NHMRC Partnership Project in Digital Health

NHMRC Partnership Project in Digital Health

This project is funded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (GNT2006755)

"Establishing a digital health foundation for outcomes-based diagnostic excellence, safety and value"

While the reliability of diagnostic tests in identifying the presence or otherwise of disease or risks factors can be readily established, the efficacy of their integration into clinical workflows within complex, often fragmented, healthcare systems – and the consequences for patient outcomes – remains little studied and poorly understood.

By utilising diagnostic stewardship (coordinated guidance and interventions to ensure the appropriate utilisation of diagnostic tests for therapeutic decision-making) and harnessing the considerable potential of digital health (the role information technology plays in generating, gathering, integrating, interpreting and communicating clinical test data and information), we aim to demonstrate innovative, scalable new pathways to high value care.

This project will undertake five interrelated research programs of work, using exemplar studies to deliver both immediate gains and the sustainable benefits of translation, to address the following aims:

1. Establish a patient-centred and outcomes-based approach to the measurement of diagnostic quality, the appropriateness of treatment and the effective monitoring of patients’ health status.
2. Optimise the safety and effectiveness of test result management and follow-up procedures.
3. Deliver digitally-enhanced evidence-based decision support, data analytics and knowledge management tools to facilitate timely and effective decision-making and disease management.

This project builds on an existing, highly-productive collaboration bringing together Macquarie University researchers with leading clinical researchers from South Eastern Sydney, and Illawarra and Shoalhaven Local Health Districts, the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Abbott Diagnostics, NSW Health Pathology, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, teaming up with researchers from the Sydney Partnership for Health, Education, Research and Enterprise (SPHERE).

Project team

Professor Andrew Georgiou Professor	Dr Rae-Anne Hardie Research Fellow	Dr Chrissy Imai Research Fellow
Dr Mirela Prgomet Research Fellow	Dr Gorkem Sezgin Postdoctoral Research Fellow	Dr Judith Thomas Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Julie Li Research Assistant

Chief investigator team

Professor Jacqueline Centre - The Garvin Institute of Medical Research
Professor Johanna Westbrook - Macquarie University
Professor William Rawlinson - UNSW
Professor Kate Curtis - The University of Sydney
A/Professor Jeffrey Post - Prince of Wales Hospital
Professor Rita Horvath - NSW Health Pathology
Professor Ken Hillman - UNSW
Professor Janaki Amin - Macquarie University
Professor Zoltan Endre - UNSW

Partner investigators

• Arpit Onawale - Abbott Diagnostics
• Christopher White - South Eastern Sydney Local Health District
• A/Professor Robert Lindeman - NSW Health Pathology
• Professor Anne Duggan - Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

Related stream of research

Diagnostic informatics

Project status

Current

Centres related to this project

Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research

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