From the Wonca President : Our Commitment to Develop Family 2Medicine in Areas of Need

From the CEO’s Desk : The April 2004 Core Executive Meeting 4

From the Editor : Meet Wonca’s Working Parties, Task 6Forces and SIGs in Orlando!

FEATURE STORIES 7

• Wonca Working Party Reviews the Global Status of Women FamilyDoctors

• Visa Assistance Provided for 2004 Wonca World Conference

Wonca REGIONAL NEWS 9

• Bled 2004 - 13th EURACT Course and 1st Annual Europe GP/FMTeachers Meeting

• Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on Research Network Developmentin Thailand

HEALTH AND HEALTH SYSTEM NEWS 11

The Brisbane Initiative: International Education for Leadership in PrimaryCare Research

MEMBER AND ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS 12

• Wonca to Establish Special Interest Group in Travel Medicine• Educating Physicians for the Health of Brazil: The Role of Family

Medicine

RESOURCES FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR 15

• Wonca Offers New International Certificate in CME/CPD in FamilyMedicine

• Additional Asthma and COPD Programs Offered during the WONCAWorld Conference

• Wonca Dictionary of General/Family Practice and ICPC-2E

WONCA CONFERENCES 2004-2008 AT A GLANCE 18

GLOBAL MEETINGS FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR 19

VOLUME 30 NUMBER 3 JUNE 2004

FROM THE WONCA PRESIDENT:

OUR COMMITMENT TO DEVELOP FAMILYMEDICINE IN AREAS OF NEED

As we look forward to the Wonca World CouncilMeeting in Orlando Florida in October it is importantthat each member organisation prepares to review itsglobal commitment.

As a world organisation, Wonca has grownsubstantially in recent years. It now has memberorganisations in all regions. Most of the countries ofCentral and South America have joined ‘en bloc’.Important contacts have been made with the countriesof Central Asia including Mongolia. These will hopefullylead to the creation of a new region in that area. At ahistoric meeting of Arab countries in Beirut at the end oflast year, representatives agreed to prepare for theestablishment of a Wonca Arab Region. Europe hascontinued to expand along its eastern border. Already itis clear that the special needs of Western, Southern, andEastern Europe may, at times, require a sub-regionalapproach. Wonca as a global organisation must havethe flexibility to respond appropriately according to theneeds of its member organisations.

Africa: Challenges to Health for All

This sub-regional approach will be particularlynecessary in Africa. Travel costs are prohibitive; the vastdistances, currency weakness, and communicationdifficulties make effective collaboration at the Pan-African level almost impossible.

Africa’s communicable diseases – particularly HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria ñ pose challenges which arealmost beyond our comprehension. Healthcare in EastAfrica is underdeveloped. It relies heavily (40 percent ofhealthcare in Kenya) on hospitals and medical stationsoperated by externally funded faith-based missions. AsTable 1 shows, average per capita healthcare spendingin the United States in 2000 was between 60 and 100times greater than in three countries of East Africa.Furthermore, in Tanzania more than a quarter of allpublic spending was devoted to healthcare.

WONCA News FROM THE WONCA PRESIDENT

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Table 1. The World Health Report (2000)

Total Public Funds Total per CapitaSpent on Health Spent in USD$

(as % of total spending)

Kenya 11.2 58

Uganda 9.9 44

Tanzania 27.2 36

United States 18.5 3724

United Kingdom 14.3 1156

It is disappointing, to say the least, that 25 yearsafter the Declaration of Almaty for Health for All, so littlehas changed for the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa. Ifanything, disparities are widening and economicdisadvantage has been compounded by catastrophicepidemics and political instability. Healthcare reformmust go hand-in-hand with political and economicreform.

One of the lessons of the last 25 years must be thathealthcare reform has to go beyond the importanttraditional concerns of public health. Primary health carefor the future must include the personal care providedby family doctors and office practice and communitybased nurses working together. For too long theimportance of a quality system of personal primary carehas been undervalued and poorly resourced.

Not surprisingly, given the perilous state of familypractice in Africa, Wonca has had very few memberorganisations in the Region; they include South Africa,Zimbabwe, Nigeria (2 organizations), and Ghana.

East Africa: An Opportunity for CollaborativeSubregional Development

At last, in East Africa, this is beginning to changewith the establishment of the Kenya Association ofFamily Physicians by Dr. Humphrey Belcher and hiscolleagues. The KAFP has joined Wonca. Similar nationalassociations are being considered for Uganda andTanzania.

I was very honoured to be invited recently to visitKenya and to address The First International FamilyMedicine Symposium held at the Aga Khan Hospital inNairobi last month. The Aga Khan Hospital Network hasbeen particularly supportive of Family Medicine.

WONCA News FROM THE WONCA PRESIDENT

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It was well attended by family doctors, not just fromKenya, but from Uganda, Tanzania and even theDemocratic Republic of the Congo. Some had madeconsiderable personal sacrifices and arduous journeysto attend the meeting. The symposium broughttogether INFA-MED (the Institute of Family Medicine),Moi University Medical School in Eldoret (the firstKenyan medical school to establish an M.Med Course inFamily Medicine), and representatives of the RoyalCollege of General Practitioners (United Kingdom). Theprogramme included a number of powerful personalaccounts of the difficulties of delivering personal andfamily healthcare in the African setting.

A regional ‘Association of Family Physicians of EastAfrica’ (AFPEA) has also been established. The plan isto make it an academic accrediting body - ‘The Collegeof Family Physicians of East Africa’ – focused onaccrediting training programmes, publishing a journal,coordinating research, and establishing a ‘Society ofTeachers of Family Medicine’.

The vision of WHO is that all citizens should enjoy alevel of health that permits them to lead socially andeconomically productive lives. Recent developments inEast Africa provide some grounds for optimism. There isevidence that leaders of education and health care inKenya have identified primary health care systems ascritically important in meeting the challenges they face.As a result a national system of continuing professionaldevelopment (CPD) for all doctors is proposed.

Those of us representing Wonca - President ElectBruce Sparks, Africa President Abra Fransch and myself –joined our KAFP and other African colleagues in meetingwith senior Health Ministry officials to discuss not justthe CPD proposal but the future of family doctoreducation and training in Kenya.

Evidence already assembled by Wonca in the‘Guidebook’ has confirmed that well trained generalistphysicians are integral to the delivery of quality carethat is cost-effective, relevant and equitable. Thesepersonal care services are enhanced when integratedwith public health measures such as immunisation,nutrition, and health surveillance.

In November 2003, a needs assessment report onfamily practice and community oriented primary caretraining programmes in the East Africa was undertakenon behalf of The World Organisation of Family Doctors(Wonca), (The Network: TUFH) and Global HealthThrough Education, Training and Service (GHETS). TheUniversity Medical Schools such as Moi University inKenya and Makerere University in Uganda have beenvery supportive.

The report challenges Wonca to share our expertiseand to coordinate our activities with those of otheragencies in the field. Together with them we can assistin the development and adaptation of relevant curriculaand educational modules, and disseminate informationthrough electronic means. We can facilitate publicationsdescribing innovative work in the region. Within ourcountries we must try to identify individuals andinstitutions willing to contribute their resources. Workingtogether with African regional stakeholders it should bepossible to reach a strategic consensus that reflects theheritage and resources of the countries whilemaximising the contributions of all involved.

Six years ago in Killarney, the Wonca World Councilidentified the development of family medicine incountries and regions where it was weak or non-existent, as our number one priority. The nations ofAfrica represent the greatest challenge to theachievement of that aspiration. These East Africainitiatives are an important start.

It will be a matter for each of our memberorganisations when we meet in Orlando to tell us howthey plan to meet the challenge.

Michael BolandPresidentWorld Organization of Family Doctors

FROM THE CEO’S DESK:

THE APRIL 2004 COREEXECUTIVE MEETING

The full Wonca Executive Meetingin April 2004 did not take place asplanned. It was earlier decided atthe Beijing Wonca Executive Meetingin November 2003 that the financialstatus of Wonca at the end of 2003did not permit the additionalexpense of a full Wonca ExecutiveMeeting.

