Aust Fam Physician
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Provision of timely and high-quality general practitioner (GP) services to patients in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) is essential for this group of patients as they have high medical needs. ⋯ Models for general practice services include the Continuity Model, where GPs follow long-term patients; the RACF Panel model, where GPs provide care to several patients in nearby RACFs; the GPs with Special Interest in Residential Aged Care (GPwSI RAC) model, where GPs provide regularly scheduled services to larger groups of patients; the Longitudinal General Practice Team (LGPT) model, where GPs provide team-based care; and RACF-based models of care, where GPs partner with RACFs. Hospital-based models of care have also been developed to provide in-reach services to patients in RACFs during episodes of acute illness. There is limited evidence for which of these models is most effective. Developing and testing different models of general practice care should be a priority.
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The home medicines review (HMR) is an important tool for promoting a model of patient-centred care. This article seeks pa-tients' perspectives on understanding, and perceived benefits and difficulties of HMRs. ⋯ The HMR has the potential to be a useful tool in patients' management of their medications. There are clear benefits when per-formed well. However, we have identified areas of limitations in effectiveness, which present opportunities for strengthening the HMR process. Training of doctors and pharmacists may be needed to ensure better patient outcomes.
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Low uptake of postnatal care among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women is a concern. The aim of this study was to ex-amine any associations with postnatal attendance by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. ⋯ Of the women included in the study, 48.0% (95/198) returned to TAIHS for postnatal care. A statistically significant positive association between antenatal and postnatal attendance was found using multivariate analysis (P DISCUSSION: Strategies are needed to improve postnatal attendance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, and strengthening attendance during the antenatal period may be an indirect way of facilitating this. Better postnatal follow-up will enhance the capacity for health services to deliver preventive care to this population.