BUSM1539 Work In Progress Report - Assignment Solution

Introduction

Background

The fourth industrial revolution is the next disruption to the workforce and the application of digital technologies in all industries will redefine the workforce (World Economic Forum, 2018). Digital technologies are rapidly advancing and are increasingly being implemented into the healthcare system (McKinsey & Company, 2018). Automation, AI, Internet of Things, increased connectivity and Blockchain will offer all aspects of the healthcare system new opportunities to streamline processes, increase clinical care, increase efficiency and decrease the overall cost of healthcare. 

The Australian Healthcare system is under pressure with an ever-increasing demand on services due to an ageing population, complex health-care needs, increasing rate of chronic illness and people with chronic diseases living longer (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2017). Coupled with increasing costs to deliver healthcare services and an increasing population has led to an increase in cost to the taxpayer (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2017). The proliferation of information technology innovation and digital innovation offer the opportunity to change the landscape of the healthcare system however also require rapid implementation (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2016).

Stakeholders

Individuals affected by this project will include, but not limited to: 

• Government agencies, particularly Department of Health, 
• Hospitals and Healthcare providers,
• Healthcare professionals, 
• Third party businesses,
• Not-for-profit businesses,
• Patients and carers, and 
• Community.

Project Outline

The healthcare system in Australia is a large employer and a large expense for tax-payers (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2017). Due to an ageing population and greater access to quality clinical care the community is living longer, many with ongoing, chronic health conditions (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2017). These factors and many more have increased demand on the healthcare system and continue to drive the demand for access to care and cost of the care provided (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2017). 

Digital technologies have the ability to redefine the way the healthcare system and its workforce deliver care and services (McKinsey & Company 2018). The application of artificial intelligence has proven the ability of machine learning to be used from diagnosis to treatment. While Blockchain has the ability to increase the digital security of the healthcare systems digital infrastructure.  Analysis of digital innovation and its application in healthcare will provide a background to the ability and scope of the implementation of these technologies in Australia. It is anticipated that these innovations will impact the workforce significantly, an analysis of how it will impact the healthcare workforce will assist in understanding these implications and training needs required to ensure highly trained individuals are at the forefront of the healthcare system. 

A case study of a single hospital will be utilised to identify and test the clinical application of digital innovation in a single institution, based on the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. The population and sample will be defined from this single case study and the findings extrapolated across the greater healthcare system. 

Other regions such as South East Asia have different issues in their healthcare systems than Australia, however their main issues are still cost, access and workforce related. It is anticipated that this analysis may provide some insight into ways other regions may be able to employ similar recommendations to increase access to clinical care, increase outcomes for patient’s and decrease the overall cost of healthcare. 

Research Questions

Primary Research Question

How can digital technologies and digital innovation be integrated in to healthcare in Australia timely to increase efficiency, access to clinical care and decrease economic burden?

Secondary Research Questions

Secondary research questions for this research will be:

• What are the challenges and benefits of digital innovation implementation on the workforce and access to care?
• What are the implications of the digital revolution have on the human capital of the healthcare industry, including skills, training and education requirements for the current and future workforce? Define the future skills of new employees, educational standards and quantify the cost to upskill staff to meet future demands. 
• What are the key learnings for the application of these technologies in Australia that can be translated to the APEC region to inform their application of digital technologies to deliver high quality care at reduced cost to South East Asian municipalities?

Aim

The aim of this research project will be to: 

• Define the current application of digital technologies in Healthcare in Australia, particularly hospitals,
• Investigate the application of digital technologies in the Australian Healthcare system, 
• Quantify the benefit of digital technologies to the Healthcare industry in Australia, 
• Define the implications of digital technologies on the current and future workforces, 
• Identify key training and education trends that will support current and future employees to implement, develop and fulfil roles within an innovative digital healthcare system,
• Extrapolate the application of digital technologies in Australia to application in South East Asian countries, and
• Recommendations for Healthcare systems in South East Asia.