Neverthelesss, as there wereimportant issue that needed urgentfollowup and decisions, it wasdecided that a small group from theExecutive would meet. This gaverise to the 15th – 17th April 2004Core Executive Meeting in Singaporeattended by the Wonca WorldPresident, the President Elect,Honorary Treasurer, Chair of theOrlando Conference OrganisingCommittee, the Wonca CEO and theSecretariat Administrative Manager.The smaller group meeting inSingapore meant considerablesavings in terms of airfare,accommodations and per diemreimbursements. The otherMembers of Executive not presentwere kept informed as all agendaand agenda papers were sent tothem early thus allowing forcomments and feedback on issuesto the Core Executive.

The Agenda for the CoreExecutive Meeting was a very fullone. I wanted to highlight in mycolumn several important issuesthat would be of special interest toWonca’s Member Organisations andDirect Members.

Conference Levies

This issue arose from a workingpaper presented by the CEO on the

disadvantages of the currentconference levy policy in the biddingprocess by organisations keen tohost a World or RegionalConferences. It was felt necessarythat some other method be appliedthat would ensure that the bid bemade financially neutral. After muchdiscussion, Core Executiverecommended that for futureconferences :

• The use of levies as part of thebid process in securing thehosting of a Wonca World orRegional Conference beabandoned;

• The Member Organisationselected to host a conference beadvised of the levy to be paid byWonca Executive in consultationwith the Regional President orthe CEO;

• The agreement between Woncaand the Member Organization tohost a conference be in theform of a contract specifying therespective duties andobligations of both parties;

• The levies be allowed to bestratified into specific categorieswith fixed amounts of discountsallowed;

• The guidelines once approved atthe next Executive Meeting beimplemented beginning January2008 and applicable to allsubsequent Wonca World andRegional Conferences.

The above guidelines by CoreExecutive will be discussed furtherat the next Wonca Full ExecutiveMeeting in St Augustine, USA inOctober 2004 at which time the finalguidelines would be drafted.

Cost Cutting Measures forWonca

As in all past Wonca ExecutiveMeetings, financial matters took upa considerable part of the time andattention of Executive. Of particular

interest to Core Executive at thismeeting were the ways in whichWonca could set about reducing thecost of running the Organisation.

The CEO spoke at length to hisreport on cost cutting measures forthe Organisation. This was followedby extensive discussions within CoreExecutive. The following measureswere identified as possible avenuesfor cost savings :

• reorganising the conduct ofbusiness by the World ExecutiveCommittee, such as reducing thefrequency of Full ExecutiveMeetings to an annual basis andintroducing Core ExecutiveMeetings between the FullExecutive Meetings.

• restructuring the manner inwhich funds are granted toRegions, Committees, WorkingParties and Task Forces.

• reducing Wonca representation atinternational invitational eventsor meetings.

• ceasing the printing anddistribution of hard copies of theWonca Directory while posting iton the Wonca Website withcertain safeguards.

• reducing the cost or productionand distribution of Wonca News.

• reexamining the subscriptionrates for Direct Membership andits apportioning between theRegions and World Wonca .

Core Executive also suggestedthat for Wonca to position itself wellfinancially in the years ahead, thereneeded to be a “reserve policy”whereby a certain agreedpercentage of its funds would be setaside annually. This would requirevery stringent cost cutting measuresas outlined above and could only bedone over a long period of time.Core Executive felt that with thecurrent financial volatility in Wonca,at least a one-year reserve policywould be necessary.

WONCA News FROM THE CEO’S DESK

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WONCA News FROM THE CEO’S DESK

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New Member Organisationsadmitted

This triennium ( 2002 – 2004 )has seen an unprecedented growthin membership of Wonca. This trendhas continued. At its meeting theCore Executive, on the recommen-dation of the MembershipCommittee, admitted the followingorganizations :

• The Bahrain Family Physicians’Association as a full member ofWonca.

• The Georgia Family MedicineAssociation as a full member ofWonca.

• The Jordan Society of FamilyPhysicians as a full member ofWonca.

• The Scientific InterdisciplinaryAssociation of both Family andCommunity Medicine(AsSIMeFaC) of Italy as a fullmember of Wonca.

• The Belarussian Association ofGeneral Practitioners as anOrganization in CollaborativeRelations with Wonca.

With these latest additions,Wonca has now 88 MemberOrganisations in its fold with 9Organisations in CollaborativeRelations. I am confident that thenext triennium will see theadmission of the 100th MemberOrganisation of Wonca. Theincreasing numbers of MemberOrganisations in this triennium alsorequired the establishing of a wholenew Wonca Region – theIberoamericana CIMF. There is astrong likelihood that another newregion — The MiddleEast Region ofWonca — will be formed within thistriennium or at the start of the nexttriennium.

We have grown significantly as aglobal organization in thistriennium!

Junior Direct Membership

This item was discussed by CoreExecutive following the discoverythat a large number of FM/GPresidents had registered for theConference in Amsterdam. Executivealso felt that having a “Junior”category of Wonca DirectMembership would be a small stepin the right direction to train futureleaders for the Organisation.

After much discussion, it wasdecided by Core Executive that thefollowing be recommended that:• the “Junior” Direct Membership

would be included under theWonca Direct Membershipcategory;

• an appropriate name be given tothe category of “Junior” DirectMembership ( JDM);

• the JDM would be open toResidents of FM/GP only. Thedefinition of Resident would bea doctor in a defined period oftraining to be a Family Physician/ General Practitioner.

• That the JDM fee would be 50%of the full Wonca DirectMembership fee.

• That JDM would receive thesame benefits of membership asfull Wonca Direct Members.

• That JDM would be listedseparately in future WoncaDirectories for easy reference.

• That the CEO and Wonca WorldSecretariat would administer theJDM scheme.

Other items of agenda covered

Several other major agendaitems of importance were alsocovered by Core Executive:

1. Wonca Bylaws & Regulations:the final details of andprocedural requirements onchanges for the Wonca Bylaws &Regulations were discussed.

2. ICPC-2: the promotion of theuse of ICPC-2 by Wonca Member

Organisations, its recognition bythe World Health Organization’sFamily of International Classi-fications and the need for areview of the Wonca contractwith Oxford University Press wereitems discussed.

3. Wonca World Conference: theOrlando Conference andassociated Wonca World Counciland full Wonca Executive Meetingwere covered in detail with theDr Dan Ostergaard, the Wonca2004 Host Organizing CommitteeChair, present.

4. Wonca Website: a review of thepast 2.5 years ofwww.globalfamilydoctor.com andplans for the future of thewebsite were covered by CoreExecutive.

5. Relations with the World HealthOrganization and other inter-national Non- GovernmentalOrganizations, the state ofinternational relations with thesebodies and the future areas ofcollaborations were discussed.

In future issues of Wonca News, Ihope to cover in my CEO’s Columnsome of the topics mentioned abovein greater detail.

Conclusion

This Core Executive Meeting wasa useful first attempt by WoncaExecutive to keep down the cost ofrunning the Organisation. It isprobable that the next trienniummay see Wonca Executive meetingsas a full Committee annually withthe Core Executive meeting betweenthese full Committee Meetings incheaper venues to help keep costsdown.

Dr Alfred WT LohChief Executive OfficerWorld Organization of FamilyDoctors

FROM THE EDITOR:

MEET WONCA’S WORKING PARTIES, TASK FORCES AND SIGS IN ORLANDO!

If Wonca’s member organizations and regions represent the permanent and stately trunk and branches of ourorganizational tree, then Wonca’s Working Parties, Task Forces and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) represent its leavesand flowers which contribute to our appearance and character.

