It’s a chance to address current knowledge gaps and improve the experience of using patient-facing apps for remote monitoring.
Australia’s first virtual hospital, Royal Prince Alfred Virtual, will be used as a test case in a new research project being led by the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre.
In collaboration with Macquarie University, the Sydney LHD and data interoperability provider Alcidion, the DHCRC project will evaluate RPA Virtual’s patient-facing app for remote monitoring of respiratory patients.
The app was launched during the covid pandemic in 2020 and was one of the first in the country.
Based on user feedback, the project will identify the app features that are most valuable to patients, carers, and healthcare professionals, which will then generate actionable recommendations to improve the overall functionality and integration of the app.
Associate Professor Annie Lau, from Macquarie University’s Australian Institute of Health Innovation, will lead the research project.
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She said it was important to understand how patient-facing apps can be used as part of remote monitoring programs to enhance patient and carer experiences of virtual hospital services.
“The research will employ a mixed-methods approach to evaluate its impact and analyse patient-reported experiences,” said Dr Lau.
“We will measure models of care outcomes, identify factors that affect app uptake in virtual hospital service delivery.”
Annette Schmiede, CEO of the DHCRC, said:
“This project is an exciting opportunity to address gaps in evidence and provide practical solutions to enhance virtual hospital care for the long term.”