using technology to improve your business and patient ......using technology to improve your...

Using technology to improve your business and patient outcomes The RACGP Digital Business Kits

Call 1800 194 319 for technical assistance

The Digital Business Kits project

• a partnership between the Australian Government Department of Communications and nine industry peak bodies, including the RACGP

• Provides industry-specific information to address gaps in digital knowledge

• access to new digital technologies

• digital solutions to enable businesses to engage with clients and improve operations


Learning outcomesBy the end of today’s webinar you should be able to do the following:

• Recognise the purpose, scope and benefits of the RACGP Digital Business Kits for general practice

• Identify how technology can benefit general practice and the healthcare sector

• Explain the barriers for general practices when considering new technologies and how these can be overcome

• Use the Digital Business Kits in your practice to implement new technologies


Technology in general practice

The digital economy has the potential to transform the health sector through advances in digital technologies

• clinical desktop systems• high speed broadband• e-health and m-health technologies• increased use of portable devices• the implementation of My Health Record


Barriers to general practice uptake of technology • mistrust of technology• lack of GP confidence in technology• a lack of belief that technology can ‘improve’ the management of

health information and lead to better health outcomes• high cost of investment in expensive technologies• training, systems and support • concerns that new technology and systems show little regard for the

complex and dynamic GP-patient relationship


Addressing the barriers and skills gap• focus on the positive consequences of improved patient outcomes

and workflow

• encourage general practices to improve their knowledge base and digital skills

• provide resources and support

• GPs and their teams need to be provided the right tools and resources to encourage them to embrace new technologies within their practice

• The RACGP Digital Business Kits


• four web-based information modules that:

• connects the digital healthcare sector

• address barriers to adoption

• provide resources and video case studies.


Creating the Digital Business Kits

Focus groups - GPs, practice nurses and practice managers told us:

• without clear benefits, engaging practices would be difficult

• general practice is time poor

• is this level of interest and willingness to implement new technologies common across the industry?


Creating the Digital Business Kits

Key themes

1. Has it got my attention? (Relevance)

2. Does it look too onerous? (Structure & Time)

3. Is it credible? (Credibility)

4. What’s in it for me? (Benefits & Acceptance)


Creating the tone


There are four ways to use the digital business kits:

1. Work through each of the 4 kits individually

2. Select one of our 4 suggested plans

3. Browse the topics that interest you

4. Search the DBK pages for specific information


Features within each topic• you can complete the topics individually or as a group exercise

• There is a time estimate of how long it will take to complete (5-20 minutes)

• you can make notes online as you work through each topic

• Notes you make within each topic can be captured in a email and sent back to you.

• at the end of each topic there is an action plan to download to help you get started


Working through the DBK kits



There are a number of ways to work through the DBK. First up we are going to look at each kit and how you can navigate thought them.

• Starting with Kit 1

• The initial landing page provides general information and guidance for general practice to make informed decisions on technologies that will support improved care delivery and promote efficiencies.

• There are five topics in this kit


• There is a brief overview of each topic and the level of difficulty and the time it would take to complete.

• By clicking ‘GO’ you can move on to a particular topic.


• Kit 2 explores topics on using technology for business

• provides general information on various e-health technologies, online applications and electronic business tools

• There are 6 topics in this kit



The topics in Kit 2

• Kit 3 explores topics on protecting you practice information• Provides general information and guidance on how general practice

can adapt to an evolving technical environment and raises awareness of contemporary security and privacy issues




The topics in kit 3

The CISSThe checklist is a summary of the RACGP Computer and information security standards (CISS) and enables general practices to build a comprehensive suite of computer and information security policies and procedures (available on the RACGP website).

It provides:• information on computer security• recommendations to help protect against potential exposure to loss of

sensitive data.• a framework for evaluating risks• guidance and solutions to improve competency and capacity in computer

and information security


The CISS checklist• The CISS Checklist in the DBK is designed to help general practices

assess, achieve and sustain compliance with the 12 Standards that comprise good practice in computer and information security

• It provides videos explaining why each standard is important in general practice

• It is only a guide and does not describe the complete list of security activities that should be undertaken



• When working through the checklist you can select yes of no to each of the standards and this will later generate an action plan for your practice.

