Demystifying environmental health-related diseases: Using ICD codes to facilitate environmental health clinical referrals

Abstract

Background: The burden of disease of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is estimated as 2.3 times that of the broader Australian population, with between 30% and 50% of health inequalities attributable to poor environmental health. Objective: Although many Australian states and territories have clinical policy initiatives that seek to reduce the burden of preventable disease in this population, including field-based environmental health clinical referrals (EHCRs), there is little consistency across the jurisdictions, resulting in less potential to break the cycle of recurrent diseases within the home environment. Method and Results: This study addresses this inconsistency by recommending recognition and categorisation of environmental health risks to allow for accurate diagnosis and comparability across health services and locations by using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) system, already in use in hospitals. Conclusion and Implications: Developing a list of mutually agreed environmental health attributable diseases for the EHCR process using assigned ICD-10-AM codes would influence the provision of primary care to include recognition of the impact of environmental health conditions and allow environmental health staff to provide a response and education at both community and household levels to break disease cycles.