A workshop was held in Dunedin on 26th and 27th of January, 2005 with the intention of investigating the possibility of producing a Standard Treatment Manual for New Zealand rural and remote practice. Sabina Knight, the Chair of the Editorial Boards of CARPA and CRANA, attended the workshop along with 34 Nurses and Doctors from throughout New Zealand. Following 2 days of discussion and debate, strong support from the participants of the workshop was articulated for this project.

The aim of this initiative is to provide clinicians in primary care, particularly those in remote practice, with evidence-based standard treatment guidelines from which to base their clinical decision-making. From the Dunedin meeting, an Editorial Committee was formed with the aim of publishing a New Zealand publication of evidence-based standard treatment guidelines for use in primary care and remote/rural practice, based on the Australian CARPA Standard Treatment Guidelines 4th edition. Once a draft document has been produced, it is planned to have this reviewed by a group of expert clinicians before the final version is published.

The Editorial Committee would like to invite interested clinicians to participate in the KIWI CARPA initiative either as a member of the Editorial Committee or as a member of the Review Group. The Editorial Committee meets via teleconference each fortnight, the reviewers have yet to be convened. Membership of both groups will require a certain commitment of time and effort, and a willingness to see the project completed.

If you are interested in this initiative, please contact: