Ms Lauren Lawlor1, Emily Chapple1, Matt Burgess1, Aline Coulsen1
1Epworth HealthCare, Victoria, Australia
Biography:
Abstract:
Implementation of a digital patient portal at a Victorian hospital network enabled the digitisation of admission processes and paperwork, providing an opportunity to strengthen infectious risk screening.
Infectious risk screening is a key component of early recognition and management of infectious risks, supporting the safety of patients, staff and visitors, and preventing inadvertent transmission. In line with NSQHS Standard 3 (Action 3.08), patient risk should be assessed at referral, on admission or presentation, and re-evaluated during care.
The Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) team partnered with our Digitise team to incorporate screening questions across all admission pathways within the portal, ensuring a consistent and standardised approach.
A key challenge identified was frequent presenters, such as oncology and dialysis patients, where repeated questioning can result in fatigue and reduced engagement. To address this, with patient feedback, a “confirm changes” model was implemented. Patients are presented with their previous responses, provided with a brief explanation of why screening is required at each presentation, and asked to confirm whether anything has changed, updating responses where required. Additional questions are triggered only when risks are identified.
Automated workflows support escalation, with email alerts generated to IPAC teams to enable timely review and implementation of appropriate precautions.
Since implementation, the approach has enabled a consistent and patient centred model of infectious risk screening, supporting timely identification of risks and responsive escalation to IPAC teams.
This approach demonstrates how digital systems can support early identification of infectious risk while improving patient experience and consistency of practice.