150 tablets for Western Sydney’s intern doctors

Junior medical officers are receiving tablets for the duration of their employment at Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) in a move to boost the adoption of technology, support JMO wellbeing and to improve patient care.

The 150 Surface Pro 7 tablets, keyboards and electronic pens are being distributed to the 2020 intern cohort to support clinical work and help with their education during their first full-time hospital placement.

Auburn Hospital emergency department resident Dr Anthony Ooi said the devices will make it faster and more convenient to access patients’ electronic medical records on the go.

“I’m sure all of us will find unique ways to incorporate them into our workflow with ready access to Teams, email and personal study notes, as well as the added convenience of not having to log in and out of shared workstations all the time,” Anthony said.

“My personal favourite feature so far is the pen – using it to draw things for patients or for learning, no more having to scramble for a piece of paper or writing notes on the back of my hand!”

“I’m grateful to be a part of this pilot program and I hope the research data is useful and can find ways to further implement technology in supporting our work.”

WSLHD Medical Services executive director Emma McCahon said the devices are one project that came from her conversations with the JMO workforce last year.

“I wanted to know what was working and what could be improved, and this is one way junior doctors agreed we could help them with their placement in Western Sydney hospitals,” Emma said.

“Technology is continuously improving the care we provide, and this year more than ever we have seen the need to be adaptive, find new ways to communicate and even provide healthcare from a distance where possible.

“We will be working with the interns to review this project throughout the year and see what kinds of benefits it delivers for doctor education and patient care.”