96989 - Chronic Disease Management and the after-hours doctor

This session tackles the management of basic chronic diseases common in the Australian population.

NHDS provides after hours services nationally across Australia covering a population base of 1.2 million. Calls to the after hours service for patients over the age of 65 represent 20% of all calls and calls to aged care facilities are 11.5%. AIHW have described chronic disease as Australia's biggest challenge with one third of the population having a chronic disease. 8% of patients over the age of 65 have 4 or more chronic conditions. As such the clinical workforce of NHDS attends to a large number of patients with chronic diseases. As an after hours provider these clinicians are not responsible for the longitudinal care of these patients but do respond to patients with an exacerbation of their chronic disease.