The Primary Clinical Care Manual (PCCM) is presented in five (5) main sections, Emergency, General, Mental Health and Alcohol Misuse, Reproductive and Paediatric. The main table of contents is shown in section order and each of the five (5) sections is preceded by a detailed table of contents which is shown in order of entry for that section. The following guidelines should be studied prior to using the PCCM.
1. In Health Service Districts with Rural Hospitals and Isolated Practice Areas (see Appendix 5 and 8a of the Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulation 1996) the PCCM must be adopted as the Health Management Protocols (HMP) by a multidisciplinary team made up of at least a Medical Practitioner, Registered Nurse and Pharmacist6.
2. The drug boxes indicate the schedule of the drug or poison and whether or not the drug or poison is in a Drug Therapy Protocols (DTP).
| Schedule 4 Azithromycin DTP IHW/IPAP/RIP/SRH/NP | ||||
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| Form | Strength | Route of Administration | Recommended Dosage | Duration |
| Tablet | 500mg | Oral | 1 gram |
1 dose given under observation. |
| Provide Consumer Medicine information if available: | ||||
| Management of Associated Emergency: Consult MO | ||||
Or not in a DTP:
| Schedule nil Selenium Sulphide (Selsun) NON DTP | ||||
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| Form | Strength | Route of Administration | Recommended Dosage | Duration |
| Shampoo | 25 mg/mL (2.5%) | Topical | Apply liberally over and beyond the affected area. Leave on 10 mins then wash off | Repeat daily for 2 weeks |
| Management of Associated Emergency: Consult MO | ||||
3. The PCCM does not include information such as contra-indications, precautions, and adverse reactions relevant to the various drugs recommended. Endorsed Registered Nurses practising in rural hospitals and isolated practice areas, Nurse Practitioners, authorised Indigenous Health Workers and Isolated Practice Area Paramedics practising in isolated practice areas must be in possession of:
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4. Whenever a patient presents, a full history should be obtained, followed by a physical examination/ clinical assessment. The process for history taking and physical examination/clinical assessment, to be performed on an adult is outlined on pages xii - xv and for a child see pages 430 - 434. Use this as a guide when documenting the history and physical examination/clinical assessment and when communicating with the Medical Officer and/or other members of the health care team. The history taking and physical examination/clinical assessment may have to be modified in an emergency situation.
See ASSESSMENT OF THE SICK PERSON and ASSESSMENT OF THE SICK CHILD in the Paediatric Section
5. Chronic diseases (including cancers) are responsible for more than 80% of the burden of disease and injury and 70% of health expenditure across Australia. The burden of chronic diseases is shared unequally across the population. People from low socioeconomic circumstances, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and people from rural and remote areas have high levels of disability, morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations suffer an excess burden of chronic diseases. Compared to other Australian’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons have high mortality from:
Conditions such as Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease are almost exclusively found in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations living in regional and remote areas of central and northern Australia. This population also has higher prevalence of risk factors leading to chronic diseases such as:
Upstream determinants of health such as high unemployment, low incomes, poor housing and poor education outcomes are also evident in the least advantaged areas.
Chronic diseases are largely preventable and influenced by modifiable risk factors - smoking, alcohol, nutrition, physical activity levels, practicing safe sexual behaviours and social emotional wellbeing.
Australia wide government and non-government organisations are implementing strategies to address the burden of chronic diseases at the population and individual level. Approaches to addressing chronic diseases include primary prevention, early detection – through population health checks or screening and disease management where evidence based minimum recall schedules are implemented.
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