Today, these Working Parties (WP), Task Forces (TF) and SIGs address key areas fundamental to our role asfamily doctors:

- International Classification (WP) - Research (TF)- Rural Practice (WP) - Website Development (TF)- Quality (WP) - Tobacco Cessation (TF)- Informatics (WP) - Health Behavior Change (TF)- Woman in Family Medicine (WP) - Ethical Issues (SIG)- Environment (WP) - Psychiatry and Neurology (SIG)- Respiratory Diseases (WP) - Men’s Health (SIG)

This June issue of Wonca News features the work and plans of our newest and oldest working groups. Wonca’sInternational Classification Committee (WICC), our oldest, was reported as being established at the convening ofWonca’s first Executive Meeting in 1973. This issue’s Resources section describes two of WICCís recently availableproducts for family doctors - - - the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC-2E) and the Dictionary ofGeneral/Family Practice.

This issue also features the work of Wonca’s Working Party of Women in Family Medicine, established during the2001 Wonca World Conference in Durban, South Africa. Finally, this issue features Wonca’s newest group, theSpecial Interest Group in Travel Medicine, which will be convening for the first time during the October 2004 WoncaWorld Conference in Orlando. The other Wonca Working Parties, SIGs and Task Forces are most welcome to email mefor publication in the next issue of Wonca News any reports, updates and announcements to share prior to the2004 Wonca World Conference.

The 2004 Wonca World Conference in Orlando presents a unique opportunity for family doctors to learn about,join and contribute to the important work of all the above groups.

You may learn more about Wonca’s work groups and their plans during the upcoming Wonca World Conferenceand by visiting the Wonca web at www.GlobalFamilyDoctor.com

In addition, Wonca’s FP/GP Editors (or their designees) who are planning to attend the Wonca World Conferenceare invited to a special workshop for FP/GP Editors on Tuesday, October 12th at 2PM. Please contact me if you areinterested in attending.

The opportunity to learn about all of our magnificent Working Parties, Task Forces and SIGs are even anotherreason to make plans as soon as possible to join what may be the largest gathering of family doctors in history forthe Wonca World Conference in Orlando, October 13-17, 2004.

Marc L. Rivo, MD, MPHEditor, Wonca Newsmarcrivo@aol.com4566 Prairie AvenueMiami Beach, FL 33140 USA1-305-674-8839 (fax)

WONCA News FROM THE EDITOR

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FEATURE STORIES

WONCA WORKING PARTYREVIEWS THE GLOBALSTATUS OF WOMENFAMILY DOCTORS

As part of the meetings inDurban, South Africa in 2001, theWONCA Governing Council grantedthe Special Interest Group onWomen and Family Medicine a newstatus as a WONCA Working Partyfor Women and Family Medicine(WWPWFM), thus giving the groupan annual budget and greateropportunity to influence decisions ofWONCA. A Steering Committee forthe WWPWFM pre-conference to beheld at the next WONCA inter-national meeting in Orlando wasestablished and consisted ofDr. Lucy Candib (USA), Dr. BarbaraLent (Canada) and Dr. Cheryl Levitt(Canada). Since that time, theSteering Committee has beenworking diligently on severalexciting initiatives.

Steering Committee members, Cheryl Levitt,Barbara Lent, and Lucy Candib, meeting atLangdon Hall in Ontario, Canada, in February2002 to develop the Working Party documenton Women and Family Medicine

The biggest project is the writingof a monograph on Women andFamily Medicine based on a reviewof the international literature, and a7-section working document, whichwe will use to guide our strategicplanning. The documents look at

the unique issues facing womenfamily physicians around the world— in training, in practice, inacademia and in organizations. Thematerials are supported by anextensive annotated bibliography.We have disseminated the materialswidely to international colleaguesthrough our WONCA Women andFamily Medicine Working Partylistserve, and will be discussingthem in more detail at the upcomingmeeting in Orlando.

Four women Chairs of Family MedicineDepartments in four different world regionsmeeting at McMaster University in March2003: Dr. Shameela Kamali, Aga KhanMedical School, Tanzania; Dr. Amanda Howe,University of East Anglia, England; Dr. CherylLevitt, McMaster University, Canada; andProfessor Zorayda (Dada) Leopando,University of Philippines, Manila, Philippines.

In order to better understand theexperiences of women in familymedicine in all WONCA regions, wealso developed a needs assessmentquestionnaire to look at thechallenges facing women in familymedicine in training, practice,academic and leadership settings.Data have been collected andcollated from individuals and groupsin 9 countries. We see this as a‘work in progress’ and continue tocirculate questionnaires at nationaland international conferences.

The upcoming meeting inOrlando in October 2004 will includeseveral exciting sessions to whichthe steering committee and othermembers of the working party havecontributed. We are planning a 2-

WONCA News FEATURE STORIES

7

day pre-conference as anopportunity to develop a strategicaction plan, based on the workingparty’s written materials. We arevery excited to have Dr. AmandaHowe, Chair of Primary Care at theUniversity of Anglia in England asfacilitator. During the main part ofthe meeting Dr. May Cohen,professor emerita from McMasterUniversity in Hamilton, Canada, willbe speaking on Women andLeadership. Later that day thesymposium “Women in FamilyMedicine: Making a differencearound the world!” will showcasethe special activities of women infamily medicine around the world.

The WWPWFM will develop astrategic plan at the pre-conferencein Orlando and we encourageinterested members to attend. Wehope to prepare a WWPWFM ActionPlan for the WONCA GoverningCouncil on how WONCA canuniquely contribute to challengesexperienced by women familyphysicians as they provideexemplary care to their patients,participate in the training of medicalstudents and family medicineresidents, and contribute to theircommunities, as individuals andleaders within medical and otherorganizations.

Those interested in moreinformation on the WONCA WorkingParty on Women and FamilyMedicine can emaillcandib@massmed.edu to join theWONCAWOMEN listserv.

Dr. Barbara Lent60 Chesley AvenueLondon Ontario CanadaN5Z 2C1Fax 519 433 2244blent@uwo.ca

Visa Assistance Provided for 2004 Wonca WorldConference

International delegates should getting your Visas inorder for the 2004 Wonca World Conference in Orlando.Delegates may print your own letter of invitation foryour visa by visiting http://www.wonca2004.org/woncavisa.xml. This document can be personalized,printed and submitted with your application for a visaat the nearest United States Embassy or Consulate.

Wonca Direct Members Save $300 off Registrationplus $100 for early registration

Register before July 14, 2004 and save US$100 onyour general registration fee. In addition, Wonca directmembers who register save an additional $300compared to non-Wonca members. Registration formmust be received (not postmarked) at the AmericanAcademy of Family Physicians’ headquarters by July 14,2004, to qualify for the early fee. Your registration feeincludes:• Wonca/AAFP Opening Ceremony

Welcome Reception• President’s Address and Awards Ceremony• Program/Abstract Books• Wonca/AAFP Exposition• All No Extra Fee Assembly Educational Elements• Two complimentary Tickets to Wonca/Assembly

Celebration• Shuttle transportation between official Wonca hotels

and convention center and social events. (If you arenot planning to stay at an official Wonca hotel, youwill be responsible for your own transportation toand from the convention center and all socialevents.)

Register online at www.wonca2004.org.

Make Your Hotel Reservations Today – Roomswill fill fast!

Those attending the Wonca World Conference cannow make their hotel reservations, and the rooms willfill up fast. Make your reservation now in order to getthe hotel of your choice. Competitive room rates havebeen negotiated at 36 hotel properties convenientlylocated near the Orange County Convention Center inOrlando.

Make your hotel reservation online at http://www.wonca2004.org/x14652.xml.

WONCA News FEATURE STORIES

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Joint Wonca and AAFP Opening Ceremony Planned

Plan to attend the first-ever joint Opening Ceremonyfor Wonca and American Academy of Family Physicians(AAFP) Scientific Assembly attendees. The keynotespeaker is Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Director of theNational Human Genome Research Institute at theNational Institutes of Health, who will speak on“Genomics and the Family Physician: Realizing thePotential.” To learn more about the National HumanGenome Research Institute, visit http://www.nhgri.nih.gov/. To learn more about the Wonca/AAFP Opening Ceremony, please click on: http://www.wonca2004.org/x19524.xml

Exclusive Wonca and AAFP Celebration atUniversal Studies.

