If you suffer from a chronic illness such as diabetes, arthritis, asthma, chronic airways disease, chronic kidney disease, stroke or heart disease, you should have a care plan.
A care plan (called a GP management plan) is a comprehensive, structured plan developed by you and your GP, which may also include other health professionals. It will help you to identify important goals for your health and plan actions that will assits you in achieving those goals.
Your care team may consist of:
- Your GP and practice nurse
- Health care professionals nominated by your GP in your care plan (e.g. Diabetes Educator, Podiatrist, Optometrist, Physiotherapist, Dietitian, Pharmacist and/or other medical specialists)
Evidence shows that a personally tailored care plan by a General Practitioner can help improve your health outcomes and better manage your chronic illness.
Precedence Health Care’s CDMS (Chronic Disease Management Service) is a web-based health service that assists your GP to create a personalised care plan for you and to securely share it with your care team. Trials in Western Australia and Victoria have shown that CDMS improves quality of care and saves you and your GP time by reducing the administration and paperwork involved in care planning.
Diabetes WA has received funding from the Department of Health and Ageing to assist with the implementation of the service in the Perth Metropolitan Area.
CDMS assists your care team to better coordinate your care. Members of your care team will be able to see your care plan and enter notes about your care using the CDMS website.
CDMS can assist you to better manage your care. It acts as a full-time, virtual personal trainer or health coach, helping you to manage and adhere to your care plan. If you have a mobile phone number or email address you will receive reminders to make or attend appointments with your care team.
Using the CDMS web site, you can view all the health information relevant to your care plan, such as medical history, current medications and allergies, as well as a detailed description of your care plan and a history of important measurements, such as body weight, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
So book an appointment with your doctor today to discuss your care plan.