75+ health assessments.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The Enhanced Primary Care package (EPC) includes item numbers for annual health assessment of people aged 75 years and over. Nursing or allied health staff can perform these as home visits and save the general practitioner considerable time. OBJECTIVE: Explanatory notes for conducting these assessments are described with reference to the RACGP guidelines in print or on the internet. DISCUSSION: 75+ health assessments (75+ HA) represent an opportunity for GPs to improve the functional status of their elderly patients at the same time as building team work with nursing and allied health professionals.