St Stephen’s Hospital in Hervey Bay will today host the first 2015 Queensland event of the Health Informatics Society of Australia’s (HISA), a not-for-profit digital health community dedicated to the advancement of e-health in this country.
The $96 million St Stephen’s Hospital was selected to host the event because it is the country’s only fully integrated digital hospital and the first to achieve Stage 6 certification from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.
The HISA event sold out weeks ago, attracting the best clinicians, academics, health IT specialists and administrators from the country’s foremost hospitals and research institutions.
Attendees have the unique opportunity to share the experiences and learnings of the UnitingCare Health team — and those of technology partners like Cerner — that developed the hospital’s state-of-the-art systems. These include:
- automatic feeds that transfer patient data directly from monitoring systems to each patient’s electronic health record (EHR)
- real-time alerts to doctors and nurses regarding their patients’ allergies, medications, and any abnormal vital signs or test results
- Australia’s first fully closed loop medication management system. This features single-dose packaging of medications, individual patient barcoding and automated dispensing cabinets to prevent medication errors
- remote access to patient charts via computers and tablets, and
- electronic meal ordering linked to each patient’s medical and dietary requirements.
Technical briefings will be provided on the devices and technologies chosen, the e-health interface, clinical informatics systems, automated medication management, the IT infrastructure and security systems, medical and clinical engagement, and the benefits realisation program.
A key feature of the event is a tour of the hospital, considered a national ‘showcase’ of the latest e-health technologies and how they integrate with advanced care to transform the experience and outcomes of patients.
HISA CEO Dr Louise Schaper said St Stephen’s showcased healthcare delivered through state of the art technology, a pointer to the future of Australia healthcare.
“Digital healthcare systems like that at St Stephen’s integrate an array of leading edge technologies, equipment and practices to deliver holistic, high-quality patient care,” Dr Schaper said.
“Witnessing the latest healthcare technologies, practices and processes in operation, and seeing how they co-operate in an integrated network environment, is a unique learning opportunity for delegates.”
Executive Director of UnitingCare Health, Richard Royle, said the Hervey Bay region could be proud of their role in leading the e-health revolution in this country.
“It is not often that a regional community has access to a healthcare facility that is more advanced than those available in the capital cities,” Mr Royle said.
Event organiser Sharon Downman, St Stephen’s Hospital’s Quality and Clinical Informatics Manager and HISA Queensland Committee Member, said her prime motivation was to use their experience to support clinicians around the country improve patient care and safety.