Mrs Emma-Kate Dewhurst1, Mrs Sarah McBurney2, Mrs Kate Moore3
1ISLHD, Wollongong, Australia, 2WNSWLHD, Bathurst, Australia, 3MLHD, Wagga Wagga, Australia
Abstract:
Innovation, workforce demands, and increased scope of practice has led to a shift in models of care including an increase of inter/transdisciplinary teams. Subsequently, equipment is being prescribed by clinicians lacking skills in equipment prescription principles. There is minimal governance, leading to equipment not meeting patient needs, introducing risk of injury and discarded equipment, at the cost of the patient and health service. There is a focus at the state and Federal level to ensure clinicians are working to full scope (Unleashing the potential of our health workforce: Scope of practice Review, 2024).
Improving clinical governance by introducing a consistent approach to equipment prescription will empower clinicians to extend their scope of practice and implement efficient patient-centred care, whilst continuing to provide quality patient outcomes. By offering a state-wide, evidence-based learning resource, clinicians will increase their confidence and competence in prescribing equipment currently out of scope. Embedding optimal scope to safely prescribe foundational equipment enables other specialist clinicians to focus on complex equipment prescription.
We have gained endorsement from the NSW Health Directors of Allied Health to implement a 3-phased pilot across allied health inter/transdisciplinary teams; allied health non-admitted multi-disciplinary teams; and community palliative care services. We have received broad support across consulted stakeholders including OT, physio, community nursing, and EnableNSW. We have submitted a HETI learning request to create a e-module on foundational equipment prescription. This presentation will outline the multi-step process including gap analysis, risk management, and stakeholder consultation to implement a state-wide pilot.