Launch of RACGP’s 'First do no harm: A guide to choosing wisely in general practice'

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has launched a new clinical guide for both GPs and patients, with a primary focus on reducing patient harms and avoiding low-value care.

First do no harm: A guide to choosing wisely in general practice helps GPs and patients to make evidence-based shared decisions, where the harms may outweigh the benefits. This online, ‘living’ resource provides GPs and patients with information on:

• overused tests
• overdiagnosed and overtreated conditions and
• interventions with insufficient evidence.

First do no harm will help patients to make empowered and balanced decisions about their health, providing them with the evidence and tools to assist in shared decision making with their GP. The patient resource includes information about the specific test or treatment, with answers to common questions, and an overview of the potential harms they need to consider when making their decision.

Additionally, each GP resource includes a QR code that links to the patient-facing information, allowing GPs to talk through tests and treatments with patients as they access complementary resources in real-time within the consultation. Patients can also download the resources to read in their free time. We hope this will help enable positive and constructive conversations between GPs and their patients.

First do no harm has launched with five initial topics, with more to be released in 2023. The first five topics are:

• Imaging in adults with acute low back pain
• Management of subclinical hypothyroidism
• MTHFR gene testing
• Vitamin C infusions
• Vitamin D testing