Researching effective, scalable digital applications
Digital systems in residential aged care (RAC) have enormous potential to improve medication management, reduce the workload of aged care staff, and help residents and their families gain access to timely information.
Full project name: Transforming residential aged care through evidence-based informatics
Project sponsor: National Health and Medical Research Council Medical Research Future Fund grant (APP2016001)
About the project
This project will significantly advance new knowledge, build the evidence-base for scalable digital capabilities, and address key medication concerns and the needs of consumers.
We will achieve this via an industry partnership with a RAC digital system vendor covering:
- more than 1100 RAC facilities
- 7500 clinicians
- more than 2800 pharmacists.
Consumer review panels will ensure consumer input at every step.
Utilising an existing digital infrastructure, used nationwide, will enable rapid translation of research evidence.
We work closely with industry, government and consumers to deliver project outcomes of national benefit. Consumer-related inquiries can be sent to Dr Rajendra Gyawali at rajendra.gyawali@mq.edu.au.
Project goals
This project aims to:
- explore variation in RAC medication use and develop an innovative prototype national atlas of medication use
- evaluate the effectiveness of electronic systems on improving psychotropic medication use at scale
- develop and test new digital clinical decision support for urinary tract infection management in RAC
- evaluate the feasibility and benefits of providing residents and their loved ones with real-time access to their current medication list and notifications of changes to medications.
Project lead: Professor Johanna Westbrook
- Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite
- Professor Enrico Coiera
- Dr Rajendra Gyawali
- Rachel Jenkins
- Professor Ling Li
- Dr Sandun Malpriya Silva
- Dr Isabelle Meulenbroeks
- Dr Amy Nguyen
- Marea O'Donnell
- Associate Professor Magda Raban
- Dr Bayzidur Rahman
- Dr Karla Seaman
- Dr Nasir Wabe
Other members and collaborators
- Professor Simon Bell – Monash University
- Professor Tracey Bucknall – Deakin University
- Professor Ian Cameron – The University of Sydney
- Fiona Clay – consumer representative
- Professor Christopher Etherton-Beer – University of Western Australia
- Dr Brett Gardiner – Western Sydney Local Health District
- Dr Lyn-Li Lim – Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
- Professor Elizabeth Manias – Deakin University
- Dr George Margelis – Aged & Community Care Providers Association
- Jane Marshall – consumer representative
- Professor Mark Morgan – Bond University
- Jo Root – Policy Consumer Health Forum
- Professor Nicholas Zwar – Bond University
- BESTMED
- Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
- Bupa
- Consumers Health Forum of Australia
- Southern Cross Care NSW & ACT