Straight to the point of careStraight to the point of careA 10-minute introduction for Queensland Health staff

Welcome to today’s webinar - we will begin shortly

Hosted by Elena KalceffBMJ Australia

Today’s session

● The comorbidities challenge

● About the Comorbidities tool

● Access options

● Live demo

The comorbidities challenge● One third of the Australian population suffer

from multiple chronic conditions1, and up to 80% of those aged 65 and over have three or more chronic conditions2

● Medical education, clinical teams and clinical guidelines tend to be organised along single disease or single organ lines

● When comorbidities aren’t taken into account, patients get suboptimal care, leading to worse clinical outcomes and longer lengths of stay

1 Harrison C, Henderson J, Miller G, Britt H. The prevalence of complex multimorbidity in Australia. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2016;40(3):239–44. pmid:270279892 Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Health Survey: Summary of Results, 2007–2008. Canberra: ABS: 2009.

Addressing the challenge

● The Comorbidities tool helps healthcare professionals to confidently treat the whole patient when managing acute conditions

● Add the patient’s comorbidities and get a tailored management plan instantly

● This means better clinical outcomes, shorter hospital stays and fewer readmissions

About the toolCovers high priority comorbidities that:

● Have the greatest potential for harm● Are most prevalent● Incur the highest costs

It is:

● Evidence-based. Where evidence is scarce or equivocal, expert opinion is provided

● Continually updated● Practical and short - for point of care use● Based on guidelines

● Hypertension● Diabetes● Coronary artery disease● Asthma● Heart failure● COPD● Stroke● Kidney disease (CKD)● Depression● Dementia

Desktop browser

Access options

Demo

The Comorbidities tool can be found in BMJ Best Practice on CKN. Access CKN via QHEPS at work or www.ckn.org.au offsite.

All acute topics featuring the Comorbidities tool can be viewed from the ‘Comorbidities’ button on the navigation menu

Having searched for COPD, the clinician goes to the topic summary page and selects ‘Treatment algorithm’ to find advice and guidance on management.

An 82-year-old man comes to the Emergency Department on Friday evening with cough and shortness of breath...

A pop-up box prompts the clinician to consider their patient’s existing conditions. In this case the patient has type 2 diabetes.

They are alerted that treatment options may be affected by the selected comorbidities.

...and affected treatment recommendations and urgent considerations are clearly indicated by the Comorbidities symbol.

The selected comorbidities are shown at the top of the screen...

When the clinician selects the treatment option, the adjustment is highlighted...

...with recommendations based on evidence and expert opinion

There are also helpful tips and prompts - in this case, when to consult a senior or specialist team.

Any questions?Elena KalceffMarketing and Training Manager, BMJekalceff@bmj.com

bestpractice.bmj.com/comorbidities

Thank you