Lifescripts

Program officer

GP Association, 5229 1922

Quicklinks

Directory of local lifestyle programs and support services

Get Moving Brochure - Barwon Health program preparing waiting list patients for knee and hip surgery

Local accredited and Medicare registered exercise physiologists

Locally registered personal trainers

Practical tips for GPs

Preventive health assessment fact sheet

Preventive care first line of defence by Dr Leanne Row; The Australian 12/01/08

Save Your Life & the Lives of Those You Love by Professor Leanne Rowe and Michael Kidd - order form

Program summary

The Lifescript program is a Department of Health and Ageing initiative that provides a framework and resources for GPs, Practice Nurses and staff in the general practice setting to bring lifestyle risk factors to the fore in their engagement with patients.

The Lifescripts model is based on research studies that consistently show that verbal advice alone is not enough - a GP lifestyle intervention is most effective when backed up by appropriate printed material and/or referrals.

The GP Association of Geelong's Lifescripts program extends the work already started under the Active Script program - Lifescripts covers smoking, nutrition, alcohol, physical activity and weight management.

Strategies

Provision of tools and resources to General Practice to help patients make healthier lifestyle choices. There is a range of resources available (hard copy and electronic), that allows Practices to choose their level of engagement, from a systems-based approach to an opportunistic approach. The potential is there to allow a comprehensive approach: discussing risk factors with patients, setting lifestyle change goals, providing written lifestyle prescriptions, organising ongoing review of lifestyle risk factors, and referring patients to other services that support healthy lifestyle choices.
Practice visits to demonstrate access and use of electronic and hard copy resources, and to discuss a systems-based approach using recall and reminders. For a Lifescripts practice visit contact the GP Association of Geelong on 5229 1922. Allow 20 minutes to one hour for the visit. This visit has two CPD points/hr.

Resources/Templates

Assessment and prescription pads in each lifestyle area
Directory of local lifestyle programs and support services
Exercise medical consent and referral form
National Physical Activity Guidelines review form
Exercise planner
Quit telephone counseling form
Alcohol audit and Alcohol decisional balance chart
GPMP templates
Lifescript medical software templates

Paper resources available from GPAG:

Waiting room poster and brochures
Risk factor checklist
Medical history stickers
Practice manual
CD Rom on motivational interviewing
Desktop reminder stickers referencing location of electronic resources in Medical Director or Best Practice
Paper-based Lifescript kits and hard copies of all electronic resources are available from the GP Association by calling 5229 1922.