Abstract
Evaluation and monitoring of primary health care requires the establishment and maintenance of an appropriate data system. This study reviews the application and effectiveness of the Communicare data management system in the delivery of health services to the Fitzroy Valley in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Key demographic fields (sex, date of birth and Aboriginal status) were examined for completeness (whether the date fields were all completed and correct when compared with the paper file) while the 'conditions' field was examined for accuracy. Three chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension and chronic kidney disease) in adults and age-specific incidence for four acute diseases (otitis media, gastroenteritis, lower respiratory tract infection and skin infection) in children were included. Completeness of chosen demographic fields was 100% for date of birth and sex and 98% for Aboriginal status. Chronic conditions matched the paper files 100%, while the recording of acute conditions was incomplete. Among older adults (≥55 years) the prevalences of diabetes, chronic kidney disease and hypertension were 43%, 42% and 39% respectively. Age-specific incidence of acute conditions was highest in the 0-4 years age group where 25% had had at least one episode of otitis media and 20% at least one episode of skin infection. The recording of demographic and chronic disease data was complete, but lower for acute conditions. Routinely collected data have a number of limitations, but nonetheless are a feasible way to establish population health indices, particularly for chronic diseases for this remote health service with minimal expenditure and effort. These rates provide useful baselines for monitoring and evaluating the impact of service delivery on health outcomes. This audit provides an indication of the accuracy of routinely collected data in the electronic system compared to the paper medical records, which have traditionally been considered the gold standard. Data collected on chronic disease information were accurate and clinically useful for health service planning, monitoring and evaluation. Acute disease data were not accurate enough to be clinically useful.
Highlights
Evaluation and monitoring of primary health care requires the establishment and maintenance of an appropriate data system
Aboriginal Australians living in remote areas have worse health outcomes compared to non-Aboriginal Australians, both nationally and in rural and remote areas[2,3]
The majority of clinical services in the Fitzroy Valley are provided either by the Fitzroy Valley Health Service, which provides both primary and tertiary care from the hospital situated in Fitzroy Crossing, or the Kimberley Population Health Unit, which provides primary health care via outreach clinics in the larger communities
Summary
Evaluation and monitoring of primary health care requires the establishment and maintenance of an appropriate data system. Collected data have a number of limitations, but are a feasible way to establish population health indices, for chronic diseases for this remote health service with minimal expenditure and effort These rates provide useful baselines for monitoring and evaluating the impact of service delivery on health outcomes. Over the past 5 years a formal partnership between all health services reoriented the focus of health service provision towards an increasingly integrated and holistic primary health care model[8] This transition included the introduction of the clinical management system Communicare, designed to improve patient management and the sharing of information between the health services in the Fitzroy Valley. Its introduction has provided the potential to use Communicare to monitor the burden of disease and health outcomes as part of an ongoing health service evaluation framework
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
