Australia’s aged care system supports nearly 500,000 older Australians. As of June 30, 2023, 456,000 people were using these services, including 193,000 in residential care and 258,000 receiving home care, according to AIHW’s GEN Aged Care Data. However, the growing demand for high-quality care is putting pressure on the system.
To tackle this challenge, Telstra Health, RMIT University, and the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre have created an AI-powered tool to predict health risks. This tool aims to improve how aged care facilities monitor and manage residents’ health.
Dr. Tabinda Sarwar, the project lead at RMIT, explains that the tool uses advanced data analysis and machine learning to track 36 health indicators from patient records. It helps nursing staff identify early signs of health issues like falls, depression, and even mortality.
The tool processes daily health data, including nursing notes and observation charts, using natural language processing (NLP). This creates alerts to help staff take early action. It’s part of Telstra Health’s Clinical Manager system, which is already in use across 360 facilities in Australia.
The AI tool won the 2024 Research Australia Digital & Data Health Innovation Award. Dr. Sarwar said this recognition highlights the tool’s potential to ease the workload on nursing staff and improve the quality of life for residents.
Developing the tool wasn’t easy. It needed to work in many different aged care facilities, each with unique challenges. RMIT tested the tool with nursing staff to make sure it’s easy to use and effective.
Telstra Health owns the tool and plans to roll it out further. Many aged care homes have shown interest in adopting it. Dr. Sarwar believes the tool could also be adapted for hospitals and other healthcare settings, revolutionizing patient care.
Source: indianlink
