The George Institute is delighted to be part of the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund commitment towards establishing new research centres for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The Institute’s involvement is focused on SmartHealth, a software tool that integrates with primary care packages to provide decision support and quality improvement services. Developed by The George Institute, SmartHealth is planned for roll out with Telstra Health as part of its Communicare initiative. In partnership with Aboriginal Controlled Community Health Services, this project will receive $500,000 of Centre investment and $285,000 leveraged support from Telstra Health. The program will reduce cardiovascular disease burden amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the country.
Professor David Peiris, Director of the Global Primary Health Care Program (Better Care) at The George Institute is leading the project.
Some communities have higher rates of heart disease than others. The Heart Foundation wants to improve the heart health of all Australians, wherever they live.
The Heart Foundation is working with St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney to develop a range of heart health resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
This partnership has built a nationally significant online resource to reach and inform communities across a range of heart health information.
Since 2012 the Australian Government has funded the Lighthouse Hospital Project, in response to these heart health disparities and to help close the heart health gap.
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in Australia, but the burden of disease disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia.
The Lighthouse Hospital Project is a joint initiative between the Heart Foundation and the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA) to improve health and care outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with CHD.
Since the program’s launch in 2012, it’s enabled better in-hospital and post-hospital cardiac care, through improved hospital systems and fostering cultural competence in acute care staff.
The Lighthouse Project has a sustained focus on supporting more hospitals to reduce rates of discharge against medical advice (DAMA) for their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients with CHD.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients face a range of barriers to accessing quality healthcare, including:
- Communication breakdowns in the coordination of care between hospitals and the primary care sector
- Less access to medical treatment. They may need to travel vast distances (even interstate), which can mean they are without their family, friends and support network
- They may feel isolated and overwhelmed, especially if they are unfamiliar with the hospital environment, the local area, services or the local languages.
Fortunately, the program outlines actions that can improve post discharge care. This can improve patient health and reduce a patients’ likelihood to re-present at emergency departments.
Other actions to improve the patient journey include providing access to telehealth and enhancing relationships and coordination of care.
The Lighthouse Hospital Project demonstrates that better health outcomes can be achieved for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through improved patient experiences and culturally responsive and flexible care.
Phase three evaluation highlighted that more than three-quarters of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with ACS surveyed in Lighthouse Hospitals rated their hospital experience as ‘very good’ or ‘good’.
During phase three, hospitals made progress in strengthening:
- Engagement and relationships with community organisations, such as Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCHOs) and Aboriginal Medical Services (AMSs)
- The prominence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and values in hospital environments
- The integration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers with ACS care teams
- Staff capacity to provide culturally appropriate patient-centred care
- Clinical processes related to admission, identification, discharge and post-discharge care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patient admitted with an Acute Coronary Syndrome
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