S I D E N T
W
DR ANNA STAVDAL
Objective 2: ENGAGE key stakeholders and partners in the efforts to prevent medication errorsandreducemedication relatedharm.
To me, and probably to you dear readers, the answerisasclearasday Everyonebenefits!Iwas takenabackbythequestion,frustratedbyit.And that was the ‘aha’ moment: just because it’s obvioustome,doesn’tmeanit’sobvioustothem.
THE SCIENCE & ART OF COMMUNICATION
CREATELIKEANARTIST
So I want to share them with you and open a discussion, so that we as an organisation can keep building on our communication, both internallyandexternally,sowecanoperatemore effectively, and so our message is better shared withthewidercommunity.
THINKLIKEASCIENTIST
Wetalkallthetimeabouttheneedto‘knowyour audience’whencommunicatingeffectively,butin reality this means so much more than just using the right tone or style, or sharing it on the right platforms
F R O M T H E H PAGE 5
Itmeansgoingrightbacktoquestioningeventhe mostbasicassumptionswearemaking:whatdoI know which this audience may not know? It means sharing those things in a clear, ‘user friendly’waytothataudience.Itmeansadapting, pivoting, responding to feedback when there is somethingwehavemissed,insteadofdiggingour heelsinandholdingontoourpride.
THE FOUNDATIONS OF GREAT COMMUNICATION
You would think, in the 21st Century, opening a bankaccountwouldbestraightforward Avisitto thebank,afewpagestosign,someidentification toshow,andthenvoilà,youhaveanewaccount.I have discovered, however, that setting up an accountforaninternationalnon profitNGO,with a complex structure and many stakeholders, is actually a balancing act. A combination of patience, perseverance and above all communication.
The ordeal of setting up a bank account in BelgiumforWONCAhasbeenalearningcurvefor me, one which has caused more than a few sleepless nights and a whole lot of very complex logistics,includingpaperworkbeingflownaround the world. But the real moment of insight came when, after months of exchanges, and we were inches from the finish line, they needed some clarity “Who,” they asked, “are the beneficiaries ofimprovingthequalityoffamilymedicine?”.
This is the second article in a series that aims to discuss core principles for the future of the Organisation the first article is available here
When I consider examples of great communicationthatIhaveseen,experiencedand undertaken,Ifindagreatapproachistothinklike a scientist and create like an artist. This means, firstandforemost,tosetupthecommunications ‘experiment’likeascientist;inamethodicalway,
WONCA NEWS FROM THE HEADQUARTERS
This got me thinking. I am far from perfect at communication, but I have learnt some helpful insightsovertheyears(sometimesthehardway!). Thereisnosinglerecipeforgoodcommunication, buttherearesomecoreprinciplesIhavefoundto beprofoundandenduring.
THE PLANNING PHASE THE SCIENCE
setting out the objectives clearly according to a well formulated plan, and applying the right foundational knowledge and principles to this plan What follows are some of what I believe to bethecoreprinciplesofthispartoftheprocess. A D Q U A R T
Another crucial aspect of communication, especially that done on behalf of or within an organisation(WONCAincluded),isthatitneedsto adherewithorganisationalpolicyandwiderlegal frameworks Thisincludespoliciesaroundprivacy and confidentiality requirements, community etiquette, branding guidelines and copyright laws. When communication fails to meet these lawsandguidelines,notonlycanthisundermine the integrity and brand perception of an organisation, but it can lead to actual legal sanctions, such as in cases of data privacy violations.Justaremindertoalwayscheckinwith therulebook!
E R S WONCA NEWS PAGE 6
An illustration of this, and one which resulted in the most part in a lot of ineffective consumer engagement,wasduringthebigrushofbrandsto Twitter around 2010. Their ‘tweeting’ was awkward, inconsistent in message, and often caused more harm to the brand than help. They focused more on having a presence than considering their wider strategy, and it was for mostbrands arealcommsfailure.
Great communication is consistent and strategic Itshouldnotbeascattergunapproach,itshould be aligned with a wider plan, both in terms of a communication specific strategy and in terms of the core business strategy of the organisation. This is key The objectives of communication should be set out in advance and always kept in mindthroughouttheentireprocess.Thisway,we canavoidsharinginformationforthesakeofitor throwing ourselves into new and shiny communications channels even when they don’t meetouraims
F R O M T H E H E
Additionally,atthestrategy&planningstageitis crucial to decide on the feedback & evaluation processofthe‘experiment’.Howwillfeedbackbe gathered? What assessment tools will be used? What criteria will be set to evaluate the effectiveness of what has been tried? Having this inmindfromthestartmakesallthedifference. Thesearesomeofthecorecomponentsonwhich to base a structurally sound plan for communication,whichservesasagreatcontainer for future experimentation. Yet some of the real beauty and true impact of communication lies in the adaptability, responsiveness, and innovation in the approach to telling stories and sharing information
Once the groundwork has been laid, the experimenting can really begin Over the years, I have learnt that being creative, adaptable and aboveall humblehavebeencrucialwhenhitting the right notes with communication. Here is where the more ‘artistic’ side of the work comes in; space to explore, try new things, and observe newperspectives. To tell stories and get into the minds of the viewers; to be human. To let ideas percolate and become realised. To have some playfulness,funeven.
THE EXPLORATION & INNOVATION PHASE WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
This ‘lean’ methodology is so important in communicationinlargepartbecauseoftheneed tobehighlyresponsivetohowitisbeingreceived or whether it is reaching the right people in the right way Just as with a scientific experiment, whereahypothesisissetout,tested,andthenthe results are collected and assessed, leading to a newhypothesisandanewtest,weneedtokeep reflectingonandlearningfromourattempts.
The key here is to keep it as simple as possible from the start, which ensures that you don’t put toomuchtime,energyorfinancialresourcesinto a strategy or communications output which doesn’t resonate with your audience or have the intendedeffect Italsomakesiteasierandlighter toadjustandadapttonewideasbecauselesshas beeninvestedintotheoriginalones.
Fisher, Ury and Patton, in their seminal work ‘Getting to Yes’, touch upon this: “Premature judgment hinders creativity […] To invent creative options, then, you will need to separate the act of inventing options from the act of judgingthem”
In reality, this looks like following the strategic principles discussed above, and aligning your efforts with the plan you have made It means ensuring that some ground rules or parameters are in place throughout to ensure consistency. Knowing in advance when and how you will assess the effectiveness of your communication meansthatyoucanthenfreelyexplorenewideas, without losing track of what is working in conveyingyourmessage.
Firstly, the best communication is coherent, focused and clear It considers the audience receiving it, clarifying key points, unpacking and simplifying more complex concepts. It is professional, while also speaking to people in a language they can understand. An excellent exampleofthisistheTED/TEDxtalks Oneofthe coreprinciplesistotakeacomplicatedtopic,and explain it in a way that the general public can understand (two WONCA leaders have already done that: Anna Stavdal, WONCA President: “Hyper specialized health services need super generalists”;RichRoberts,WONCAPastPresident: “Healing by Numbers”). In our work, this means really reflecting on who we are speaking to health specialists vs non specialists and changingourmessagetomeetthem
F R O M T H E H E A D Q U A R T E R S
Secondly, an excellent starting point for developing an effective communication strategy is to draw from the ‘lean’ approach so popular withnewbusinesses Thisisaboutminimalism;
Of course, it is important to combine the artistry andcreativitywiththemoremethodical,scientific approach.
starting small, trying, learning and pivoting. It is about atleastintheearlydays keepingcosts downina“nofrills”approachtoreallyinvestigate whatworksbeforeputtingalotofmoneyintoit
WONCA NEWS
As set out above, there should already be a plan for when and how this cycle will take place, and howfeedback loops will work in reality Then we require a good dose of humility; we need to be modestenoughtoacceptwhensomethinghasn’t worked,andtoexplorethereasonswhy,andthen boldenoughtochangeandadaptthestrategyto meet this Ultimately, this is the core of great innovation in any area, and no less so in the communicationsworld.
Finally, we should aim to always ensure we are open, transparent, full of integrity and ready to own any mistakes we make in the process of communication. Often our intentions do not translate into impact, and what we share is not received in the way we hoped it would be We shouldbecandidwithourselvesandwithothers, being empathetic yet direct about what is and isn’tworking.Ifwecan’ttoleratecriticism,orfeel uncomfortable with making errors, we will be unable to innovate and ever create really exceptionalcontent.
