6 October, 2020
Medtronic Australasia encourages Australians to continue their health management during the Covid-19 pandemic
Medtronic Australasia Pty Ltd is proud to be joining forces with the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA) and Medicines Australia to be an active participant in a Continuity of Care Collaboration (CCC) and their #DontWaitMate campaign.
Through the #DontWaitMate campaign, Medtronic will aid in the COVID-19 recovery phase – advocating for patients to return to clinics, hospitals and physician appointments – helping them overcome their fears to return to a ‘new normal’, while also emphasising the importance of maintaining their health and potential existing co-morbidities into the future.
Patient safety and continuity of care is extremely important, particularly for those patients who have chronic and complex diseases or conditions, vulnerable populations, the elderly and immunocompromised.
Continuity of care consists of the following areas:
- Prevention
- Chronic disease management
- Vaccination
- Cancer screening
- Adherence to medicines
- Acute care
- Pathology testing
- Mental health
- Clinical trials
- X-rays and scans
- Dentistry/oral health
The CCC has released concerns that Australians are not maintaining their regular doctor visits for existing chronic conditions and/or putting off seeing their doctor to get a test, investigation, or immunisation due to fears of contracting COVID-19 or burdening the health system1. For some patients, this could mean delayed diagnosis of a serious illness, or an existing condition worsening.
In March 2020, healthcare participation fell sharply as patients followed isolation advice. As a result, the pathology sector saw a 40 per cent drop in testing2 – equivalent to over 60,000 Australians per day not getting tests vital to manage their healthcare.
“We know 1 in 2 Australians are avoiding their healthcare during COVID-19,"3 said Liz Carnabuci, Vice President and Managing Director, Medtronic Australasia Pty Ltd. “At Medtronic, we have a responsibility to work together to keep people safe and healthy during this unprecedented time of COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. There is significant importance placed on the need to act now. The long-term health status of Australians’ could be impacted if people do not maintain regular engagements with their healthcare professionals.”
What health checks did you miss? – don’t leave it too late #DontWaitMate
To find out more, please visit: https://continuityofcare.org
About The Australian Financial Review Most Innovative Companies
The AFR BOSS Most Innovative Companies list (previously the BRW Most Innovative Companies List) is now in its tenth year. Up until 2018, the list ranked the most innovative organisations from across industries in Australia and New Zealand. In 2019 the AFR BOSS Most Innovative Companies moved to industry specific lists and is the only national, competition of its kind.
The competition is judged and compiled by Inventium – Australia’s leading innovation consultancy. Inventium uses a unique, scientifically proven approach to help organisations grow through innovation. It applies this methodology and scientific smarts to compile the lists. Inventium also utilises a panel of industry experts to judge the innovation component of the competition.
References
- https://continuityofcare.org
- https://knowpathology.com.au/2020/06/12/survey-shows-australians-delayed-gp-appointments-and-pathology-tests
- https://knowpathology.com.au/app/uploads/2020/06/London-Agency-KPKH-InfographicFinal.pdf