11th Primary Care Congress in Graz

Healthcare reform, cost-cutting measures, digitalisation: the healthcare sector is undergoing radical change, particularly in the field of primary care. Modern technologies open up new opportunities, but also present challenges. An important component of the new primary care system is training that is innovative and adapted to the new circumstances. The 11th Primary Care Congress in Graz, organised by the Institute of General Medicine and Evidence-based Care Research (IAMEV) at the Medical University of Graz, will address this and other topics.

Learning and Teaching in Primary Care

How can we prepare today’s students for the healthcare of tomorrow? This sums up the first key focus of this year’s Primary Care Congress. New teaching and learning concepts are intended to help prepare future primary care practitioners for the future, in both medical and nursing contexts. Stefan Korsatko from the Primary Care Congress organising team summarises the focus as follows: “We want to emphasise how important investment in knowledge development for primary care is. This includes well-trained healthcare professionals, a professional teaching and learning culture, and publicly funded healthcare research.” 

Andrea Siebenhofer-Kroitzsch, Head of the IAMEV, describes the comprehensive training already on offer in this field: “Our students learn about the principles of primary care through numerous modules, and all of them spend four weeks working in a GP practice during their final year of study. With our own university course, ‘Primary Health Care’, we also offer a wide range of academic programmes for all healthcare professions.”

Alongside a series of lectures focusing in depth on the present and future of primary care, the ‘Primary Care Continuing Education Map’ will be presented, which provides an overview of all relevant continuing professional development opportunities in this field in Austria.

Research in primary care

Alongside training, research in primary care constitutes the second key section of the congress. Particular emphasis will be placed on the current situation regarding funding, the potential of nursing research in the context of primary care, and how research works within general practice. These topics will also be discussed during a panel discussion with experts from central government, health insurance funds and the healthcare sector.

Further information on the programme can be found at www.pv-kongress.at.

11th Austrian Primary Care Congress 

Profile: Stefan Korsatko

Stefan Korsatko is a private lecturer and works as a general practitioner at the Medius Primary Care Centre in Graz. There, an interprofessional team ensures local medical care. In addition, he is a research associate at the Institute of General Medicine and Evidence-based Care Research (IAMEV) at the Medical University of Graz, specialising in conference organisation and working in the fields of healthcare research, general practice and teaching, where he is primarily involved in the training of students at the Medical University of Graz.

Profile: Andrea Siebenhofer-Kroitzsch

Andrea Siebenhofer-Kroitzsch is Professor of General Practice and Evidence-Based Healthcare Research, as well as Head of the Institute of General Medicine and Evidence-based Care Research (IAMEV). At the Medical University of Graz, her work centres on the application of research methods in healthcare research, evidence-based medicine and high-quality medical care in general practice and in the management of chronic conditions. She is also a Professor of Chronic Disease and Health Services Research and Deputy Director of the Institute of General Practice at Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main.