To that end, there are some other principles I have found to be helpful in this ‘experiment & adapt’partoftheprocess.
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As it stands for now though, our core objectives for our internal communications are to strengthen the dissemination of useful information inside WONCA, support communicationamonginternalstakeholders(eg workingparties,specialinterestgroups,statutory committees, academic members and so on), to foster a culture of common identity and organisational awareness, to assist stakeholders in identifying synergies and establishing mutual collaboration, and to optimise project managementandoperations.
It is crucial to note these differing objectives, while at the same time remembering that both require the same underlying principles as discussedinthisarticle Ifthisisdonewell,andif, additionally, we can provide space to reflect on the objectives themselves and where they could benefitfrominnovation,wearelikelytoseesome greatbreakthroughsandsuccessesforWONCA
We will be able to build our brand, increase engagement with the wider world, share best practices so they can have more of an impact globally, and create a more connected and integrated community within our own membership.
F R O M T H E H E A D Q U A R T E R S
It is true that a culture of allowing mistakes not only breeds creativity, it also allows true best practicestoarise.Agreatexampleofanindustry which holds this belief at its core is the aviation sector. Here, there is a culture of openly sharing mistakes with no threat of sanctions, so that lessons can be learnt and changes can be made. As a result, the quality and safety of airlines has improvedyearonyear
Ultimately, good communication is more than justaprettystory;itaffectstheentireoperational integrity of an organisation or cause. It must be strategic, consistent, and focused, while also allowing room for exploration, reflection, and course correction Flexibility and adaptation are crucialpartsofacreativeprocessandalsoensure thatcommunicationisaseffectiveasitcanbe.As long as we hold our core objectives in mind, we havethespacetobeinnovativeandadventurous withwhatweproduce
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In terms of our external objectives, these are to strengthen our brand identity, to reach out to unaddressed audiences (including patients and othercivilsocietyorganisations),tomakecontent fromallinternalstakeholdersmorevisibletothe outside world, to support advocacy, to drive membership growth, and to encourage more active engagement of the global community of familydoctors
Within WONCA, we have two separate sets of objectives in terms of communication one for our internal strategy, and one for our external strategy Thisisperhapsadiscussionforanother article, and certainly one I would be excited to havewithmembers,sopleasedoreachouttome withideas.
I,forone,amexcitedaboutwhatthatmeans Let’sallkeeplearningtogether. W O N C A C E O
DR HARRIS LYGIDAKIS, W O N C A C E O
WONCA NEWS
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS: WHY IS THIS RELEVANT TO WONCA?
WONCA AFRICA REGION
The WHO DG TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS who incidentally started his second tenure in office a week earlier on the 16th of August 2022 wasinattendance.
However, on Sunday 21 August 2022, WALK THE TALK event was held and all participants were encouraged to join and T shirts were given to participants.
The meeting was held at the prestigious CENTRE INTERNATIONALDESCONFERENCESDELOME22
Most Ministers of Health in Africa, stakeholders andWHOpartnersfromEurope,Asia,Americaetc wereinattendance.
26August2022
WHO 72ND REGIONAL COMMITTEE FOR AFRICA
The WHO AFRO Regional Director Dr Matshidiso Moettiwaspresenttooandleadtheprocess.
The president of the Togo Republic Faure Gnassingbe declared the meeting open. The president got an award for eradicating four neglected Chronic NCDs in the Togo Republic. Togo, therefore, became the first country to achievethisfeat.Hesaidamongotherthingsthat his country was able to achieve this feat through therecruitmentofover7,000healthcareworkers within 10 years and by expanding healthcare facilities.Hesummarizedbysayingthat‘hemade the impossible possible through imagination and determination
Pillar 1. One billion more people benefitting fromuniversalhealthcoverage:
PREAMBLE
The meeting agenda was divided into 4 main pillarswithmanysubtitlesundereachpillar.
There were presentations considered very important and necessary which were not on the agenda but were taken during lunch time; those who were interested participated in such meetings There were other pieces of training done at night which were sponsored by some ministers.
WONCA NEWS WONCA REGIONS PAGE 9 W O N C A R E G I O N S
LaunchoftheRegionalCampaignAgainstSickle Cell Disease on Tues 23rd AUG 2022 and the panellists were the Ministers of Health of Cameroon, Ghana, Uganda, SickleInAfrica representativeandUSDepartmentofHumanand Health Services /OGA. The Regional Director Dr Matshidiso Moetti gave the opening and closing remarks and it was adopted to be supported stronglybytheRegion
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ThesessiononArtificialIntelligencewashosted by the Minister of economic transformation of Togo on Thursday 25th August 2022 and it was wellreceivedbytheRegion
Progress report on the African health observatorywaspresentedandadopted
WecurrentlyhaveonlyEnglish speakingMember OrganizationsinAfricaregion
Financial risk protection towards universal health coverage in the WHO Africa region was adopted.
Regional strategy for health security and emergencies2022 2030wasadopted
W O N C A R E G I O N S
Pillar 4. More effective and efficient WHO providingbettersupporttocountries.
Pillar 3. One billion more people enjoying betterhealthandwellbeing:
A regional strategy to address severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases [NCDs] at the intermediatelevelofnationalhealthsystemswas adopted
Frameworktostrengthentheimplementationof theGLOBALMentalHealthactionplan[20132030] wasadopted.
Pillar 2. One billion more people better protectedfromhealthemergencies:
Updated regional strategy for the management of environmental determinants of human health intheAfricaregion2022 2032wasadopted.
DR DAN ABUBAKAR P R E S I D E N T W O N C A A F R I C A R E G I O N
I made contacts with Drs from DRC, Benin Republic, Cote D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali, Gambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia, etc
A CALL TO HONOUR SALVADOR TRANCHE
María Fernández, acting president of the semFYC after the sudden passing of President Salvador Tranche, highlighted the role that Salvador Tranche played in the WONCA CIMF. “During the pandemic,hewasalwaysconnected,evenlateat night,talkingwithcolleaguesfromLatinAmerica abouthowtodealwithCOVID 19inourregion”
Discover all the information on how to apply for theSalvadorTranchecallhere[+] (InSpanish)
Jacqueline Ponzo, who presented the Salvador Tranche call during the National Congress in Seville,stated:"SalvadorTranchewasaverydear person. The Spanish Ministry of Health also recognized his role with a special commission in tributetohiscareer."
The Iberoamerican Confederation WONCA CIMF, together with María Fernández, vice president of the Iberican Region of CIMF, to pay tribute to Salvador Tranche with a special call on research in Family and Community Medicine This celebration will take place during the VIII FCM SummitscheduledforNovemberinGuatemala.
The Guatemala Summit will be the first physical reunion of the Ibero American community of family doctors after the pandemic, making it a long awaited event. “This congress arises from a need and a request made by Guatemala. This is especially relevant because Guatemala does not yet have the specialty of Family and Community Medicine in place, so holding a WONCA CIMF summit there will undoubtedly be an interesting experience at a political, educational and scientificlevel.”
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Salvador Tranche shared with family doctors worldwide the evidence and actions taken in Spain during the most challenging moments of the pandemic. In the same way, he highlighted the role of the semFYC battling the invisibility to which Primary Care and Family Medicine is often the victim The same invisibility that our level of care suffers in the rest of the countries of the Ibero American region. All this, even though Primary Care professionals and family doctors were essential in managing and preventing the adverseeffectsofthepandemic
JacquelinePonzo,presidentofWONCACIMF,and the rest of the board encouraged all family doctors to apply for this special call made in homage to our president Salvador Tranche. An honouralsosharedbysemFYC.
A N D A T R I B U T E I N G U A T E M A L A
South Asia, constituting India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Afghanistan represents the most populous region in the world. Unfortunately, despite obvious need, the field of primary care and family medicine in this region is underdeveloped and at a nascent stage As a result, strengthening primary care systems and familymedicineinSouthAsianeedstobeaglobal imperative. Towards this goal, besides advocacy, educational programs, and support for clinical family medicine practice, fostering research in Primary Care by practicing family physicians is critical.
