ITEE College Chair

eHealth

It’s perhaps unsurprising that health features highly in the discussion supporting the implementation of broadband networks.  Health utilises 10% (and growing) of the national economy.  Broadband (including wireless) networks are merely an enabler of health services and the costs are small in comparison with the costs of personnel and equipment which use those networks.  Nevertheless, I would contend that eHealth enabled by broadband networks is mandatory for a sustainable health sector.  At present it clearly isn’t if costs continue to grow as a proportion of the economy.  No-one would deny the need for nurses, doctors and hospital beds however continual increases are unsustainable.  With 85% of Australian employment already in the services sector, further increases will be at the expense of other important parts of the economy.

The increased application of ICT in the health sector (through eHealth) represents the best opportunity for sustainable health services across the entire population and meeting community expectations for improving health services.  eHealth initiatives inevitable involve change and this is a significant barrier to adoption.  ITEE College Board members are faced with significant opportunities in the health sector and these need to be addressed with solutions which can be adopted readily by all stakeholders (health service users and providers)

Through current initiatives of the Department of Health and Ageing and the National eHealth Transition Authority (NeHTA) including the roll out of Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) we are gradually putting together the systems essential for supporting improving health outcomes through better information availability about individual patients and supporting more efficient processes.  Much of the national Health agenda focuses on hospital care however primary health care is where the major benefits of eHealth can be achieved.  By providing assistive technologies, which enable people to self care or receive care in the home or in residential care, there will be improvements for most patients through remaining in a familiar environment, pressure on high cost hospital beds will diminish and, for those suffering chronic illness, the need for repeated hospital admission will be reduced.  ICT systems are being implemented to, for instance, help reduce clinical errors, manage medication and reduce over servicing all leading to savings which can be applied to improving overall healthcare with obvious benefit to all.  Much more needs to be done as these initiatives are often isolated.

The challenge we face is diverting short term resources to investment in systems and process change which will deliver long term benefits.  The opportunities for ITEE College members whether in information systems, telecommunications or electronics are significant however it needs a long term view not short term stop gaps which rely on increasing recurring costs. 

Engineers must lend their support to investment in long term initiatives for implementing new systems and processes in the health sector otherwise the nation will be unable to sustain expectations for good health services for those who already have them and for those who don’t yet have them.  In this, the Year of Humanitarian Engineering, it is worth noting that investment in technology for primary health care is likely to deliver far reaching benefits to all communities.

Software Architecture or Engineering?

I failed to deliver a column last edition of eMonitor so I am catching up with a second column!  I need to acknowledge with thanks the contribution of Bill Maklin, who runs a Software Engineering & Architecture Joint Technical Program in South Australia, for initiating the thoughts expressed here.

Talk about engineering in the community and many if not most will conjure visions of buildings, roads, bridges, hospitals, dams, railways and so on, generally physical infrastructure. Unfortunately too few regard engineering as the discipline which creates this infrastructure and provides for its ongoing operation and maintenance. Engineering also creates IT infrastructure and its utilisation.  When we talk of software engineering for instance, people are confused because they don't recognise non physical manifestations as engineering. Rather than change this perception a change in terminology is evolving, software architecture in particular. Architecture is indeed a noble profession however it is not engineering. The skill of engineering required in software projects cannot be substituted by architecture.  Engineering takes a holistic approach to implementing software projects, architecture being a component.

How can we change the perception of engineering to its rightful status as a professional discipline which must be followed in implementing for instance IT and in particular software projects, managing risk and change?  Why is it that we seem unable to muster an organising committee for the Australasian (formally Australian) Software Engineering Conference 2012 (ASWEC 2012), a conference series which has hitherto been running for over 20 years?  We cannot continue to rely on just a few individuals, for whom we are extremely grateful, to participate on organising and program committees.  Engineering is an inherently practical discipline so where are all the industry participants to work on the committees (largely drawn from academia) and who can network with academics and others at conferences such as ASWEC?  Please post your feedback and ideas.