Darling Downs HealthPathways is a
web-based portal with condition-specific ‘pathways'. Each pathway supports
clinicians with assessment, management and local referral information. The
HealthPathways site is designed to be used at point of care primarily by
general practitioners but is also available to hospital specialists,
nurses and other health professionals across the Darling Downs.
The secure portal is not for use by
patients, however there will be appropriate local resources for GPs to provide
to patients.
Darling Downs HealthPathways uses a
highly successful New Zealand model which aims to maximise health outcomes for
our community:
- Designed to improve health services delivery across Darling Downs
- Tailored to local health services (e.g. referrals to local specialists)
- Improves collaboration between GPs and specialists.
Who
is involved
The portal is being developed in
collaboration with general practitioners, hospital specialists, allied health
providers, key stakeholders and the community.
The Darling Downs HealthPathways
project team is administering the portal.
Clinical Working Groups (CWGs)
consisting of specialists, GPs and key stakeholders are established to identify
issues affecting patient care in a particular service area. They propose
solutions to issues identified, and while CWGs do not write or sign off on
pathways, they will review or comment on them.
Benefits
for GPs
HealthPathways is efficient, simple and
quick to use. It will assist GPs to provide the most effective treatment and
find local specialists and services for their patients. To access the portal GPs will simply:
- Log
on to the website
- Search
for the patient’s condition
- Access
assessment and management options, and information on referrals to local
specialists and services.
Please note the Darling Downs
HealthPathways are early in the pathway development stages and aim to have the
portal go live during 2018. We will keep you updated for our “Go Live” date.
Benefits
for patients
Patients will get the right treatment
or specialist care with shorter waiting time. GPs will also have quick access
to educational resources for patients which will enable them to better manage
their own health.
The
Darling Downs HealthPathways process
Each pathway goes through the development stages:
