International conference gives HealthPathways team a chance to shine
28 May 2024
SWSPHN’s Integration and Priority Populations team members Ben Neville, Kira Chamberlain and Alissa Nicolaidis, and South Western Sydney Local Health District’s HealthPathways project coordinator, Kirsty Young, joined colleagues from Australia, New Zealand and Wales at the three-day event.
The conference provided the opportunity for members of the global HealthPathways community, including program managers, coordinators, clinical editors and executives, to connect, collaborate and share ideas.
In South Western Sydney, our local HealthPathways site is used daily by clinicians to help make assessment, management, and specialist referral decisions for their patients.
There are more than 550 conditions listed on HealthPathways. Each pathway is reviewed and updated regularly by the wider HealthPathways clinical team for accuracy.
Each pathway is designed to be simple to navigate, and include management and treatment options for clinical conditions, educational resources for patients, and referral information for local services and specialists.
SWSPHN HealthPathways and Planning Coordinator Kira Chamberlain said the event aimed to encourage global collaboration among all members of the HealthPathways community.
She said prior to the conference an invitation was sent to all HealthPathways members, inviting team members to submit abstracts for giving a presentation at the event.
“We were encouraged to make a submission if there was something we wanted to showcase.
“The topics for abstract submissions included: improving health equity; creating and evaluating health system impact; sharing strategies for member success; and exploring how digital transformation and integration change the face of healthcare.
“My abstract was accepted for the ‘sharing strategies for member success’ oral presentation stream. It showcased the new review process which HealthPathways South Western Sydney has implemented to maximise efficiency.”
Team manager Ben Neville presented as part of the ‘improving health equity’ oral presentation stream and talked about SWSPHN’s Health Resource Directory and its integration within the HealthPathways platform.
Ms Chamberlain said both presentations were well received and sparked lots of conversation in their relevant sessions.
“We both were approached by different regions to look at potential collaboration and engagement opportunities, which is exciting,” she said.
All members of the team agreed the conference offered the ability to network and connect with other regions which have implemented the HealthPathways program.
“There is always an opportunity to improve your own processes, and this often comes from what we learn from other regions,” Ms Chamberlain said.
‘’There were lots of critical conversations around improving processes, improving user engagement and digital transformation, which our team will consider through our implementation of the program. It is always interesting to have a conversation about the applicability within the Australian context.
“Collaboration is key for successful program implementation and conferences such as this help foster this between regions.”
If you are a health professional working in South Western Sydney and would like to learn more about how HealthPathways can benefit you, send an email to healthpathways@swsphn.com.au