Australian Primary Care Setting Research Articles

Cardiovascular related polypharmacy and its association with liver and kidney impairment amongst individuals on lipid-lowering therapy: a cross-sectional study using primary care data

Abstract Background Individuals with risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) frequently require concurrent treatment with various medications, a phenomenon known as polypharmacy. This study aimed to investigate the association between CVD-related polypharmacy and the presence of liver and kidney impairment amongst patients receiving lipid-lowering therapy within the Australian primary care setting. Methods This study utilised electronic medical records from general practices retrieved between January 2013 and December 2023. Multivariate logistic regression identified independent risk factors associated with CVD-related polypharmacy, defined as the concurrent use of five or more CVD protective medications. The analysis included individuals on lipid lowering therapy who are at risk for CVD. The relationship between CVD-related polypharmacy and the presence of liver and kidney dysfunction was further assessed, defined by exceeding established reference ranges for relevant biomarkers (alanine aminotransferase [ALT], aspartate aminotransferase [AST], bilirubin, creatinine, and estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]) as per Australian guidelines. Results A total of 13,568 participants (median age: 63 years [IQR 54-72], 54% males) were included. Independent factors associated with CVD-related polypharmacy included diabetes (OR=5.40, 95% CI: 4.96-5.93), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (OR=2.39, 95% CI: 2.00-2.86), hypertension (OR=1.91, 95% CI: 1.75-2.07), and smoking (OR=1.05, 95% CI: 0.97-1.14). Compared to the 18-35 age group, individuals aged ≥80 years displayed a significantly higher likelihood of CVD-related polypharmacy (OR=8.17, 95% CI: 5.47-12.21). While no significant association was observed between CVD-related polypharmacy and liver impairment (OR=1.19, 95% CI: 0.59-2.37), an independent positive association was identified with kidney impairment (OR=1.38, 95% CI: 1.24-1.54), adjusted for established CVD risk factors including age, sex, smoking, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, hypertension, and CKD. Conclusion This study suggests a positive association between CVD-related polypharmacy and increased risk of kidney impairment in Australian primary care. Further research is warranted to explore potential causal mechanisms and evaluate the efficacy of medication review strategies, enhanced kidney function monitoring, and potential medication deprescribing in managing patients at risk of CVD who are on multiple medications.

Cirrhosis in primary practice: many patients remain potentially undiagnosed and are not receiving liver cancer surveillance.

Most patients with cirrhosis have compensated disease and are cared for in primary care; however, the exact epidemiology within Australia remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to assess cirrhosis care in an Australian primary care setting by evaluating rates of cirrhosis diagnosis, appropriate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance and specialist communication. Electronic medical records in consenting general practices were reviewed using the "Liver Toolkit" to identify patients with an existing cirrhosis diagnosis. Individual cases were reviewed to identify outcomes of interest. One hundred seventy-one patients with confirmed cirrhosis across nine general practices were identified (74% male, mean age: 61.2years). There was significant variation in the rate of cirrhosis diagnosis between practices (range 31.7-637.9 per 100 000 patients, P<0.0001). Patients with cirrhosis had predominately compensated disease (75% Child-Pugh A) and common etiologies of cirrhosis were alcohol (49%), hepatitis C (47%), and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (29%). Forty-two patients (25%) had received appropriate HCC surveillance. Predictors of inadequate HCC surveillance were time from last specialist correspondence (odds ratio [OR]=1.06 per month increase, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-1.10, P=0.002) and hepatitis B (OR=0.24, 95% CI: 0.06-0.98, P=0.047). Specialist correspondence with primary care was older than 2years or absent in 37% of cases. There was a 20-fold difference in the rate of cirrhosis diagnosis between general practices within Sydney, suggesting a large proportion of patients remain undiagnosed. Three quarters of patients with diagnosed cirrhosis are not receiving appropriate HCC surveillance.

Factors that influence the uptake of virtual care solutions in Australian primary care practice: a systematic scoping review.