Join your Wonca friends as they venture into thefamous Universal Studios Florida®. The park will bereserved exclusively (without the public) for Woncaattendees and guests as well as AAFP ScientificAssembly Attendees and guests. Each paid Woncaattendee will receive two complimentary tickets to thisevent and may purchase additional tickets for US$40each. To purchase additional tickets, order them whenyou register at http:www.wonca2004.org/x14661.xml. Tolearn more about the Wonca/Assembly celebration, clickon http://www.wonca2004.org/x14699.xml

Friday Evening Events - - - October 15, 2004

Two evening events are being offered for Woncaattendees - - - Dinner at Sharks Underwater Grill/SeaWorld and Poolside Dinner at the Rosen Plaza Hotel.To learn more about these events, go to http://www.wonca2004.org/x20827.xml. There is limitedseating for both events. Sign-up your family today toenjoy dinner at SeaWorld or the Rosen Plaza Hotel byregistering at http://www.wonca2004.org/x14661.xml.

Wonca Video Available on the Web

The promotional video for Wonca 2004 is nowavailable on the Wonca Web site at http://www.wonca2004.org, scroll down the page and click onWonca 2004 Promotion Video. The video provides anoverview of the 17th World Conference of FamilyDoctors, and highlights the beautiful city of Orlando,Florida, USA.

WONCA News REGIONAL NEWS

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WONCA REGIONAL NEWS

BLED 2004 -13TH EURACT COURSE AND1ST ANNUAL EUROPE GP/FMTEACHERS MEETING

The world is getting smaller. General practitionersare increasingly coming in contact with people fromdifferent countries and culture is becoming an importantissue that determines communication between thedoctor and the patient. Family doctors need tools thatwould help them in their work in a multiculturalenvironment. The Slovene Family Medicine Society,Department of Family Practice, University Ljubljana andthe Institute of Family Medicine and under thepatronage of the European Academy of Teachers inGeneral Practice (EURACT) and with the support of theEURACT service function task force, has organized the13th International course for teachers in GP/FP in Bled,Slovenia: September 7 – 11, 2004. The course theme is“Learning and Teaching about Patient Centred ClinicalCare in Modern Cross-Cultural Communities in General/Family Practice”.

EURACT council members also serve as additionalresource persons. The course directors are Yonah Yaphe(Israel), Manfred Maier (Austria), Jaime Correia de Sousa(Portugal), Amanda Howe (Great Britain) and JankoKersnik (Slovenia) with the contributions of resourcepersons Igor ‘vab, Gianluigi Passerini, Janos Szabo,Mladenka Vrci_Keglevi_, Mateja Bulc and many others.Social programme will be organised by the SocialProgram Chair of the Wonca Europe 2003 conference inLjubljana, Professor Nena Kop_avar-Gu_ek, so you canbe sure that it will be exquisite.

Bled is a tourist resort in the Northwest of Sloveniaand is easily accessible by car, train or plane. From theconference rooms you can enjoy the view of the lakeand the town celebrating its 1000th anniversary (seen athttp://www.bled.si) or the rims of the mountainssurrounding the picturesque landscape. You will be ableto take the boat to an island in the lake and ring a bellof good wishes, to visit a castle above the lake or tohave a jogging trip around the lake during the meetingbreaks. There is a famous traditional water polo gamebetween the participants in the pool at the top of thehotel, a grapevine inspection and many other surprises.

The course will end September 10 - 11, 2004 with the1st European GP/FP Teachers Conference on Education inPrimary Care. The conference theme will be “At thecrossroads of the Education in General/Family Practice”.Because of the nature of general practice it is importantthat these issues are properly taught in a GP setting.This is the challenge that this year’s course of learningand teaching in family medicine is aiming to address.The participants will have an opportunity to share theirviews and experiences with dealing with patients fromdifferent cultures. Because of the international nature ofthe course, we will be able to exchange opinions andviews from different health care systems, societies andcultures.

The course is aimed at general practitioners involvedin teaching general practice at the university or practicelevel and will be held in English. It will be based onpresentations by experts, group work, field work andopen discussion in small groups and plenaries. Theparticipants will be supplied with course material inadvance. A EURACT certificate will be issued to theparticipants at the end of the course. The participantswill be able to visit family doctor offices and explore theorganisation of primary health care in Slovenia. Theparticipants of the course will be able to attend the 1stAnnual Meeting of GP/FM Teachers in Europe andpresent their products from the groups during it for theprice of attending the course.

At the end of the course the participants will be ableto:

Understand the meaning of patient centeredness andthe “partnership model” of clinical care in the doctor-patient relationship• Understand the importance of an appropriate

relationship between patient and the doctor in thecontext of his/her everyday routine and the principlesof general practice

• Use strategies for dealing with delicate issues of thedoctor-patient relationship

• Apply the strategies in a practical situation• Understand the importance of incorporating teaching

about doctor-patient relationships in their students’and trainees’ programmes

• Develop a teaching strategy on the doctor-patientrelationship in general practice that can be used inhis/her country

The course fee is set at 200 EURO and will includecourse materials, organisation of the course, conferenceattendance and the participation in exciting socialevents. There is a 40 EURO reduction of the course feefor EURACT members. A limited number of sponsored

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WONCA News REGIONAL NEWS

places is available through the EURACT sponsorshipprogramme. Details are available at the EURACTwebsite: www.euract.org. The detailed programme isavailable on Slovene Family Medicine Societywebpages www.drmed.org and www.drmed-mb.org.

The participants of the course and educators inprimary care will be also able to attend the 1stannual meeting of GP/FM teachers in Europe and topresent their products from the group for the price ofattending the course. All others are invited to submittheir work ñ abstracts for presentations andworkshops – by e-mail (janko.kersnik@s5.net) to theboard of directors, which will decide whichpresentations will be accepted and the way thepapers will be presented. Abstracts for thepresentations and workshops not exceeding 250words should be send in word format by e-mail tothe programme committee by the June 20.

The conference is aiming at the educators inprimary care who are involved in teaching at theuniversity or practice level and will be held inEnglish. The main aim is to exchange the experiencesand to propose effective strategies, models, curriculaand methods of teaching GP/FM on undergraduateand postgraduate level. During the conference therewill be a mixture of invited lectures, presentations,panel discussions, poster presentations and groupwork. The modules produced during the 13thinternational course will be presented to theconference audience. The conference fee for thoseattending only the conference is 100 EURO. We havechosen an array of interesting keynotes and haveinvited distinguished speakers to cover the issues.We invite you to send an abstract for the parallelpresentation or for the workshop. Three workshopswill be covered by the products of the course onteaching patient centred care.

The interested participants should send theirpreliminary applications until June 20 to JankoKersnik, Koroska 2, 4280 Kranjska Gora, Slovenia,phone: +386-4-58-84-601, fax: +386-4-58-84-610, e-mail: janko.kersnik@s5.net.

Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on ResearchNetwork Development to be Held in Thailand

On behalf of the GeneralPractitioners / Family Physicians(GP/FP) Association of Thailand,the College of Family Physiciansof Thailand and the WONCA AsiaPacific Region, we are pleasedto organize a Workshop onResearch Network Developmentfor the Asia Pacific Region inPhuket, Thailand from July 10-12,2004. This Workshop is organizedto meet the current and futureresearch needs of family doctorsin the Asia Pacific Region.

The Regional workshopadvisors include Goh Lee Gan, MD,Asia-Pacific Regional President, Prasong Tuchinda, MD,President of the GP/FP Association of Thailand, andKachit Choopanya, MD, President of the College ofFamily Physicians of Thailand. Research Workshopparticipants are encouraged to bring along theirresearch projects, results and proposals for sharing.

The A-P Regional Workshop will be held at themagnificent Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel in Phuket,Thailand. Hotel information is on the web atwww.thavorngrandplaza.com. If you are planning toattend, please confirm your participation as soon aspossible via phone, fax or email to the GP/GPAssociation, Thailand at 66-2-716-6651 (phone) or 66-2-716-6653 (fax) or thai_fammed@yahoo.com (email).

