Celebrating 10 years of the Innovation Exchange

To mark a decade of sharing innovations across NSW Health, we're counting down some of the top picks on the platform right now.

1

Sepsis Escape Room

Sepsis is a medical emergency, with 55,000 cases of sepsis leading to 5,000 deaths each year in Australia. To improve knowledge of sepsis management among clinicians, Marcia Ingles, Transitional Nurse Practitioner from Hunter New England LHD, came up with a unique solution – the Sepsis Escape Room. This is a timed, interactive game where teams of clinicians work together to solve puzzles with a focus on improving compliance with the Adult Sepsis Pathway from the Clinical Excellence Commission. Read moreSepsis Escape Room

2

Waste Action Reuse Portal (WARPIT)

South Western Sydney LHD has introduced a new system – WARPIT – for staff to upload, browse and claim equipment and furniture available for reuse. In the two years since the project began, the district has reused $53,000 worth of assets; diverted more than 65 tonnes of waste from landfill; and redistributed more than $217,000 worth of medical assets to developing countries via charitable organisations. Read moreWaste Action Reuse Portal

3

Hospital in the Home: Care in the bed you prefer

Hospital in the Home (HiTH) is an established strategy to improve patient flow and facilitate supported discharge. In the Greater Newcastle area, HiTH services are underused, with referral rates not reflective of the increased demand seen in public hospitals. This project, currently being implemented, aims to increase use of the HiTH service, improve efficiency and maximise the capacity of the service Read moreGreater Newcastle Hospital in the Home: Care in the bed you prefer

4

Where is your birth place?

Every year, more than 3,000 pregnant women on the Central Coast seeking publicly funded healthcare can only give birth in one place. This alternate model of care offers women in the area the opportunity to birth at home. Through the project, midwives have been attending education and simulation training, and provided with the relevant equipment. Read moreWhere is your birthplace? Designing an alternate birth place option for women on the Central Coast

5

Arts on prescription

The Forensic Hospital, Malabar, is a 135-bed, high-security mental health facility for consumers with mental illness who have been in contact with the criminal justice system. The hospital has successfully established an art therapy program which uses art as a creative tool to support personalised patient care. Art therapy significantly limits boredom, reduces aggression, and provides safety and anonymity for participants while still enabling self-expression. Read moreArts on prescription

6

Bright lights for kids: Digital interactive playground

Play is an essential part of providing care to paediatric patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the team at Royal North Shore Hospital Emergency Department were met with a tricky problem to solve: how do you provide a safe place for children to play that also meets infection control requirements? Clinical Nurse Consultant Alison Partyka and her team came up with the idea of an interactive digital playground. This includes a projector that displays effects as images onto the floor, allowing paediatric patients to interact and play while in the ED. Read moreBright lights for kids: Digital interactive playground

7

Introduction of Magseed into breast cancer surgery

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer occurring in Australian women. Each month within Murrumbidgee LHD, an average of six surgeries are performed to remove cancerous breast tumours. The district has introduced Magseed, a new seed technology that is more accurate than the use of wires and easier for the surgeon to find a tumour. After success with introducing Magseed technology at Griffith Base Hospital, Murrumbidgee LHD is now planning to implement the technology at Wagga Wagga Rural Referral Hospital. Read moreIntroduction of Magseed into breast cancer surgery

8

Gloves Off! Clean hands, safe for all

Hunter New England LHD uses almost 30 million gloves annually, with a carbon footprint of 1,000 tonnes CO₂e. The Gloves Off! project took place on two trial wards at John Hunter Hospital, aiming to improve hand hygiene and reduce unnecessary non-sterile glove use through the implementation of a targeted hand hygiene education program. The project achieved a waste reduction of 260kg and carbon savings of 2.57 tonnes CO₂ equivalent, which equates to a carbon footprint of driving a fuel-efficient petrol car 7,000km (approximately halfway around Australia). Read moreGloves Off! Clean hands, safe for all

9

Alternatives to an ‘in-hospital’ bed

Population growth in Sutherland Shire has led to an increase in the number of emergency department (ED) presentations, resulting in the service becoming overwhelmed. This project aims to reduce avoidable admissions to The Sutherland Hospital by 5% for patients presenting to the ED; enable safe and timely discharge; and improve the use of alternate care pathways, where appropriate. Read moreAlternatives to an ‘in-hospital’ bed

10

Medication management matters

Prescribing errors in Australian hospitals occur at a rate of 2-5 errors per patient during an inpatient encounter. Early medication history and reconciliation activities are known to reduce the risk of medication-related harm. The Medication Management Matters project aims to improve patient safety and clinician experience by reducing the risk of medication-related errors in high-risk patients admitted to hospitals in South Eastern Sydney LHD. Read moreMedication management matters