Premium
Evaluation of a mobile screening service for abdominal aortic aneurysm in Broken Hill, a remote regional centre in far western NSW
Author(s) -
Lesjak Margaret S.,
FlecknoeBrown Stephen C.,
Sidford Jan R.,
Payne Kerryn,
Fletcher John P.,
Lyle David M.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
australian journal of rural health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.48
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1440-1584
pISSN - 1038-5282
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1584.2010.01128.x
Subject(s) - abdominal aortic aneurysm , medicine , attendance , population , service (business) , psychological intervention , rural area , aneurysm , family medicine , surgery , environmental health , nursing , business , pathology , marketing , economics , economic growth
Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of a mobile screening service model for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in a remote population centre in Australia.Design: Screening test evaluation.Setting: A remote regional centre (population: 20 000) in far western NSW.Participants: Men aged 65–74 years, identified from the Australian Electoral roll.Interventions: A mobile screening service using directed ultrasonography, a basic health check and post‐screening consultation.Main outcome measures: Attendance at the screening program, occurrence of AAA in the target population and effectiveness of screening processes.Results: A total of 516 men without a previous diagnosis of AAA were screened, an estimated response rate of 60%. Of these, 463 (89.7%) had a normal aortic diameter, 28 (5.4%) ectatic and 25 (4.9%) a small, moderate or significant aneurysm. Two men with AAA were recommended for surgery. Feedback from participants indicated that the use of a personalised letter of invitation helped with recruitment, that the screening process was acceptable and the service valued.Conclusions: It is feasible to organise and operate a mobile AAA screening service from moderate sized rural and remote population centres. This model could be scaled up to provide national coverage for rural and remote residents.