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For professionals: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples information and resources
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For professionals: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples information and resources
Resources for providing best practice cardiovascular care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Key Takeaways
2 min read
Heart disease is a major contributor to the gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
The Heart Foundation is a member of the END RHD Alliance and works in partnership with key stakeholders to address rheumatic heart disease (RHD).
The Heart Foundation refers to a range of resources and tools to help healthcare professionals provide quality cardiovascular care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
There has been a decline (61%) in deaths from circulatory diseases between 1998 and 2018 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.1 However, heart disease is still a major contributor to the gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
Cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke occur 10 to 20 years earlier in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults than in non-Indigenous Australians.
Three out of four Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples under 35 years have one or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD).2
Below is a list of useful resources for providing best practice cardiovascular care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Guidelines
Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease (RHD)
The 2020 Australian guideline for prevention, diagnosis and management of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease (3rd Edition).
Evidence
CVD risk assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults
A consensus statement containing recommendations for assessing CVD risk in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults aged under 35.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the Heart Health Check
How to incorporate CVD risk assessment into the 715 Health Check.
Projects
The Lighthouse Hospital Project
This project aimed to reduce inequalities in healthcare, with a focus on cardiac care and patient outcomes.
Pilbara Aboriginal Heart Health Program
This program worked with local communities to help improve heart health in the Pilbara region from 2014 to 2020.
Bringing together many of the leading organisations working to address RHD.
RHDAustralia Partnership
The Heart Foundation and RHDAustralia have worked together in partnership to improve health professional education.
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Australian Bureau of Statistics analysis of the ABS Causes of Death: Table D1.23.18 2020 [Available from: https://www.indigenoushpf.gov.au/measures/1-05-circulatory-disease
- J Agostino, D Wong, E Paige, V Wade, C Connell, ME Davey, DP Peiris, D Fitzsimmons, CP Burgess, R Mahoney, E Lonsdale, P Fernando, L Malamoo, S Eades, A Brown, G Jennings, RW Lovett and E Banks, ‘Cardiovascular disease risk assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults aged under 35 years: a consensus statement’, Med J Aust, 2020; 212(9):422-427, doi:10.5694/mja2.50529.
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For professionals: Guidelines for acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease
Australian guidelines for prevention, diagnosis and management of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.
What is heart disease?
Heart disease can occur 10 to 20 years earlier among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and can lead to long-term health problems.
Get a heart check (animation) for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples
A one-minute video for your waiting room or practice website.
Last updated02 July 2021