MedSync can be used on personal devices or NSW Health devices (PCs, mobiles or tablets) and is accessible to clinicians via the Teams application.
The Challenge
Clinical collaboration is a core component underpinning the provision of clinical care, the challenge was to provide clinicians with a secure instant messaging and media management solution they could use on a mobile device.
Clinicians requested a platform that is secure, simple, and quick to use and would support finding a colleague, sending a message, image or video and two-way communication.
To reduce the demand on clinicians, a solution was required to simplify and streamline the process of uploading clinical photography and videos to a patient’s health record.
Clinicians also requested the ability to efficiently set up video meetings with clinicians/colleagues outside of NSW Health. For example, with general practitioners and aged care facilities.
Security and Privacy underpinned the development so that data remains secure, and consent is appropriately recorded.
Chief Medical Information Officer,
Western Sydney Local Health District
The Plan
eHealth NSW set out to develop MedSync in partnership with Microsoft and clinical subject matter experts from across the Local Health Districts and specialty networks.
The plan was to leverage the investment in Microsoft Teams to support secure instant messaging and integrate the platform with existing clinical systems to support the upload of clinical media such as images and videos.
To design MedSync, extensive consultation was undertaken with a broad community of clinicians across multiple specialities and locations through a series of workshops, prioritisation sessions and testing. These consultations sought to understand how the application could meet clinician’s needs now and into the future.
By applying a continuous improvement approach, the insights from clinicians have and will be incorporated as system updates. This ongoing feedback will ensure the solution continues to meet the needs of NSW Health clinicians.
eHealth is providing change and adoption resources, training, and implementation via a variety of channels, including in person and virtual sessions.
The Outcome
All clinicians across NSW Health now have a platform available to securely message and clinically collaborate on patient care, in addition it provides clinicians the added benefit of being able to upload and enrich the health record with clinical photography and video.
MedSync was enabled in August 2022, to clinical staff across 16 Local Health Districts and Specialty Networks. Implementation support is now being provided and scheduled with the Local Health District and Specialty Networks to support the change and adoption of the product.
Since MedSync was enabled, hundreds of clinicians have used the application from across 13 Local Health Districts and Specialty Networks.
eHealth NSW is already receiving very favourable feedback from clinicians and their teams.
Many are describing MedSync as “an absolute game changer” and “a real timesaver”. One clinician even added, “We have better visibility of what is happening with our patients and feel at ease knowing Teams is a secure way to collaborate on clinical cases”.
MedSync Connect
MedSync Connect allows clinicians to securely text a meeting invite to external colleagues. The recipient can just click to join the meeting, message and collaborate. This featurewent live in July 2023.
It is an enhancement to clinical collaboration and image sharing app MedSync, accessed via MS Teams.
The Benefits
- Intuitive, easy-to-use app that can be accessed via the MS Teams desktop, web or mobile application
- Supports instant messaging and chat between clinicians across the state
- Support the sharing of clinical images and videos and the ability to upload the media into a patient record
- Platform is secure, stable and consistent Statewide
- Reduces time for clinical decision making
- Improves clinical networks and professional collaboration
- Images and videos are not stored on the user’s mobile device
- External clinical collaboration on cases now easier, faster and more secure.
Data correct as of November 2023
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