Uptake of virtual care solutions in primary care settings has increased exponentially, and current evidence suggests high patient satisfaction but mixed clinician views. This paper aimed to identify factors influencing its' implementation to support delivery to the right patient, in the right clinical context, at the right time. Further, this paper evaluates how the updated Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) can be used to assess these factors that contribute to the uptake of virtual care innovations. This systematic scoping review identified empirical research on factors influencing the uptake of virtual care solutions in the Australian primary care setting. Searches were undertaken in Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The CFIR was used to code factors influencing the implementation of virtual care solutions. Inductive coding was used to generate new constructs where no appropriate CFIR construct could be identified. Fourteen eligible studies were identified as eligible for inclusion. Five common influencing factors were identified. Three are from the existing CFIR framework, and two are newly developed constructs. CFIR constructs included innovation relative advantage, capability, and IT infrastructure. New constructs included accessibility and suitability. A further six new constructs were identified (trust, privacy, governance, unintended consequences, preference, and choice) but these were not prominently mentioned. Common factors influence virtual care uptake in Australian primary care. The CFIR assisted in conceptualizing these but was not sufficient for capturing factors unique to virtual care. Newly developed constructs are noted to be of importance in the literature, but further research is needed to understand whether they are applicable in multiple contexts. http://links.lww.com/IJEBH/A286.

Responding to health literacy of refugees in Australian primary health care settings: a qualitative study of barriers and potential solutions

BackgroundOrganisational health literacy is a promising area of research that enables a focus on how systems and services can be designed in ways that are responsive to populations with varying states and levels of health literacy, knowledge, and practices, including African refugees. The challenge is how organisations and professionals do this in practice, and research in this area is in its early stages. This qualitative study examined barriers to implementing health literacy responsive care practices in primary health care settings in Australia. It also offered suggestions to potentially address the barriers to improving organisational health literacy.MethodsRefugees (n = 19), primary health care professionals (n = 14), and other key stakeholders (n = 19) were recruited through convenience and snowball strategies from three states in Australia: New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland. All but one participant was interviewed face-to-face via Zoom. Semi-structured interview guides were used to guide the conversations. Transcriptions from audio recordings were analysed using directed content analysis.ResultsThirteen themes were extracted from the data. Themes were organised into the following categories: structural and systemic, organisational context, individual professional level, individual patient level, and socio-community level. Major structural and system-level factors affecting organisational health literacy included rigid systems and structures and limited time. Key organisation-level factors included inflexible organisational processes and policies, institutionalised othering, discrimination and racism, and lack of interpreters. Individual professional factors were poor communication with patients and cultural knowledge gaps. Linguistic issues and service mistrust were key individual patient-level factors. Socio-community factors included limited community engagement. Participants identified potential solutions to help services navigate out of the barriers and improve their response to health literacy.ConclusionThe findings suggest that mainstream services and organisations could improve timely and appropriate health care access and utilisation for refugees through strategies such as designing services and health literacy programs with refugee communities, promoting health literacy champions in the workforce, integrating health literacy and culturally responsive care plans and strategies into organisational priorities.

Early diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy with multi-organ point-of-care ultrasounds in an Australian rural primary care setting

Early diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy with multi-organ point-of-care ultrasounds in an Australian rural primary care setting

Prevalence and patterns of comorbidities in older people with type 2 diabetes in Australian primary care settings.

The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence and patterns of comorbidity in community-dwelling older people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) attending general practice settings in Australia. This study involveda cross-sectional analysis using the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) sub-study data. In a series of sub-studies, a representative sample of general practitioners was asked to record all diagnosed chronic conditions for patients at 40 consecutive encounters using structured paper-based recording forms. The dataset was analysed with descriptive analyses, and exploratory factor analyses were applied to examine comorbidity patterns. Of the 14,042 patients aged 65 years or older, 2688 had a diagnosis of T2DM (19%). Of the 2688 patients with T2DM, hypertension was present in 67% (95% CI: 64.6-70.0), followed by arthritis 52% (95% CI: 48.8-54.8), hyperlipidaemia 45% (95% CI: 41.8-47.9), ischemic heart disease, 23% (95% CI: 20.7-24.9), depression 16% (95% CI: 48.8-54.8), atrial fibrillation 10% (95% CI: 8.9-11.6), congestive heart failure 7% (95% CI: 6.0-8.1), stroke/cerebrovascular accident 7% (95% CI: 5.4-8.2) and peripheral vascular disease 5% (95% CI: 4.4-6.2). We identified two comorbidity patterns among older people with T2DM. The first were psychological and musculoskeletal conditions and the second were cardiovascular conditions and chronic renal failure. The prevalence of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular comorbidities in community-dwelling older people with T2DM was high. Adequate primary care strategies should be in place to support the long-term care for this population.

