Foundations of Chronic Disease

The Foundations of Chronic Disease course aims to provide students with foundation knowledge and has been designed for professionals new to the field of chronic disease management. The course explores a range of topics including the burden of chronic disease globally and locally, understanding the patient journey and communication styles to enhance health literacy, understanding the use and appropriateness of prevention and prevention tools, identifying readiness for change and health behaviours, and the role of health data to inform service delivery.

Upon successful completion of the course students should have the ability to:

• Understand the definition and burden of chronic disease
• Understand the influencing factors on health
• Identify modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors
• Understand the patient journey and link to coordinated care, cultural safety, health literacy, and communication styles
• Identify the need for prevention and the use of prevention tools
• Understand the role of primary healthcare in care coordination and chronic disease management

Entrants to the Foundations of Chronic Disease course typically are primary healthcare professionals. Relevant roles could include but are not limited to:

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Workers 
• Allied Health Professionals
• Dietitians
• Enrolled Nurses
• Fitness Professionals
• General Practice Registrars
• General Practitioners
• Nurse Practitioners
• Nutritionists
• Other Health Professionals
• Registered Nurses
• Social and Emotional Wellbeing Workers

There are no associated formal assessments with this course. All learning is completed online with real time learning feedback provided via theory questions covering essential knowledge and skills. This style of feedback is known as a ‘formative assessment’, a self-marking process that provides immediate results and feedback.

There are no formal assessment requirements for this course.

Build an important base level of knowledge for chronic disease management in primary care, the healthcare impact and burden, and enable progression in further specific disease-state learning.

Students enrolled in The Benchmarque Group courses should adhere to the following principles:

• Display a commitment to learning and to achieving success
• Be responsible and accountable for their own learning, behaviour and decisions
• Actively participate in all workshop activities and learning experiences
• Attend all scheduled sessions and be punctual at all times
• Complete all online assessments and workplace practice activities
• Work in harmony and respect the rights and opinions of staff and other students
• Treat others as they themselves would like to be treated
• Use acceptable language at all times.

Yes, you will receive a certificate upon completion of this module. Please note that this course is not accredited. Upon demonstrating your competencies in this course, you will be eligible to pursue accreditation of our other Chronic Disease courses.

Yes, all students are required to complete the pre-requisite learning, except for General Practitioners (GPs).

No, you can do Foundations of Chronic Disease only as a stand-alone course.