Timeline dates | Activity | OOPE focus |
---|---|---|
2003–present | Team- and system-based work on leadership and capacity-building, emphasis on policy needs, generating awareness of work, engagement with key stakeholders in CVD, population health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, building research partnerships and producing policy-relevant research | Foundational work |
2015–2016 | Identification of absolute CVD risk assessment and management in the general population as an output of likely shared policy interest, within a broader programme of work Engagement with stakeholders on CVD risk assessment and management in the general population, including Department of Health, Heart Foundation, Australian Bureau of Statistics Input into general population paper and identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander absolute CVD risk as an area of interest for future work in the programme | Initial engagement, considering the broader program of work, forming and furthering partnership work |
May 2016 | Publication of paper on CVD risk assessment and management in the general population [2] | Release of research output and positioning for implementation |
2016 | Australian National University CVD program Aboriginal Reference Group identifies early CVD in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, prior to the age when assessment is recommended nationally, as a key concern | Forming and furthering partnership work and continued engagement |
2016 | Analyses of Australian Bureau of Statistics data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander CVD risk, identifying early onset of risk, with results fed back to reference group. Commencement of drafting of paper | |
June 2016 | All-staff forum and roundtable 1: all-staff presentation and senior policy roundtable on early results on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander CVD risk at the Australian Government Department of Health | |
June 2017 | Work commissioned on risk assessment of CVD for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population by the Department of Health; meetings every 3 weeks with staff from the Indigenous Health Division, Department of Health, from this time until June 2020, as part of this work | |
November 2017 | All-staff forum and roundtable 2: All-staff presentation and senior policy roundtable on implementation gaps in CVD prevention and proposed policy levers to improve uptake of absolute CVD risk at the Australian Government Department of Health. Roundtable focused on possible enhancements to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health checks to improve CVD prevention | |
December 2017 | Submission of report to Australian Department of Health reviewing evidence for the alignment of guidelines on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander CVD risk | |
February 2018 | Stakeholder workshop on guideline alignment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander CVD risk, including presentation of findings on absolute CVD risk in this population | |
March 2018 | Submission of report to the Department of Health outlining a strategy to support revision and alignment of guidelines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander CVD assessment and management | Release of research output and positioning for implementation |
April 2018 | Findings on CVD risk in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health checks presented to the General Practice and Primary Care Clinical Committee Assessments Working Group of the Medicare Benefits Schedule Review | Continued engagement |
June 2018 | Australian National University CVD Aboriginal Reference Group supports lowering the age for commencing CVD risk assessment to 18 years and recommends communication strategies to promote community awareness of CVD risk assessment | Partnership work and continued engagement |
June 2018 | Workshop of representatives of organizations responsible for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander CVD guideline development: Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and Central Australian Rural Practitioners Association. The group agreed on the need for systematic universal clinical CVD risk assessment from age 18 and to work together on a consensus statement | |
June 2018 | Paper on CVD risk in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults published online and launched by Minister Wyatt at Parliament House | Release of research output and positioning for implementation |
July 2018 | Findings on CVD risk in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health checks presented to Indigenous Reference Group of the Medicare Benefits Schedule Review | Continued engagement |
June 2018–July 2019 | Additional analysis on the prevalence of vascular risk factors in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults aged 18–29 was completed using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2012–2013 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey. These results were presented to the Aboriginal Reference Group and Guidelines Working Group to guide discussions on extending a CVD risk assessment and management to adults younger than 30 [30] Drafting of consensus statement to lower age at CVD risk assessment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults to 18 [31], with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community representatives and leaders in CVD research as partners and authors, including representatives from guideline development groups: Heart Foundation, RACGP, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and the Central Australian Rural Practitioners Association Endorsement of consensus statement by the Heart Foundation Clinical Committee and Heart Health Committee, Chair of the RACGP Quality Care Committee and representatives from the Stroke Foundation, Kidney Health Australia and Diabetes Australia | Furthering partnership work, continued engagement and positioning for implementation |
May 2019 | Participation and presentation at roundtable held by RACGP on enhancements to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health checks | Partnership work and continued engagement |
August 2019 | Consensus statement updating guidelines on CVD risk assessment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults submitted to peer-reviewed journal | Release of research output and positioning for implementation |
December 2019 | All-staff forum and roundtable 3: all-staff presentation and senior policy roundtable on findings from review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health assessments and chronic disease prevention | Continued engagement |
March 2020 | Consensus statement updating guidelines on CVD risk assessment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults published online [31]. This is the first time all relevant guidelines have been aligned for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and that age ranges for assessment have been based on representative empirical evidence | Release of research output and positioning for implementation |
November 2020 | National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and RACGP publish Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health check templates that incorporate many of the key recommendations from the Australian National University review [34] | Release of research output, incorporating our research findings |
February 2021 | Paper on sociodemographic factors and CVD risk factors among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples having health checks published [32] | Release of research output and positioning for implementation |