Dr. Hina Jawaid, Chair WONCA SAR Primary Care Research Network
I O
Anyfield,forittostayrelevantandtoeffectively achieve its stated mission, needs to produce its own knowledge through research. This knowledge gleaned through research translates intopatientcare,practicemodels,education,and advocacyforhealthstrengtheningandreform
EffortsbyWONCASouthAsiaRegion
Apart from attending numerous meetings (in person or online) both regionally and globally PresidentSARDrTariqAzizattendedtheWONCA council in person at the Royal College of General PractitionersinLondonUKon27thJune2022.
Accomplishmentsthusfar:
b)Seedingresearchteamsthatinvolveseveral youngFPinvestigatorsfromacrossSouthAsia
ChallengesfacedbypractisingFamilyphysicians in South Asia in conducting research (study underway)
O N
a) Establishing regular communication betweenleaders.
Breast cancer knowledge among health professionals: A pre post knowledge based intervention study (manuscript submitted for publicationinPubMedindexedjournal)
INTRODUCTION
Knowledge and use of different types of contraceptivemethodstopreventpregnancyand STIs among women in the reproductive age group (Studyunderway)
W C A R E G N S
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WONCA SOUTH ASIA BUILDING THE FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH, POLICY, AND ADVOCACY TO STRENGTHEN FAMILY MEDICINE IN SOUTH ASIA NOTES FROM THE FIELD
common, but complex, issues surrounding contemporary health care in the South Asian contexttoharnesssynergiesandincreaseimpact.
We aimed to nurture a cadre of researchers in familymedicineandprimarycarewhocontribute to the primary care/family medicine perspective to improve patient outcomes, efficiency, transparency and sustainability of health care delivery in the South Asian context. Additionally, we wanted to create a platform for family medicine/primary care clinicians, health services researchers,andotherexpertstoaddressthe
SinceNov2021,asapartofthecurrentleadership committee of WONCA South Asia, we have taken severalconcretestepstobuildthefoundationfor primarycareresearchinSouthAsia.
Climate change and Health disclosure: A multinationalcross sectionalstudyofSouthAsian Physicians’ knowledge and perception about health effects of climate change (manuscript submitted to an international journal ‘Family Practice’)
Authors: Dr Tariq Aziz, President WONCA South Asia Region (SAR)
Dr Ramakrishna Prasad, Editor WONCA SAR Journal
2) The mystery of unsafe injections in Pakistan. https://dailytimes.com.pk/712318/the mystery of unsafe injections in pakistan/ (Article published in The Daily Times newspaper on12thJan2021)
9)Littleawarenessaboutbreastcancer). https://wwwthenewscompk/tns/detail/904509 little awareness about breast cancer(Published inTheNewsonSunday31stOct2021)
12)Dealingwithobesity. https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/946765 dealing with obesity(ColumnpublishedinThe NewsonSundayon3rdApril2022)
Rural Primary Care Practice, Research & LeadershipbyDrPavitraMohanon30thMay2022
Research Ethics and Plagiarism by Dr Mariam Hasanscheduledfor14thSeptember2022
3)PrimarycareinPakistan:currentsituationand wayforward.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/925442 medical licensing(ColumnpublishedinTheNews onSundayon16thJan2022)
Sofar,thefollowinghavebeenconducted:
Developing Family Medicine/Primary Care Education, Faculty and Leadership in South Asia: Lessons from an African context by Dr Kenneth Yakubuon20thAug2022
11)Nutritionalneedsinearlyyearsoflife. https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/944802 nutritional needs in early years of life(Column publishedinTheNewsonSundayon27thMarch 2022)
4)Diabetes:Notimetolose. https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/832389 diabetes no time to lose(PublishedinTheNews onSunday9thMay2021intheNewsonSunday)
7)Acallformedicaleducationreforms). https://wwwthenewscompk/tns/detail/878247 a call for medical education reforms(Published inTheNewsonSunday15thAug2021)
https://dailytimes.com.pk/735132/primary care in pakistan current situation and way forward/ (ArticlepublishedinTheDailyTimesnewspaper on17thMarch2021)
c) Monthly Research, Leadership, and Policy seminarseries
5)Thewaytouniversalhealthcoverage https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/855459 the way to universal health coverage(Published inTheNewsonSunday27thJune2021)
10)Medicallicensing.
1) Breast Cancer: myths, reality, and solutions! https://dailytimescompk/688891/breast cancer myths reality and solution/ (Article published in TheDailyTimesnewspaperon14thNov2020)
Newspaper columns, written by eminent Family Medicine faculty who are actively involved in teaching, training and research work locally, nationallyandregionally Dr HinaJawaidandDr AbdulJalilKhanfromPakistanhavebeenwriting a series of articles on primary care and other health related issues on a regular basis. Articles on obesity and breastfeeding were co authored by Dr Tehzeeb Zufiqar and Dr Marriam Sheraz Listoftheirpublishedcolumnsinclude:
Supporting Primary Care Research by Dr Ramakrishna Prasad & Dr Hina Jawaid on 28th Dec2021
8)Needforleadershipinprimaryhealthcare). https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/893419 need for leadership in primary healthcare (PublishedinTheNewsonSunday19thSept 2021)
d)Advocacyandwritinginthelaypress:
Researchoverview&Studydesign:Basictipsfor beginnersbyDrBasharatAli&DrTehzeebZulfiqar on11thMarch2022
6)PrimaryCaretransformation) https://wwwthenewscompk/tns/detail/865545 primary care transformation(PublishedinThe NewsonSunday18thJuly2021)
WONCA NEWS WONCA REGIONS PAGE 13 W O N C A R E G I O N S
ThePathForward:PriorityAreasforfutureaction, research, policy, and advocacy to strengthen FamilyMedicineintheSouthAsia: Click here to read the Select peer reviewed publications(2021 2022)
1 DrTariqAziz(PresidentWONCASAR) 2 Dr RamakrishnaPrasad 3 DrHinaJawaid 4 DrBasharatAli 5 Dr.RamanKumar 5 DrAbdulJalilKhan 6 DrTehzeebZulfiqar 7 Ms.SwaatiBalasubramanian 8 DrWaseemAyeshaHana 9 DrHassamKhan 10 DrFerdousRehman 11 DrSankhaRandenikumara 12 DrKinleyBhuti 13 DrHusna 15 DrSadiaMustafa 16 DrMarriamSheraz 17 DrAsifRehman
WONCA NEWS WONCA REGIONS PAGE 14
b) Evaluate and improve quality of care through accreditation, c)Evaluatepaymentmodelsandtheirimpact, d) To appraise workforce shortages and maldistribution,
13)Trainingprimarycaredoctors. https://wwwthenewscompk/tns/detail/963416 training primary care doctors(Columnpublished inTheNewsonSundayon5thJune2022)
4 Serve as an incubation space for primary care research, writing, and education by facilitating and supporting scholarship, writing, and publication in primary care especially among medical students, family medicine residents and faculty, and practicing family physicians and generalpractitioners
14)Trainingprimary caredoctors II https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/967255 training primary care doctors ii(Column publishedinTheNewsonSundayon19thJune 2022)
W O N C A R E G I O N S
1. Using a range of research methods, including mappingtoolsandpolicyanalyses,to a) Determine trends in the supply, training and distributionoftheprimarycareworkforce
16)GuestEditorial:Burdenofthedisease https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/977970 burden of the disease(ColumnpublishedinThe NewsonSundayon31stJuly2022)
2.Generationandcontributionofdataandpolicy analyses and advocate for solutions that bring familymedicineandprimarycareperspectivesto healthpolicydeliberationsatthelocal,state,and internationallevels.
e) To conduct robust needs and systems assessmentatmultiplelevelsofthehealthsystem
15)Thecostofcoping. https://wwwthenewscompk/tns/detail/974203 the cost of coping(ColumnpublishedinThe NewsonSundayon17thJuly2022)
17)Allthereasonstobreastfeed https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/980230 all the reasons to breastfeed(Columnpublished inTheNewsonSundayon7thAug2022)
Through promoting research our aim is to encourage a shift from experience based to evidence basedclinicalpracticesamongGPsand engageinhealthadvocacy.Additionally,wemust strive to further promote and nurture the core principles of Family Medicine and the ‘hidden curriculum’ that influences primary care at both undergraduateandpostgraduatelevel.
Notable contributors to research from WONCA SouthAsiaRegion(2021 2022)
3. Establish partnerships and collaborations with individualsandinstitutionsinordertoaccomplish theaboveinanimpactfulmanner.
