Watchdog finds WA emergency department data so poor it’s ‘unauditable’
The Health Department has been told by the state’s auditor general to effectively pull its finger out and complete its digital record systems overhaul as ad-hoc methods lead to system lapses.
Completing a planned “refresh” of the WA Health Digital Strategy 2020-2030 was one of several recommendations in the Office of the Auditor General’s ED data audit released on Wednesday.
Hospital staff say online live ED activity dashboards available to the public have “limited value”
The audit investigated the effectiveness of hospital information collected throughout a patient’s ED care journey, from arrival and follow-up care to discharge.
This data is used to monitor hospital performance, support decision-making and steer funding.
While the report found the department had made some progress to increase availability of real-time data, old systems and a lack of strategic direction had led to “ad-hoc” collection of data across the state’s 24 EDs.
Feedback from staff also revealed the online live ED activity dashboard – used by patients to check current hospital waiting times – had “limited value” as it did not report wait times for triage two, three and five, or the number of patients in ambulances waiting to be seen.
“There are significant inefficiencies, user frustrations and control weaknesses in the ED information systems and processes used,” the report said.
“As such, the department is not fully effective in capturing and using relevant, accurate and consistent ED information. In particular, ED data collection, handling and storage processes in their current form have significant control weaknesses and remain unauditable for the purposes of annual audits of state entity controls and key performance indicators.
In response, the Health Department said the digital strategy was undergoing a “refresh” to include heightened cybersecurity threats and artificial intelligence.
An “updated roadmap on implementation” is expected to be released after review and approval in November.
Australian Medical Association of WA president Michael Page said while improvements in digital data systems were vital for service planning and transparency, it was only part of a much larger problem.
Real-time ED dashboards allow WA Health staff to see demand across EDs.Credit: Office of the Auditor General
“The major problems are staring us in the face in terms of hospital capacity – we have a system at capacity,” he said.
“You have to squeeze every last ounce of efficiency we need from real-time data, that’s true, but we still need more hospital capacity.”
The number of ED attendances since 2018-19 has increased 7.6 per cent, while the total cost of ED services has increased by 37.6 per cent ($295.7 million).
Page described the government’s response to the issues plaguing the system, from chronic bed shortages to long wait times, as “nebulous”.
“And it will continue to be a problem unless we make significant investment in hospital infrastructure,” he said.
“If the government wants transparency of data they have to make sure it’s accurate and to do that, they need to invest in it.”