Analysis of a Primary Health Care Strategy in Australia

This article discusses the primary health care strategy in Australia, its determinants, epidemiological factors, and more. It also highlights the importance of primary health care in promoting general health by preventing illnesses and injuries. The article provides insights into the chronic conditions that are increasingly becoming common and the need for new strategies to curtail them.

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Bachelor of nursing
Name of the student
Name of the institution
Date

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Analysis of a Primary Health Care Strategy in Australia
The world health organization outlines primary healthcare as an approach which is well-
being centered on addressing the determinants of health and focuses on an inclusive interrelated
aspect of general wellbeing. As it was discussed by Halcomb et al. 2016, primary health care is
the first level of care for consumers. A strategy is a document outlining a country’s vision,
priorities, and course of action for maintaining and improving health status for its citizens.
According to Issel, and Wells, (2017), primary health care can be seen as both as an approach to
a health issue experienced by members of a community as well as a level of service provision to
the members of the community. This ranges from a broad range of activities from health
promotion, prevention of diseases, treatment, and management of chronic conditions. Every
being has the right to standard health and wellbeing.
One of the country's key strategy in the provision of primary healthcare is the
accessibility to appropriate cultural and clinical health care, which is timely and affordable in
prevention and management of chronic infection, mainly in the low social-economic
backgrounds. Chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and mental disorders have
heavily burdened the citizens of the country, and its prevention and management will take one of
the critical strategies toward the provision of primary healthcare. Referring to data from the
department of health, 50% of the Australians suffer from one of the prominent chronic diseases
and the conditions are responsible for up ¾ deaths of the Australians deaths.
WHO provides five guiding principles which should be incorporated in the key strategies
always for them to work appropriately. They include; “ accessibility, community participation,
health promotion, appropriate use of technology, and intersectoral collaboration.” These
principles are the core focus in attaining the primary health care strategies. Their main aim is the

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elimination of the health inequality on the health sector because of the social determinants and
social injustices and the epidemiological factors. Accessibility makes sure that the health
services are available to all the individuals without looking at their social background, ethnic
group, or age. Community cooperation incorporates all the leading society’s assets to enhance
the health of the marginalized groups. Proper use of technology is another field which makes
sure that there is medical research, and all the investigations are up to date to counter the health
issues.
With such figures in mind, approaches to primary care for chronic diseases
include;Advocating for a healthy lifestyle. This method includes regular exercise, proper
nutrition, drugs control like tobacco control and reduction of alcohol consumption — the
creation of awareness programs and investment in chronic condition research.Development of
Medicare benefits schedule, which will provide subsidies for patients, for example,
pharmaceutical benefits schemes can offer grants to a range of mediation used to treat illness
associated with chronic diseases.
Determinants of health
According to Hertzman (2017), determinants of health are factors that determine how
likely we say health or fall ill. Factors such as income, education, employment, or social group
are critical drivers to our health wellbeing. According to data given by AioHa (2016) on
Australia’s health 2016, 20% of Australians living in the low-income social classes were 1.6
times more likely to suffer from at least 2 of the chronic health diseases such as diabetes or heart
diseases. Some determinantsare discussed below.
Income

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Wealth plays a significant role as far as the heath of the individuals concerned. The
wealthy can easily purchase expensive medication or personal personnel to manage their chronic
conditions while it will be almost impossible for low-income earners. Rendering to Wakerman
(2017), for over the last decade, the burden of chronic diseases is highest in the members of low
income and milled level income earners in the country.
Education
Castaneda (2015) affiliates education accomplishment to better wellbeing throughout
one's life. Education secures the individual with a job, receive a better salary, live sufficiently,
and aids in making sober health choices. A person's education accomplishment also impacts on
their health as they can access the preferred living styles to avoid getting the chronic disease as
opposed to one with no such know how.
Occupation
Diehr (2017) believes that profession holds a rigid connection to a position in general
well-being, and is often related to advanced education and salary levels—a higher instructive
accomplishment improves the likelihood to higher-status occupations which often attract higher
wages. Other than boosting financial backgrounds, a higher salary considers more noteworthy
admittance to merchandise and initiatives offering medical advantages, such as extra social
insurance alternatives. Consequently, loss or reduction of wages through whatsoever reason will
unfavourably affect individual financial status as well as access to better wellbeing
Epidemiological factors associated with management of chronic diseases
An integrated approach towards management of chronic infection would be
fundamentally relying on opportunistic case finding the valuation and identification of the risk
factors, identification of high-risk status, license, and detection of early disease signs and

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symptoms, promotion to the adherence of treatment and development of post-treatment
management (Beagleholeet.al 2008). The World Health Organization advocates for Health
promotion aiming to discourse on the underpinning causes of health risks; promoting multi-
sectoral programs and policies to improve general wellbeing, and reduction of health
inequalities. This is by overall risk reduction in high-risk individuals who are highly susceptible
to contracting the diseases and provide appropriate care to the sick. This can be through aiding
early case diagnostic through improved technologies and strategies, and equitable health care for
chief chronic diseases.Such systems have majored on addressing workforce issues and ensuring
equitable distribution of the workforce.
Conclusion
Primary healthcare can be seen as a frontline of Australia’s health care system. It is more
to delivering healthcare services; primary healthcare promotes general health by preventing
illnesses and injuries. Day by day, the chronic conditions are increasingly emerging to be a
common phenomenon attributed to changing lifestyles and increasingly aging population. New
strategies ought to be put in place to curtail the pressuring conditions.

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