Tools for your practice: Enhancing Consultations with Veterans
DVA clients are current and ex-service personnel with a variety of service and operations experience. They include people from a range of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. All have non-service-related identities and belong to an array of subgroups in the wider community.
How can you approach each consultation with veterans and their families to optimise their care?
Using the VETERANS Lens (mnemonic) to structure your thoughts when consulting a veteran or DVA client will assist you to unpack their full history, including their Australian Defence Force (ADF) experiences, support networks and medical concerns. The VETERANS Lens will guide you through the important, not-to-be-missed aspects of a medical history that are of particular relevance to a veteran’s health.
The VETERANS Lens
V = Values and culture
E = Exposures: Ears, eyes and other occupational exposures
T = Transition
E = Emotional history: Mental health, wellbeing and connectedness
R = Review of usual medical care including sexual health
A = Alcohol and substance use
N = Navigating the system
S = Supports: Social and Resources
Related courses
Understanding Our Veterans' Healthcare: This webinar will demonstrate how to incorporate the VETERANS Lens into your consultations and understanding of the transition from ADF to civilian life for your veteran patients and their families.
Further webinars and resources will expand on the VETERANS Lens and provide you with guidance for optimising the care of your veteran patients
Catherine is a GP in Geelong, Victoria. She has been involved in a wide variety of Medical Education opportunities, these include GP training, lecturing in Medicine at Deakin University, and providing clinical consultancy for the Deakin Indigenous Health team. Over recent years Catherine has moved into planning and facilitating the professional development of Medical Educators and GP Supervisors as well as learning (like everyone else) to do all of this online. Catherine strives to ensure her education events are engaging and innovative, with a dose of appropriate fun.
Dr Catherine Eltringham
Navigating the world of Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) billing can seem daunting. This concise guide provides general practitioners (GPs) with essential information on claiming for key DVA services, incentive payments, and compensation claim paperwork, ensuring accurate and efficient processing of your claims.
Dr Catherine Eltringham
As a GP, you can play a crucial role in helping veterans navigate the complexities of compensation claims. This process can be particularly challenging for those dealing with significant impairment or mental health conditions and is often exacerbated by the transition to civilian life. By understanding the steps involved and the required documentation, you can positively assist your patients' access to essential support and wellbeing.
Dr Catherine Eltringham
Older veterans have unique health needs. They often experience musculoskeletal problems, cardiovascular disease, respiratory conditions, and hearing loss. Mental health concerns such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety are also common.