Translation of a Diabetes Remission Service into Australian Primary Care: Findings from the Evaluation of DiRECT-Australia.

The Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) study demonstrated that an intensive and structured weight management program in UK primary care resulted in high rates of diabetes remission in adults with recent onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study was aimed at evaluating the translation of the DiRECT intervention into an Australian primary care setting. All patients enrolled in the DiRECT-Australia Type 2 Diabetes Remission Service in a region of Sydney (Macarthur region, South Western Sydney, Australia) were included. Eligible participants were aged 20-70 years, noninsulin treated, with T2DM of ≤6 years' duration, and body mass index (BMI) ≥ 27 kg/m2. Total diet replacement of 825-853 kcal/day using meal replacements was implemented for 12 weeks, followed by an ongoing structured program until 52 weeks, with regular follow-up with a general practitioner, dietitian, and/or practice nurse. Of 39 recruited participants, 32 (82.1%) and 27 (69.2%) completed 12 weeks and 52 weeks of the structured program, respectively. Decrease in weight by -12.0 kg (95% CI: -9.6, -14.4; p < 0.001) and -9.1 kg (95% CI: -5.2, -12.9; p < 0.001) and decrease in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) by -1.1% (95% CI: -0.6, -1.6; p < 0.001) and -0.6% (95% CI: -0.1, -1.1; p = 0.013) were observed at 12 and 52 weeks, respectively. At the end of 12 and 52 weeks, 93.8% (30/32) and 55.6% (15/27) of those with follow-up data met the criteria for diabetes remission, respectively. Quality of life and wellbeing scores increased over the course of 12 weeks, remaining significantly higher at 52 weeks. Participants reported they would be willing to pay A$92.50 (95% CI: A$75.80, A$109.30) per fortnight for the low-calorie meal replacement shakes. These findings support the feasibility of a structured diabetes remission service in an Australian primary care setting to achieve improvements in glycaemia, weight, and quality of life and wellbeing, and suggest a substantial willingness to pay for diet replacement products among participants.

A qualitative study of the perceptions and experiences of participants and healthcare professionals in the DiRECT-Australia type 2 diabetes remission service.

The UK Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) study was replicated in an Australian primary care setting. This qualitative study aimed to explore and understand the perceptions and experiences of both participants and healthcare professionals (HCPs) involved in the DiRECT-Australia Type 2 Diabetes Remission Service. All participants and HCPs delivering the service were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews via online videoconferencing. The interview guides explored perceptions and experiences in DiRECT-Australia, covering aspects such as barriers and facilitators to recruitment and participation, motivations and challenges across service phases, adequacy of support provided and the overall acceptability of the service. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Eight DiRECT-Australia participants and six HCPs (three general practitioners, two practice nurses and one dietitian) participated. Four overarching themes were identified: (1) Enablers and barriers to recruitment and continuous participation in DiRECT-Australia; (2) Motivators and overcoming barriers across the total diet replacement, food reintroduction and weight maintenance phases; (3) Importance of participant-HCP interactions and continuous support; (4) Acceptance and long-term need for DiRECT-Australia. Adherence to total diet replacement was less challenging than anticipated by participants. Transitioning to the food reintroduction phase was difficult but overcome through HCP support. DiRECT-Australia was well accepted by both participants and HCPs, and participants expressed willingness to continue with the service, if provided on a long-term basis. Both participants and HCPs were highly interested in the new diabetes remission service set up in an Australian primary care setting. The acceptability of DiRECT-Australia was underscored by participants emphasising the effectiveness of the service in achieving significant weight loss and diabetes remission. There is a need for long-term and wider implementation of the service to ensure that anyone with recent onset type 2 diabetes is offered the best possible chance to achieve remission.

Are remote health clinics primary health care focused? Validation of the Primary Health Care Engagement (PHCE) Scale for the Australian remote primary health care setting.

