Chronic disease
A chronic disease or condition is one that has been present for at least 6 months which includes asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health, and Osteoporosis amongst many others.
This assessment is based off the clinical judgement of your doctor, in which they have identified specific risk factors which may lead to the development of a chronic disease. This assessment can assist patients to make the necessary lifestyle changes to prevent and delay the onset of chronic disease.
This assessment is for patients who are aged between 45 and 49, This health check involves a nurse and doctor. Nurse is allocated 20-30 minutes to conduct preventative assessments such as ECG (test that shows how your heart is beating), ABI (checks blood flow in legs), and spirometry (lung function test). Your doctor is allocated15-30 minutes to complete the assessment.
The components involved with this assessment involves:
- collecting information, such as patients’ history and investigating as clinically required.
- doctor making an overall assessment of the patient’s health including their readiness to make lifestyle changes such as alcohol consumption, diet, exercise, and smoking.
- Initiating interventions and referrals as clinically indicated
- Providing advice and information including strategies to achieve lifestyle changes and behaviours.
This check can be done once in the 5-year period and is bulk billed. Ift is a great way to improve the relationship with your doctor and ensure that your health needs are being addressed.
