Mobile Applications – Towards Zero delays


Graeme McLeod1,2,3, Fiona Wood1,2,3,
1Fiona Wood Foundation, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
2South Metroplitan Health Service, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
3Child and Adolescent Health Service, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Abstract

Offering ease of use, familiarity, and proven features, it’s no surprise that clinicians are turning to mobile devices and commercial applications to support their ever-increasing workloads (Tran et al. 2014; Thomas 2018; Kiser et al. 2013). The ethical and clinical risks associated with this prompted the development of two homegrown mobile applications:
MICE
Research continually demonstrates early intervention is strongly correlated with better patient outcomes (Choi, Lee, and Lee 2015; Griffin et al. 2020). Best practise has staff gather pertinent information to make the best-informed treatment decisions as early as possible. Given the area served by WA’s two burns units (one for adults and one for children) is 2.6 million km2, our clinicians rely heavily on information gathered by attending clinicians across WA, and in particular- images (visual appearance being a key clinical indicator (Kiser et al. 2013; Young et al. 2020)). The complicated undertaking of transferring patient sensitive data and images, securely across the state, is delivered by our homegrown mobile technology thereby ensuring the appropriate care is provided by appropriate clinicians at the right time and place.
eConsent
The same technology is used to safely capture and deliver treatment consents to patients’ medical record, where it’s immediately retrievable. Implemented in response to an audit that indicated approximately a quarter of consent forms were misplaced between the time of signing and the time the patient arrived for their procedure – leading to considerable delays, inefficient theatre utilisation (Mohan, Lutterodt, and Leon-Villapalos 2017) and operational costs related to manpower and infrastructure while a patient is re-consented or rescheduled. This mobile technology alleviates these costs, delays, as well as efficacy concerns with obtaining consent under pressure and immediately prior to theatre.

Biography

Graeme is the Digital Innovation Lead for the Fiona Wood Foundation. Having worked in Burns as the Multidisciplinary Team Officer for over 8 years, and in digital projects for 5 years, Graeme currently works across Fiona Stanley Hospital and Perth Childrens Hospital and tasked with introducing digital solutions that improve clinical workflows and expedite patients receiving the right care at the right time.