HLTAHPR005 — Promote awareness and prevention of chronic disease

Elements & performance criteria

Performance evidence

• provide information about chronic disease to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients including:
• two individual clients
• one group of a minimum of three people
• across the three client interactions collectively, cover three different types of chronic diseases
• on each occasion:
• provide information covering:
• the incidence of chronic disease, generally, in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities, and the incidence of the particular type of chronic disease
• the nature of chronic disease generally, and the nature of the particular type of chronic disease
• functional impacts on body organs and systems, particular to the type of chronic disease
• potential serious complications of chronic disease and potential for comorbidity
• chronic disease risk factors and healthy lifestyle choices that can reduce risk
• signs and symptoms of chronic disease, particular to the type of chronic disease
• the importance of early detection
• chronic disease screening programs and test procedures, particular to the type of chronic disease
• seek and evaluate feedback from clients and provide to relevant people within the health service
• discuss health concerns with two clients and respond by coordinating follow-up assessments or appointments.

Knowledge evidence

• organisational procedures for responding to client disclosure of health concerns
• how to access current and credible: consumer based education resources about different types of chronic disease; statistics for chronic disease in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and other Australian populations; visual aids for chronic disease education
• features of chronic disease: complex causality; multiple risk factors; long latency periods; a prolonged course of illness; functional impairment or disability
• prevalence and statistical incidence of chronic disease, generally, in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander populations compared to non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander populations
• the statistical incidence of the main types of chronic disease affecting Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people including those commonly affecting men, women and people of different ages
• the survival and mortality rates for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and why outcomes are generally worse than for other Australians
• chronic diseases of high incidence in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander populations: cardiovascular disease; chronic respiratory disease including asthma and obstructive lung disease; chronic kidney disease and end stage renal failure; chronic liver disease including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, alcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis; musculoskeletal conditions including arthritis; eye, ear and oral disease
• for each of the above chronic diseases of high incidence in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander populations: plain language definitions and explanations; the major signs and symptoms; basic pathophysiology sufficient to understand the impact and functional changes on relevant body organs and systems; the concept of comorbidity and an overview of the main complications that can result in the co-occurrence of other diseases or conditions
• modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for chronic disease: smoking; physical inactivity; unhealthy nutrition and body weight; consumption of alcohol at unsafe levels; use of illicit drugs; unsafe sexual practices; ageing; genetics; family history of chronic disease; high blood pressure
• the importance of clients modifying their lifestyle to reduce the risk of chronic disease
• key elements of Australian national dietary and physical activity guidelines
• the impact of early detection and treatment on: progression of chronic disease and health outcomes; reducing the risk of serious complications
• for screening: reasons for screening healthy and asymptomatic people; importance of health assessments and screening tests in the early detection and treatment of chronic disease; chronic disease screening programs available in the local community, state or territory, how to access these and any associated costs and benefits paid; the procedures for a range of chronic disease screening tests; general and cultural factors that influence an individual’s decision to participate in screening programs
• appropriate actions to take in response to disclosure of health concerns: completing an immediate health assessment and providing referrals; assisting clients to make appointments with medical practitioners for diagnosis or referral; activating follow-up to ensure clients are tested
• methods used to evaluate health education activities: client evaluation questionnaires; informal conversations with clients; self-reflection on client responses to information including any difficulties in understanding
• ways that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health workers and practitioners can: provide feedback on chronic disease awareness activities; contribute to the evaluation and planning of overall education and prevention programs.

Foundation skills

• Reading skills: interpret detailed and sometimes unfamiliar plain language consumer-based education resources.
• Oral communication skills: provide information to clients using plain language and terms easily understood; ask open and closed probe questions and actively listen to determine client understanding of information.
• Numeracy skills: interpret statistics presented as percentages and in charts and graphs.
• Learning skills: use information provided in credible evidence-based consumer resources to update and extend knowledge of different types of chronic disease.

Unit content sourced from training.gov.au — © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Auditori is not affiliated with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Questions about assessing HLTAHPR005