Friday 8 November | 11:05-12:05

Session format: Presentation

Stream: People

Part 1: Study on patient flow in Queensland’s public hospitals

The most visible effect of the challenges faced by the health system is overcrowding in hospitals, which has been labelled an ‘international crisis’, and has a significant impact on the quality of patient care and patient experience.

The issue of system-wide delays from triage to admission to treatment and discharge is one of the healthcare system’s most challenging problems and it severely impacts vulnerable patient groups, including aged care and mental health patients.

We propose to discuss a large Queensland-based study that scrutinises whole-of-system patient flow, with findings applicable to broader hospitals outside of Queensland for improving operations efficiency and patient outcomes.

Justin Boyle CSIRO; Australia
Andrew Staib Metro South Health; Australia

Part 2: No! waitlists are not inevitable: sustaining timely access to outpatient services

Waiting for healthcare appointments in outpatient settings is a wicked problem the world over.

A shake-up of the traditional model of service provision is turning the tide on waiting lists.

The Specific Timely Assessment and Triage model (STAT) has strong evidence gathered over 15 years to show that waiting in outpatient and community settings is not inevitable. But do interventions to cut waiting lists only have short-term effects?

Our research group now has results indicating that reduced waiting and improved patient flow can be sustained over time and integrated into business as usual.

Annie Lewis Eastern Health; Australia