11 Dec 2018
Latent TB instructional videos for GPs launched
In an effort to upskill GPs around Australia about diagnosing and treating latent tuberculosis, Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Victorian Tuberculosis Program at the Doherty Institute has created series of educational videos.
Written and presented by Medical Director, Associate Professor Justin Denholm, the videos hope to capture medical professionals at the community level, giving them the tools to safely and effectively prevent active tuberculosis (TB) in at-risk communities.
People with latent TB infection do not feel sick or have symptoms, it can remain dormant for decades. Latent TB is not infectious.
“It’s estimated around 1.1 million people in Australia have latent TB, and almost all of them are unaware they have it,” Associate Professor Denholm said.
“Most Australian GPs wouldn’t see active TB in their careers, but they can play a huge part in trying to prevent it.”
Associate Professor Denholm said that treating latent TB infection in Australia is an important step in TB elimination.
Five videos have been produced that cover managing latent TB in the community, how to diagnose, initiating treatment, follow-up and monitoring and next steps once treatment is finished.
“Part of the responsibility of the Victorian Tuberculosis Program is to provide training to GPs and other professionals about tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis. We wanted to extend our capacity to encourage more GP’s to think about TB in their practices and hope these videos will help do that,” Associate Professor Denholm said.