Contact Tracing App
Julia Carey1, Jo Tallon1, Marko Hallikainen1, Erica Short2, Kat McKenzie1, , 1NSLHD, St Leonards, NSW, Australia2RNSH, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
Background
To minimise the time required to conduct contact tracing of a COVID-19 exposure within the healthcare setting there was a need to develop an application (App) where quick and accurate contact tracing could be undertaken on a large scale. Prior to COVID-19 there were limited applications and programs dedicated to contact tracing of communicable diseases, within the healthcare environment.
Method or Actions
The Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) team, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and Analytics and Performance Unit (APU) developed a new App to quickly identify, locate, risk assess and implement appropriate measures for COVID-19 positive patient contacts, using a secure, accurate data source.
The App can extract patient locations and provide information on patient’s movements including contacts during a certain timeframe, including overlapping times where patients have been transferred to different rooms/wards.
Results
The collaboration between IPAC and APU led to the development of the patient contact tracing App. It was used extensively throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly became the preferred system to track and trace patients’ movements within the organisation.
Conclusion
The App provided a timely and effective way to manage the risks of communicable diseases within the healthcare setting and provide a level of protection to patients, staff, visitors, and the broader community.
Biography
Julia has worked in Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) for over 10 years, working as the IPAC CNC across various locations within Northern Sydney Local Health District. She is a Registered Nurse, Nurse Immuniser and holds a master’s in nursing science – Infection Control. Julia is currently in the NSLHD Infection Prevention and Control Team as the Operations Manager, assisting the district team through COVID-19 and the accreditation process. Julia is passionate about IPAC.