THE world is getting smaller. GPs are increasingly coming in contact with people from different countries and culture is becoming an important issue that determines communication between the doctor and the patient. Doctors need tools that help their work in a multicultural environment.
Under the patronage of the European Academy of Teachers in General Practice (EURACT), the Slovene Family Medicine Society at the University Ljubljana and the Institute of Family Medicine are organising the 13th International Course for teachers in general/family practice in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia to take place on 7–11 September 2004. EURACT council members also serving as additional resource persons and the course directors are from around Europe. The social programme will be organised by the chair of the social programme of the Wonca Europe 2003 conference in Ljubljana, Nena Kopcavar-Gucek, so you can be sure that it will be exquisite.
Kranjska Gora is a famous tourist resort in north-west Slovenia, in the foothills of the Julian Alps, and is easily accessible by car, train or plane. (Daily easyJet flights to Ljubljana from London Stanstead commenced in early May.) From the conference rooms you can enjoy the view of the green hills and white mountains surrounding the pituresque landscape.
The theme of the course is learning and teaching about patient-centred clinical care in modern cross-cultural communities in general/family practice. The course will end on 10–11 September with the 1st European conference on education in primary care — at the crossroads of the education in general/family practice.
Because of the nature of general practice it is important that these issues are properly taught in a GP setting. This is the challenge that this year's course is aiming to address. The participants will have an opportunity to share their views and experiences with dealing with patients from different cultures. Because of the international nature of the course, we will be able to exchange opinions and views from different healthcare systems, societies and cultures.
The course is aimed at general practitioners involved in teaching general practice at university or practice level and will be held in English. It will be based on presentations by experts, group work, field work and open discussion in small groups and plenaries. The participants will be supplied with course material in advance. A EURACT certificate will be issued to the participants at the end of the course. The participants will be able to visit family offices and explore the organisation of primary health care in Slovenia. The participants of the course will also be able to attend the 1st Annual Meeting of General/Family Practice Teachers in Europe and present their products from the groups during it for the price of attending the course.
At the end of the course the participants will be able to:
Understand the meaning and importance of patient-centredness and partnership model of clinical care in doctor–patient relationship.
Understand the importance of an appropriate relationship between the patient and the doctor in the context of his or her everyday routine and principles of general practice.
Use strategies for dealing with delicate issues of the doctor–patient relationship.
Apply the strategies in a practical situation.
Understand the importance of incorporating teaching about the doctor–patient relationship in their students' and trainees' programmes.
Develop a teaching strategy on the doctor–patient relationship in general practice that can be used in his or her country.
The course fee is set at €200 and will include course materials, organisation of the course, conference attendance and the participation in exciting social events. There is a €40 reduction of the course fee for EURACT members and a limited number of sponsored places are available through the EURACT sponsorship programme. Details will be available at the EURACT website (www.euract.org). A detailed programme will be available on Slovene Family Medicine Society website (www.drmed.org and www.drmed-mb.org).
Submissions are welcome — abstracts for presentations and workshops — to the board of directors, who will decide what presentations will be accepted and the way the papers will be presented. Abstracts for the presentations and workshops not exceeding 250 words should be sent in Word format by e-mail to the programme committee by 20 June. Interested participants should send their preliminary applications until 20 June.
- © British Journal of General Practice, 2004.