4. Create a repository of resources to support policyadvocacy
JOIN THE THIS SIG
1. Share experiences and insights on policy advocacy
CONVENORS | CHAIRS
We are delighted to announce the creation by WONCA of a new Special Interest group to focus on helping us to be more effective advocates for family medicine in our own settings and with externalstakeholders
5 Supportexpertiseforeffectivenetworkingwith stakeholders
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WONCA NEWS WP & SIGS NEWS W P & S I G S N E W S
Dearcolleagues,
6.Setupspecific‘learningsets’formentoringand support to those beginning to take up active advocacyroles
3. Share key knowledge and good practice more widely
ThemissionoftheSpecialInterestGroup(SIG)on Policy Advocacy is to build capacity for policy advocacy by family doctors at national and local level.
Familydoctorsacrosstheworldarehard working clinicians busy at the frontline Policy, and the systems issues that surround them, are sometimes far from their minds. The Special Interest Group (SIG) on Policy Advocacy aims to build capacity for policy advocacy by family doctors at global, regional, national and local level
MISSION AND VISION
The vision of the Special Interest Group (SIG) is family physician leaders at global, regional, national, and local level being expert at navigating the policy terrain and advocating effectivelyforfamilymedicineandprimaryhealth care
Within WONCA, there is a wealth of experience. TheobjectivesoftheSIGareto:
2 Develop skills in policy advocacy for family medicineandprimaryhealthcare
PROF. SHABIR MOOSA MEMBER AT LARGE, WONCA PROF. AMANDA HOWE PAST PRESIDENT, WONCA
NEW WONCA SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP ON POLICY ADVOCACY
Mental health is high on the health policy agenda globally. Family doctors deal with patients with the diagnosis over the full spectrum of psychiatry, from so called lighter conditions of anxiety and depression to chronic conditions of all kinds: attention deficit disorders, bipolar disease, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders and everything in between.
WPA WORLD CONGRESS OF PSYCHIATRY 2022
WONCAPRESIDENTJOINEDTHE
This was the second time I attended the annual conference of the World Psych Association, and the first time in person Was it worthwhile? Indeed it was. I always find it energizing and meaningful to be an ambassador for family medicine. The WPA conference was no exception.
Over four days, the event brought together in person and online experts and health professionals from the broader World Psychiatric Association community, which represents 140 psychiatricsocietiesin120countries
Dr Stavdal wrapped up her participation with an inter organisational symposium along with Dr NasserLoza,PresidentoftheWorldFederationfor Mental Health and past WPA President, Dr Juan Mezzich.
About her participation in the WPA World Congress of Psychiatry 2022, Dr Anna Stavdal wrote:
Gabriel Ivbijaro, CEO of the World Federation for Mental Health and former chair of the WONCA Working Party on Mental Health, moderated the session
WONCA President, Dr Anna Stavdal, joined the WPA World Congress of Psychiatry 2022, which tookplacefromAugust3 6inBangkok,Thailand.
During the second day of activities, Dr Anna Stavdal participated in the Panel Discussion: Task sharing in mental healthcare; Does it work?
WONCA NEWS FEATURED STORIES PAGE 16 F E A T U R E D S T O R I E S
WONCA NEWS
Despite that, there are silos in mental care in manysystems.Theonlywaytoovercomethemis tolearntoknowhowwecancollaborateoverthe specialityboundaries.
The group in need of chronic mental care takes up a large portion of the family doctor`s time And in primary care based health systems, these patients receive most of their medical care from the family doctor and the primary care team, just like diagnosing and treatment are initiated on the same level
I met with president Afzal Javed, President Elect Danuta Wassermann, and several other key people of WPA. And I gave presentations at two panel discussions.
Prof Afzal Javed, President WPA and Dr Danuta Wasserman, President Elect of WPA
Besides experiencing an open minded and welcoming professional environment, we reached an agreement to formalise the collaboration between our two organisations and the World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH). Our CEO will follow up with concrete actions
STORIES F E
FEATURED A T U R E D S T O R I E S
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WONCA NEWS FEATURED STORIES F E A T U R E D S T O R I E S PAGE 18
Through its Working Party on Education, WONCA has developed the “Standards for Postgraduate Family Medical Education”, against which academic programs in family medicine can be assessed and gain approval from our global organization.
FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAM OF YUMA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER IN ARIZONA
OnbehalfoftheWONCAaccreditationcommittee, Dr Victor Ng attended the on site visit, highlighting “the friendliness and collegiality of the faculty and with a drive for innovation and getting to better”.Duringhisvisit,DrNg,whois
Onthisoccasion,accreditationwasgrantedtothe Department of Family and Community Medicine at Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC) in Arizona, which developed and implemented a Family Medicine residency program, initiated in 2013 and with the first residents graduating in 2016. This is the first time WONCA grants accreditationtoaprogramintheUSA.
Facing the COVID 19 pandemic, the workload of the healthcare professionals and travelling restrictions, WONCA had to adapt its evaluation process accordingly. This WONCA Accreditation was first conducted virtually in March 2021, culminating with an on site visit in 2022 to confirm the information presented during the virtual assessment and explore the implementation of the recommendations provided
WONCACELEBRATESTHEACCREDITATIONOFTHE
After three days of evaluations, productive discussions and feedback, the assessment team confirmed that the Yuma Family Medicine ResidencyProgrammettheWONCAStandardsfor PostgraduateFamilyMedicineEducation.WONCA congratulatesthefacultyandleadershipatYuma. As WONCA’s Accreditation is a quality improvementprogram,wearelookingforwardto discussingtheprogressontherecommendations provided. We also encourage the faculty to continue developing their skills and competencies
also Chair of the WONCA Working Party on Education, met the core faculty, hospital faculty, hospital leadership staff and residents, who shared their perspectives on the residency program.
The experience was reassuring for Yuma to confirm what we have known for some time now, and that is that we have a unique and great program to train physicians in Family Medicine, it was also very useful because it help us get a new perspective on some of our processes and how we could improve such processes. It also opens doors to our residents and faculty when it comes to networking and enchance education opportunities
A variety of applications are possible, including self assessment and program quality improvement; new program development; peer review;orrecognitionandaccreditation.
•Missionandoutcomes •Trainingprocess •Assessmentoftrainees •Trainees •Staffing •Trainingsettingsandeducationalresources •Evaluationoftrainingprocess •GovernanceandAdministrationand •Continuousrenewal
AdaptingthestandardsoftheWorldFederationof Medical Education (WFME) to fit with the needs specific to family medicine training, the WWP on Educationsetoutstandardsacrossnineareasand 38sub areas.
Find more information about WONCA AccreditationandCertificationhere.
As a global organization representing general practitioners and family doctors, WONCA Accreditation can help to consolidate the specialtyandtosupportthoseprofessionalswho are delivering the range of services which make upfamilymedicine.
WONCA NEWS FEATURED STORIES F E A T U R E D S T O R I E S PAGE 19
ABOUT WONCA ACCREDITATION
WONCA Accreditation schemes were developed with intense inputs from our Working Party (WP) on Quality and Safety and our WP on Education, originally intended to support practices and programs developed in countries which did not yet have their own formal standards or national templates for delivery of comprehensive primary care.
WONCA Accreditation provides a professional, collegialcontextwithinwhichindividualpractices and postgraduate programs can review their standards, improve them where necessary, and gain accreditation if the assessment is judged satisfactory
Theareasaredefinedasbroadcomponentsinthe structure, process and outcome of postgraduate medicaleducationandtraining.Theyinclude:
WONCA NEWS FEATURED STORIES F E A T U R E D S T O R I E S PAGE 20
VISIT THE WHO WEBSITE
WITH INFOTMATION OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
Unsafe medication practices and medication errors are a leading cause of avoidable harm in health care across the world. Medication errors occurwhenweakmedicationsystemsandhuman factors such as fatigue, poor environmental conditions or staff shortages affect the safety of the medication use process. This can result in severe patient harm, disability and even death. TheongoingCOVID 19pandemichassignificantly exacerbated the risk of medication errors and associated medication related harm. It is in this context that ‘Medication Safety’ has been selected as the theme for World Patient Safety Day 2022, with the slogan ‘Medication Without Harm’. E A T U R E D S T O R I E S
Everypersonaroundtheworldwill,atsomepoint in their life, take medications to prevent or treat illness. However, medications sometimes cause serious harm if incorrectly stored, prescribed, dispensed, administered or if monitored insufficiently
WONCA NEWS FEATURED STORIES PAGE 21 F
World Patient Safety Day is one of WHO’s global public health days It was established in 2019 by the Seventy second World Health Assembly through the adoption of resolution WHA72.6 “Global action on patient safety”. Its objectives are to increase public awareness and engagement, enhance global understanding, and work towards global solidarity and action by Member States to enhance patient safety and reducepatientharm.
