Enhancing care through
digital enablement
We support local health services to embed digital healthcare approaches that improve experiences and outcomes for consumers and clinicians.
Integrating remote patient monitoring to support the delivery of virtual care
We are partnering with eHealth NSW to support local health districts (LHDs) and specialty health networks (SHNs) to implement a Virtual Care - Remote Patient Monitoring (VC-RPM) Program that supports the delivery of equitable, sustainable and integrated healthcare.
- RPM is a way to deliver virtual care that uses digital health technologies for the remote collection, transmission and analysis of a patient's health data.
- Evidence shows RPM to be feasible, safe and acceptable across 10 different patient cohorts, offering a timely, cost-effective and patient-centred approach.
- To support implementation, we published a digital Remote Patient Monitoring Guide for clinicians and health services to set up and deliver RPM services in NSW.
- Additional guidance focuses on using RPM to support patients with type 2 diabetes, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- The VC-RPM program aligns with the NSW Regional Health Strategic Plan and NSW Virtual Care Strategy. It is now live in Northern Sydney and Central Coast LHDs, with more to follow in 2025.
Harnessing artificial intelligence in healthcare
AI has the potential to enhance clinical decisions. We are exploring opportunities for AI technology to help predict patient and service planning needs.
- We supported an AI-based initiative using natural language processing (NLP) to read free-text data in the NSW Health electronic medical record and electronic record for intensive care. A new report outlines how algorithms were developed and tested to identify pressure injuries in clinical progress notes; determining which patients were most likely to develop a pressure injury during their stay in ICU with 97% accuracy.
- We are working with partners to develop dynamic simulation models to inform service planning and delivery in clinical areas such as spinal cord injury, emergency departments and paediatric ICUs.
- The NSW Health Critical Intelligence Unit (CIU) continues to maintain living evidence on AI, which summarises new and promising ways AI can be used to support healthcare.
“Artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving and has transformative potential in the healthcare sector. We need to harness the emerging opportunities it presents, while maintaining safety and quality.”
Dr Jean-Frédéric Levesque, Deputy Secretary, Clinical Innovation and Research and Chief Executive, Agency for Clinical Innovation
Embedding patient-reported measures to improve care
The Patient Reported Measures Program is expanding to ensure patient feedback improves healthcare experiences and outcomes for patients, staff and the health system.
- Expanded the Health Outcomes and Patient Experience (HOPE) IT platform to include new surveys, improve reporting, and integrate with the electronic medical record.
- 940+ services are now using HOPE across 15 LHDs and 3 SHNs.
- 24,000+ patients and carers have completed PRMs in the last year.
- 53,000+ surveys collected from patients about their care outcomes and experiences in the last year.
- New animated videos in multiple languages explain PRMs to consumers.
- Launched a Spotlight on Patient-Reported Measures series, showcasing local innovation and leadership in using the HOPE platform to deliver PRMs at the point-of-care.
This year on myVirtualCare
consultations (over 600,000 since 2020)
new services established (now totalling 1017 services)
training modules provided to NSW Health staff (now totalling over 13,549)
Supporting the uptake and use of virtual care
We continued to provide tools, training and resources to support health services embed virtual care options for patients and carers.
A patient video was launched in Virtual Care Awareness Month featuring Richard, who is a proud Yuin nation man living with terminal lung cancer. He and his wife, Nicole, are using virtual care to receive support from the Nepean Blue Mountains Palliative Care service, to ensure that Richard can live his life as fully and comfortably as possible.
Watch Richard and Nicole’s story
- Virtual Care in Practice Guide now available in a user-friendly digital format.
- Two new consumer videos explain the convenience, benefits and ease of virtual care during end-of-life and palliative care. These have been translated into multiple languages, including Auslan.
- Increased access to information and resources for clinicians and health services through the Virtual Care Central SharePoint site, reaching 27,284 visits this year.
- 23 local initiatives now published in our Spotlight on: Virtual Care series to share learnings and inspire others to adopt and integrate virtual care.
- 3110 people involved in our Virtual Care Network, providing opportunities for knowledge sharing, collaboration and networking.
- Continued to support health services and consumers to access and use myVirtualCare (myVC).
