Improving the journey for patients is the key to e-health

Writing in the supplement, ‘Research enabling the e-health revolution’, Dr David Hansen, who leads the Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC), says that improving the journey for patients is the key aim of ICT in health services.

“Information is the currency of health, from patient data captured and used at the point of care, through to secondary data use for reporting and clinical guideline development and, finally, to inform medical research,” Dr Hansen said.

Papers in the supplement focus on clinical application of research done at the AEHRC including the use of mobile phones to deliver cardiac rehabilitation services; data tools for data linking and analysis to inform decision making; biomedical imaging and simulation which will improve patient diagnosis and skills development of clinical staff; and technology which will underpin Australia’s e-health architecture.

The AEHRC, established jointly by the CSIRO Information and Communication Technology Centre and the Queensland Government, develops and pilots new technologies with the aim of improving patients’ experience, building a more rewarding health workforce environment and improving the efficiency of delivering health care.

Dr Hansen said that over the first five years of its operation the AEHRC has become a centre for innovation and development.

“The close collaboration with clinicians and health service executives, in Queensland Health and around Australia, over the next five years will continue to be key to the research, development and implementation of AEHRC technologies”, Dr Hansen said.

The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.

The statements or opinions that are expressed in the MJA  reflect the views of the authors and do not represent the official policy of the AMA unless that is so stated.

CONTACT:                 Dr David Hansen                           07 3253 3610 / 0419 646 108