Prevention and management of chronic conditions
Chronic conditions contribute to 74 per cent of all potentially preventable hospitalisations in the North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network region.
Preventable hospitalisations are costly, expose patients to unnecessary risks, and very often differ from what a patient wants in terms of health care. There were more than 748,000 potentially preventable hospitalisations in Australia in 2017–18, accounting for about 7 per cent of all hospital admissions.
Chronic disease complications are a common cause of preventable hospitalisation, and strongly associated with suboptimal access to primary health care.
Programs most likely to have an impact on reducing preventable hospitalisations are those that focus on chronic disease. They include early intervention, care coordination and multidisciplinary approaches, and the promotion of equity and access.
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