Health Services Research in the Digital Age
The Wesley Research Institute Health Services Research team along with Care Navigator, Kelly McGrath attended the Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand (HSRAANZ) conference last week at the Royal International Convention Centre (Royal ICC) in Brisbane!
This year’s theme ‘Health Services Research in the Digital Age’ resonated with our Navicare team, as they look to further research in virtual care, specifically in mental healthcare. The conference welcomed speakers and delegates to explore the current and future challenges and solutions that health services research can offer, as they harness new digital technologies to help build a sustainable, future-ready, and patient-focused healthcare system. This event brought together a diverse array of speakers from across Australia, thought-provoking sessions, and networking opportunities for Kelly and the Wesley Research Institute researchers.
Kelly McGrath, who heads up the Care Navigation team at Isaac Navicare, was joined by Health Services Research program team lead Associate Professor Elizabeth Martin and Senior Research Fellow Dr Olivia Fisher at the Hospital Without Walls symposium. Kelly discussed some of the healthcare challenges her clients have faced living in a remote area of Queensland, and the impact virtual hospitals could have in improving access and quality of healthcare for people in rural and remote Australia.
Kelly discussed how there is an implicit acceptance of a lower standard of healthcare quality in rural and remote Australia because it’s ‘too hard’ to deliver. Healthcare interventions are generally designed for metropolitan areas, and these simply don’t work in rural and remote areas because of lack of resources, providers and infrastructure, and long distances to travel.
From her expertise in delivering rural healthcare, a virtual hospital or new health service (of any kind) should be specifically designed for the rural and remote context to ensure equitable access to high-quality healthcare. This underpins Isaac Navicare’s belief that people in rural and remote areas have the right to the same quality and standard of healthcare as those living in metropolitan areas, and that a person’s health should not be compromised simply because of where they live.
