Authors:
David P Hansen, Phil Gurney, Gary Morgan and Bruce Barraclough

What’s it about –
A description of the capacity and scope of the Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC) based in Brisbane showcasing inflight projects. It shows how collaboration can work to truly push the frontiers of knowledge.

Why is it necessary –
It can appear that the world of research sits alone, in an ivory tower removed from the business of running health services and dealing with the ill-health of our population. There was an idea that went something like this – if researchers and health service providers work together; use actual data about what is really going on in healthcare, the smart minds and tools in academia can then focus on the right problems and come up with right digital solutions that are needed now. The Australian eHealth Research Centre (AEHRC) is the sandpit, the cultivator, that brings together the real and research worlds to test and power the ehealth revolution.

What has the AEHRC been doing so far –
What has the AEHRC been doing so far The AEHRC collaborative model has worked. It is demonstrating the rich opportunities that data and electronic tools can offer to enhance the delivery of health care in Australia. Examples include: SNAPPER (not a tasty fish dish) but a way to map data from a range of systems to the internationally endorsed standardised nomenclature (SNOMED). SNAPPER has enabled pooling of data for enabling clinical decision support. Other research projects have shown how you can combine mobile phones and the internet to allow a more flexible approach to cardiac rehabilitation programs. AEHRC are dealing with the key topics of the day, because the real-world is driving their research agenda.

Who should find out more about the work of the AEHRC –
Health service planners who are trying to predict future patient load on the health care system; Clinicians and executives with an idea that they want to test before implementing at their facility. Where you see an opportunity for technology to improve and benefit patient care – you need to contact the AEHRC.

To read the entire journal article, click here.

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…smart minds and tools in academia can then focus on the right problems and come up with right digital solutions.