Orientation to Remote Primary Health Care Manuals

Mr Tobias Speare1, Mrs Lyn Byers1

1Central Australian Rural Practitioners Association (CARPA) Inc., Alice Springs, Australia

 

The presentation will demonstrate the use of technology in improving orientation to remote health, specifically to the purpose and use of the Remote Primary Health Care Manuals (RPHCMs).

The remote health workforce has been characterised by high turnover, low stability and high use of short-term and agency staff particularly nurses, which has major implication on service delivery. The orientation of new staff to remote health services has historically been poorly executed, with up to 70 % of nurses in very remote areas in one survey stating orientation was inadequate.

The Remote Primary Health Care Manuals, a suite of clinical guidelines for primary health care practitioners in remote and Indigenous health services, guide clinical practice in many areas of rural and remote Australia. They are grounded in evidence based practice and shaped by the practicalities of the remote context.

Remote health services and stakeholders have identified an absence of standardised and appropriate orientation to the correct and proper utilisation of the manuals.

The development of an orientation video to the RPHCMs was undertaken to address the identified need. The Orientation to the Remote Primary Health Care Manuals video is freely available with the aim of improving delivery of health care in remote Australia through improved use of recommended clinical guidelines.

Research projects to ensure on-going evaluation of the Remote Primary Health Care Manuals, including the manual development process and impacts in terms of health outcomes are under way. The orientation video project arose from and will integrate into the Remote Primary Health Care Manual evaluation processes.

 


 

Biography

The presenters are representatives of the Central Australian Rural Practitioners Association (CARPA), a voluntary organisation involved in primary health care education, training and support of rural and remote health practitioners of various specialities and experience levels.