Blood Borne Viruses - Essentials for Primary Care - Bendigo

This 2 hour evening session will focus on the essentials for Blood Borne Virus Diagnosis, Management and Treatment in Primary Care.

This session will cover the topics most practical to those working in the primary care setting: at risk populations, modes of transmission, and management, including: risk assessment, screening, testing, diagnosis, and suitability and preparation for treatment.

Facilitated by Dr Andrew Mahony, Infectious Diseases Physician Bendigo Health
Andrew Mahony is an Infectious Diseases Physician.  He has been practicing at Bendigo Health since 2012, with a recent increase to three days per week, across inpatient, outpatients and phone advice to colleagues in the hospital and community. He has also just started an ID Clinic in Echuca fortnightly, and still sees patients at the Austin in Melbourne. Andrew's main areas of interest range from HIV medicine, to antimicrobial stewardship, TB and travel-related infections, orthopaedic infections, and the treatment of Hepatitis C. He works alongside a team of three Infectious Diseases Nurses in Bendigo, with links to Bendigo Community Health and Kerang.

A Clinical Nurse Consultant from Bendigo Infectious Diseases Integrated Hepatitis C Program will also present.

Learning outcomes:

• Understand the role of Primary Health Care in the management of Blood Borne Viruses (BBVs)
• Describe the burden of disease and priority groups for screening
• Confidently interpret BBVs test results and understand the treatment and referral options for the management of BBVs
• Discuss with patients the BBVs treatment options and importance of regular monitoring