Project aims to deliver ‘new digital health workforce’

The NHMRC recently announced a $7.9 million round of funding for its Partnership Project grants for healthcare research to inform policy and practice, and contribute to improving Australia’s healthcare system.
 
Among the awarded grants is a new Flinders University-led digital health project.
 
safe@home will investigate the effectiveness of virtual care for people living with chronic diseases in low socioeconomic areas, with the aim to reduce hospital admissions, GP wait times, and improve patients’ quality of life.
 
Chief investigator, Professor of Acute Care in Cardiovascular Research at Flinders University, Robyn Clark, will lead collaboration with South Australian public health networks to deliver regular integrated primary care services via fully monitored virtual care and telemonitoring.
 
‘With the unrelenting pressure on our healthcare system, we will be focusing on creating a robust primary care framework for people living with high needs, such as heart failure, diabetes, hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,’ Professor Clark said.
 
Hospital ambulance ramping in Professor Clark’s state have recently hit record numbers, and she is hoping her project will help to ease these pressures and reduce emergency department presentations and hospital admissions, while better linking patients with care in their community.
 
‘Along with providing quality care in the home setting, we aim to improve the everyday quality of life for these patients by giving them more regular health checks and access to professional help,’ she said.
 
‘Even more than this monitoring, it is the clinical decisions and actions taken based on information obtained by monitoring that will alter patient wellbeing and outcomes.’
 
The prevalence of chronic disease is higher among people living in lower socioeconomic areas, and the safe@home project aims to target the needs of these populations and improve health literacy and self-care.
 
The model will engage doctors, nurses and allied health practitioners across primary care and hospital settings to create ‘a new digital health workforce’.
 
Patient-centred, at-home care will comprise daily telemonitoring of health, including blood pressure, lung function, pain, medication and mental wellbeing with a nurse, then referral to a GP, allied heath or other specialists, or hospital if necessary.
 
Professor Clark said the home telemonitoring and virtual care will better involve patients and give them ‘incentive to increase their self-care and self-monitoring’ to manage their conditions.
 
Additionally, safe@home will also be used to develop an effective model for other cities and regions to use routine Medicare item numbers for primary care and a framework for scaling into routine care. This includes refinement of the interfaces with electronic medical records and patients’ clinics.
 
One of the project’s collaborators is the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network, and Executive Director of Medical Services Dr John Maddison welcomes the project.
 
‘Embracing technology and linking general practice with hospital care is the best way to keep our patients safe at home,’ he said.
 
‘Which is better for patients and also helps take the pressure off our emergency departments.’
 
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