Application
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to conduct health promotion as part of primary health care services for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities. The unit may be contextualised to apply information and strategies in specific areas of health care.
This unit applies to those Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Workers providing a range of primary health care services to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities.
The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements define the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria specify the level of performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Promote health care | 1.1 Consider identified community and individual client needs in determining priorities and potential areas to be addressed by health promotion 1.2 Provide accurate information about the nature, incidence and potential impacts of health conditions in relation to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities 1.3 Provide accurate information about the importance of regular health checks, compliance with treatment regimens and medications, and the need to follow-up and monitor problems 1.4 Provide health information in plain language, using visual aids where appropriate 1.5 Discuss risk factors relating to specific health problems in the context of local, cultural, community, family and individual issues 1.6 Provide practical advice relating to maintaining good health in line with individual and community needs and organisational guidelines |
2. Provide support to clients with health problems | 2.1 Provide support for clients with common health problems in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities 2.2 Provide guidance about health issues in line with community needs 2.3 Use culturally appropriate educational resources for health programs 2.4 Provide information about resources available in the community and state in relation to addressing health issues 2.5 Support clients to take a self-care approach to maintaining health in line with identified individual needs 2.6 Make appropriate referrals for clients with health problems 2.7 Maintain confidentiality to reflect community and organisational guidelines |
3. Follow-up clients with health problems | 3.1 Organise follow-up care for clients with health problems using computer- and/or paper-based registers 3.2 Identify clients who are significantly overdue for health care checks and employ active-recall strategies 3.3 Identify social and environmental factors that impact on health problem and address them in partnership with the community and other agencies 3.4 Promptly report any notifiable health problems detected or suspected in line with organisational and regulatory requirements |
Evidence of Performance
The candidate must show evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the job role.
There must be evidence that the candidate has:
determined priorities and potential areas to be addressed in health promotion based on community and individual client needs
promoted health care including:
- providing accurate information about the nature, incidence and potential impacts of particular health conditions in relation to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities
- presenting accurate information about the importance of regular checks, compliance with treatment regimes and medications, and the need to follow-up and monitor health problems
- communicating health information in plain language, using visual aids where appropriate
- discussing risk factors relating to specific health problems
- providing practical advice relating to maintaining good health
provided support to clients, including:
- providing guidance about health issues
- using culturally appropriate educational resources for health programs
- providing information about resources available in community and statewide
- offering blood pressure checks, checking medication dosages and blood glucose readings
- supporting clients to take a self-care approach to maintaining health
- making appropriate referrals for clients
- identifying clients who require follow-up for health issues and initiating procedures to support their ongoing health care.
All performance evidence must be demonstrated at least once.
Evidence of Knowledge
The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role.
This includes knowledge of:
organisational policies and procedures and legislation or regulations relating to:
- client confidentiality
- referral, including various levels of urgency, and follow-up of clients.
- mandatory reporting
- notifiable communicable diseases
- limits of own ability and authority
- reporting procedures
- documentation
anatomy and physiology and associated microbiology, including the:
- respiratory system
- circulatory system
- integumentary system
- digestive system
- genitourinary system
- endocrine system
- musculoskeletal system
- nervous system
pathophysiology associated with these systems, including:
- chronic conditions and conditions associated with a specific body system
- injuries
- wounds
- arthritis
- inflammation
- impact of alcohol and other drugs
pharmacology to address pathophysiology, including:
- medications and forms of administration
- antibiotics
- analgesics
- contraindications
- complications
- psychiatric medications
- oral hypoglycaemics
- insulin
features of chronic illness, including:
- complex causality
- multiple risk factors
- long latency periods
- a prolonged course of illness
- functional impairment or disability
specific chronic conditions affecting Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities, including:
cardiovascular disease
diabetes
cancer
chronic respiratory disease
chronic kidney disease
asthma
arthritis
oral disease
specific impacts of chronic conditions on major body organs and systems
groups at high risk of chronic conditions
determinants of chronic conditions, including:
- smoking
- physical activity
- nutrition
- alcohol intake
- use of illicit drugs
- obesity, weight and waist circumference
- unsafe sexual practices
- genetic factors
treatment and management of chronic conditions, including:
- working strategically with clients, family and significant others to promote self-management as far as possible
- medication
- surgery
- regular exercise
- good nutrition
- cessation of smoking
- cessation or moderation of alcohol use
- cessation of illicit drug use
- regular screenings for changes in disease presentation and detection of other diseases
referral services
National Aboriginal Health Strategy
communication strategies, including addressing specific audiences and using visual aids and body language to assist in information transaction
health promotion strategies
research techniques to gather health information in specific communities, including rural and remote
organisational policies and procedures.
Assessment Conditions
Skills must be demonstrated working:
in a health service or centre
as part of a multidisciplinary primary health care team
with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities.
In addition, simulations and scenarios must be used where the full range of contexts and situations cannot be provided in the workplace or may occur only rarely. These are situations relating to emergency or unplanned procedures where assessment in these circumstances would be unsafe or is impractical.
Simulated assessment environments must simulate the real-life working environment where these skills and knowledge would be performed, with all the relevant equipment and resources of that working environment.
Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015/AQTF mandatory competency requirements for assessors.
Assessment must be undertaken by a workplace assessor who has expertise in this unit of competency and who is:
an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker
or:
accompanied by an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person who is a recognised member of the community with experience in primary health care.
Foundation Skills
The Foundation Skills describe those required skills (language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills) that are essential to performance. | |
Numeracy | in order to calculate results of blood pressure checks, checking medication dosages, and blood glucose readings |
Other foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit.