Congestive heart failure (CHF) occurs in 1.5 to 2.0% of Australians,
is associated with comorbidities, high morbidity and
mortality, and is usually irreversible. It is a leading cause for
hospital admissions and GP consultations and has the highest
30-day readmission for all hospitalised medical conditions,
approaching 30%. It requires daily attention, much of
which can be imposed on caregivers. This increased cost and
imposition on family members can strain already stretched
health systems, divert funds from other essential services and
fracture strained social dynamics. The Northern Territory
(NT) of Australia is unique in its demography, a multicultural
population with greater than 30% Indigenous residents,
the highest of any Australian state. Its geographical mass is
six times that of Great Britain but 250 times less populated.
NT and rural Australians are challenged with access and
service availability factors, while the Indigenous community
battles additional variables of increased severity of CHF, preexisting
co-morbidities, social, economic, language and cultural
factors, poor access to preventative care for high risk
groups and poor uptake of post-discharge services such as
cardiac rehabilitation