Topic One
Cardiovascular risk
Mortality from CVD has reduced over the past 50 years due to disease prevention and improved treatments, however, it remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Aotearoa NZ. There is also concern that rising rates of obesity and diabetes may halt, or even reverse this trend. This topic will evaluate available cardiovascular risk tools, look at how risk can inform meaningful patient conversations and shared decision making, identify those at highest risk and think about teamwork opportunities, and ensure safety netting to guard against patients with CVD risk being lost to follow up.
Topic Two
Sleep
Consultations surrounding sleep can be challenging; this topic presents the evidence for the role of sleep in mental and physical wellbeing as well in pain and chronic diseases. It will provide a framework to understand the rhythms of sleep, the types and impacts of its disruption, and the most effective strategies to support its management including cognitive and behavioural interventions for insomnia.
Topic Three
Diabetes
This topic will provide an opportunity for clinicians to discuss the challenges and options in management of people newly diagnosed or living with Type 2 Diabetes. The importance of relationship building and teamwork will underpin discussions on risk assessment, screening, diagnosis, utilising new medications, and individualised holistic management.
Topic Four
Frailty and Medication
This topic will explore how we identify frailty as early as possible and use teamwork to support living well into older age in primary care. Part of this is addressing legacy prescribing to minimise harm from polypharmacy and strategies to approach this will be discussed.
Topic Five
Menopause
Menopause is a normal life stage but can have debilitating effects on quality of life. The topic will include understanding perimenopause and menopause and risks and benefits of the management options available. Using a shared decision-making processes to optimise support and treatments will be covered, as well as awareness of other conditions that may be masked by perimenopausal symptoms.
Topic One 2025
Chronic Kidney disease
Chronic Kidney disease is a growing issue in Aotearoa NZ with Māori and Pacific People overrepresented in the statistics, making CKD a priority area for health. There is interplay between CKD and other long term conditions especially diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This topic will cover recent updates of guidelines and address investigation and management of those at highest risk. Medication risk will also be covered e.g. the triple whammy (diuretic, ACEI and NSAID)
Topic Two 2025
COPD
NZ COPD guidelines are currently being updated to reflect the international GOLD guidelines and are due for release in October 2025. The topic will include a review of the evidence base for the guidelines. The topic will also cover how best to manage COPD exacerbations, smoking cessation and pulmonary rehabilitation. Addressing the inequities for Māori, Pacific people and other priority populations with regard to both diagnosis and management will be discussed.
Topic Three 2025
Alcohol
Alcohol misuse affects every stratum of society and has wide-ranging impacts on health. There are common threads that underlie its development. Understanding these is key for health professionals to effectively identify, support and manage alcohol misuse and its effects on the patient, their whānau and their wider environment. Alcohol has an affect not only on the liver, but also on on the gut and heart, and has secondary effects related to risky behaviour and accidents.
Topic Four 2025
Skin conditions
This topic will focus on children looking at eczema and skin infections. We will consider how primary care clinicians can improve the adherence and acceptability of treatments for eczema, and utilise resources that can encourage better health literacy. There will also be an update re antibiotic use and stewardship in skin infections, and a reminder about chickenpox immunisations.
