Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Building alliances to help clients manage chronic disease
Hunter New England Area Health Service
This project was entered in the 2007 NSW Health Awards, New Risks and Opportunities category.
Contact: Tonia Easton
Abstract
Modern healthcare manages a substantial amount of chronic disease. Inflammatory Bowel Disease, (Crohn's and Colitis) are chronic disorders that cause the intestines to become inflamed. Tailoring access to need is challenging. In 2004 the Gastroenterology Liaison Nurse Service was introduced for patients with ongoing access needs for tertiary gastroenterology services. In 2007, to assess the services' effectiveness for patients with inflammatory bowel disease, the service randomly sampled a group of "frequent fliers"; patients diagnosed before 2003 with severe Inflammatory Bowel Disease and high service use. The frequency of use of key services before and after the Gastroenterology Liaison Nurses’ introduction; outpatients (routine and urgent appointments), the emergency department, and inpatient admission were compared. It was found that the Gastroenterology Liaison Nurse service, by addressing the complex needs of these patients, reduced outpatient visits both urgent and routine and inpatient admissions and reduced Emergency Department presentations for "frequent fliers".
The full entry document can be downloaded in the formats listed below:
Inflammatory bowel disease: Building alliances to help clients manage chronic disease (124KB)
Inflammatory bowel disease: Building alliances to help clients manage chronic disease (49KB)
Download the Presentation (616KB) from the 2007 NSW Health Expo
