Injecting innovation into the heart of Australian healthcare

Following the approval of Australia’s National Digital Health Strategy spanning 2018-2022, the healthcare sector now has a mandate for movement to digital platforms.

Hospitals around Australia are launching a number of innovative initiatives in line with the agenda which strives to “put the consumer at the centre of their health care and provides choice, control and transparency” according to health ministers.

Here are some of the most exciting projects of the year:

•          St Vincent’s Melbourne trial of automation in microbiology lab

St Vincent’s Hospital is the first pathology lab in the world to trial new technology to automate the analysis of microbiology lab samples. The machine will improve the efficiency of microbiology labs and enable the faster diagnosis and reporting infectious diseases.

•          Metro North Hospital and Health Service move to cloud platforms

Queensland’s largest public hospital and health service will migrate to the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Platform with the goal of improving patient care and the flexibility of delivering clinical information systems. According to Nutanix, “the platform is supporting around four times its previous workload and with additional capacity to spare.”

•         The country’s most advanced digital hospital opens its doors

The $2.3 billion Royal Adelaide Hospital opened its doors in September boasting an array of digital equipment one would expect to see in the hospital of the future. Electronic tags keep track of equipment and patients, wireless patient nurse call system, electronic bedside devices, distributed medical imaging and self-service electronic kiosks is just some of the tech on hand, according to CIO.com.au.

•          Artificial Intelligence which alerts citizens at risk

Clinicians and IT experts in South Australia have begun development of cloud-based AI which analyses health data and intervenes when it finds anything of concern. Country Health SA’s Integrated Cardiovascular Clinical Network is leading development of the platform which collates clinical data and conducts automatic health assessments.

•          Lithgow hospital rolls out new x-ray technology

In an Australian first, the new x-ray technology will generate clearer images more quickly. Worth $700,000, the new machine exposes patients to drastically reduced levels of radiation and the images are often ready before the patient has even left the x-ray room.

Written by: Claire Dowler

Claire Dowler is a Senior Conference Producer with Akolade. She recently graduated with a double degree: a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Media and Communications Studies majoring in International Communication. Claire minored in sarcasm and puns.

A ballroom-dancer who collects salt and pepper shakers and volunteers for animal rescue, you might say Claire has eclectic interests.