ReadmoreHERE
WHO CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION BY COUNTRIES FOR ACHIEVING MEDICATION WITHOUT HARM
WHOiscallingonstakeholderstocontinueefforts to reduce medication related harm, develop strategies and structures to improve medication safety at local, national, regional and global levels, and make a pledge to adopt the MedicationWithoutHarmChallenge.
World Patient Safety Day aims to increase understanding among and engagement of the publicandencouragecountriestopromotesafety inhealthcare
This year has a particular focus on medication safetywiththeslogan‘MedicationWithoutHarm’ The campaign will also see the consolidation of theongoingWHOGlobalPatientSafetyChallenge: Medication Without Harm, with the aim of reducing avoidable medication related harm globally
WONCA NEWS FEATURED STORIES F E A T U R E D S T O R I E S PAGE 22
“Medicines are powerful tools for protecting health. But medicines that are wrongly prescribed, taken incorrectly or are of poor quality, can cause serious harm,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General. “Nobodyshouldbeharmedwhileseekingcare.”
Globally, half of all preventable harm in medical care is medication related, a quarter of which is severeorlife threatening IntheleaduptoWorld PatientSafetyDayon17September2022,WHOis emphasizing the global burden of medication harm. The elderly population is one of the most at risk groups of medication harm, especially those taking multiple medications High rates of medication relatedharmarealsoseeninsurgical care,intensivecareandemergencymedicine.
DISCOVER OUR TRELLO BOARD
WONCA NEWS FEATURED STORIES F E A T U R E D S T O R I E S
Medication without harm goes back to family medicine basics and its patient life course approach WONCA joins the World Patient Safety Day 2022 campaign through multiple content, articles, quotes and graphics created with the support of our Executive members, Working PartiesandSpecialInterestGroups Thankyouall forbeingpartofthisefforttoadvocateforpatient safety.
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Special thanks to Professor José M Valderas, Chair of the WONCA Working Party on Quality & Safety, Dr Andrée Rochfort, President of EQuiP, Dr José Miguel Bueno Ortiz, Dr Maria Pilar Astier Peña, Dr Candan Kendir, Dr Oana Bulilete, Dr, Ignacio Ricci Cabello, and Dr Sky Koh Wei Chee
We need to adopt a systems approach and promote safe medication practices to prevent medicationerrorsandreducemedication related harm.Specialconsiderationisnecessaryforareas where most harm occurs. The three key action areas of (1) high risk situations, (2) transitions of care, and (3) polypharmacy have been identified across the domains of patients and the public, health care professionals, systems and practices ofmedication,andmedicines.
MESSAGE FROM THE WONCA WP QUALITY & SAFETY
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DearWONCAMembers,
On this day we want to join WHO in RAISING global awareness of the high burden of medication related harm; ADVOCATING urgent action to improve medication safety; ENGAGING all people to participate in the efforts to prevent medicationerrorsandreducemedication related harm; EMPOWERING patients and families to be actively involved in the safe use of medication and SCALING UP implementation of the WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication WithoutHarm
WONCA NEWS FEATURED STORIES F E A T U R E D S T O R I E S
There is potential for errors to occur at multiple stagesofthemedicationuseprocess.Medication errors may occur when weak systems and/or human factors such as fatigue, poor environmentalconditionsorstaffshortagesaffect prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, administration and monitoring practices, which canthenresultinsevereharm,disabilityandeven death Multiple interventions to address the frequency and impact of medication errors have alreadybeendeveloped,yettheirimplementation isvaried.
Medications are the most widely utilized interventionsinhealthcare:everypersonaround theworldcanexpecttotakemedicationsatsome point in their life. However, medications can sometimes cause serious harm if incorrectly stored,prescribed,dispensed,oradministered.It isthereforenotsurprisingthatunsafemedication practices and medication errors are a leading causeofavoidableharmandinjuryinhealthcare systems globally The World Health Organisation (WHO)haslongcautionedthatmorethan50%of all medicines are prescribed, dispensed or sold inappropriately and recent findings from the OECD confirm that almost half of all patients receive prescriptions for medication that do not meet their clinical needs. Acknowledging this substantial burden and recognizing the complexity of medication related harm prevention and reduction, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified Medication Without Harm as the theme for the third Global Patient Safety Challenge and made " Medication Safety" the theme for World Patient Safety Day 2022
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Video created by Dr María Pilar Astier Peña, Executive Member at Large 2021 2023 about Medication Without Harm | World Patient Safety Day 2022
Professor José M Valderas, Chair of the WONCA Working Party on Quality & Safety, at the WHO World PatientSafety Day 2022 Global Virtual Event “Medication Without Harm”
On this day, please do join us for the World PatientSafetyDay2022VirtualEvent.Amongthe distinguishedpresenters,ourchairmanwillmake thecaseforthekeyroleofFamilyPhysicians.
JOIN THE THIS WP WONCA NEWS FEATURED STORIES F E A T U R E D S T O R I E S
Family Physicians are ideally placed to play a crucial role in all these situations thanks to our unique whole person life course approach and our role as coordinator of multiple sources of prescribing TheWONCAWorkingPartyonQuality & Safety has also prepared and delivered workshopstosupportfamilydoctorsinimproving thequalityandsafetyoftheirpracticesinrelation todeprescribing.
We would like to encourage our fellow WONCA members to lead the way by endorsing this initiative and promoting it locally and through social media, keeping up to date with best practices in the area (including relevant WHO Technical Reports) This is part of critically appraisinghowwecanimproveourownpractices for the benefit of our patients and the wider population.
Lionis Christos, Rogers Heather, Petrazzuoli Ferdinando and on WONCA Working Party on Mental Health
Barners and Haddad (2020) in their chapter discussed ways to improve adherence to medicationinpeoplewithMHDnotedthat“There is no one solution to non adherence, and the approach adopted needs to be tailored to the individualpatientandmadeincommitmentwith them”. Deng et al (2022) conducted a qualitative study of mental health professionals and identified three major themes with an important influence on adherence for patients with SMD in China: (a) attitudes towards mental health/treatment, (b) inadequate after care, and (c)resourceshortages
FOCUSING ON MEDICATION ADHERENCE AMONG PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS IN PRIMARY CARE
Regarding psychotropic medication non adherence,asystematicreviewandmeta analysis (Semahegn et al, 2020) indicated that 49% of individualswithamajorpsychiatricdisorderwere non adherent Importantly, life expectancy in people with SMD is shorter than among the generalpopulation,andcardiovasculardiseaseis one of the major contributors to early deaths. Adherence to non psychotropic medication prescribed for co morbidities also must be addressed
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The COVID 19 pandemic had an impact on the medicationadherenceamongpatientswithSMD, especially in low income families, and a Chinese study of these individuals (Wang et al, 2022) reportedtheadherencetomedicationwas515% Adherencewasassociatedwithmodifiablefactors such as higher level of medical expenditure, having subsidies for care and supervision, and having disability certificate and personal care These results suggest a role for government investment in medical care and social assistance programs.
Primarycareisanappropriatesettingtoassistin the management of adherence to prescription medications and adherence in individuals with SMD is especially challenging. In the WONCA Working Party on Mental Health web section, relevant guidance to manage physical conditions co existing with SMD has been published: (https://www.globalfamilydoctor.com/groups/wo rkingparties/mentalhealth3.aspx).
Mentalillhealthisagrowingpublicconcernthat has received considerable attention during the COVID 19pandemic Pharmaceuticaltreatmentis a key route in the management of mental health disorders (MHD). Severe Mental Disorders (SMD), including schizophrenia, bipolar and other chronic mental disorders require taking medicationscontinuouslyforlongtimeinorderto ensureeffectivenessandpreventrelapse.Thereis a growing discussion with respect to the role of familyphysiciansintheeffectivemanagementof the people with SMD and this short paper, that respondstotheWHOcampaignonWorldPatient SafetyDayandasubsequentinvitationofWONCA Executive Committee to celebrate this day, aims tohighlightsareasforfurtherimprovement.
