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AHA Baxter Healthcare National Innovation Awards 2004

Maree Coy, General Manager of Baxter Healthcare   
Maree Coy, General Manager of Baxter Healthcare

The Annual AHA Baxter Healthcare National Innovation Awards are awarded to organisations for innovative service development within the Australian healthcare industry.

The awards are presented in three categories of innovative service development:
1. Innovative management practices that result in measurable improvements in health outcomes for a defined client or population group.
2. Innovative practices in a clinical service that result in measurable improvements to the safety and quality of patients receiving care in that service.
3. Innovative consumer involvement in the design, development and evaluation of a service resulting in measurable, ongoing consumer participation in that service.

Nominations are called for annually and are presented at the AHA National Congress

Applications are assessed by an independent panel convened by the Australian Healthcare Association.

Criteria for assessment of nominations are:
1. Is the service truly innovative?
2. Does the service development have national applicability?
3. What evidence is presented to support the results and is it robust?

The Awards are proudly sponsored by Baxter Healthcare. The awards were presented at the AHA’s annual Congress, this year in Darwin, by Maree Coy, General Manager of Baxter Healthcare, Australia and New Zealand.

Inquiries about the awards should be directed to AHA on 02 6162 0780 or admin@aha.asn.au.

 

2004 Winner in Category 1: Innovative management practices is the team at Maroondah Hospital Speech Pathology, Eastern Health, Melbourne
Paediatric Outpatient Management Program (MACS) is a response to the changing needs of the community and the reality of resource rationalisation.
2004 Winner in Category 2: Innovative practices in a clinical service is the Liverpool Health Service, South Western Sydney Area Health Service
The Anaesthetics and Recovery Department at Liverpool Health Service has won this prize for its innovative approach to skilling non-anaesthetist doctors and nurses in intravenous sedation.
2004 Winner of Category 3: Innovative consumer involvement is the Nursing Learning And Development Unit, Liverpool Health Service, South Western Sydney Area Health Service
A multi-disciplinary approach was used to develop and implement asthma education packages for staff and parents. Eighteen months after implementation there has been a marked increase in staff and parental knowledge, and this has been coupled with a reduction in length of stay.
2004 Finalist: Eastern Melbourne Neurosciences - Prehospital Acute Stroke Management: improving diagnostic accuracy of stroke by paramedics and reducing delays for acute stroke therapies.
This research was conducted by Eastern Melbourne Neurosciences (Box Hill Hospital, Monash University) in association with the Melbourne Metropolitan Ambulance Service. This innovative program has resulted in significant changes to acute stroke management in Melbourne.
2004 Finalist: Midwest Murchison Health Region - Best Practice In Age Care Services
The development of best practice in age care services within the Midwest Health District (within the Midwest Murchison Health Region) has been a significant project that commenced in 2001.
2004 Finalist Department of Emergency Medicine Armadale Health Services - Emergency Department Flow Innovations
Several initiatives were introduced with the aim of increasing patient flow through the Emergency Department, reducing waiting times and increasing patient satisfaction and comfort.
2004 Finalist Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre - Improved Safety and Quality of the Prescribing of Medications for Hospitalised Patients
This innovative program of prescribing error identification and risk assessment with strategy development is to be adopted nationally as it has been incorporated into the professional standards of practice for clinical pharmacists throughout Australia.
2004 Finalist South West Area Health Service in association with McKesson Asia-Pacific Pty Ltd - The use of a health call centre in a rural mental health service to deliver telephone triage and telephone case management.
South West 24 (SW 24) is a health call centre programme operated by McKesson which provides services for the South West Area Health Service (SWAHS) of Western Australia and is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
2004 Finalist: Calvary Health Care ACT - Medication Safety
Calvary Health Care ACT via its Clinical Health Improvement Program (CHIP) has nominated Medication Safety as a major program for 2004. This innovative hospital-wide program has resulted in a range of relevant diagnostic studies, has implemented important changes in clinical areas based on information yielded and has several projects underway to consolidate and expand the gains.
2004 Finalist: Central Sydney Area Health Service - Improving Positron Emission Tomography Medical Imaging Report Turn Around Times
A multidisciplinary PET Quality team undertook to improve the process using Clinical Practice Improvement methodology. The stretch goal was to have 100% of reports finalised and sent to the Referring Doctor within 24 hours of the scan being conducted.