Statewide Hospital in the Home (HITH) Service representatives came together in Brisbane last week for a HITH Solutions Design Workshop; an interactive workshop designed to generate solutions that will better promote and optimise the uptake of HITH in Queensland.
The main barriers to the optimisation of HITH were identified among other key themes in the Taking Healthcare Home Forum: Overview of findings and recommendations report – July 2017; a joint collaboration between the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI) and Baxter Healthcare, and included the effective promotion and awareness of HITH to patients and multidisciplinary clinical staff, and under-utilisation of technology in HITH.
Laureen Hines, Manager in our Healthcare Improvement Unit and lead for hospital access initiatives within CED, said the evidence on the benefits of HITH internationally were clear, so it was time for Queensland to take it to the next level. "A key part of that is having a clear and concise message about what HITH can provide, and finding innovative ways to communicate that message." She said the workshop generated informative and robust discussions and "explored opportunities to enhance HITH in Queensland through the greater utilisation of ieMR, telehealth and in-home monitoring, and through the Healthcare Purchasing Initiative 2018-19."
Melissa McCusker, Assistant Director of Nursing for Acute Care@Home and CHIP Services, Metro South Health, said it was great for HITH services to come together to avoid "reinventing the wheel."
Future workshops are planned over the coming months, with statewide HITH services and respective Hospital and Health Services encouraged to get involved and inform the way forward. For more information on HITH in Queensland, contact the team.
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PICTURED ABOVE (L-R): Mary Leech, Nursing Director, Emergency and Medicine, Medical Services Group, Townsville Hospital, Dr Mick Young, Senior Medical Officer, Townsville Hospital, Dr James Pollard, Clinical Director, Hospital in the Home, Barwon Health, Victoria, Dr Ted Chamberlain, HITH Senior Medical Officer, Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Clinton Lubke, Market Access Manager ANZ, Baxter Healthcare.