PROF CHRISTOS LIONIS C H A I R , W P O N M E N T A L H E A L T H
Bajo el lema "Medicación sin daño", el Día Mundial de la Seguridad del Paciente 2022 reafirma y potencia los objetivos señalados en 2017dentrodeltercerRetoMundialdelaOMSpor laSeguridaddelPaciente.Apesardeltrabajoylos esfuerzos realizados en los últimos años, los problemasrelacionadosconelusoinsegurodela medicación continúan siendo la principal causa de daños evitables, y suponen más del 50% del total de los eventos adversos en todos los sistemassanitariosdelmundo
TheWONCA Working Party on Mental Health has made this topic one of its priorities and will be addressingitinoneofthechaptersofabookon mental health challenges in primary care to be publishednextyear
Como cada año desde su proclamación por primera vez en 2019 durante la 72ª Asamblea Mundial de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), el 17 de septiembre se celebra el Día Mundial de la Seguridad del Paciente con el objetivo de impulsar medidas dirigidas a reducir los daños evitables derivados de la asistencia sanitaria
SANO Y SALVO: DÍA MUNDIAL DE LA SEGURIDAD DEL PACIENTE: MEDICACIÓN SIN DAÑO
+ REFERENCES
JOIN THE THIS WP
Research indicates that primary care can be an appropriate setting to invest to address medication non adherence in individuals with MHD Caregivertrainingisacriticalcomponentto achieving positive outcomes in medication adherence among people with mental health disorders(Hocketal,2015);inthisrespect,family physicians are in a privileged position, having usuallygoodrelationshipwithboth,patientsand their familiar caregivers Physician directed interventions that incorporate problem solving andmotivationalapproacheshavebeenfoundto be effective in improving anti psychotic medication adherence (Barnes and Haddad, 2020) Yet, further research is needed in the area ofadherencetomedicationinpeoplewithMHDin primary care. Evidence from the perspectives of familyphysicians,primarycarepatients,andtheir family members (often caregivers) can provide additionalinsightintothiscomplexchallenge.
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4. Ampliar la aplicación del tercer Reto Mundial por la Seguridad del Paciente: "Medicación sin daño"
Elroldelosprofesionalesdeatenciónprimariaes clave en las tres áreas de acción priorizadas: la polimedicación, las transiciones asistenciales y las situaciones de alto riesgo, incluyendo los riesgos derivados del uso de medicamentos que se parecen en su aspecto físico o cuyo nombre suenasimilar.
2. Implicar a las principales partes interesadas y agentes involucrados en los esfuerzos para prevenir los errores de medicación y reducir los daños
Teniendo en cuenta la complejidad que supone reducirlosdañosrelacionadosconlamedicación, la OMS hace un llamamiento a todos los agentes involucrados líderesyresponsablesdepolíticas
FEATURED STORIES WONCA NEWS F E A T U R E D S T O R I E S PAGE 28
institucionales,gestoresdelossistemasdesalud, profesionales sanitarios, y pacientes, familiares y ciudadaníaengeneral apriorizaryllevaracabo acciones dirigidas a su prevención Acciones que conciernen a todos los profesionales del ámbito de la salud, particularmente a los de atención primaria dada su función coordinadora e integradora de las diferentes necesidades de asistenciadelospacientes
Lacampañadeesteañodestacaelimpactodela pandemia de COVID 19, que ha agravado significativamente el riesgo de errores de medicación debido tanto a las consecuencias de la interrupción en la prestación de servicios sanitarios, como al endurecimiento de las condiciones de trabajo cotidianas de los profesionales,amenudocomplejasyadversas.La fatiga, las malas condiciones ambientales y la escasez de personal afectan a la seguridad del proceso de administración de medicamentos, pudiendocausargravesdañosalpaciente.
Losobjetivosdeestacampañasonlossiguientes:
1. Aumentar la concienciación mundial sobre la elevada carga de daños relacionados con los medicamentos debido a errores de medicación y prácticas inseguras, y abogar por la adopción de medidas urgentes encaminadas a mejorar la seguridaddelamedicación.
3. Empoderar a pacientes y familiares para que participen activamente en el uso seguro de los medicamentos
forma que garantice la disponibilidad de los fármacos necesarios y en buenas condiciones de uso, para conseguir el producto correcto en el puntodeatencióncorrecta
Al igual que en años anteriores la OMS organiza uneventovirtualparaconmemorarestedía,que secelebraráel15deseptiembrede14:00a17:30 (horacentraleuropeadeverano).Lainscripciónal seminario web es gratuita y se dispondrá de traducción simultánea al español, entre otros idiomas También, para potenciar la divulgación delacampañaanivelmundial,proponealos194 EstadosMiembrosqueiluminenencolornaranja los centros de trabajo, monumentos icónicos o lugares más conocidos, a que organicen actividades específicas en torno al día 17 de septiembre, y a que compartan las iniciativas desarrolladas.
LealapublicaciónenelBlogSANOYSALVO
Como se refleja en los materiales que la OMS ha elaborado para la divulgación de la campaña, todos tenemos un papel que desempeñar en el uso seguro de la medicación. A través de tres sencillas recomendaciones infórmate, comprueba,pregunta seinstaalospacientesy a los profesionales a disponer de la mejor información posible sobre la medicación (tanto delascaracterísticasdecadamedicamentocomo delconjuntodelamedicaciónqueestátomando el paciente), a realizar las comprobaciones necesariasparaunusoseguro,asícomoaindagar ytratardeesclarecerlasdudasquepuedensurgir enrelaciónconlamedicación.
FEATURED STORIES WONCA NEWS F E A T U R E D S T O R I E S PAGE 29
En España, los responsables de la Estrategia de SeguridaddelPacientedelMinisteriodeSanidad y de las Comunidades Autónomas, en colaboración con la Sociedad Española de Calidad Asistencial (SECA), han organizado una jornada científica bajo el lema "Uso seguro del medicamento", que tendrá lugar de forma presencial el viernes 16 de septiembre en el MinisteriodeSanidad.Enellasepresentaránlas8 mejores prácticas puestas en marcha en los centros sanitarios de diferentes Comunidades Autónomas para fomentar el uso seguro de los medicamentos, tanto en atención primaria como enelámbitohospitalario.
ContinúeleyendoAQUÍ
Larevisiónclínicayconciliacióndelamedicación enlastransicionesasistenciales;laconsideración de las particularidades de cada paciente en relación con el momento evolutivo de su enfermedad y con su contexto social y laboral, y las actividades dirigidas a informar, formar y capacitar a los pacientes para que puedan participar en su seguridad, son acciones que realizan habitualmente los profesionales de atenciónprimariayquecontribuyenareducirlos riesgos derivados del uso inseguro de la medicación.
Además, la OMS remarca la necesidad de continuartrabajandoparagarantizarlacalidady la seguridad de los medicamentos en sí mismos Medidas como una adecuada denominación, etiquetado y envasado, que eviten confusiones por similitud en el nombre o en la apariencia externa lo que se conoce como isoapariencia y reduzcan errores en su utilización También considera necesario trabajar en el proceso de la logísticadedistribuciónyalmacenamientodetal
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AGEING & HEALTH: APP HELPS OLDER ADULTS TO SAFELY EXECUTE LONGTERM THERAPIES
In order to change that situation, improve safety ofuseofmedicationsandtacklemedicationnon adherence, research team from Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Poland has designed an innovative mobile application which helps patients to take their drugsregularly.
