New funding to improve patient safety

Game changer to reduce medication error

29 August 2019

Australian Institute of Health Innovation receives funding to improve patient safety

Professor Johanna Westbrook, Director of the Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, welcomed today’s announcement from the Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP on the awarding of $2.5 million National Health and Medical Research Council funding for AIHI research.

Professor Westbrook said the effective use of information technology is a potential “game changer” in reducing medication errors in hospitals; a major patient safety challenge costing some $42B globally and $1.3B in Australia annually.

Our research has demonstrated the enormous potential of electronic medication management (eMM) systems to reduce medication errors, in some cases halving the rate of errors in hospitals. However, evidence is needed to guide the optimisation of these systems to increase their effectiveness and safety, and to better integrate into everyday clinical workflows.

Professor Westbrook said, “This innovative program will generate the new evidence, policy and practice urgently needed to optimise eMM systems to ensure they save lives and improve health outcomes, now and in future.”

Professor Westbrook is internationally recognized for her research evaluating the effects of information and communication technology in healthcare.

The Australian Institute of Health Innovation is a research-intensive institute conducting world-class research into the people, policies and practice of healthcare in order to catalyse performance improvement in healthcare services and systems in Australia and internationally.

END

NHMRC Investigator Grant: Delivering safe and effective medication management technology now and for the future, awarded to Professor Johanna Westbrook

CENTRES RELATED TO THIS NEWS

Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Chrissy Clay, Research Outreach Coordinator