ASHM is running two courses in November:

• Hepatitis C New Treatments Course for GPs and other medical practitioners
• Preparing Patients for Interferon-free Treatment for Hepatitis C in Drug and Alcohol Settings

Hepatitis C New Treatments Course for GPs and other medical practitioners

New highly effective interferon-free hepatitis C medicines that are well tolerated have been made available through both the PBS General Schedule ('Section 85') and the Section 100 (S100) Highly Specialised Drugs (HSD) Program from 1 March 2016.

This comprehensive course aims to increase participants' knowledge, skills and confidence when prescribing the new direct acting antivirals (DAAs) in accordance with the PBS requirements or advising patients about the new available therapies.

This course will cover the prescribing and patient restrictions for approved medicines listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) form 1 March 2016.

The course will be delivered in two parts:

• Part 1 consists of an eLearning component of approximately 2 hours' duration. It comprises 5 separate modules which introduce topics related to the assessment, management and treatment of hepatitis C.
• Part 2 consists of an interactive face-to-face workshop of 6 hours' duration that builds on the knowledge and skills gained in the Part 1 eLearning through case discussions facilitated by experts in the field of hepatitis C treatment.

This course will be presented by local specialists with expertise in hepatitis C.

Registration information:

Funding for this course has been provided by the Department of Health.
This activity has been approved by RACGP QI&CPD Program. Total (40) Category 1 CPD Points.
Scholarships are available for medical practitioners working in rural areas of South Australia; please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more details.

Preparing Patients for Interferon-free Treatment for Hepatitis C in Drug and Alcohol Settings

New treatments of hepatitis C offering cure rates greater than 90%, shorter duration of therapy and reduced toxicity are now available on the PBS. These treatments can be prescribed by general practitioners, as well as medical staff in Drug & Alcohol settings.

In Australia, hepatitis C infections are largely attributable to unsafe injecting drug use practices, with people who inject drugs representing approximately 90% of newly acquired infections. Medical staff in Drug and Alcohol settings play an important role in improving the health outcomes of people living with Hepatitis C and can reduce a patient’s risk of developing advanced liver disease through early diagnosis, thorough evaluation and assessment of liver disease severity, appropriate management of co-morbidities and treatment with newly available drug regimens.

Learning outcomes:

• Interpret test results and diagnose hepatitis C appropriately
• Ensure that people at risk of hepatitis C infection are regularly screened
• Manage and monitor people with chronic hepatitis C suitably, including staging of liver disease and lifestyle modifications as needed
• Advise patients about new therapies for hepatitis C so they can make informed treatment decisions

Keynote Speaker:

Dr Edmund Tse
Head of Hepatology, Royal Adelaide Hospital

Registration information:

Funding for this course has been provided by the Department of Health.
This activity has been approved by the RACGP QI&CPD program. Allocated 2pts/hour, total CPD pts 4 (Category 2) points.
Course participants will receive a range of complimentary ASHM membership benefits for the duration of the financial year, including access to latest sector information.