Aboriginal Identification in Mainstream General Practice

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Aboriginal Identification in Mainstream General
Practice

• Presenter Erin Eade and Jodie Griffin
• Southern General Practice Network

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Healthy for Life Team
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1. Why did we start?

• Increase identification of Aboriginal clients
  within mainstream general practice
• Impetus healthy for life funding
• H4L program all general practices including the
  community controlled service.
• GP and Practice staff consultations 2006 ( 4 out
  of 33 practices (12) routinely asking) survey
  followed up by phone calls.

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A phone survey of practice managers elicited
interesting responses as to why or why not they
recording this information (2006)

• No identification process, why would we it would
  be discriminatory to ask as we could not provide
  a different service it is unnecessary to record
  anyones heritage.
• We only have three Aboriginal patients and we
  know this as I identify from sight. We dont
  record this on their form at all and am unsure if
  there is a box in medical director to do so.
• Unaware of the item numbers available for
  Aboriginal Health Checks. Thought that there was
  nothing that was different for Aboriginal people.

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• Why would I ask that, not relevant for anything.
• We dont have any Aboriginal clients so we dont
  need to ask.
• They can fill it out on the form but we dont ask
  that question.
• Is there even a field in Medical Director to put
  it in because on the front summary sheet there is
  no place to put it. Dont really know what we do.

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2. What did we do?

• Aboriginal Health Workers employed
• One on one practice visits - academic detailing
• How to ask and why
• Training on Tick box in Medical Director Best
  Practice
• 3rd edition RACGP accreditation standards just
  released
• Cheat sheet developed
• Link with new health checks available
• GP at community events

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Curalo Medical Practice (Eden) GPs Dr Michael
Pentin Dr Don Reed with Uncle Ossie Stewart at
Eden Koori Family Day
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3. What did we find?

• Practice staff more confident to ask
  Aboriginality
• Greater understanding of why and how to ask
  (differing immunisation schedules, access to
  health checks, earlier onset of chronic
  conditions etc)
• (2009) 15 out of the 23 practices (65) routinely
  asking . Increase from 12 in 2006.

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4. What does it mean?

• Increased understanding of why and how to ask
  Increased identification at general
  practice
• Increased claiming of Aboriginal health checks
  through better identification of clients
• Increased early detection of chronic
  conditions

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5. Where to now?

• Another round of practice visits planned
• Commenced discussions with GSAHS. Running a
  series of identification workshops through Walgan
  Tilly project.
• Continued facilitation of GP involvement in local
  events such as NAIDOC
• Localised identification posters on the wish list
• Increased community understanding of why they are
  being asked (health checks and consults)
• G

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6. Contact details Jodie Griffin / Erin
Eadewww. sgpn.com.au(02) 4474 5100
Uncle Ossie Stewart and Dr Michael Pentin (Curalo
Medical Practice) at Eden Koori Family Day