The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow is to host a speaker at their flagship conference, Medicine24 who will talk about infections in people who inject drugs.
Dr Erica Peters, a Consultant in Infectious Diseases and General Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital will talk about the clinical and public health response to the current HIV outbreak in Glasgow where there are 120 new cases of HIV in vulnerable homeless people who inject drugs.
The injecting drug use population in Scotland is aging with >50% over 35 years old, many of whom are presenting to A&E with complex needs, and sometimes with unusual infections such as anthrax and botulism.
Erica Peters said “This group of vulnerable people present with complex needs, particularly given that injecting drug users are ageing in Glasgow and have many co-morbidities. Younger drug users use a range of drugs including novel psychoactive agents but people are still injecting and at risk of complications of this despite good harm reduction provision. However, in spite of these complex needs, it is possible to manage and treat those in this underserved population with high quality care.”
Dr Jackie Taylor, President Elect of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow said “Medicine24 is an excellent opportunity to hear and learn from a variety of speakers on a wide range of relevant topics. Injecting drug use is an important issue for clinicians as patients may present with serious, complex problems. As Erica highlights, understanding the medical and social problems is crucial to enable us to provide the highest standards of care.
“Medicine24 covers a range of issues faced by the NHS today, and we hope it will provide those attending with state of the art education and plenty of time to reflect and network with others.”
This two day conference provides up to date information on the optimal management of acutely ill patients within the first 24 hours of admission. Now in its fourth year, Medicine24 2018 will cover the most common situations that present in busy receiving wards, and include updates in a range of medical specialties. The 2018 conference will also introduce a new ‘masterclass’ session. This series of workshops offer an interactive experience, learning directly from the experts.