To test and validate a measure of primary health care (PHC) engagement in the Australian remote health context. PHC principles include quality improvement, community participation and orientation of health care, patient-centred continuity of care, accessibility, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Measuring the alignment of services with the principles of PHC provides a method of evaluating the quality of care in community settings. A two-stage design of initial content and face validity evaluation by a panel of experts and then pilot-testing the instrument via survey methods was conducted. Twelve experts from clinical, education, management and research roles within the remote health setting evaluated each item in the original instrument. Panel members evaluated the representativeness and clarity of each item for face and content validity. Qualitative responses were also collected and included suggestions for changes to item wording. The modified tool was pilot-tested with 47 remote area nurses. Internal consistency reliability of the Australian Primary Health Care Engagement scale was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity of the Australian scale was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis and principal component analysis. Modifications to suit the Australian context were made to 8 of the 28 original items. This modified instrument was pilot-tested with 47 complete responses. Overall, the scale showed high internal consistency reliability. The subscale constructs 'Quality improvement', 'Accessibility-availability' and 'population orientation' showed low levels of internal consistency reliability. However, the mean inter-item correlation was 0.31, 0.26 and 0.31, respectively, which are in the recommended range of 0.15 to 0.50 and indicate that the items are correlated and are measuring the same construct. The Australian PHCE scale is recommended as a tool for the evaluation of health services. Further testing on a larger sample may provide clarity over some items which may be open to interpretation.

Intensive Lifestyle Intervention for Remission of Early Type 2 Diabetes in Primary Care in Australia: DiRECT-Aus.

We aimed to assess whether remission of type 2 diabetes (T2D) could be achieved with a low-energy total diet replacement (TDR) in an Australian primary care setting. Individuals aged 20-65 years with T2D duration up to 6 years, BMI >27.0 kg/m2, and not treated with insulin were prescribed a 13-week low-energy TDR (Optifast; Nestlé Health Science) followed by 8-week structured food reintroduction and 31-week supported weight maintenance. The primary outcome was T2D remission at 12 months. A total of 155 participants comprised the intention-to-treat population. At 12 months, T2D remission was achieved in 86 (56%) participants, with a mean adjusted weight loss of 8.1% (95% CI 7.2-9.1). Two serious adverse events requiring hospitalization related to the study intervention were reported. At 12 months T2D remission was achieved for one in two Australian adults in a primary care setting.

Transformation to a patient-centred medical home led and delivered by an urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, and association with engagement and quality-of-care: quantitative findings from a pilot study

BackgroundThe patient-centred medical home (PCMH) is a model of team-based primary care that is patient-centred, coordinated, accessible, and focused on quality and safety. In response to substantial population growth and increasing demand on existing primary care services, the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) developed the IUIH System of Care-2 (ISoC2), based on an international Indigenous-led PCMH. ISoC2 was piloted at an urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Health Service in South-East Queensland between 2019–2020, with further adaptations made to ensure its cultural and clinical relevance to local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Little is known on the implementation and impact of PCMH in the Australian Indigenous primary care setting. Changes in implementation process measures and outcomes relating to engagement and quality-of-care are described here.MethodsDe-identified routinely collected data extracted from electronic health records for clients regularly attending the service were examined to assess pre-post implementation changes relevant to the study. Process measures included enrolment in PCMH team-based care, and outcome measures included engagement with the health service, continuity-of-care and clinical outcomes.ResultsThe number of regular clients within the health service increased from 1,186 pre implementation to 1,606 post implementation; representing a small decrease as a proportion of the services’ catchment population (38.5 to 37.6%). In clients assigned to a care team (60% by end 2020), care was more evenly distributed between providers, with an increased proportion of services provided by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker (16–17% versus 10–11%). Post-implementation, 41% of clients had continuity-of-care with their assigned care team, while total, preventive and chronic disease services were comparable pre- and post-implementation. Screening for absolute cardiovascular disease risk improved, although there were no changes in clinical outcomes.ConclusionsThe increase in the number of regular clients assigned to a team and their even distribution of care among care team members provides empirical evidence that the service is transforming to a PCMH. Despite a complex transformation process compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, levels of service delivery and quality remained relatively stable, with some improvements in risk factor screening.