We hope all the Colleges / Academies in the Asia-Pacific Region will send their colleagues to participatein this wonderful Workshop.

Additional information and workshop registrationforms for the Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop can befound on the Wonca web atwww.GlobalFamilyDoctor.com

Somjit Prueksaritanond, M.D.Chairperson, Organizing Committee

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WONCA News HEALTH AND HEALTH SYSTEM NEWS

HEALTH AND HEALTH SYSTEM NEWS

THE BRISBANE INITIATIVE:INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION FORLEADERSHIP IN PRIMARY CARERESEARCH

The Brisbane Initiative has brought together leadersin primary care research from eight different countries inBrisbane, Australia in 2002. The goal of the BrisbaneInitiative is to develop international support for andcoordination of education for future research leaders inGeneral Practice and Family Medicine. As this is directlyrelated to the research program of the WorldOrganization of Family Doctors (Wonca)1, the BrisbaneInitiative will pursue its goals under the aegis of Wonca.

Internationally, there is clear disproportion in theamount of funding for research on uncommon problemsversus what is spent for the common problems in healthcare. This has been called “the 10/90 gap”, in referenceto the fact that only about 10% of the researchresources are directed at 90% of the health problems ofthe world population2. Improving the health ofpopulations requires a strong primary health caresystem founded in good science.

For this scientific base to be created and maintaineda robust primary care research enterprise is required toenable primary care clinicians to:• use the best clinical tools in a cost effective manner• answer common clinical questions• incorporate more effectively findings from other

fields of research into practice in a cost-effectivemanner

• work with other health professionals and the makersof health policy to establish effective country andregion-wide health care systems and policies

The primary care research enterprise is in the earlystages of development. Strong, well-educated leadershipis in relatively short supply. However, there areexamples of leadership training in a number of countriesincluding and extending beyond Masters and Ph.D.programs. To sustain primary care growth it is essentialthat the best and brightest students enter the field ofgeneral practice/family medicine and develop researchinterests and leadership skills. Internationalcollaboration is essential to bring together experienceand critical mass.

Future research leaders in general practice/familymedicine need to possess scientific skills: the ability todesign projects with rigorous science, collaborate withresearchers in other disciplines, apply for funding, andadminister projects and research groups. But at thesame time, they must be able to analyze the need forresearch from a general practice/family medicineperspective, to communicate results, and to pursuestrategies to implement research into practice. Theseleaders will be instrumental in the further capacitybuilding of primary care research as they will leadresearch programs, develop research strategy andeducate future research leaders.

The Brisbane Initiative will address the internationalshortage of scientific leadership in primary care byenlarging the pool of available training resources andenriching the educational environment throughcooperation both between existing primary care researchunits and between these units and other disciplines(e.g. industrial engineering, public health) with aprogram that transcends national boundaries. Further,the Brisbane Initiative will help to establish a criticalmass of current and future leaders in primary careresearch by bringing together leaders from manynations.

The programs of the Brisbane Initiative will includeprojects that identify and support future leaders, whichprovide scientific and related training, and whichsupport existing research leaders. Finally, we will exploreways to involve new primary care researchers indeveloping countries through the development ofdistance education techniques and mentoringopportunities. Specifically, these educational projectswill include:

• Fellowships and visiting traineeships: These willrange from rather short experiences for medicalstudents (individual or group which will be designedto stimulate interest and be a tool for “talentspotting”) at the one end to longer, more formalexperiences for trainees at higher levels. These latterprograms will be part of Ph.D., M.P.H. or MastersPrimary Care programs.

• Formal Leadership Training Programs: Theseprograms will build upon existing models and will bedesigned as post-doctoral (or post-masters)programs and will address specifically the need todevelop the skills for scientific leadership inindividuals who already have a good scientificbackground.

• Development of educational resources: The BrisbaneInitiative will develop cooperative agreementsbetween research units with expertise in primary care

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WONCA News HEALTH AND HEALTH SYSTEM NEWS/MEMBER AND ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS

MEMBER AND ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS

WONCA TO ESTABLISH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP INTRAVEL MEDICINE

A Special Interest Group (SIG) in travel medicine is being establishedwithin the World Organization of Family Doctors. Why a need for a SIG intravel medicine? People are traveling greater distances more frequently.Groups of people are seeking refugee status in other countries. Certainfocused groups are tackling challenging adventures in foreign countries withinherent dangers of injury and contracting exotic infectious diseases.

Aircraft are carrying more and more people and fly quicker ñ there isovercrowding at airports and conveyance of vectors responsible for diseaseand infectious diseases before they manifest occurs rapidly and easily. Mosttravelers seek advice from us, the family practitioner. On return from theirtravels, should they fall ill, we are again consulted. Companies are sendingemployees to foreign countries; often the spouse and children remain intheir home country. This places a huge burden on all parties and frequentlyresults in breakdown of the marriage and a disgruntled employee whoseproductivity falls dramatically. It is to us that such families turn for help.

As family physicians, we need to be in a position to provide theappropriate advice for our patients on matters of travel medicine. With therapid spread of disease, being well informed is critical to supplying thecorrect advice and medication.

what would the role of the SIG be?The role of the Special Interest Group would be to:Educate and informDefine the roles and responsibilities of the family practitionerDevelop guidelines for ethical and appropriate practiceProvide resourcesNetwork with other interested organizationsProvide the infrastructure for networking amongst family practitionersEncourage collaborative research within WONCA, in the field of travel

medicine, through member organizations, academic department members;working parties and SIGs.

How do I become involved? All you have to do is to email me atgkb@brink.za.net and I will contact you with further information. The SIGwill be launched at the 17th World Congress of Family Doctors to be held inOrlando in October next year – so book your ticket now!

I look forward to hearing from you.

Garth Brink30 Savell AveGlenashley 4051South AfricaTelephone: +27 (0) 31 562 8505Facsimile: +27 (0) 31 572 7812Email: gkb@brink.za.net

and related disciplines and makescientific education availableinternationally both throughfellowships (above) and througha catalogue of distance learningprograms as well asopportunities for on-site learningand mentoring.

• Development of Expert Groups:The Brisbane Initiative willsupport the development andfunding of Expert Groups toprovide a focus for primary careresearch with topic specificinterests such as HIV or care ofthe ageing.

• Creation of International ìThinkTanksî in primary care research:The Brisbane Initiative will bringtogether leaders in primary careresearch from many countries tocontinue to develop newstructures and programs to helpbuild the enterprise.

Building upon our two-yearhistory of success will requirefinancial support for secretariat andclearinghouse functions andongoing operations. Funding will berequired for the support offellowships at all levels, especiallyfellowships for physicians fromdeveloping countries.

John Beasley (US), Geert JanDinant (The Netherlands), FrankDobbs (Northern Ireland), MichaelKochen (Germany), Andre Kottnerus(The Netherlands), David Mant(England), Chris del Mar (Austalia),Lucy McCloughan (Scotland), WaltRosser (Canada), and Chris vanWeel, Chair (The Netherlands)

References:1. Van Weel C, Rosser WW.

Improving Health Care Globally.Annals of Family Medicine 2004;2(suppl. 2): in press

2. Global Forum for HealthResearch. The 10/90 Report onHealth Research 2001-2002.Geneva: Global Forum for HealthResearch, World HealthOrganization, 2002.

WONCA News MEMBER AND ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS

Educating Physicians for theHealth of Brazil: The Role ofFamily Medicine

Through a series of excitinginitiatives, family medicine is poisedto improve primary health care inBrazil. In 1988 the Brazilian FederalConstitution declared that allBrazilian citizens have the right toprimary health care services. In1994, the Brazilian governmentestablished the Family HealthProgram (PSF- Programa de Saudeda Familia), to train, distribute andsupport primary health care teams.Each team is responsible for thehealth care of 3,000 people. TheBrazilian government has allocatedresources support to the PSF,funded the establishment ofresidency programs in familymedicine, and has guaranteed jobswith competitive salaries forresidents after graduation. Yet manychallenges must be addressed forfamily medicine to fulfill thispotential.

