Question

A 58-year-old woman with long-standing type 2 diabetes and hypertension presents with bilateral ankle oedema and breathlessness on exertion. She lives in a very remote Aboriginal community with limited access to specialist care. Echocardiography performed by an outreach service shows heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. According to the Primary Clinical Care Manual for rural and remote health, which approach is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Initiate guideline-directed heart failure therapy locally and coordinate shared care with telehealth cardiology review

Answer

Arrange transfer to tertiary centre for all care and provide no ongoing management locally

Answer

Provide only symptomatic treatment with diuretics due to limited resources

Answer

Advise the patient that nothing can be done until she relocates to a regional centre

Answer

Start high-dose non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain control

Practice question