• If you are unsure whether your practice complies with a particular Standard then you should tick “no”


• The action plan allows you to see where you need to make improvements and what you need to do to meet the minimum security requirements

• You can use the relevant CISS templates to create the necessary policies and procedures for your general practice

More information on the CISS

A full copy of the CISS and templates can be found at:

http://www.racgp.org.au/your-practice/e-health/protecting-information/ciss/


http://www.racgp.org.au/your-practice/e-health/protecting-information/ciss/

• This Kit provides general information to assist general practices understand the potential benefits of building an online presence that fits the needs of their practice and patients



The topics in Kit 4


What to expect as part of each topic

The RACGP Digital Business Kits


• Each topic begins with the ‘About’ section. It provides an introduction to the topic, providing a high level overview.

• Whilst being brief and easy to digest, this introduction set you up with the information needed to work through and make informed decisions throughout the rest of the topic.

Here is an example:


The ‘About’ section

How it fits into general practice

The next section explains how the technology can fit into general practice and provides context and resonance for you as the reader.

Here is an example from the Building your web presence topic:

How could it improve your practice?This section of the topics show which areas of your business or work can be improved with new technologies. Here is an example from the Teleworktopic:

A guide for general practiceThe next section in the topic provides guidance on how this technology can be implemented in your day to day work and any risks that may be involved.

On the following slide we provide an example of the guide for the Cloud computing topic.

Video and written case studies During the planning stage the feedback we received from the focus groups was that case studies are an ideal way to deliver information.

When talking about the case studies it was raised that they should not just cover off the benefits but should also cover off the challenges that came up when implementing the technology.

Is the technology right for your Practice?

This part of the topic provides you with questions, information and prompts to help you decide whether you are ready, or whether you would truly benefit from implementing the technology covered in the topic.

There is section on this page where you can make notes as you work through the questions and suggestions and then send them as an email.

We don’t keep your email address or your notes when you do this. On the following slide we have an example from the e-Waste topic.

DownloadThe next function in the kits allows you to download either the entire page content our download your action plan.

Steps towards implementation:Action plan

If you have decided the technology is right for your practice you can download an action plan that will take you through the basic steps required for implementation.

The action plan will help you sell your case for new technology to the principle decision maker in the practice and gives you practical steps that you need to take to implement the new technology.


Here is an example of the action plan from the Social Media topic.

ResourcesThe final section in each topic refers you to any further reading or resources. Here is an example of the extra resources in the Business tools topic:


Working through the DBK plans


Another way to work through the DBK: Working through the DBK Plans

If you are unsure of what areas you want to implement new technologies into the other way to work through the kits is to start with one of the four plans that we have created.

The plans draw on specific topics from each of the kits that are relevant to the technology level in your general practice.

The Digital Business Kit Plans


You can also just go to the topic list and view the topics that you are interested in.


Key word search functionYou can simply type in a key word and search all of the kits in the DBK.


Summary• The uptake of e-health technologies has the potential to improve the

care of all Australians, particularly in aged care, chronic disease health service delivery and those in rural and remote areas.

• General practice can leverage the benefits of of eHealth by adopting new technologies

• The RACGP Digital Business Kit (DBK) is a suite of resources and general guidance to promote the adoption and meaningful use of technologies in general practice


More information

www.racgp.org.au/dbk

Contact us:

[email protected]


http://www.racgp.org.au/dbk

mailto:[email protected]

RACGP SI eHealth networkSpecific Interests eHealth network

The aims of the network are to provide:• a discussion forum for all aspects of eHealth specific to general practice• a collective point of contact for the RACGP on topical matters relating to

eHealth in general practice• a forum for innovation and advocacy in eHealth• a forum for knowledge exchange, development, presentation and

dissemination of research

Members will have the opportunity to be involved in and contribute to a rapidly changing and dynamic eHealth environment with the objective of supporting improved healthcare delivery and outcomes.

Survey Summary

Resources coming soon

• Text messaging – a new topic in the DBK• Guidelines on Mobility (BYOD)• Guidelines for Data Back-up

To be released late 2016

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