Incidence and prevalence of alopecia areata in the Australian primary care setting: A retrospective analysis of electronic health record data.

Alopecia areata (AA) is a common immune-mediated non-scarring hair loss, with a worldwide incidence between 0.57% and 3.8%. The incidence and prevalence of AA in the Australian general population have not been previously reported. To describe the incidence and prevalence of AA in Australia using primary care data. A secondary objective was to identify common demographic characteristics, comorbidities and treatment patterns among Australians living with AA. We analysed electronic health record data captured from a national clinical practice management software over a 10-year index period between 2011 and 2020 calendar years, inclusive. The incidence of new-onset AA and the prevalence of active records with AA were estimated. Differences in incidence by sociodemographic groups, and patterns of treatment were also evaluated. There were 976 incident AA records. The incidence of new-onset AA in the total study cohort was 0.278 per 1000 person-years (95% CI 0.26-0.295). By age, the incidence was highest in the 19- to 34-year-old age bracket (0.503 per 1000 person-years: 95% CI 0.453-0.554). AA incidence was lower among females than males (IRR 0.763, p < 0.001, 95% CI 0.673-0.865). Among active records, 520 were prevalent AA records. AA point prevalence at 31/12/2020 was 0.13% (1.26 per 1000 persons; 95% CI 1.15-1.37). This is the first study to describe the epidemiology (incidence and point prevalence) and management of AA in the Australian primary health-care population through large-scale database analysis. Incidence and prevalence findings were consistent with earlier estimates from other regions.

Rationale & Study Design of a Study Based on Implementation Science Guided Principles: A Novel Model of Care for the Management of High Cardiovascular Risk Patients With Elevated Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C) in the Australian Primary Care Setting

Rationale & Study Design of a Study Based on Implementation Science Guided Principles: A Novel Model of Care for the Management of High Cardiovascular Risk Patients With Elevated Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C) in the Australian Primary Care Setting

Exploring nurse practitioner practice in Australian rural primary health care settings: A scoping review.

Australians in rural areas experience limited access to services and poorer health outcomes than residents of metropolitan areas. Nurse practitioners (NPs) were introduced in 2000 to reduce pressure on the health system, address workforce shortages and improve rural populations' access to health care services. This scoping review sought to identify, examine and synthesise research evidence of NP practice in Australian rural primary health care services to better understand how NPs are addressing service gaps in rural areas and to identify existing gaps in our knowledge. Peer-reviewed and grey literature from July 2012 to June 2022 was accessed from seven electronic databases, grey literature and hand searching of reference lists and citations. From 154 articles, 19 articles of relevance were identified. Several projects describe the processes required for success, whilst others reported the challenges and barriers encountered. Limited research evidence of rural NP practice exists with a significant gap about how roles operate and their value in primary health care. Uptake and envisaged benefits of rural primary health care NP roles have yet to be realised, with barriers to implementing and sustaining NP roles persisting. Low-level awareness with ambiguity at health service and community level adversely impact on systematic implementation of NP roles. Robust evaluations demonstrating the value of NP skills and practice are needed in combination with bipartisan support from all levels of health care and government providing adequate funding to enable effective implementation of NP roles in poorly resourced rural areas.

A snapshot of Australian primary health care nursing workforce characteristics and reasons they work in these settings: A longitudinal retrospective study.

This article aimed to provide a snapshot of demographics and professional characteristics of nursing and midwifery workforce in Australian primary health care (PHC) settings during 2015-2019 and factors that influenced their decisions to work in PHC. Longitudinal retrospective survey. Longitudinal data that were collected from a descriptive workforce survey were retrieved retrospectively. After collation and cleaning, data from 7066 participants were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS version 27.0. The majority of the participants were female, aged between 45 and 64 years old and working in general practice. There was a small yet steady increase in the number of participants in the 25-34 age group and a downward trend in the percentage of postgraduate study completion among participants. While factors perceived most/least important to their decision to work in PHC were consistent during 2015-2019, these factors differed among different age groups and postgraduate qualification holders. This study's findings are both novel and supported by previous research. It is necessary to tailor recruitment and retention strategies to nurses/midwives' age groups and qualifications to attract and retain highly skilled and qualified nursing and midwifery workforce in PHC settings.

