Ms Kath Feely1,2,3,4,5, Ms Amy Bowman1, Mrs Meaghan Maher3, Ms Steph Chau1
1Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Parkville, Australia, 2The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Australia, 3The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Australia, 4The Royal Women’s Hospital, Parkville, Australia, 5The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
Biography:
Kath Feely has worked in public health for more than 20 years. In 2014 she started transitioning from physiotherapy into clinical informatics. As the Chief Allied Health Information Officer at Parkville in Melbourne she supports more than 1000 allied health staff. She prioritises upskilling clinicians in digital health and use of standardised data to evaluate and improve clinical service delivery and patient outcomes. Kath is also passionate about sharing health information with patients to improve their health care journey.
Abstract:
Purpose:
Increase allied health professionals (AHP) awareness of how consumers engage and perceive technology designed for and used in healthcare.
Problem:
At the four specialist health services in Parkville, Victoria, our shared patient portal (PP) application has had slow adoption, with AHPs expressing concerns about sharing healthcare information with patients, upskilling them to use the portal, and understanding the benefits for their work. We want to explore the gap between patient and carer expectations of healthcare technology and clinical staff's preconceptions.
Outcome:
Four specialist hospitals in Parkville launched a consumer experience project to explore patient perspectives, satisfaction, and barriers related to healthcare technology. In collaboration with consumers and KLAS, a survey was co-designed which balanced sensitive language with data integrity to allow international benchmarking. The survey received 2,823 responses, with 70% of participants being female, 86% patients, and 88% primary English speakers. Of these, 60% were based in metropolitan Melbourne, and more than half were employed. The top reasons consumers valued technology were for appointment management, accessing healthcare information, and communicating with healthcare teams. 97% rated their technology experience as helpful, and 70% felt it improved their overall health. 86% agreed it encouraged more active participation in their healthcare. Identified barriers to adoption included accessibility issues (65%), difficulties understanding healthcare terminology, and a need for more technology support.
Conclusion:
By understanding consumer technology experiences, Parkville’s AHPs are adapting their use of the PP to better meet the needs of their patients.