Point-of-care testing in the Indigenous rural community

Abstract

This paper describes three health programs - the 'Umoona Kidney Project', the national 'QAAMS' Program for point-of-care HbA1c testing and the 'Point-of-Care in Aboriginal Hands' Program. The common feature these models share is the use of point-of-care technology for the early detection and/or management of chronic diseases (renal disease, diabetes and cardiovascular disease). The primary focus of each program has been the rural and remote Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) sector, because these three chronic diseases account for a huge burden of morbidity and mortality in Aboriginal Australians.