Enhanced primary care after hospitalization: General practitioner, pharmacist and patient feedback from the REMAIN HOME trial.

Pharmacist and general practitioner (GP) collaborative models of care are continuing to evolve in the Australian primary care setting. The REMAIN HOME study investigated whether a pharmacist integrated into 14 different primary care teams in general practice (the "practice pharmacist model") reduces readmission to hospital for patients prescribed five or more long term medicines or high risk comorbidities. The aim of this paper is to describe the attitudes of GPs, patients, and practice pharmacists towards this model of pharmacist and GP collaboration. To explore the views and opinions about the model of care (pharmacist integration into general practice), participating GPs were invited to complete a survey that included the 13-item validated Attitudes Toward Collaboration Instrument for GPs (ATCI-GP) one month after the pharmacist had been integrated into the practice. Survey instruments were also created for patients and pharmacist participating in the intervention. These were deployed after the initial consultation and at the end of the intervention period respectively, to elicit each stakeholders' views and experiences of the service. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. In total, 48GPs, 43/101 patients (43%) and 11/13 practice pharmacists (85%) completed the survey. The majority of GPs strongly agreed or agreed with all statements of the ATCI-GP, indicating support for the practice-integrated pharmacist model. Most patients agreed that there was a role for a pharmacist in their general practice (n=28, 76%), and that they would like to see the pharmacist again (n=34, 79%). Pharmacists indicated that they enjoyed the role (n=11, 91%) and found the position professionally satisfying (n=9, 82%). Most pharmacists agreed that co-location (inside the general practice itself, rather than in a co-located pharmacy) was beneficial (n=8, 73%) and all pharmacists (100%) acknowledged the benefits of having access to patient medical records. Free text comments from GPs were enthusiastic overall, although some concerns about the financial viability of the model in the current setting were raised. The primary limitation of the study is the anonymous nature of the survey, meaning clustering of responses across the 14 sites could not be determined. A practice pharmacist model of care in the Australian primary care setting appears to be accepted by GPs, patients and practice pharmacists and provides promising evidence that this model of care is likely to be well accepted if implemented more broadly in the Australian healthcare setting, provided that it can be appropriately remunerated.

Healthcare services use by patients with heart failure in Australia: Findings from the SHAPE study.

General practitioners (GPs) play a central role in healthcare, serving as the first point of contact, makingappropriate referrals and coordinating care for chronic conditions such as heart failure (HF). We sought to determine healthcare use by people with HF in primary care. In this Study of Heart failure in the Australian Primary carE setting (SHAPE), we analysed records of 1.93million adult patients who attended a total of 43 practices between 1July 2013 and30 June 2018. We identified and examined the data of 20,219 patients with HF to describe the frequency of visits and use of Medicare Benefits Schedule items. Patients with HF saw GPs 14.4 times per annum on average; 59.5% had a General Practice Management Plan (GPMP), 2.9% of GPMPs were reviewed annually or more frequently, and 46.8% of patients had been referred to a cardiologist. A total of 3761 had coexisting anxiety or depression, and of these 37.1% had a mental health plan. Patients with HF visit their GP frequently, with many not reaching guideline therapy nor referred to cardiologists. Low use of care planning and reviews presents an opportunity for GPs to improve care.

Prevalence of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in Australian primary care patients: only part of the story?

