A new application designed to send an automatic notification to community based general practitioners (GP) within 24 hours of a patient being admitted or discharged from hospital has received the Mid North Coast (MNC) Local Health District (LHD) health innovation award for patient safety.
Developed by eHealth NSW, in partnership with the Integrated Primary Care team at MNC LHD, the hospital Admission/Discharge Notice (ADN) was designed to support continuity of care and reduce hospital readmission. It ensures a patient's primary care physician is kept abreast of developments in their care and any movement between community and hospital care settings. More than just notifying a GP as to changes in a patient’s care; the alert also prompts GPs to follow up and manage any ongoing treatment the patient may require immediately after leaving hospital.
Dr Adrian Gilliland, Coffs Harbour Medical Centre GP, who was part of the project to pilot the application, says receiving the right post-discharge care reduces the chance of a patient needing to be re-admitted to hospital for further treatment. No matter if it's a referral to a specialist or hospital-at-home care. “The rollout of the ADN has enhanced our clinical practices and processes through the delivery of an innovative solution that increases effective and efficient patient safety outcomes,” he says.
Mid North Coast Digital Health Project Manager for Integrated Primary Care, Isabel Butron, says eHealth NSW was instrumental in supporting the project. “This is one of the first collaborative projects we have worked on with eHealth NSW. Without the support we received, there is no way I could have delivered this project as quickly and successfully as I did,” she said. “While we put the lights on here at the district level, eHealth NSW will keep the lights on through ongoing integration management support.”
So far, the ADN has successfully been rolled out to Mid North Coast Local Health District and the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District with staged rollout underway for all remaining LHDs.
For more information about the Admission Discharge Notification please email: EHNSW-Communications@health.nsw.gov.au
