Material from ICGP Conference – Strengthening General Practice through Research and Audit – Saturday June 19th, 2010

The first ICGP research and audit conference - Strengthening General Practice through Research and Audit - held on June 19th in the Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny and sponsored by Flora ProActiv was a notable success. Delegates at the conference reported being very satisfied with the content and format of the conference and calls have already been received to repeat the conference next year. Three seminars were held as part of the conference to facilitate the exchange of ideas on particular topics.

1. Clinical Audit [Facilitator: Dr Ian Callanan, Clinical Audit Facilitator, St Vincent's Healthcare Group and member of the Professional Competence Schemes Working Group of the Medical Council]

This seminar outlined the key elements of audit and its relevance to professional competence and emphasised the contribution that clinical audit makes to service provision. Dr Callanan recommended small, regular and repeated audits with a stress on ensuring that the full audit cycle is completed.

2. Ethical Issues in Research and Audit [Facilitator: Professor Colin Bradley, Department of General Practice, University College Cork and Chair of ICGP Research Ethics Committee]

This seminar outlined the key ethical considerations and the moral principles governing the ethical review of research proposals, which aim to protect the well-being and rights of research participants/volunteers. It also provided assistance in understanding GP responsibilities and obligations under the Data Protection Acts, particularly with respect to the gathering of patient data for research and clinical audit purposes and the access to and the safekeeping of that data. Professor Bradley pointed to the distinction between audit and research, particularly in terms of the aim and ethical requirements, and reminded us that research is unethical if it is not of good scientific quality.

3. Cochrane Systematic Reviews - a GP's Experience [Facilitator: Dr Mary Kearney, GP, Dunlavin, Co Wicklow]

This seminar enabled participants to understand the role of systematic reviews in health care and outlined the particular qualities of Cochrane systematic reviews. Dr Kearney demonstrated how Cochrane reviews can help GPs in their daily practice, how they are used internationally and how they are continually updated to keep abreast with the latest research available.