Accreditation practice pointer: supporting consistent diagnosis and management of patients

C5.1 B Our clinical team supports consistent diagnosis and management of our patients.

RACGP Standards for general practice

General practice must provide clinicians with access to the current, best evidence and accurate clinical guidelines to encourage consistent diagnosis and management of patients. The guidelines can be available in either electronic or hard copy.

Applying clinical guidelines consistently helps to:

• provide consistency in diagnosis and management of health issues

• reduce variation of care between clinicians

• provide continuity of care of each patient

• give the patient clear and consistent messages about their health issues and treatment. 

General practice might also support consistent patient management by:

• keeping records of clinical team meetings when the use of clinical guidelines was discussed

• having clinical team members discuss the care of patients with other team members, while ensuring patient confidentiality

• educating the practice team so that they can find and use resources and guidelines

• keeping records that show what evidence-based resources and guidelines the practice team uses

• establishing and maintain a system that the practice team uses to pass on messages to other team members (eg a communication book, internal mail or email system)

• using relevant clinical guidelines for treating patients who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin, and for preventing and managing chronic diseases in these patients.