AI voice assistant pilot for aged care
In-home aged care provider Silverchain is trying out an AI-powered virtual assistant that provides personalised support to clients.
In a media release, it announced that it is piloting the CuriousThing AI voice virtual assistant by ASX-listed Talius with a select group of clients in Western Australia for three months from June.
The pilot involves using the AI tool to make outbound calls to clients to confirm, reschedule, or postpone visits from the Silverchain care teams.
Talius’ AI assistant can also provide near-real-time alerts on clients’ conditions to healthcare providers and tailor clients’ reminders for medication, appointments, and wellness checks.
A potential rollout across Silverchain’s network nationwide is expected following the initial success of the pilot.
Te Whatu Ora implements mobile emergency response module
Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand has started implementing the new emergency response module on its mobile communication and task management platform.
According to a press release, the new module on the Medtasker platform sends clear, location-specific alerts and provides emergency coordination teams with live visibility of responses. This transparency, Medtasker said, “speeds up escalation decisions, reduces confusion over attendance, and ensures the appropriate staff are mobilised without delay.”
The module is now live at Whangārei Hospital, with rollouts planned for eight more hospitals in the Northern region over the coming months.
NSW Ambulance trials aeromedical drones
NSW Ambulance has trialled drone technology for search and rescue missions.
It trained seven critical care paramedics and special operations team paramedics to operate, maintain, and deploy the drones for the recently concluded two-month Remotely Piloted Aeromedical Clinical Systems trial.
The drones provide live aerial surveillance and feature thermal imaging, high-intensity search lights, the ability to carry essential items, and a loudspeaker to communicate with people.
According to the ambulance service, the drones can be potentially used for delivering lifesaving medical supplies, including blood products, anti-venoms and external defibrillators, to patients in remote locations.
The agency partnered with aviation service provider Toll Aviation for this trial, with backing from the NSW Health Sustainable Futures Innovation Fund.
Nepean adopts lung cancer screening AI from Korea
Nepean Hospital’s private diagnostic imaging centre, Nepean Diagnostics, has started adopting AI to support its work in screening lung cancer.
The radiology centre, one of the largest imaging service providers in New South Wales, contracted South Korean medical AI company Coreline Soft to supply its AI-powered software for detecting pulmonary nodules, emphysema, and coronary artery calcification.
Its AI adoption comes as Australia fully launches the national lung cancer screening program this July. Coreline Soft has also supplied the same AI software to similar projects in Europe and the United Kingdom.
Coreline Soft made its first entry in Australia in February by signing a strategic partnership with ASX-listed medical device distributor ParagonCare.
Alfred Health unveils AI-driven command centre
Alfred Health in Victoria has formally launched its new AI-powered command centre provided by GE HealthCare.
It is the first healthcare provider in Australia to adopt the platform, which provides network-wide visibility and planning tools for matching patients with beds.
It integrates and centralises data from various source systems, offering near-real-time insights that support decision-making and optimise the management of patient volumes and complex cases.
Online digital health courses directory launched
The Australian government-backed Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) has put up an online directory of digital health courses offered across the country.
The directory, said DHCRC CEO Annette Schmiede, “offers accessible, curated educational opportunities for a diverse range of learners to support their skills uplift and the digital enablement of healthcare.”
It consolidates information on various digital health courses offered across Australian universities, allowing people to easily search and compare them, identify those programs aligned with their career aspirations, explore topics, and stay informed about new and upcoming courses.
The directory is part of many collaborative initiatives in Australia that aim to uplift the healthcare workforce’s capabilities amid growing digital health system transformation. In March, the Australian Digital Health Agency announced work to partner with universities to integrate digital health education into degrees.
Last month, the Australian Council of Senior Academic Leaders in Digital Health, which is involved in both of these initiatives, released its action plan for boosting the Australian health workforce’s digital health capabilities.
