The incidence of chronic kidney disease is increasing in Australia, most significantly amongst Indigenous Australians, with rates in remote areas being 35 times higher than amongst non-Indigenous Australians. When the kidneys fail, a person must receive a transplant or their blood must be cleansed of waste artificially (dialysis).

There is strong evidence that effectively managing high blood pressure can delay the need for dialysis, a treatment which in remote areas, can require long distance travel to access services and result in separation from family, social and cultural support. There is also strong evidence that an arteriovenous (AV) fistula is the most effective means of providing permanent access to veins in people starting dialysis.

When best practice is not applied, there is a significant psychological and financial cost to the individuals and their community

The above comes from the profile of Bhavini Patel, Director of Pharmacy, Department of Health and Community Services, NT and a NICS-HCF Foundation Fellow in 2007.

As part of her project “Improving management of chronic kidney disease in remote indigenous communities” she charted the steps taken and the patient contact with various parts of the health service from when the renal clinic in “town” (in this case Darwin) contacted a remote clinic wishing to see a patient. And remember the patient may be in town for up to several weeks depending on the transport options to get home.

It views best in full screen.

The term “PAT form” you see in one of the slides is the transport assistance provided to remote Australians going for health appointments.

Look at the slide show (only 4 slides) again and picture yourself not knowing the language, being away form country and family with all these people you don’t know wanting to interact with you and pass on all sorts of information in a way that is foreign to you.

I wouldn’t go.

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many thanks to Bhavini for the copy of the slides (previously seen in the NT Chronicle).

Tagged as: aboriginal, appointment, Chronic Kidney Disease, CKD, Indigenous, PATS, renal

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