Key Clinical Resources

This comprehensive online practice guide aims to support GPs, nurses and other primary care providers to undertake on arrival and ongoing care for people from refugee backgrounds and people seeking asylum. The guide takes a whole of practice approach and includes key aspects of care such as undertaking a comprehensive refugee health assessment.

[The guide is an updated version of Promoting Refugee Health: A guide for doctors and other healthcare providers caring for people from refugee backgrounds (2012)]

Australian Society for Infectious Diseases and Refugee Health Network of Australia
Recommendations for comprehensive post-arrival health assessment for people from refugee-like backgrounds 2nd Edition 2016

This clinical guideline is designed for healthcare providers who care for people from refugee-like backgrounds; including general practitioners, refugee health nurses, refugee health specialists, infectious diseases physicians and other medical specialists.

[This is the 2nd edition produced by Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases and Refugee Health Network of Australia, and is endorsed by The Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID), National Tuberculosis Advisory Committee (NTAC), Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), and The Australasian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine (AChSHM - RACP)]

Service for the treatment and rehabilitation of torture and trauma survivors (STARTTS)

People from refugee backgrounds will often seek help from their GP for a range of health complaints. As refugee trauma impacts on physical and mental health, STARTTS can provide valuable assistance to GPs when patients are presenting with psychological and psycho­somatic symptoms. Anyone can make a referral to STARTTS.

Phone: 9646-6800 (ask for intake office) or download a referral form.

Transcultural Mental Health Centre (TMHC)

The Transcultural Mental Health Centre site includes a variety of tools to assist GPs in mental health including ‘Cross-cultural Mental Health Care: A resource kit for GPs and health professionals’

Also included is the Transcultural Assessment Checklist (TAC); A practical guide for cultural assessment. The TAC is a guide to conducting culturally accurate clinical and psychosocial assessment of mental health clients.

Primary Health Networks - Health Pathways

HealthPathways is an online clinical and referral information portal used by clinicians at the point of care. It provides GPs access to management and treatment options on a range of clinical presentations and information about local clinical services and their referral processes. Links to reputable patient information (including translated patient information where available) and clinical resources are also provided in most clinical pathways.

The majority of PHNs have developed Refugee Assessment and Refugee Support HealthPathways. Please access via your local PHN website.

Health Assessment for Refugees and Other Humanitarian Entrants into Australia

Medicare Resources:

• MBS Health assessment for refugees and other humanitarian entrants - Medicare items 701, 703, 705 and 707 
• FAQs about health assessments for refugees and other humanitarian entrants into Australia
• Medicare Health Assessments Resource Kits - download fact sheets, checklists and assessment tools

Online Learning

Practice Coaching Free e-learning for General Practice is an initiative of South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network (SEMPHN); the website includes a learning unit and a comprehensive resource library on “Refugee and Asylum Seeker Health”.

RACGP - Refugee and Migrant Health
Resources include various subject areas of interest, PubMed collections and useful links.