The digital health generation

How Queensland is leading the way in healthcare transformation

Digital human face

Image: Adobe Stock/Digital human face by Fox

Image: Adobe Stock/Digital human face by Fox

UQ Business School researchers are working with Queensland Health and the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) to help digitalise and transform healthcare delivery in Queensland.

In 2015, Professor Andrew Burton-Jones commenced research with the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane to study its journey in becoming Australia’s first large digital hospital.

Aerial view of Princess Alexandra Hospital

The Princess Alexandra Hospital at Woolloongabba in Brisbane.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital at Woolloongabba in Brisbane.

It was one of the few hospitals outside the US to move to all-digital operations.

Since then, 27 Queensland hospitals have joined the digital revolution as part of a program to improve our healthcare system. 

Professor Andrew Burton-Jones

Image credit: Faculty of Business, Economics and Law.

Professor Andrew Burton-Jones

Image credit: Faculty of Business, Economics and Law.

Digital healthcare...[can]...improve outcomes, save lives and deliver treatment in a more cost-effective way."
Professor Andrew Burton-Jones

Professor Burton-Jones and UQ PhD candidate Natalie Smith are now working in partnership with Queensland Health and the Digital Health CRC, continuing to help Queensland’s health sector use their digital systems to transform care and empower staff.

“We’re excited to work with passionate partners to create a program which will allow Queensland to lead the national agenda on educating digital health,” Professor Burton-Jones said.

“Digital healthcare holds the potential to change the way we deliver care to improve outcomes, save lives and deliver treatment in a more cost-effective way."

“Healthcare services can only make the change to digital health if staff are empowered with the right knowledge and skills.”
Professor Andrew Burton-Jones

“We’re assisting healthcare services and staff to evolve by helping to create new tools, processes and educational programs so that change can occur from within the system.”

Medical students at the Princess Alexandra Hospital

Medical students at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane.

Medical students at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane.

Conducting research in real-time, Professor Burton-Jones and Ms Smith have been embedded within Queensland Health to help hospital staff, project managers and senior leaders navigate the continued digital health transformation.

Ms Smith said working systemically has helped the researchers build capability for the healthcare partners in areas such as leadership capability, information management, vendor management and cybersecurity – roadblocks that can slow progression.

“We’re analysing what systems, structures and processes are impeding progress and how we can help remove or improve them, so that both the outcomes and pace of change can be enhanced.”
UQ PhD candidate Natalie Smith

“We’ve developed a framework we believe will become the gold standard for transformation leadership and project assurance, allowing governments and financers of healthcare systems to achieve maximum return from their investment and vastly improve patient care,” she said.

Dr Melanie Haines, Education Manager for the Digital Health CRC, said converting research learnings into successful real-life initiatives had traditionally been difficult, but believes the partnership with UQ is changing how healthcare and researchers work together.

Faculty of Business, Economics and Law

UQ Business School

Image credit: Faculty of Business, Economics and Law.

Professor Andrew Burton-Jones is the co lead for UQ Business School’s, Future of Health Research Hub

Email: abj@business.uq.edu.au
LinkedIn: Andrew Burton-Jones

Professor Andrew Burton-Jones

Image credit: Faculty of Business, Economics and Law.

Image credit: Faculty of Business, Economics and Law.