21 March 2024
WA Primary Health Alliance acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Owners and Elders of this country and recognises the significant importance of their cultural heritage, values and beliefs and how these contribute to the positive health and wellbeing of the whole community. Throughout this newsletter, the term 'Aboriginal' is used to refer to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, unless stated otherwise.
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Since opening six months ago, the Garden Pelvic Pain Clinic is hitting its stride, with a robust multidisciplinary team helping people suffering from endometriosis and pelvic pain. With endometriosis affecting one in nine Australian women, the Australian Government has funded 20 endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics across Australia, including the Garden Pelvic Pain Clinic in Murdoch, to build the capacity of primary care to manage this condition and improve access to expert, multidisciplinary services. Patients are provided with a personalised, evidence-based treatment plan through education, support and connection to a qualified multi-disciplinary team. Clinicians are focussed on the impact pain is having on a patient’s life and are led by treatment goals identified by patients, including improving quality of life, effective pain management, and improved daily functioning. Read more
"Nurses at Myvista Residential Aged Care in Mirrabooka testing their Telehealth Cart recently"
As healthcare providers, there is a responsibility to ensure that all patients receive high-quality care regardless of their cultural or linguistic backgrounds. Multicultural and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) patients bring unique perspectives and health needs, and addressing these requires intentional efforts. There are practical actions that health care providers can take to enhance quality improvement (QI) activities specifically for Multicultural and CALD patients. Multicultural and CALD patients encompass individuals from diverse ethnic, cultural and language backgrounds. They may face barriers related to language proficiency, health literacy and cultural norms. Recognising these challenges is the first step towards equitable care as certain health conditions are more prevalent in specific ethnicities. For instance, sickle cell anaemia is more common among individuals of African, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern descent. There also needs to be an understanding of the difference between ethnicity and nationality as this is crucial in healthcare. Ethnicity refers to a person’s cultural identity, heritage and shared customs. It encompasses factors such as language, religion, traditions and ancestry, whereas nationality refers to a person’s legal membership in a specific country. Nationality is determined by citizenship or residency status.
One of the many possible activities for Quality Improvement for Multicultural and CALD patients within a healthcare setting could be: Ethnicity Recording and Data Collection
WAPHA’s Practice QI Coaches can work with your practice team to tailor further Ethnicity Recording PDSAs to your specific circumstances. They have also developed a range of updated and improved PDSAs to assist with the maintenance of an accurate patient database with recording and monitoring lifestyle risk factors. To find out more and connect with a WAPHA Practice QI Coach in your area, call Practice Assist on 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277478 or 08 62787900) or email practiceassist@wapha.org.au.
National Advance Care Planning (ACP) Week takes place 18-24 March. This year, the theme is: “Share what matters most.” ACP is a voluntary process for all people aged 18 years and over.
In WA, ACP can involve documenting your wishes about your future care in writing. This includes completing documents such as an Enduring Power of Guardianship (EPG), a will, an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA), and the WA Health Advance Health Directive (AHD). Barriers to ACP in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities include:
Understanding the Multicultural Perspective of Advance Care Planning
With 32.2 per cent of Western Australians born overseas, it is vital to tackle the barriers these communities face when accessing health care. Strengthening our understanding of diverse cultures and belief systems improves communication and can support health care providers to develop sustainable and diverse workforces, improve innovation and adaptability and, importantly, meet the needs of a diverse range of patients. The newly released WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) Multicultural Competency and Capability Framework provides a set of key principles for developing cultural competency, and standards with agreed actions to guide the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of cultural competency for WAPHA staff, commissioned service providers and primary care services. Driven by the Quintuple Aim for Healthcare Improvement, this Framework can be used as a resource to understand what the principles of cultural competency, safety and capability in health service delivery might look like in practice. This Multicultural Competency and Capability Framework is a companion to the WAPHA Aboriginal Cultural Competency and Capability Framework and the LGBTIQA+ Equity and Inclusion Framework.
If your practice is seeing patients who have recently arrived in Australia as refugees or humanitarian entrants, the HealthPathways Refugee Health Assessment Pathway can provide guidance to assess and manage refugee health and is a comprehensive resource for GPs, practice nurses and Aboriginal health practitioners to undertake MBS Health Assessments. Also see the Migrant and Refugee Health Services and Migrant and Refugee Support Services pages for more information on local services available. Interested practitioners may also like to refer to the 2023 GP Connect clinical feature Providing Refugees with Comprehensive Health Assessments in General Practice by Dr Zoe Smythe for more information and guidance.
People in Western Australia affected by overseas conflicts can call a free, confidential multilingual telephone hotline for information about available support and connection to local services. The hotline is staffed by mental health practitioners and bicultural support workers who can speak Arabic, Hebrew, Dari, Ukrainian and English or other languages with an interpreter. For further information, people in Western Australia can free call the hotline on 1800 845 198 from 7am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Flyers are available to download and share in Arabic, Hebrew, Dari, Ukrainian and English.
