Losing capacity
Jan 25, 2025
We bet you didn’t think that this would be a topic that comes up in written and oral exams!
How? Really?
Let’s take another look at the RACGP Curriculum Domains 2022 - Accessed here - https://www.racgp.org.au/education/education-providers/curriculum/curriculum-and-syllabus/home
- Communication skills and the patient-doctor relationship
- Applied professional skills and knowledge.
- Population health and the context of general practice
- Professional and ethical role
- Organisational and legal dimensions
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
- Rural Health
This is where it appears.
Ok so now that we have convinced you that these questions appear, you may now be wondering in what format they appear.
Broadly speaking, they appear in two forms, with some localised variation:
- Acute loss of capacity – particularly relating to acute mental health pathology.
- Chronic/progressive loss of capacity – tending to relate to palliative care and dementia scenarios.
There are only a small number of actions that are available in these scenarios, and so long as you can spot which category your question scenario relates to, then you can easily adopt a standardised set of actions to suit the nuance your scenario.
We go through both scenarios with lots of localised variation in detail, and our PassGP Examiners step you through how to ace these questions.
For now, make a point of reading up about some important topics:
- The Mental Health Act.
- Enduring powers of attorneys and advanced health care directives.
- Advanced care planning and the principles of palliative care.
We've got you!
