Co-operative pilot a 'world first' in delivering health care in the home.
The University of Queensland is the lead partner in a ?world first' project using integrated electronic and telecommunications technology to move health care away from hospitals and into the home.
The Brisbane pilot, expected to be operational by mid next year, is creating a demonstration home environment which integrates telephone, facsimile, email, internet, direct computer links and video-conferencing to give patients the option of receiving medical care at home rather than in hospital.
Head of the University's Department of Psychiatry and Director of the Centre for Online Health, Professor Peter Yellowlees, said the unique project was a partnership between the University, the Distributed Systems Technology Centre (DSTC), Queensland Health, the CSIRO, Wesley Hospital, the Blue Nursing Service and several major information technology companies.
"There is worldwide recognition that this is the way health care will be delivered in the future, and there is strong international interest in what is being done here in Brisbane," he said.
"Queensland already is a recognised leader in medical tele-conferencing, with the world's largest network of 130 Queensland Health sites being used about 1,800 hours a month. This pilot builds on the technical expertise which exists, and represents a major cultural shift in the health community."
The simulated home environment is being created in the Coronation Drive offices of the Collaborative Health Informatics Centre, a national agency which links the health and IT industries. The wide selection of electronic and telecommunication ?tools' being incorporated provide what researchers believe will be a viable option to hospitalisation.
"Many patients, especially those with chronic long-term illness, will have the choice of receiving the full range of hospital services in their own home. As well as regular face-to-face contact, they will be able to meet their doctor via video-conferencing. They will be able to order medication electronically and they will be monitored through system feeds into their computer. They will be able to access information about their illness via the internet or email; and there will also be an electronic facility to allow them to read their medical records."
Professor Yellowlees said the ability to deliver quality health care in the home empowered patients, giving them a feeling of control over their lives as well as providing the psychological comforts of being in familiar surroundings.
"This pilot is the first major project by the Centre for Online Health, and is very well supported by Queensland Health and both public and private hospitals," he said.
The Centre for Online Health is a research, teaching and education facility within the Faculty of Health Sciences. In addition to the homecare project, the Centre is assisting the development of computer-based medical records systems which plan to break traditional practices and allow patients to access their own medical records.
The University of Queensland was named Australian University of the Year in 1998 and is a recognised leader in medical and health-related research and teaching.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Peter Yellowlees telephone 3365 5152.
