Are we missing something? Primary aldosteronism in Australian primary care

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common and potentially curable cause of hypertension. Primary Aldosteronism causes hypertension in up to one in 7 hypertensive patients –people with PA caused hypertension face a three times greater risk of cardio-vascular complications. But once diagnosed, PA is surprisingly easy to treat. The CONSEP trial is a Monash University based, GP led randomised controlled trial, that has the potential to make a real difference to the care of patients with hypertension. The multidisciplinary NHMRC funded trial is seeking to overcome barriers to the identification and management of PA in primary care. We are testing whether whether software prompts makes Primary Aldosteronism easier to detect for general practitioners and their practice teams. While this trial provides an opportunity for students to embed their work in the initiative, there are numerous other areas rich for exploration in what is a new and expanding field. For example we know little about the patient experience of early PA, and are unclear as to the burden on patients of the complex diagnostic process that can follow identification through screening. We have a funded PhD opportunity in the CONSEP trial and would welcome expressions of interest for this work. Our team based in the Department of General Practice at Monash University has a long history of supporting research students. Honours, Masters and PhD students working with us will gain from the experienced and personalised support within our team. In addition students can benefit from the targeted teaching and peer support of our acclaimed Graduate Research Group program.