The Public Health System (SUS-Sistema Unico de Saude) isresponsible for development andsupport of the Brazilian primaryhealth care system. Universities andmedical schools are responsible forpreparing health professionals todeliver such care. However, medicalschools continue to focus onpreparing students to care forhospitalized patients. Most medicalschools and have not yet integratedfamily medicine into the curriculum.

The expansion of the PSF is nowlimited by a severe shortage ofappropriately trained personnelincluding family physicians. Withouta clear identity, core educationalobjectives, and a well- definedprocess for certification, it is difficultto attract young professionals tofamily medicine careers. While thereremains a mismatch between thecomprehensive health plans initiated

Sobramfa’s poster presentation at the 2003Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (USA)Annual Meeting

Family Medicine has been aspecialty in some countries for morethan 40 years, yet many countriesand medical schools have not yetincorporated family medicine intomedical education. The presence offamily medicine in the medicalschool curriculum allows trans-mission of the content and values,and provides opportunities forstudents to participate in delivery ofcomprehensive primary health carea.Well-trained family physicians canprovide services required for robustprimary health care programsc.

Students need exposure tofamily medicine early in the courseof training to gain an understandingof the discipline and to considerfamily medicine as a career choice.Grumbach describes the importanceof generalist family physicians inacademic settingsc. All patients,especially patients with chronicillnesses, mutliple co-morbiditiesand complex family circumstancesbenefit from working with a heatlhprofessional who can approachthese problems from a broadperspective. A family physician offersmore than a simple sum ofsolutions to the diverse healthproblems from which the patientsuffers. The family physicianprovides a new perspective inpatient care, a different gestalt, anda vision to address patients andtheir needs in a compehensivefashion. This new paradigm may bepresented, experienced, taught andlearned in medical education. If

13

by the government and the type ofphysicians that are being trained,there are several initiatives inprogress to address thesechallenges.

Specialists and Generalists inBrazil

Currently more than 50% ofBrazilian medical school graduatesare unable to secure residencytraining positions. Family medicineis not yet a defined specialty inBrazil and is not incorporated intothe curriculum of most medicalschools. While a minority of thosepracticing general medicine do soby choice, the majority of generalistphysicians were unable to completespecialty training. Practicinggeneralists have limited access tocontinuing medical education andthere is no examination orcertification process to evaluate thequality of these professionals. As aresult generalist physicians arecommonly perceived as a secondrate health care professionals.

Congress lunch with Joshua Freeman and 10medical schools reached by Sobramfa. Thetraditional Brazilian food named FEIJOADA.

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WONCA News MEMBER AND ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS

family medicine is incorporated into academia, it isbetter positioned to teach, set standards and providecontinuing education for those who practice primarycare.

Family Medicine in Brazil: Opportunities andChallenges

There are many opportunities for family medicine tostrengthen the primary health care system of Brazil. TheBrazilian Government has made a bold commitment toestablish the PSF to provide primary health care. Familydoctors are needed to join efforts to delivercomprehensive primary health care and improve thehealth system of Brazil.

Medical schools are beginning to make commitmentsto prepare well-trained primary care physicians to fill theneed created by the PSF. If academic efforts are carefullyorganized, coordinated and promoted, they will bebetter able to attract medical students into familymedicine.

Residency programs in family medicine are nowscattered in diverse departments such as public health,preventive medicine, community medicine, orcoordinated by multiple other specialties, resulting in alack of consistency and identity. While these programsrepresent a serious effort to respond to communityneeds and produce physicians for the PSF, uniformstandards, core curricula and certification will help theseprograms gain credibility within the academiccommunity. Universities can fulfill their commitment tosociety by coordinating these efforts.

Generalist physicians who are practicing primary caremay join with their colleagues in academia andprofessional societies to establish a rigorous process ofcertification and programs of continuing education.Practicing physicians are well positioned to identifygaps in their training and to design programs toimprove their knowledge and skills.

Students can make powerful contributions to thegrowth of family medicine in Brazil. SOBRAMFA (theBrazilian Society of Family Medicine) has already playedan important role in this processd by creatingopportunities outside the formal medical school settingfor students to experience family medicine by workingwith practicing generalists.

SOBRAMFA’s Delegation at STFM Meeting

SOBRAMFA’s 2001 student congress staff

Private health insurers are seeking to improve healthcare quality, cost effectiveness, coordination andresponsiveness. Family physicians are in an excellentposition to work with insurers to design and deliversuch care.

Towards a Healthy Future for Brazil

Brazil is uniquely poised to strengthen primaryhealth care with family medicine. Representatives of thegovernment, academic institutions, health professionals,students, community members and insurers can eachmake valuable contributions to address this challenge.Efforts are underway to define the specialty, to establishbenchmarks of quality, and to develop and promoteBrazilian family medicine.

The Brazilian Medical Association (AMB) hasindicated interest in sponsoring a national conferenceon family medicine to involve key stakeholders. Whilethere are many challenges ahead, Brazilian familymedicine is planted on fertile ground and ready for

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WONCA News MEMBER AND ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS/RESOURCES FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR

RESOURCES FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR

Wonca Offers New International Certificate in CME/CPD in FamilyMedicine

The Wonca International Certificate in Continuing Medical Education(CME) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Family Medicine(WIDFM) has just been launched. Detailed information is available on GlobalFamily Doctor – Wonca Online (see www.globalfamilydoctor.com/widfm/index.htm). This Wonca CME and CPD Program in Family Medicine has beenlong awaited, particularly by those countries that have few educationalresources.

The Program requires participants to complete six out of eight topicbased programs within three years. Initial topics are: Women’s Health,Stroke, Diabetes Type 2, Palliative Care, Dermatology, Common Cardiologicalproblems and Hypertension and Heart Failure. One program, the VirtualConsulting Room (VCR), is compulsory. The VCR provides a two-wayapproach to global medical education. Participating doctors are free tosubmit their own cases to this compulsory unit, with a view to providingeducation on topics, that may not be explored well in ‘Western medicine’,such as malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The Program Directoris Emeritus Professor Neil Carson. Successful candidates will be awarded aWonca Certificate and a Wonca ‘pin’.

While costs have been kept as low as possible to ensure maximumparticipation, a three tier approach to payment, based on national percapita GDP has been applied. There is a list of all countries and theircategories, on the Wonca website (see above).

Additionally, Wonca have commenced a Scholarship program to providefree scholarships to those most in need and organizations and individualsare welcome to provide scholarships for which they can select criteria andhave naming rights. All scholarships will be listed on Wonca Online and willbe allocated by a committee set up for that purpose.

The program is CD based. The CD based program includes multimediaelements such as video and animation which cannot be utilized on theinternet, and some countries have poor internet access. Programs include apre test, minimum ten case presentations on a given topic, and a post testand evaluation survey. In addition, each topic comes with a suite of relatedresources, such as videos of procedures, further reading, patient educationmaterials.

Professional (adult) learning techniques have been used and all topicshave been ‘internationalized’ to ensure maximum relevance. The language inthe Program is for those who have English as a first or second language.The navigation of CDs has been kept intuitive for those with little computerknowledge. Our premise is that every doctor in the world should haveaccess to the highest quality continuing medical education. Wonca is happyto assist doctors to equip themselves to take advantage of the program.

rapid growth. The desire to improvethe quality of life and health of theBrazilian population inspirescollective efforts to meet thesechallenges.

