19 AUGUST - 2023Socio-economic determinants of health significantly impact the risk of having cardiovascular diseases and the ability to afford cardiac careworking hours. We have developed a hybrid workforce (remote/on-site) to overcome workforce shortages and difficulties in attracting highly specialized professionals to regional areas. We have people working in administrative roles from different states in Australia, and this has allowed them to enjoy their preferred location. We also harness the efficacy of job crafting to match the right employee with the right skill set for the right job. All these things foster trust and rapport within the team, allowing our employees to feel supported in their roles.We have recently been going through a review process to leverage automation and improve patient workflow to maximize efficiency. On a broader scale, we are looking to further strengthen and expand our current model of care to other areas of regional Australia. We can definitely use the expansion in digital health to benefit regional Australia, but it must be done with a specific regional lens and with careful planning around geography in particular.WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL TRENDS WHICH EXCITE YOU FOR THE FUTURE OF THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY?I think the most exciting trend is that of being able to harness the power of digital technology to provide a better patient experience, which is increasingly important as patients become more discerning in choosing their healthcare provider. We should be aiming to educate and empower our patients as much as possible, and we can use these new options to achieve that.The advent of wearable technologies, such as smart watches and other devices, means we will be detecting more serious cardiac issues like atrial fibrillation, with early detection reducing the risk of stroke and heart failure. And we must remember the rapid development of artificial intelligence, which may well, in the near future, be in routine use, augmenting, or performing cardiac risk assessments in our patients without overt cardiac disease. This could offer a scalable solution that could impact cardiovascular disease globally, allowing early intervention that could prevent many heart attacks and strokes, reduce the incidence of heart failure, and help patients enjoy their best lives.
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