Vietnamese Primary Health Care Research Network
Project Coordinator
Hien Le, Balwinder Sidhu, Sarah Dennis
Chief Investigators
Associate Investigators
Rationale
The Fairfield Local Government Area (LGA) has an estimated 28,000 residents who speak Vietnamese as their first language, more than 50% of the Vietnamese population of South West Sydney. There are also an estimated 57 Vietnamese GPs in Fairfield.
Aims
To develop and implement a primary health care network model to effectively link Vietnamese General Practitioners (GPs) and other health professionals in order to provide more accessible and comprehensive health care for the Vietnamese community in the Fairfield Local Government Area (FLGA).
- Increase awareness and referral rates by Vietnamese GPs to allied and community health services.
- This project pilots a model that can be applied in other geographical areas with similar population groups and service delivery characteristics.
- Advance primary health care networking in South Western Sydney.
Design and Method
The Vietnamese Primary Health Care Network project was developed in three phase process:
1. Planning Phase: Employment of project officer and setting up of steering committee and an establishment of a code of conduct for project. Project officer to provide support for GPs and other service
2. Implementation Phase: Phase two focused on the implementation of the proposed Primary Health Care Network model, implementation strategies included networking, promotion, education programs, and the establishment of a referral system and communication strategy.
3. Evaluation Phase: The aim of this phase was to evaluate both the process and impact of the project. Data were provided by the Clinical Information Department from Fairfield Hospital for the year 2002- 3 and 2003- 4. The evaluation of each session was conducted at the end of the information sessions or health forum meetings. Surveys and questionnaires to identify the satisfaction of members with outcomes of GPs involvement, and access to Fairfield Health Service were conducted. The survey was developed and conducted during July 04 with the advice and assistance from an independent consultant, employed by funding body- NSW Health Department.
Key Publications
Project Report, no other publications.