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ACTIONS FOR POLICY AND IMPLEMENTATION

Supporting the local health workforce who are under immense pressure from the Covid-19 pandemic

Bringing technology to the forefront of clinical decision making in our hospitals

Safer and more effective patient care

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RESEARCH CONTEXT

Researchers from the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI) at QUT, University of Sydney, Sydney Local Health District (LHD), eHealth NSW, Murrumbidgee LHD, NSW Health and Alcidion have collaborated to establish a new $1.5million, 3 year, multidisciplinary research project through the Digital Health CRC (DHCRC). It is set to apply health informatics solutions to decision making in hospitals to deliver safer and more effective patient care. The project will evaluate and improve clinical decision support tools in both regional and metropolitan hospital settings.

Associate Professor Melissa Baysari from the University of Sydney explained that while decision support systems are often implemented in hospitals, they are either poorly taken up or worked around.

“We need to improve the ‘fit’ between decision support technologies and the people who use them,” A/Prof Baysari said.

Professor Steven McPhail from AusHSI added that the importance of the project was its multidisciplinary nature, supported by the DHCRC.

“It’s vital to ensure Health Services research is done in collaboration, with people and organisations with different expertise, backgrounds and perspectives who have unique views and can contribute to the project’s immediate and long-term success,” explained Professor McPhail, who is also a Flagship Research and Education Director of the DHCRC.

The research team will work with Alcidion’s Miya Precision system, which is used by Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and by Wagga Base Hospital in Southern NSW, to identify priority areas where clinical decision support tools will add value.

Miya Precision consolidates data from existing systems, such as the electronic medical record and enables clinical decision support to provide clinicians with proactive notification of critical issues.

Sydney LHD Chief Information Officer Richard Taggart said the project was an exciting step forward in supporting the local health workforce who are under immense pressure from the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Read more here.