SWAHS drives improvements in healthcare with Business Intelligence

After a merger left it with disparate systems and processes, NSW Health implemented a business intelligence solution from Business Objects to centralise and streamline its disjointed systems...

In 2005 Western Sydney and Wentworth Area Health Services amalgamated to form what is known as Sydney West Area Health Service (SWAHS) - spanning 8,779 kilometres and covering nine local government areas including, Auburn, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Lithgow, Penrith and Parramatta.

With the population of the area currently at more than 1.1 million and expected to exceed 1.3 million by 2021, servicing the growing health needs of an ageing population is a priority for the organisation.

Masses of data, created from millions of admissions and outpatient services adds to the general operation and administration records of such a large organisation.

Making sense of this data, which resides in disparate, non-integrated systems is one of the critical challenges that healthcare organisations face. With an approximate budget of $1.5 billion and 17,000 employees, SWAHS needed to make sure its whole workforce including all its managers are armed with timely and trusted information to enable quick and knowledgeable decision making.

Since becoming a Business Objects customer in 2002 as NSW Health, executives of the newly formed SWAHS realised the value of utilising information to effectively manage and transform the organisation. SWAHS provided visibility to all its employees on the performance of hospitals, operational units and key metrics on patient treatment by making reports available on the intranet.

Employees were able to assess historical, current and targeted performance. Sensitive patient, HR or financial data reports are provided to users through Business Objects secure web portal. Dashboards were also implemented to demonstrate, in a visual and interactive manner, the performance of specific areas within the organisation. Users can now easily recognise trends and identify areas which are running well and areas needing attention.

Results
By collating and amalgamating disparate sources of information, SWAHS has created a single version of the truth for its workforce. Whether it is a nurse or cluster manager, any employee can access the information that they need through the intranet.

“Three times a week the cluster managers meet to review their unit’s performance,” says Trevor McKinnon, SWAHS director of Performance, Monitoring & Reporting.

“They now use the dashboard reports, which visualise critical data and highlight KPIs such as off-stretcher time and patient waiting time, to set the agenda for meetings. These reports are fundamental to these meetings.”

Using Business Objects’ tools to present information in easy to use and understand ways, SWAHS can provide information to staff who are not technically skilled, like nurses who were accustomed to handwritten patient records and reports.

“Our clinical staff are experts in their medical field but not information technology, says McKinnon. Business Objects reports bring to life extremely detailed and disparate information and displays it in a user friendly way that isn’t daunting for them.”

The Ward and Nursing Display tool (WAND) and Bed Board developed using Business Objects has replaced traditional whiteboards which were subject to human error. These new tools provide nurses and clinicians at the coalface with accurate, real-time knowledge of the patient journey ensuring staff are aware of any delays in the treatment of patients.

As it’s spread across vast distances, SWAHS is challenged by the need to train thousands of remote users in the capabilities and use of the reporting tools.

To address this Business Objects Knowledge Accelerator has been deployed by SWAHS to provide customised online training and support to remote users. This has resulted in increased user adoption and satisfaction while reducing training, support and travel costs.

“We’re now looking at maximising the benefits of BI to make reports available to the executives on their BlackBerry devices,” says McKinnon. “We need to arm them with the latest knowledge as they may travel from Auburn to Lithgow in a day and they need to be across what’s happening in their areas at all times.”

For more information
Business Objects
www.businessobjects.com.au
1800 647 006

8/5/22_ex_m_nl_h

View Solution Provider