In late 2011, Westmead Hospital’s Cancer Care Clinic initiated a bold transition to an electronic medical record (EMR) system tailored for oncology patients. By mid-2012, Charm Health’s EMR—previously piloted at Blacktown Hospital—was selected for broader rollout across multiple NSW Health sites, including Westmead, Blacktown, and Liverpool Hospitals.
However, the existing Charm Health platform lacked the specialised functionality required for oncology care, leading to misalignment between hospital stakeholders and the software developer.
Strategic Intervention: In July 2012, Digital Rehab’s Alisdair Blackman was engaged to lead a complex requirements-gathering initiative across diverse clinical and operational disciplines. Working closely with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, hematologists, palliative care teams, allied health professionals, nursing staff, administrators, and hospital leadership, Alisdair synthesised a unified set of business requirements and proposed targeted interface enhancements to optimise system adoption.
Key outcomes included:
- Consolidated EMR requirements across multiple disciplines
- Interface change recommendations to improve usability and uptake
- Strategic alignment across Westmead, Blacktown, and Liverpool Hospitals
- Foundation laid for scalable EMR deployment across NSW Health
While change within the public health system is incremental, the collaborative groundwork set by Digital Rehab positioned Charm Health’s EMR for broader acceptance and successful implementation—targeted for mid-2014.
