RFDS SA/NT has earned national recognition with an Exemplar Practice award under the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards for its innovative prehospital Electronic Health Record (RFDS EHR).
Governed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission), the NSQHS Standards set the national benchmark for the quality of care patients can expect from health service organisations.
The awarding of Exemplar Practice is used to highlight real-world examples of best practice in health services to facilitate the sharing of information between organisations, such as the RFDS EHR, which for two years now has served as an ‘extra pair of hands’ for RFDS aeromedical crews, affording more time for high-quality patient care.
This marked only the second time this level of recognition had been presented by the Commission – the first awarded in 2020 to Melbourne’s Royal Children's Hospital.
“The Royal Flying Doctor Service SA/NT has shown remarkable leadership in digital innovation with the introduction of its Electronic Health Record,” said Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
“This is an outstanding example of how digitally enabled care can be harnessed to improve patient safety and quality of care, even in the most challenging and remote environments."
Every year, RFDS SA/NT airlifts more than 10,900 patients for life-saving care and specialist medical treatment, in partnership with the SA Ambulance Service and NT Health’s Central Australian Retrieval Service.
“The RFDS EHR has enabled our crews to spend more time with the patients rather than the paperwork, building upon the gold standard of care the RFDS provides,” RFDS SA/NT Chief Executive Tony Vaughan ASM said.
“Since launching in 2023, the RFDS EHR has enhanced the quality of medical documentation, clinical governance, data analytics, patient handover and in-flight clinical care – eliminating the risks associated with manual patient data handovers by making real-time data available to all clinicians involved in a patient’s journey.
“This recognition is a deserved ‘gold star’ and a testament to the skill and dedication of our people and systems.”
Earlier this year, RFDS SA/NT also attained world-class credentials for the first time, earning a coveted stamp of approval from the European Aeromedical Institute (EURAMI).
Following an extensive external audit by the leading authority and global benchmark in aeromedical quality and safety, RFDS SA/NT exceeded international standards in Critical Care, Mental Health, Paediatric Critical Care Transport and Neonatal Critical Care Transport.
RFDS SA/NT is one of only two aeromedical organisations in the nation to hold this global standard.
“For our patients, families and communities we serve, this recognition is a tangible symbol of reassurance,” Mr Vaughan said.
“It reflects our unwavering dedication – whether in the air, on the ground, or via digital means – to deliver timely, high-quality care and treatment.”
Learn more about the Flying Doctor.
