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Third edition of RACGP and NACCHO National Guide launched in Canberra
Federal Minister for Indigenous Health Ken Wyatt launched the updated third edition of the ‘National guide to a preventive health assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’ at Parliament House in Canberra.
The RACGP and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) joined to produce the National guide to a preventive health assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (the National Guide), which aims to improve the level of care being delivered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and help to close the gap in health equality.
‘Prevention is always better than cure,’ Minister Wyatt said. ‘Already one of the most widely used clinical guidelines in Australia, this new edition includes critical information on lung cancer, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and preventing child and family abuse and violence.
‘The National Guide maximises the opportunities at every clinic visit to prevent disease and to find it early. It will help increase vigilance over previously undiagnosed conditions by promoting early intervention and by supporting broader social change to help individuals and families improve their wellbeing.
RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Chair Associate Professor Peter O’Mara said the National Guide is designed to support healthcare providers to feel more confident that they are looking for health issues in the right way.
‘The National Guide will support all healthcare providers, not just GPs, across Australia to improve prevention and early detection of disease and illness,’ he said. ‘The prevention and early detection of disease and illness can improve people’s lives and increase their lifespans.’
The National Guide is now in its third edition and is one of the most widely used clinical guidelines in Australia. The third edition contains four important new topics:
- Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
- Supporting families to optimise child health and wellbeing
- Family abuse and violence
- Lung cancer
The National Guide covers many of the major chronic conditions experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and each chapter is supported by evidence-based recommendations and good practice points. Child, youth and adult lifecycle wall charts with age-specific recommendations are also included.
NACCHO Chair John Singer said the updated National Guide would help governments improve health policy and lead initiatives that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
‘All of our 6000 staff in 145 member services in 305 health settings across Australia will have access to this new and updated edition of the National Guide,’ he said.
‘It’s a comprehensive edition for our clinicians and support staff that updates them all with current medical practice.’
Singer also spoke about NACCHO’s commitment to quality healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.
‘We will work with all levels of government to ensure accessibility for all,’ he said.
The updated third edition of the National Guide is now available the
RACGP website. Contact
aboriginalhealth@racgp.org.au or call 1800 000 251 for more information or to obtain a copy.
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