Transcript Issues in Australian Health Care

Issues in Australian Health Care
Vocabulary list
• Biomedical model of health, medicare,
complementary health services, alternative
health care services, homeostasis.
The Australian health care system
• The aim of the national health care funding
system(known as medicare) is to provide all
Australians, regardless of personal
circumstance, access to health care at no cost
or at an affordable cost, while allowing choice
for individuals through the private sector.
Preventative health care
• It aims at stopping illness from occurring or
returning and, if illness does occur, to detect it
at the earliest time possible to reduce the
severity.
• 3 stages are:
• Primary
• Secondary
• Tertiary
Primary prevention
• Aim is to prevent the onset of illness, injury
and/or disease.
• The key factors of primary prevention are:
Education, awareness and promoting healthy
lifestyles.
• Come up with 2 examples of this in our
community.
Secondary Prevention
• Aim is to detect and treat illness at the earliest
time possible.
• It is often directed at people who are at risk of
a particular diseases, but have not fully
developed it.
• Risk factors include: personal or family history,
age and gender.
• Think about an example that fits this scenario.
Tertiary prevention
• Aim is to provide treatment, rehabilitation and
support for people who already suffer from a
disease or illness.
• It aims to improve the quality of life of the
person.
• Think of an example for this.
Biomedical health care
• Aims to treat the physical or biological aspects of
disease and illness. It involves diagnosis and
intervention(medical treatment to cure, control or
treat illness).
• Examples include: Blood tests, X-rays, medications and
surgery.
• Patients first contact is with a GP, covered by medicare
or proportion of it, if further care is needed they will be
referred to a specialist.
• Many people also seek care from the private sector
and this is not covered by medicare. Eg physio, dentists
and natural therapists.
Biomedical health care
• Public hospitals are accessible by a patient on
their own initiative via the emergency
department, ambulance or referral by a doctor.
• Emergency services are provided free of charge.
• Funding for health care is shared between the
Commonwealth, state and territory governments,
health insurers, individuals and a range of other
sources.
Role of government and non
government organisations
• Commonwealth government is responsible
for: Get 2 examples from page 358-9.
• The State government, via their departments
of health, provide a wide range of health
services, such as provision of a public hospital
system. Provide health care programs such as:
Get 2 examples from page 358-9.
• The non government sector provides:
Get 2 examples from page 358-9.
• Complete activity 13.1