That the application is available free of charge, both for Android and iOS phones, at wwwmojezdrowieumedpl
The app, called ‘My health every day’ (Polish: ‘Mojezdrowienacodzien’)helpsself monitoring of the regularity of the treatment and presents patient’s level of adherence to medication. However,themostimportantfunctionoftheapp activateswhenthepatientreportsproblemswith following drug plan. In such a case, the application suggests realistic options for solving the underlying problems Such an individualized coaching is supposed to be of great help for patientsstrugglingwithexecutionoftheirchronic therapies. Therefore, such an application is of particular use of older adults, of which a lot is accompaniedwithmultimorbidity
Thisinnovativesolutionhasbeenpreparedunder the framework of the GATEKEEPER project. This project,fundedfromtheHorizon2020Program,is one of the flagship European projects aimed at the large scale implementation of digital solutions, especially artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data analytics in theareaofhealth.Asmanyas43institutionsfrom 13 European countries, active in the field of health, medical research and modern digital technologies, take part in it The immediate goal of the Gatekeeper project is to create an open, free platform that is to become an arena for the exchange of experiences and combining various ideas,technologies,needsandprocesses Theyall have one common goal: to improve the health performance of aging European societies. At the same time, Gatekeeper intends to introduce the next generation of healthcare innovation, including personalized solutions for health risk assessment, and enabling the earliest possible implementationofinterventionsthatimprovethe effectiveness of the treatment of chronic conditions. The project partners include institutions,companiesandorganizationsknown for their innovativeness, including Medtronic, Samsung, Hewlett Packard, HL7 International Foundation,ECHAlliance,EIPonAHA
Prof Przemyslaw Kardas MD, PhD Head of the Department of Family Medicine Medical University of Lodz
According to The World Health Organization at least50%ofpatientsdonotadheretotreatment recommendations, which may lead to treatment ineffectiveness, medication side effects, lower qualityoflifeandincreasedhospitalizations
WONCA NEWS FEATURED STORIES F E A T U R E D S T O R I E S PAGE 30
WONCA SYDNEY 2023 WILL OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS IN OCTOBER
WONCA WORLD CONFERENCE SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA | 26 OCT 29 OCT , 2023
You’re invited to be a part of history at WONCA’s 50th anniversary conference in Sydney on 26 29 October2023 WONCAbeganinAustraliaallthose years ago, so its return is certainly worth celebrating.
The call for submissions will open on 3 October 2022,sosavethedateanddon’tmissoutonthis opportunitytocontributetothislandmarkevent
ing list to eleased in October. tralianow sights n: nca
2023/home ES
WONCA NEWS WONCA CONFERENCES W O N C A C O N F E R E N C E S PAGE 31
ABUJA, NIGERIA | 24 26 NOVEMBER 2022
WONCA NEWS WONCA CONFERENCES PAGE 32 W O N C A C O N F E R E N C E S
1. Psychosocial and economic burden of global healthemergencies:TheAfricanperspective.
7TH WONCA AFRICA REGION CONFERENCE 2022
MydearFriendsandColleagues,
Iwelcomeyoualltotheeventwhichpromisesto be very exciting and afford us the opportunity to meetphysically,network,discussandimplement positive changes. It will be the second time Nigeria is hosting this event, the first was held hereinAbuja21yearsago Theconferencewillbe [HYBRID]bothphysicalandvirtualandwillafford colleagueswhoareunabletotraveltoNigeria,the opportunitytofullyparticipateintheevent.
3 Ensuring health personnel safety during epidemicsandpandemics.
TheSub themesoftheConferenceare:
The topics were painstakingly selected to reflect and address the present day healthcare challengesfacingAfricanfamilyphysicians.
Abuja is defined by Aso Rock, a 400 metre monolith left by water erosion. The Presidential Complex,NationalAssembly,SupremeCourtand much of the city extend to the south of the rock. ZumaRock,a792metremonolith,liesjustnorth ofthecity
Welookforwardtowelcomingyouandhundreds of family doctors from around the world to the conference24 26NOV2022 Wepromisetomake the event exciting, interesting and educationally rewarding.
VISITWEBSITE
WELCOME MESSAGE
I invite you all to register for the conference and join us in Abuja in November 2022. Abuja is the administrativeandpoliticalcapitaloftheFederal Republic of Nigeria, a serene city with modern facilitiesforlearningandacityknownforculture and hospitality. A city with many monuments, historicalsitesandattractions.
4. Sustaining health professionals’ mentorship andeducationduringepidemicsandpandemics.
I am Dr Dan Abubakar, the WONCA Africa Region President and the Chairman of the Host Organising Committee for the 7th WONCA Africa Region conference taking place in Abuja, Nigeria from 24th to 26th November 2022 at the NAF Conference Centre The conference is tagged “WONCAAbuja2022”
DR DAN ABUBAKAR Chairman, LOC woncaafricaregion@gmail com
2. Challenges to providing effective frontline healthcareinAfrica
The theme of the conference is: Africa’s Health Systems and Preparedness for Global Health Emergencies.
WONCA NEWS WONCA CONFERENCES W O N C A C O N F E R E N C E S PAGE 33
The Wonca Asia Pacific Regional Conference will consistofpre conference,workshops,plenary
WONCA ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL CONFERENCE
sessions, symposiums, oral and poster presentations. We will have as well credible speakers from well known institutes. We are really proud to host and present this incredible event We sincerely hope that the event will be beneficial for all of us and we surely are looking forwardtoseeyouallinBali.
The Wonca Asia Pacific Regional Conference this time will be the first face to face international conference held after the two years period of Covid 19 pandemic It will be a great opportunities to share our experiences in family medicine and primary care which play important roles in most parts of the world during the pandemic.Thisconferencewillgiveusallchances to meet, discuss and implement positive change under the theme primary health care transformation, challenges and opportunities for familymedicine.KnowingBaliasoneofawesome destinationwithnumerousbeautifulbeachesand sites will be an additional pleasure to all participants In addition, the hospitality of Balinese is also a hallmark and can make us feel athome.
ChairofWoncaAsiaPacific RegionalConference
I am Isti Ilmiati Fujiati, on behalf of the Host Organizing Chair would like to extend to you a warm invitation for The Wonca Asia Pacific RegionalConferencecomingupinBali,theIsland ofGods,in5 7December2022.
DearFriendsandColleagues,
WELCOME MESSAGE
VISITWEBSITE
BALI, INDONESIA | 5 7 DECEMBER
IstiIlmiatiFujiati
We hereby invite you all to share the results of your scientific research with us by submitting an abstractofyourwork,andbyjoiningusinsharing ourvisionofThe7thWoncaEMRFamilyMedicine Congress 2022: a vision to provide high quality educational resources and to enable Family Practitionerstoprovideoptimalcareforpatients.
WONCA NEWS WONCA CONFERENCES W O N C A C O N F E R E N C E S
JoinusinOmanthisNovemberaswediscusthefutureoffamilymedicineintheEasternMediterranean Region:Connectwithsomeofthegreatestmindsinfamilymedicine.
IlookforwardtomeetingyouatWoncaEMR2022! R E S I D E N T W O N C A E M R
WELCOME MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT WONCA EMR
PROF TAGHREED FARAHAT
MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT, OMAN FAMILY MEDICINE SOCIETY
MUSCAT, OMAN 10 12 NOVEMBER 2022
AsthePresidentofTheWoncaEMROrganization, it is my great honour and pleasure to welcome you to the 7th edition of The Wonca East Mediterranean Region Family Medicine Congress 2022, which will be held from 10th 12th November2022inMuscat Oman.
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OnbehalfoftheOmanFamilyMedicineSociety,I amdelightedtoinviteyoutothe7thWONCAEMR FamilyMedicineCongress,takingplaceinMuscat, Omanon10th 12thNovember2022.
We welcome you to the beautiful country of Oman, and wish you three days of education, knowledgesharingandunforgettableexperinces.
P
7TH WONCA EMR REGIONAL CONFERENCE
This year’s conference has been designed to provide an innovative and comprehensive overview of the latest research developments in Family Medicine and Primary Health Care. Over the course of three days, the conference will feature symposia, keynote sessions, parallel workshopsandabstractpresentations.
P
DR ABDULAZIZ AL MAHREZI Familiar y Comunitaria, especialidad esencial para la transformación de los sitemas de saludenelsigloXXI"
IBEROAMERICANA DE MEDICINA FAMILIAR Y COMUNITARIA
VIII CUMBRE
VISIT WONCAEMR2022 COM FOR MORE INFORMATION
A commercial exhibition where companies will showcase their latest products and services will also be present, and we look forward to welcomingourindustry’sinnovations.
10 11 NOVEMBER, GUATEMALA PAGE 35 "Medicina
The scientific meeting is being formulated to includewellrenownedexpertsinfamilymedicine that will share their expertise. We are strongly convinced that all participants will contribute to the success of the event by sharing their know how and integrating their experience in a lively andusefulexchange.