As a healthcare professional, you play a major role in helping your patients to assess their eligibility for a vaccine, weighing the risks and benefits and countering misinformation. The WA Department of Health has produced a health professionals kit designed to support you in conversations about influenza immunisation. Resources include:
You can find the health professionals kit here: Influenza immunisation (health.wa.gov.au).
Nirsevimab (brand named Beyfortus) is an antibody immunisation that provides direct protection against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in neonates and infants.
The below 4 cohorts are eligible for nirsevimab immunisation under this program. From 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024, nirsevimab will be offered:
A free online education module for nirsevimab is currently being developed and will be made available on Immunisation Education (health.wa.gov.au) webpage shortly. A Vaccine Update e-newsletter will be sent when the module is ready.
WA Health and Immunisation Foundation of Australia (IFA) respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) resources
The Department of Health have released newly developed RSV resources for Healthcare Professionals and also consumers following the announcement of the RSV Immunisation program.
They also advocate use of the resources from the Immunisation Foundation of Australia, which is a community based advocacy service, educating families and the community on vaccine preventable diseases.
The Department of Health Communicable Disease Control Directorate (CDCD) Immunisation Program held a ‘RSV Infant Immunisation Program’ information session on Wednesday 13 March. The recording is now available on the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) immunisation (health.wa.gov.au) website. Please note, the recorded presentations sit under the tab Clinical guidance and education. The session covered information on RSV disease and program details, including reporting and recording requirements.
The Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) uses the following terminology:
Further information and more AIR tips are available here.
In vaccine safety news, recently released AusVaxSafety data have shown more than half of Shingrix® vaccine recipients (53%) experienced no side effects in the three days following vaccination. In those who did experience a side effect, local reaction – mainly pain, swelling and redness at the injection site – was the most common, followed by fatigue, muscle/joint pain and headache. The level of impact of Shingrix® vaccination on routine activities remained low, with less than 8% of respondents reporting missing work, study or routine duties in the three days after vaccination. Reported medical attendance rates also remained low, at 0.5%. The data can be viewed here.
The 2024 NCIRS webinar series is delivering the most up-to-date, accurate information on the prevention of respiratory disease in Australia this year. Thousands of health industry professionals have attended the recent NCIRS webinars on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Many actively engaged in the interactive Q&A sessions, where important issues relating to access, cost, indications, dosing, efficacy, safety and age-based recommendations were raised. Recordings of the presentations given at both webinars are available here:
The webinar will be recorded and made available on the NCIRS website in the days following the session. Register to receive the link to the recordings by email when they become available. Register here.
From 18-24, National Advance Care Planning Week is encouraging all Australians to share what matters most. Through our Greater Choices initiative, we’re committed to increasing patient and carer awareness of advanced care planning. Starting a conversation about advance care planning is an important first step in ensuring a person's preferences for future care are known and respected. Health professionals play a vital role in making sure people receive care that is consistent with their wishes and preferences. Find out more about advance care planning including these resources to share in practice:
Education & Events
General practitioners are at the forefront of diagnosing and managing syphilis. Western Australia is currently experiencing a syphilis outbreak, with increases in cases of infectious syphilis and congenital syphilis in the community. This has prompted changes to recommendations to clinical practice that are relevant to general practitioners. This webinar will address:
View the flyer here. Find out more and register today.
Find out more and register today
The Better Health Company are continuing to deliver their FREE evidence-based healthy lifestyle programs for Term 2 2024, in partnership with the WA Department of Health.
Both programs:
View the Active8 flyer and the Better Health Program flyer for more information and to register.
Mental Health in the Workplace Presented by Western Australian Association for Mental Health 26 March
Talking About Suicide in General Practice - Interactive Webinar 3hr Presented by Black Dog Institute & supported by WAPHA 26 March
Update on Provider Connect Australia (PCA) Presented by AAPM 26 March
De-escalation Skills Presented by Western Australian Association for Mental Health 27 March
BreastScreen WA visit to Ravensthorpe Presented by BreastScreen WA 28 March to 2 April
BreastScreen WA visit to Jerramungup Presented by BreastScreen WA 28 March to 2 April
BreastScreen WA visit to Byford Presented by BreastScreen WA 28 March to 29 April
The role of surgery in the management of advanced NMSC in the era of effective systemic therapies Presented by Melanoma Institute Australia 30 March
Immunisation Coalition Influenza Update 2024 Presented by Immunisation Coalition 3 April
BreastScreen WA visit to Kalbarri Presented by BreastScreen WA 10 April to 24 April
CPR for GPs Presented by RACGP 16 April
WA Hepatitis B s100 Prescriber Course Presented by ASHM 16 April, 23 April & 30 April
BreastScreen WA visit to Bullsbrook Presented by BreastScreen WA 15 April to 29 April
BreastScreen WA visit to Northhampton Presented by BreastScreen WA 24 April to 7 May
Certificate of Skin Cancer Medicine course commencing in April Presented by Skin Cancer College Australasia 26 April
2024 Immunisation Professional Development Conference (Sydney) Presented by Benchmarque Group 1 May to 2 May
WA Hepatitis B for Nurses and Midwives Presented by ASHM 21 May & 23 May
Aboriginal Health Conference 2024 Presented by Rural Health West 10 August & 11 August