This Looks Like A Pretty Useful Project In These COVIDTimes.

This appeared last week:

Real time GP data to be used for Australian COVID-19 management

Led by the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre, the project will compile data from 500 practices to map the impact of the pandemic on the country's health system.

By Asha Barbaschow | August 17, 2020 -- 01:12 GMT (11:12 AEST) | Topic: Innovation

Data from general practices across New South Wales and Victoria is being compiled to build a real-time reporting system that shows where and how COVID-19 is impacting Australia's health system.

The project is led by the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), which is comprised of three Primary Health Networks in Eastern Melbourne, Gippsland, and South Eastern Melbourne, along with Macquarie University, Outcome Health, and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia.

South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network CEO Dr Elizabeth Deveny said the project will use the data to guide the group's decision-making. It will comprise de-identified data from 500 practices.

"COVID-19 has shown us how fast things can change in a health environment," she said. "General practice is at the forefront of the pandemic impacts, including consults with positive and negative patients. They see the indirect health consequences to social isolation and social distancing, including a rise in substance abuse, family violence, mental health issues.

"General practice is seeing a whole separate pandemic that is running in parallel to COVID-19."

Deveny said the data collected during the project will go back to general practice participants in regular reports and via data dashboards. It is expected data will comprise medications prescribed, the number of tests ordered or carried out, and referrals made, in addition to identifying COVID-19 hot-spots.

More here:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/real-time-gp-data-to-be-used-for-australian-covid-19-management/

It will be very interesting to see any follow-up publications on what has been found and what difference the technology has made.

Anyone with more insight reading the blog?

David.