Opportunities for general practitioners to enhance disaster preparedness among vulnerable patients
Olga Anikeeva A C , Victoria Cornell B , Malinda Steenkamp A and Paul Arbon A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Torrens Resilience Institute, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.
B Centre for Housing, Urban and Regional Planning, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: olga.anikeeva@flinders.edu.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 22(4) 283-287 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY15156
Submitted: 19 October 2015 Accepted: 5 April 2016 Published: 18 July 2016
Abstract
Disasters occur frequently in Australia and will become more unpredictable and severe due to climate change. Some members of the Australian population, such as the elderly, the chronically ill and the socially isolated, are less likely to be prepared and more likely to be adversely affected by disasters. Although general practitioners (GPs) view the delivery of preventive health care as a priority, few preventive services focus on patients’ resilience and ability to cope with unexpected stressors. This paper focuses on the individuals most vulnerable to disasters and the opportunities for GPs to facilitate the enhancement of disaster preparedness among these groups. General practitioners are ideally placed to identify vulnerable patients and refer them to services that may assist them in enhancing their disaster resilience. To reduce the burden on individual GPs, adjustments can be made to practice software systems that will use patient records to identify vulnerable individuals.
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