Pablo Gonz·lez Blasco, MD, PhDScientific Director, SOBRAMFA-Brazilian Society of Family Medicine.pablogb@sobramfa.com.br

Marcelo LevitesDirector for Residency Programs,SOBRAMFAmarcelolevites@sobramfa.com.br

Joshua Freeman, MDProfessor and Chair, Department ofFamily Medicine.University of Kansas School ofMedicinejfreeman3@kumc.edu

Cynthia Haq, MDProfessor and Director ofInternational HealthUniversity of Wisconsin MedicalSchoolchaq@fammed.wisc.edu

a McWHINNEY, I. (1997) A textbookof Family Medicine. New York.Oxford University Press.

b Boelen C, Haq C, Hunt V, Rivo M,Shahady E. Improving HealthSystems: the Contribution ofFamily Medicine; a Guidebook.Singapore: Wonca (WorldAcademy of Family Doctors),Bestprint publications, 2002.

c Grumbach,K, Chronic Illness,Comorbidities, and the Need forMedical Generalism. Annals ofFamily Medicine. 1: 1, 4-6, 2003.www.sobramfa.com.br

WONCA News RESOURCES FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR

It is also recognized that those most in need ofcontinuing education may not have the equipment toplay the CDs. We are therefore seeking assistance inpurchasing computers for developing nations doctorsand suggest that such nations may be interested insetting up ‘lending libraries’ of laptops to enabledoctors to make better use of the program.

Additional Asthma and COPD Programs Offeredduring the WONCA World Conference in Orlando

The largest gathering in history of family physiciansfrom all over the world are expected to come to Orlandoin October to attend the joint WONCA and AmericanAcademy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Conference. TheConference will have an extensive scientific agendaaddressing a wide range of issues in today’s familypractice. In addition to the official scientific program, anumber of additional educational opportunities will bepresented. In particular, WONCA has identified asthmaand COPD as highly relevant topics for continuingmedical education in family practice.

Asthma is one of the most common health problemsin primary care. For children in some countries, it is themost common chronic health problem. Despite effectivetreatment being available, there still is substantial underdiagnosis and under treatment of asthma. Physician-related factors as well as patient-related factors play arole in this.

COPD is one of the most common health problemsin the developed and a growing problem the developingworld. Family doctors around the world have to providecare to patients with COPD. The effectiveness of theirtask has been severely hampered by the fact that COPDis usually diagnosed in a late stage of the illness;patients are reluctant to present their health problem;measurement (severity of) airflow obstruction is notalways reliably possible, due to a lack of access tofacilities and consequently a lack of expertise; and therehas been a lack of evidence-based guidance ofclinicians to a more pro-active approach.

A major recent innovation in asthma and COPD wasthe development of International Primary Care AirwaysGuidelines (IPAG) which will be made public for the firsttime during the AAFP/WONCA Conference. IPAG wasprepared by a working group of family practicephysicians to be a practical coherent set of guidance forfamily practice, based on the existing global workshopreports on asthma by the Global Initiative for Asthma(GINA); on COPD by the Global Initiative for ChronicObstructive Lung Disease (GOLD); and on “AllergicRhinitis and its impact on Asthma” (ARIA).

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Two satellite educational symposia, one on asthma,and one on COPD, will be offered in Orlando by WONCAin collaboration with a medical communication company,MCR Vision. The educational messages of these eveningsymposia will be focussed on issues relevant specificallyto family practice in asthma and COPD – problems indiagnosis and management in primary care settings,child asthma, differentiating between COPD and asthma,overview of the new IPAG guidelines, interfacing withsecondary care, physician-patient cooperation, and newlyavailable diagnostic and treatment strategies.

High profile faculty consisting of both US andinternational experts are working to deliver informationof high relevance to AAFP and WONCA attendees. Theprimary care experts in this symposium will be recruitedfrom the International Primary Care Respiratory Group(IPCRG), the group that may, in the future, become aWonca Working Party of the clinical domain of (chronic)respiratory health problems. Among faculty membersbeing asked to participate are such internationallyrecognized experts as Chris van Weel (WONCA), BarbaraYawn (AFFP), and Homer Boushey (ATS).

The symposia are supported by unrestrictededucational grants from ALTANA Pharma (asthma),Boehringer Ingelheim (COPD) and Pfizer (COPD).

The asthma symposium, titled “Reducing the Burdenof Asthma Morbidity in Family Practice” will be held onTuesday October 12, 2004, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm with thefollowing educational objectives:

• Review key issues of diagnosis and management ofasthma in primary care

• Inform participants on primary care aspects of latestevidence-based asthma guidelines

• Present current concepts of diagnosis andmanagement of childhood asthma, in particular inadolescence

• Review the relevance and methods of educatingasthma patients and their families

• Inform participants on new research in asthmatherapies

• Provide opportunity for discussion with a panel ofinternational and US experts

The COPD symposium, titled “Primary Care and theSilent Epidemic of COPD” will be held on WednesdayOctober 13, 2004, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm with thefollowing educational objectives:

• Update participants on the growing burden of COPD• Review key issues of diagnosis and management of

COPD in primary care

• Review of high quality office-based spirometry toassess severity of airflow obstruction and differentiatebetween COPD and asthma

• Present primary care aspects of latest evidence-basedCOPD guidelines

• Review modern methods of assessing treatmentoutcomes in COPD

• Provide opportunity for discussion with a panel ofinternational and US experts

Both symposia will be conducted in the PeabodyOrlando Hotel, located near the convention centre, inthe Orlando Ballroom. These symposia are not part ofthe official program as planned by the AAFP or Woncacommittees on Scientific Program.

The symposia have been submitted for AAFP CMEcredits.

For more information, please call Laura Brockwell at416-915-7734. To receive confirmed speaker names anda formal invitation, please e-maillbrockwell@mcrvision.com with your contact details.

(Editor’s note: Further information may be foundthrough the web on the Global Initiative for Asthma(GINA) at http://www.ginasthma.com; on the GlobalInitiative for COPD (GOLD) at http://www.goldcopd.com;and on the WHO’s Chronic Respiratory DiseasesProgrammes at http://www.who.int/ncd/asthma/index.htm)

ICPC-2E and Wonca Dictionary of General/FamilyPractice

Several important and useful publications developedby the Wonca International Classification Committee andits Chair, Professor Niels Bentzen, are available fordownloading and/or purchase through the Wonca web atwww.GlobalFamilyDoctor.com

The ICPC-2 book published by Oxford UniversityPress in 1998 has been updated to a new version, ICPC-2-E. The changes have been detailed in the April issueof ‘Family Practice’ in an article by Okkes et al. ‘Theelectronic version of ICPC-2, Fam Pract 2000, 17:101-6.The article about the changes and the list of changesboth are copyrighted to WONCA.

ICPC-2-E is an electronic version of the revised andcorrected chapters 10 and 11 of the ICPC-2 book. Fromthe moment of its publication in April 2000 this “ICPC-2-E” will serve as the standard for the use of ICPC-2 as aclassification system both in electronic systems and inwritten form. However, chapters 1 to 9 of the bookremain indispensable in order to understand theunderlying principles and concepts of the classification,and contain information on the additional use of theSeverity of Illness Coding (DUSOI/WONCA) and theFunctional Status Assessment (COOP/WONCA charts).

The non-commercial user is free to use ICPC-2-E,since it replaces chapters 10 and 11 of the book, but thecopyright remains with WONCA, and all rights arereserved and the same conditions apply as apply to theICPC-2 book.

If the electronic version of chapters 10 and 11 is tobe used for commercial purposes or in national/localcoding systems, it will be necessary to negotiate withWONCA about user fees. In that case, please contact theCEO of WONCA (wonca@bigpond.com) about anagreement for the use the classification in a commercialcomputerised medical/health record system or codingsystem.

The Wonca Dictionary of General/Family Practice is acomprehensive work of more than 20 years in themaking by Professor Neils Bentzen. The WoncaDictionary is available for downloading free from GFDand is published in four languages, English, French,Romanian and Spanish. For further information, pleasecontact Professor Bentzen at 47-7359-8876 (phone), 47-7359-7577 (fax) or niels.bentzen@medisin.ntnu.no(email).

