Remembering those who served

Anzac Day is the one day of the year where our nation pauses to remember those who gave their lives in the ultimate sacrifice for their country. 


Some were spared, like Private Paul Warren of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in Afghanistan. However the scars, both physical and mental will remain with him and other veterans like him, for the rest of their lives.


Paul lost his leg in 2009 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) while on routine patrol in Oruzgan province. His friend, Private Ben Ranaudo was killed by the same blast. 




High risk for mental illness
Returned service men and women are at high risk for PTSD, anxiety, depression and other complex psychological trauma associated with deployment, active service and the often overwhelming transition of returning home.


GPs at the frontline
Medicare provide many services for veterans including mental health services.
The Department of Veteran's Affairs (DVA) have developed an information package for GPs providing a broad overview of DVA-funded hospital, medical and allied health services, as well as useful links for GPs. 

(Download this booklet by clicking on the link at the conclusion of this post)

At Ease Website 

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) has a website dedicated to maximising mental health. 

The At Ease website was developed for veterans, their partners, carers, sons and daughters, and current serving Australian Defence Force (ADF) members. 

The At Ease website enables the user to find:

• information on common mental health conditions, as well as information that takes into account the uniqueness of the veteran experience
• services that are available to help cope with a mental illness
• DVA mental health news and event information
• links to other mental health resources.

Visit  www.at-ease.dva.gov.au to find out more.

Download the 'DVA Information for Medical Practitioners' booklet from the DVA website  www.dva.gov.au/

*** Lest we Forget ***

Get Behind Bowel Cancer Screening

Have you seen the latest Cancer Council television ads?

Advertisement used with permission from the Cancer Council of Australia

The Get Behind Bowel Screening campaign was launched in 2009 in response to the Federal Government's measured implementation of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP).


Bowel cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in Australia. Around 80 Australians die each week from the disease. Bowel cancer can be treated successfully if detected in its early stages.  Currently less than 40% of bowel cancers are detected early. 


Funding for the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) is set to continue, however it will only be available for people who are turning 50, 55 or 65 between June 2011 and December 2014.


The Get Behind campaign message is simple:

"Fully implemented, the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program is the         most effective measure available to the Australian government for immediately reducing bowel cancer death in Australia. It has the potential to save more than 30 lives a week." 


Needless to say, the Cancer Council are campaigning for funding to encompass a National Bowel Cancer Screening Program for all Australians over the age of 50 years. Until that time, the NBCSP is providing a valuable screening service for many older Australians.  

The Role of GPs in the NBCSP 

General practitioners can be involved in the NBCSP by:

• Encouraging participation in the program for eligible patients
• Investigating people with positive fecal occult blood test (FOBT)   
• Notifying the program register when a patient is referred due to a positive FOBT
• Notifying the colonoscopist to ensure they advise the NBCSP of colonoscopy results.

For more information about eligibility criteria and the important role GPs have in implementing the NBCSP, go to the Medicare webpage here:

www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/

To support the Get Behind Campaign go to 

www.getbehindbowelscreening.com.au/

Or visit the Cancer Council Australia 

www.cancer.org.au

Welcome to e-GPS!  

At e-GPS, we support General Practice by:

• Developing efficient data management systems
• Enhancing your practice infrastructure
• Streamlining service provision
• Improving clinical outcomes

Why e-GPS?
GPS (Global Positioning System) is a device that operates by precisely locating your global position and assisting seamless travel from your starting point to your preferred destination.


At e-GPS, we help you gain better insight about your current practice performance, guide you with goal setting and support your practice's journey towards change and improvement.


Our blog 
In keeping with current social media trends, we manage a blog instead of a website. Our blog is designed to bring you regular features, up-to-date news, links to current affairs in health as well as information about upcoming events that you and your team may be interested in. 


At e-GPS, we decided to coincide our launch date with World Health Day. The 7th of April marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1948.

World Health Day 2012

This year's World Health Day theme is healthy ageing. 

The past century has seen remarkable improvements in life expectancy. 

So much so that within the next five years the number of adults aged 65 years or over will outnumber children under the age of 5 years (for the first time in human history).

With this unprecedented ageing boom, general practitioners are managing a growing population of older patients with increasingly complex co-morbidities.

There is no simple "magic bullet" solution to the challenges of population ageing, but there are strategies that GPs and health professionals can promote now:

• Promoting good health and healthy behaviours at all ages to prevent or delay the development of chronic disease
• Minimising the consequences of chronic disease through early detection and quality care
• Reinventing ageing - debunking "ageist" stereotypes and drawing on the experience and wisdom of elders in our society
• Promoting physical and social environments that foster the health and participation of older people 

Health Assessments
Health assessments are an essential aspect of patient care and provide a platform for living a healthy life into old age.


The Health Assessment for people aged 75 years and over is an in-depth, annual assessment of older patients. It provides a structured way of identifying health issues and conditions that are potentially preventable.


In addition to assessing the person's health status, a health assessment can be used to identify factors that influence an older person's physical, psychologial and social functioning.

Click this link to download the Health Assessment Fact Sheet 

www.health.gov.au/HealthAssessment75years.pdf

Enhancing Your Practice
So too, your practice could do with a regular health assessment. 


At e-GPS we can help you gain better insight about your current practice performance.  We can assess the health of your practice, identify factors that influence the way your practice functions and guide and support the journey towards change and improvement.


You care for your ageing population, now it's time to care for your practice.

Contact e-GPS for a consultation today.

Happy World Health Day, 2012

 from the team at e-GPS!

This wonderful photo gallery comes courtesy of the WHO website

Go to the WHO website to download 

World Health Day photo posters and toolkit 

www.who.int/world-health-day/2012/