Palm Island is a beautiful tropical island located 65km from Townsville, North Queensland. This indigenous community, established in 1918, is home to approximately 3000 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders.
This group is at increased risk of many chronic diseases, especially diabetes, hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Smoking, low activity, low fruit and vegetable consumption and obesity are also more prevalent in Indigenous communities.
Only a small percentage of Palm Islanders have had a creatinine level taken since eGFR reporting was introduced in August 2005. From this group, we identified only 79 people with eGFR <60ml/min/1.73m2. (2.6%)
Townsville Health Service District multidisciplinary CKD team has monthly clinics on Palm Island, consisting of NPC, dietitian, social worker and nephrologist (second monthly).
This presentation will discuss measured outcomes over two years based on glycaemic control, blood pressure, prescription of reno-protective medications, bone mineralisation, metabolic acidosis and anaemia correction in the Palm Island CKD population.
It will also discuss means of increasing detection and early management and control of chronic diseases and their co-morbidities.