WONCA News RESOURCES FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR

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WONCA News CONFERENCES 2004 – 2008

WONCA CONFERENCE 2004 – 2008 AT A GLANCESee Wonca Website www.GlobalFamilyDoctor.com for upates

2004 Region Venue Theme

1–4 June European Amsterdam Quality in Family PracticeRegional Conference NETHERLANDS

13 – 17 October 17th Wonca Orlando Family Medicine – Caring for the WorldWorld Conference USA **Wonca Direct Members get US$300

discount on early bird registration fees**

2005

27 – 31 May Asia Pacific Kyoto Family Fractice/ General Practice – As aRegional Conference JAPAN Global Standard

3 – 7 Sept European Cos Island From Hippocrates to the HumanRegional Conference GREECE Genome: The Past, Present and Future

of General Practice/Family Medicine

Date to be 7th World Venue to be Theme to be confirmedconfirmed Rural Health confirmed

Conference

2006

27 – 31 Aug European Florence Theme to be confirmedRegional Conference ITALY

4 – 9 Asia Pacific Bangkok Happy and Healthy FamilyNovember Regional Conference THAILAND

2007

24 – 28 July 18th WONCA SINGAPORE Human Genomics and its Impact on FamilyWorld Conference Physicians

2008

Date to be Asia Pacific Melbourne Theme to be confirmedconfirmed Regional AUSTRALIA

Conference

Information correct as at January 2004.May be subject to change

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19

WONCA News GLOBAL MEETINGS FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR

GLOBAL MEETINGS FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR

WONCA WORLD AND REGIONAL CONFERENCE CALENDAR

Wonca Europe ESGP/FM Regional Conference,Amsterdam 2004Theme : Quality in PracticeHost : Dutch College of General PractitionersDate : 1-4 June, 2004Venue : RAI Congress Centre, Amsterdam, HollandContact : Secretariat

Dutch College of General PractitionersPO Box 32313502 GE Utrecht, Holland

Tel : 31302 881700Fax : 31302 870668Email : evenementen@nhg-nl.orgWeb : www.woncaeurope2004.nl

17th Wonca World Conference, Florida 2004Theme : Family Medicine– Caring for the WorldHost : American Academy of Family Physicians

(AAFP)Date : 13-17 October, 2004Venue : Orlando, Florida, USAContact : Daniel J. Ostergaard, MD

Chair, Host Organizing Committee11400 Tomahawk Creek ParkwayLeawood, Kansas 66211-2672, USA

Tel : 1 913 906 6000 (outside USA)Fax : 1 913 906 6082Email : Woncacongress@Wonca2004.orgWeb : http://www.Wonca2004.org

Asia Pacific Regional Conference, Japan 2005Host : Japanese Academy of Primary Care PhysiciansTheme : Family Practice/General Practice – As a Global

StandardDate: 27-31 May, 2005Venue : Kyoto, JapanContact : Japanese Academy of Primary Care Physicians

Ebata Building 4th Floor2-14, Kandaogawa-choChiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0052, Japan

Tel : 81 3 5281 9781Fax : 81 3 5281 9780Email : pc@primary-care.or.jpWeb : http://www.primary-care.or.jp

Wonca Europe ESGP/FM Regional Conference, CosIsland 2005Host : Greek Association of General PractitionersTheme : From Hippocrates to the Human Genome: The

Past, Present and Future of General Practice/Family Medicine

Date : 3-7 September, 2005Venue : Island of Cos, GreeceContact : The Greek Association of GPs (Elegeia)

Mr. Raoul Merkouris21,N.Kountourioti Str.(5th floor)54625-ThessalonikiGreece

Tel : 30 2310 550048, +30 2310 539995Fax : 30 2310 539995Email : elegeia@woncaeurope2005.orgWeb : http://www.woncaeurope2005.org

18th Wonca World Conference, Singapore 2007Host : College of Family Physicians, SingaporeTheme : Human Genomics and its Impact on Family

PhysiciansDate : 24-28 July, 2007Venue : Singapore International Convention and

Exhibition CentreContact : Dr Tan See Leng, Chairman, Host Organizing

CommitteeCollege of Family Physicians, SingaporeCollege of Medicine Building16 College Road #10-02Singapore 169854

Tel : 65 223 0606Fax : 65 222 0204Email : rccfps@pacific.net.sg

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WONCA News GLOBAL MEETINGS FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR

MEMBER ORGANIZATION AND RELATED MEETINGS

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP)Spring Symposium, Bournemouth 2004Theme : A Sea Change in General PracticeDate : 23-25 April 2004Venue : Bournemouth, United KingdomContact : Alison Sage

Wessex FacultyRoyal College of General PractitionersAndover War Memorial HospitalCharlton RoadAndoverHants.SP10 3LB

Phone : 01264 355005Fax : 01264 355115Email : spring2004wsx@rcgp.org.ukWeb : www.rcgp.org.uk

The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine37th Annual Spring Conference, Toronto, 2004Date : May 12-16, 2004Theme : New Times, New Solutions: Reflecting,

Redefining and ReemergingVenue : Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto, Ontario,

CanadaContact : Priscilla Noland

STFM11400 Tomahawk Creek ParkwayLeawood, KS, 66211-2672, USA

Tel : 1 800 274 2237, ext. 5410Fax : 1 816 906 6096Email : assndfm@stfm.orgWeb : http://www.stfm.org

CME Congress 2004, Toronto, 2004Date : May 15-18, 2004Theme : Linking Information, Education and

ImplementationVenue : Fairmont Royal York Hotel

Toronto, Ontario, CanadaContact : Conference Secretariat

C/O Continuing EducationFaculty of MedicineToronto, OntarioCanada M5G 1V7

Tel : 416 978 27191 888 512 8173 (North America only)

Fax : 416 971 220Email : ce.med@utoronto.caWeb : www.cmecongress.org

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners(RNZCGP)Annual Conference, Wellington, 2004Title : Facing ComplexityDates : 15-17 July, 2004Place : Wellington, New Zealand.Contact : RNZCGP

PO Box 10440Wellington, NZ

Phone : 64 4 496 5999Fax : 64 4 496 5997Email : rnzcgp@rnzcgp.org.nzWeb : www.rnzcgp.org.nz

Association of Health Care Professionals (AHCP)15th Conference, Edinburgh 2004Theme : Maintaining the Challenges in Family

Medicine/General PracticeDate : 18-22 July, 2004Venue : Edinburgh, Scotland, UKContact : Secretariat

International Medical Conference Services(IMCS)PO Box 18265London EC2A 3TT England UK

Tel : 44 20 7749 7220Fax : 44 20 7739 8683Email : Imedico@yahoo.co.uk

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WONCA News GLOBAL MEETINGS FOR THE FAMILY DOCTOR

The Romanian-Dutch Matra Program PACARO ( PAlliativeCAre in ROmania ) Congress, Bucharest 2004Theme : Palliative care: experiences and perspectivesDate : September 29-October 2 , 2004Venue : The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Bucharest, RomaniaContact : Alina Serban

15, Sos Stefan cel Mare , Bl 15, Sc. E, Apt 12,020123 Bucharest-2

RomaniaTel/fax : +40 21 210 6540, 211 3060, 610 3417Email : pacaro2004@ralcom.roWeb : www.ralcom.ro/pacaro2004 ;

www.pacaro.go.ro

North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG)MeetingsNAPCRG 32nd Annual Meeting, Orlando, USADate : October 10-13, 2004Venue : Wyndham Orlando Resort, Orlando, FloridaContact : Jenny Wood

Member Services CoordinatorNAPCRGPO Box 7370

Shawnee Mission, KS 66207-0370Email : depasst@stfm.orgWeb : www.napcrg.org

21st International Conference of the International Societyfor Quality in Health Care, Amsterdam 2004Date : October 19-22, 2004Venue : Amsterdam, The NetherlandsContact : International Society for Quality in Health

CareClarendon TerraceEast MelbourneAustralia

Tel: 61 3 9417 6971Fax : 61 3 9417 6851Email : isqua@isqua.org.auWeb : www.isqua.org.au

College of Family Physicians of Canada, Toronto 2004Theme : Family Medicine Forum 2004Date : November 25-27, 2004Venue : Toronto, Ontario CanadaContact : Marilyn McDonell/Joanne Langevin

2630 Skymark AvenueMississauga, Ontario L4W 5A4Canada

Tel : 905-629-0900/1-800-387-6197Fax : 905-629-0893E-mail: mmcdonell@cfpc.ca/jlangevin@cfpc.caWeb : www.cfpc.ca