The conference will be CME accredited and we encourage the submissions of abstracts, which will be reviewed by our scientific committee, included in the program and thus empower its scientificvalue.
WONCA NEWS WONCA CONFERENCES W O N C A C O N F E R E N C E S 7THWONCAEMRREGIONALCONFERENCE
We are committed to offer you all our warmest welcome, following the tradition of hospitality that distinguishes the Arab world and Muscat in particular, a city universally known for its incredible capacity of offering unforgettable memoriestoallitsguests.
We look forward to seeing you in this beautiful cityofMuscat! R E S I D E N T O M A N F A M I L Y M E D I C I N E S O C I E T Y P R E S I D E N T E L E C T W O N C A E M R
Prof Alberto Papi (Italy) will be discussing the assessment of difficult to treat and severe asthma and when to refer patients to tertiary care DrFuPin Kuei(Taiwan)willprovideacase based discussion on how to maintain continuity of care for referred patients. The session will be chairedbyDrBudhiAntariksa(Indonesia).
HEALTHY LUNG MASTERCLASS ASIA WEBINAR SEVERE ASTHMA IS IT TIME TO REFER?
22SEPT2022,19:00 20:25(UTC+8)
HLMA is an educational programme focused on asthma care, developed especially for primary carephysiciansacrossAsiaincollaborationwith WONCA.
The next Healthy Lung Masterclass Asia (HLMA) webinar, entitled “Is it time to refer to tertiary care?”, will take place on 22 September 2022, 19:00 20:25(UTC+8).
Welookforwardtoseeingyouthere!
REGISTERNOW
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ISITTIMETOREFERTOTERTIARYCARE?
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The Besrour Centre for Global Family Medicine: YearinReview
TheideaoftheBesrourCentreforGlobalFamily Medicine was born out of the tragedies of the humanitariancrisisinDarfurSudanthatbeganin 2003, the Banda Aceh tsunami in Indonesia in 2004andtheHaitianearthquakeof2010
As the pandemic continues to vacillate between infectious and chronic impacts, improved integration and the adaptability of family medicine will be key in all health system contexts, including Canada All of Besrour Centre’s initiatives are exploring or demonstratinghowfamilydoctorsareleadingat thistime.
THE BESROUR CENTRE FOR GLOBAL FAMILY MEDICINE: YEAR IN REVIEW
"Together, we are a vibrant network of community based leaders and partners that continue to learn from one another Our collective efforts are strengthening family medicine led models that are at the heart of health systems around the world and, in turn, improveequitableaccesstocare'
TheCentreispleasedtoshareourYearinReview Report.
Since the official opening of the Besrour Centre in 2015, it has matured both as a discipline and as a centre. Today, it doens't only advocate for familymedicineanditsroleinimprovingpatient care,butalsoforthemodelsofcarethroughout the health system that are based on family medicineprinciples Overthelastsixyears,their focus has shifted from building family medicine capacityinlow andmiddle incomecountriesto studying and promoting family medicine led modelsaroundtheworld
The global COVID 19 pandemic has reinforced the importance of our work. It continues to highlight that global problems require global solutions itisnotjustanurgentmoralissue,it’s a global public health issue. The pandemic also highlightedgapsinandbetweenhealthsystems around the world. Capacity has been stretched everywhere, revealing areas where access remains problematic, and where integration at thesystemlevelisstilllacking.Atthesametime, it revealed incredible innovation and perseverance.
The collective journey highlights that capacity building takes time and determination. To continue this work, we need your ongoing engagement, partnership, and help. "We are deeply appreciative of the funding provided by the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine (FAFM) and all our partners that helps fuel our work. As always, we are indebted to Dr. Sadok Besrour for his vision and perennial support to buildtheCentre"
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The welcome reception and coffee breaks will take place on the terrace of the Diocesan Museum, featuring an amazing view of the city andMountEtna.
WewillholdtheRuralDinnerwithtypicalSicilian dishesatthe“DimoraDeMauro”abuildingfrom the beginning of the nineteenth century located in the baroque heart of the historical centre of Catania. It is on Via Gesualdo Clementi, a ten minutewalkfromtheForumvenue.
The 11th EURIPA Rural Health Forum will take place from 6th to 8th October 2022 at Catania, Sicily.
The lunch breaks will enable you to enjoy this time visiting the characteristic fish market or tasting typical Sicilian food in the restaurants and bars nearby which offer also a variety of specialties such as arancini, the refreshing granita and the unique ricotta flavour of the famouscannoli.Duringthebreak,youcantakea stroll in via Etnea the high street facing the event’s venue and enjoy the view of the baroque palaces, go shopping, have a glass of winealfrescoortakearestinoneofthehotels located at walking distance. For the sea enthusiasts,just2kmfromthecitycentre,there isapleasantseasidepromenadegoingfromthe golden sand beaches to the black volcanic lava stonecliffs.
PlacesattheRuralDinnerarelimited.Whenyou register to attend the Forum you can reserve your place at the Rural Dinner (including wine) and payment of 40 euro will be required at the sametimeasyoumakeyourpaymenttoattend theForum.
ThevenuefortheForumistheDiocesanMuseum onviaEtnea8,inCatania.
Programmedetails
Practice visits will be arranged for Saturday morning8thOctoberbutcapacitywillbelimited so please sign up when you register for the Forum.
The registration fee includes coffee breaks and the welcome reception on the terrace of the Diocesan Museum. But please note that lunches are not included in the registration fee delegates will be free to ‘do their own thing’ at lunch time There are many cafes and hotels in thevicinityofthemuseumforlunches
ThereisanopportunitytoexploremoreofSicily bytakingpartinour‘TouristOffer’:abustripto Syracuse and Ortigia on the afternoon of Saturday 8th October. You can find out more here You will need to pay for the 'Tourist Offer' at the same time as you make your payment to attendtheForum.
JOIN THE 11TH EURIPA RURAL HEALTH FORUM
Itisanticipatedthattheprogrammewillconsist of two parallel sessions, made up of oral communications, workshops and posters. An outlineoftheprogrammeisavailablehere.
Submission period: May 1st to August 31st, 2022. Candidates must have completed their thesis or dissertation no earlier than two academic years prior submission, i.e., before August31st,2020
MCGILL FMER: INTERNATIONAL AWARDS IN FAMILY MEDICINE EDUCATION RESEARCH
Applications must include the five documents detailed below. Incomplete applications will be disregarded:
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
• An abstract of maximum 500 words that summarizes the thesis/dissertation. Particular attention should be given to the description and justification of the mixed methods (empirical research and/or review) adopted in accordance withGRAMMS(GoodReportingofMixedMethods Studies), and of the major theoretical, empirical, methodological, and practical contributions to thesciencesoffamilymedicineeducation
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The committee will include at least two other FMER researchers, and two FMER affiliated graduate students (one MSc student and one PhDstudentorcandidate).
• AcopyofthethesisinPDFformat
•Aletterofsupportfromthecandidate’sprincipal researchsupervisor(specifyingthatthethesishas beenapprovedtoobteinaPHDDegree Readthecompleteinformationhere.
The McGill Family Medicine Education Research Group (FMER) is proud to announce the sponsorship of ‘The Pierre Pluye International Mixed Methods Thesis and Dissertations Awards in Family Medicine Education’ to celebrate the originalandinfluentialcontributionofDr Pierre Pluye, founding member of the FMER, to the advancement of mixed methods research and mixed studies reviews in general, and of the family medicine education field of inquiry in particular
• A cover letter in which the candidate clearly indicatestheawards/heisapplyingfor(thesisor dissertation);introduceshim/herself,theprogram and institution in which s/he graduated, as well as his/her research supervisors; and briefly describestheinvestigationconducted
• An updated version of the candidate’s CurriculumVitae.
ELIGIBILITY
As of the academic year 2021 2022, two academic awards one for the best MSc thesis, and one for the best PhD dissertation will therefore be granted by an Award FMER EvaluationCommitteechairedbyDr Pluye
Thethesisordissertationmustmeet3criteria: a)be related to research in family medicine education; b)must uses mixed methods in empirical researchand/orliteraturereview; c)bewritteninEnglishorFrench.
Theseawardsareaimedtodistinguishthework of promising new researchers committed to the advancement of science in family medicine educationresearcharoundtheworld