Problem:
Most older Australians receive care from General Practice, yet 75% of GPs and primary care nurses lack formal training in geriatric care, relying on software templates for health assessments based on outdated 1999 guidelines. This knowledge gap, leads to missed opportunities for early intervention, leaving older patients at risk of more rapid decline and hospitalisation.
Design/Methods:
In response to the Aged Care Royal Commission a Primary Health Network (PHN) funded a project aimed at improving care for community dwelling older people. 33 General Practitioners from 24 practices were recruited to audit the care of 15 patients aged 75+ who had completed a Medicare funded health assessment. An audit sheet was created using current primary care guidelines for prevention and early intervention. GPs reviewed patient records and the completed health assessments against the current guidelines and identified gaps in the care being provided. A follow up audit was conducted 3-6 months later, with discussions on improvements occurring with a peer GP.
Practice Change:
Initial audits revealed significant gaps such as missing vaccinations, medication reviews, social history, osteoporosis, kidney health, malnutrition and frailty screening. Following the audit, frailty screening was embedded into workflows, and immunisation rates improved. Many gaps remained.
Conclusions:
The audit led to notable improvements, particularly in frailty diagnosis and home medication reviews. 100% GPs recommended the program to peers such was the value of the learning and the peer support. The overwhelming conclusion was to mandate software developers to include current evidence in updates of health assessment templates.