BackgroundME/CFS is a disorder characterized by recurrent fatigue and intolerance to exertion which manifests as profound post-exertional malaise. Prevalence studies internationally have reported highly variable results due to the 20 + diagnostic criteria. For Australia, the prevalence of ME/CFS based on current case definitions is unknown.ObjectivesTo report prevalence of ME/CFS in patients aged ≥ 13 years attending Australian primary care settings for years 2015–2019, and provide context for patterns of primary care attendance by people living with ME/CFS.MethodologyConducted in partnership with the Patient Advisory Group, this study adopted a mixed methods approach. De-identified primary care data from the national MedicineInsight program were analyzed. The cohort were regularly attending patients, i.e. 3 visits in the preceding 2 years. Crude prevalence rates were calculated for years 2015–2019, by sex, 10-year age groups, remoteness and socioeconomic status. Rates are presented per 100,000population (95% confidence intervals (CI)). Qualitative data was collected through focus groups and in-depth 1:1 interview.ResultsQualitative evidence identified barriers to reaching diagnosis, and limited interactions with primary care due to a lack of available treatments/interventions, stigma and disbelief in ME/CFS as a condition.In each year of interest, crude prevalence in the primary care setting ranged between 94.9/100,000 (95% CI: 91.5–98.5) and 103.9/100,000 population (95%CI: 100.3–107.7), equating to between 20,140 and 22,050 people living with ME/CFS in Australia in 2020. Higher rates were observed for age groups 50-59 years and 40-49 years. Rates were substantially higher in females (130.0–141.4/100,000) compared to males (50.9–57.5/100,000). In the context of the qualitative evidence, our prevalence rates likely represent an underestimate of the true prevalence of ME/CFS in the Australian primary care setting.ConclusionME/CFS affects a substantial number of Australians. Whilst this study provides prevalence estimates for the Australian primary care setting, the qualitative evidence highlights the limitations of these. Future research should focus on using robust case ascertainment criteria in a community setting. Quantification of the burden of disease can be used to inform health policy and planning, for this understudied condition.

Mixed diabetic retinopathy screening coverage results in Indigenous Australian primary care settings: A nurse-led model of integrated diabetes care.

To determine eye screening coverage and adherence to national eye screening recommendations of a nurse-led retinal image-based model of diabetes education and eye screening in Indigenous primary care clinics. A pre-post study. During January 2018-March 2020 Indigenous Australians with diabetes at three regional Australian clinics were offered eye screening by a nurse-diabetes educator/retinal imager. At the main site the nurse recruited/scheduled participants, and at satellite sites local clinic staff did so. Visual acuity was tested and digital retinal images acquired and graded. Participants were offered rescreening at or before 12-months based on baseline results. In total 203 adults with diabetes attending Indigenous primary care clinics were screened, with divergent results based on the recruitment methods. At the main clinic 135 of 172 eligible adults (79%) were screened. At the satellite sites, 15 of 85 (18%) and 21 of 77 (27%) diabetes patients were screened. Combined coverage 51%. A credentialed nurse-educator implemented a model of retinal image-based diabetes education, measured eye screening coverage and adherence to national eye screening guidelines, met the 'acceptable 75% eye screening coverage' benchmark and improved patient eye screening guideline adherence at the one site where the nurse-educator had access to patient recruitment and scheduling. This novel nurse-led primary care iDEES model of retinal image-based diabetes education can improve the currently low Indigenous diabetes eye screening coverage in Australia. Importantly, the nurse-managed iDEES model of integrated diabetes care is readily adaptable to other settings and populations where access to and/or uptake of eye care is suboptimal. ANZCTRN1261800120435.

Acceptability and usability of 'One Key Question'® in Australian primary health care.

Around one-third of pregnancies in women attending antenatal care are unintended. This means a substantial number of women enter pregnancy without optimising their health prior to conception. Primary care practitioners are uniquely placed to counsel women about how to plan for pregnancy and about how to avoid unintended conception. The One Key Question® (OKQ®) tool facilitates a discussion of pregnancy intention and opens up subsequent discussions regarding preconception or contraception care. This study aimed to assess the acceptability and usability of the OKQ® tool in the Australian primary care setting. We undertook a pilot study consisting of quantitative and qualitative componentsacross two general practice settings in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. We documented women's responses to being asked the OKQ® as part of their consultation. We collected data on the characteristics of the participating GPs and their experience of using the OKQ® tool and conducted semi-structured interviews with all participating GPs. Fifty-six patients were asked the OKQ®, with the majority stating they were happy to be asked about their reproductive choices and felt it was relevant to their general health. The 10 participating GPs felt the OKQ® was easy to use and although 62.5% reported it extended the consultation time, the medium time taken was 2min. GPs felt framing the OKQ® helped introduce pregnancy intention discussions into a consultation. The OKQ® is acceptable to patients and easy for GPs to use. This tool facilitates a proactive and routine discussion to enhance the delivery of preconception care and contraceptive counselling.