Overcoming the tyranny of distance: An analysis of outreach visits to optimise secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in high-risk individuals living in Central Australia

• Published in: The Australian journal of rural health 2016-04, Vol.24 (2), p.99-105
• Main Authors: Tuttle, Camilla S.L., Carrington, Melinda J., Stewart, Simon, Brown, Alex
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: aboriginal health; Adult; Adults; Australia; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; cardiovascular medicine; Coronary artery disease; CVD research; Demographics; Demography; Despotism; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Discharged; Disease prevention; Ethnicity; Feasibility; Feasibility studies; Female; Health risks; health service access; Health Services Accessibility; Health Services, Indigenous; Heart diseases; High risk; Humans; Hypertension; Indigenous peoples; Intervention; Kidney diseases; Male; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Nursing; Outreach programmes; Prevention; Prevention programs; Prospective Studies; Remote areas; remote health; Renal failure; Risk analysis; Risk factors; Risk groups; Rural Population; Secondary Prevention; Travel; Visits
• ISSN: 1038-5282; 1440-1584
• DOI: 10.1111/ajr.12222

Objectives We examined the logistical challenges of conducting an outreach, secondary prevention program for adults discharged from Alice Springs Hospital following an acute presentation of cardiovascular disease. Design and Setting This represents a sub‐study of the Central Australian Heart Protection Study (CAHPS). Clinical, logistic and demographic data were used to examine the characteristics of outreach visits in the intervention arm of the study. Participants Fifty subjects initially allocated to the intervention arm of the trial were studied. Main outcome measures Completion of scheduled, plus additional outreach visits according to the intervention protocol. Results The majority of subjects presented with an acute coronary syndrome (44/50 (88%)) and 31 (62%) were of Indigenous ethnicity. However, Indigenous subjects being younger (53.1 ± 11.1 versus 58.0 ± 11.0 years non‐Indigenous) had a more complex risk factor and co‐morbid profile, with significantly more diabetes (77% versus 26% P