The World Health Organization states that ‘Palliative care is a crucial part of integrated, people-centred health services. Relieving serious health-related suffering, be it physical, psychological, social, or spiritual, is a global ethical responsibility.’ Historically, the biomedical model has focused on physical symptoms and less so on distressing psycho-existential suffering.

This nationally implemented quality improvement project headed by Prof David Kissane (University of Notre Dame) introduces a validated assessment tool that equips clinicians to effectively identify and begin address this unmet need. Palliative Care Services in the ACT operating out of Clare Holland House has been a contributing site since 2021.

Prof Ted Maddess will present an introduction to Vision ACTion and some examples of uses of the OFA. A/Prof Faran Sabeti from U Canberra Optometry will present recent work on OFA in diabetic macular oedema.

Deborah Davis and Nicolas Cherbuin, University of Canberra 

Authors: 

ANKE VAN DER STERREN1,2, KAREN GORST3, ELLA DILKES-FRAYNE4, ELISABETH YARBAKHSH1,5, CHRIS GOUGH3, NATASHA NIKOLIC3, DEAN WANG3, TAYLOR MUNDAY3, DEVIN BOWLES, SUSOS CODESIGN PROJECT ADVISORY GROUP1, PATRICK RAWSTORNE2, SALLY NATHAN2 

1Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT (ATODA), Canberra, Australia, 2School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 3Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy (CAHMA), 4Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Policy, Population Health Policy Branch, ACT Health Directorate, 5College of Arts and Social Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, 

 

The Service Users Satisfaction and Outcomes Survey (SUSOS) Codesign Project is a collaboration between the ACT alcohol, tobacco and other drug (ATOD) peak organisation; ATOD service users; the local peer-based organisation; government and non-government ATOD services; and the ACT Health Directorate. 

 

Guided by a multi-stakeholder Project Advisory Group, the project has sought to engage ATOD service users as equal partners in the design of a validated patient-reported experience measure for use in ACT ATOD services. 

 

This presentation will describe and discuss the collaborative methodology that has enabled the identification of themes particular to the experiences of ATOD service users, and the ‘translation’ of these into items to better reflect and measure these experiences to inform improved person-centred care in ATOD services in the ACT.