PrEP, PEP and Hep C DAAs: Managing and Prescribing in North West Victoria

This training will provide GPs and primary care practitioners a clinical update on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and Hepatitis C Direct Acting Antivirals (DAAs) and how to screen, treat and prescribe in their local community.

The 2-hour discussion sessions provide an opportunity for North Western Victoria community GPs and allied health professionals to receive an update in topics relevant to the use of PrEP and PEP and Hep C DAAs with members of their community. Through clinical update and case studies, this session aims to increase the confidence of GPs and the primary care team to screen, prescribe and manage individuals with HIV and Hep C and increase their awareness of the support networks available to them in their region.

Facilitators:


Associate Professor Joe Sasadeusz
An Infectious Diseases Physician at the Hepatitis Clinic at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, with cross appointments at the Alfred Hospital and Melbourne Sexual Health Centre. A/Prof Sasadeusz is a medical virologist with a specific interest in viral hepatitis and is head of the Hepatitis Clinic at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and conducts HIV-hepatitis coinfection clinics at the Alfred Hospital and the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre. He has been involved in multiple clinical trials in viral hepatitis.

Dale Thompson 
A Sexual Health and Viral Hepatitis Clinical Nurse Consultant with Sunraysia Community Health Service in Mildura. He has held positions with national coverage, including Director of the Australian Coordination Unit for Rheumatic Heart Disease. A passionate public health advocate, Dale has trained clinicians in the pacific islands and co-authored various publications including a resource for implementing public health programs in low resource settings for the World Heart Federation.
 

Learning outcomes:

PrEP/PEP
 - Understand HIV epidemiology in Australia
 - Describe the effectiveness of different HIV prevention strategies, including PrEP and TasP. 
 - Describe potential contraindications to starting PrEP/PEP
 - Demonstrate appropriate ongoing monitoring for a patient on PrEP/PEP

Hep C DAAs
 - Describe the tests used to screen for Hepatitis C and who to test
 - Diagnose chronic Hepatitis C and its genotypes
 - Identify the medication options for managing chronic Hepatitis C in primary care
 - Utilise the Versity of Liverpool's hepatitis drug interactions tool to perform drug interaction checks
 - Identify appropriate referral pathways for patients - who to contact and where to look for relevant information