Prevention and Management of Long Term Conditions
Description and Aims
This stream is a response to the challenge of long-term conditions to health and health care services. These conditions include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease, cancer and mental illness. They commonly occur as multi-morbidities. The aim is conduct research in the community which informs improvement in health care and programs which aim to prevent and manage these conditions.
Key Current Research Areas
Prevention
The program focuses on improving interventions to address the behavioural risk factors (especially Smoking, Nutrition, Alcohol and Physical activity) as well as physiological risk factors such as obesity and cardiovascular risk in primary health care. This uses the 5As framework (ask/assess, advise, agree and assist, arrange), approaches tailored to health literacy levels and use of wearable technology and social media.
Management
This program focuses on a patient centred approach based on the Chronic Care model and includes teamwork, information and communication systems (including e-health), self-management support and community resources. This is the focus of work on diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, COPD, cancer, mental illness and multi-morbidity.
Key Partners
This research is conducted in partnership with primary health networks and local health districts along with other groups including Aboriginal Health organisations.
Stream lead
Mark Harris leads the stream.
Completed
Projects
Shifting ground, common ground. Understanding the evolving care practice. Inter-country comparative study Canada USA and Australia (Canadian Institute for Health Research)
This inter-country comparative study draws on existing research studies that the investigators are conducting into primary health care reform. It focuses on the development of multidisciplinary team work in primary care.
SNAP Decisions: A qualitative study of GPs’ decision-making in the screening and management of chronic disease risk factors: Smoking, Nutrition, Alcohol and Physical activity
The aim of this study is to develop a model of the decision-making process used by GPs when screening for and managing SNAP risk factors in patients presenting for a health check with more than one SNAP risk factor, and use this model to develop and test a framework for supporting GPs in behavioural risk factor screening and management.
South Western Sydney Area Health Service Chronic Disease Self Management Demonstration Project: Follow Up Study
The main objective of this paper was to assess the views of clinicians on the integration of CDSM into routine clinical activities and identify issues for sustainability.
Systematic review of chronic disease management in primary care
This review focussed on those chronic diseases most commonly managed in primary care. The review was informed by the Chronic Care Model proposed by Wagner and colleagues which includes the six dimensions of organisation of health care, delivery system design, decision support, self management support and community resources.
Systematic Review of Effective Determinants for Supporting Lifestyle Health Literacy in Primary Health Care (APHCRI)
This was a systematic review of the literature on effective interventions and drivers for health literacy in relation to the SNAP risk factors in primary health care, and the implications for practice and policy
