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A public health service in Queensland is exploring digital-first shared care models to help clinicians address mounting backlogs, especially in specialist clinics, while improving and optimising access to care.
Gold Coast Health has launched a proof-of-concept trial of DevPaed Connect, a digital interface that allows general practitioners to connect directly with developmental paediatric specialists via secure messaging for consultations and receive specialist advice within 1-2 business days.
WHY IT MATTERS
GCH notes how it can take a year or so before a child gets seen by a specialist, as cases of children identified with developmental or behavioural conditions are growing in Australia, with waitlists in specialist clinics stretching between 12 and 18 months.
A first-of-its-kind service in the state, the shared care model operates on Foxo’s secure messaging platform, which is already in use across multiple specialties at GCH, supporting consistency and reducing the need for clinicians to adopt additional communication tools.
Advice is provided as a structured PDF summary, downloaded by both the GP and specialist and uploaded into GP clinical systems and the Queensland Health ieMR system.
This digitally-delivered advice is also treated as specialist clinical advice, but it does not replace formal referral pathways, a source with knowledge of the matter emphasised to Healthcare IT News. Advice is also overseen by credentialed developmental paediatricians. Moreover, there is criteria ensuring that children requiring urgent or complex care are redirected to formal assessment pathways.
The trial runs through June, after which the decision to continue or expand will depend on demonstrated GP engagement – whether it is clinically valued and actively used in primary care – and outcomes, including impact on referral volumes and waitlist pressure. It is expected to benefit 500 children in the Gold Coast region.
THE LARGER CONTEXT
Since 2024, GCH has used online secure messaging to provide an alternative pathway for chronic disease patients and to answer non-urgent queries from Rheumatology patients receiving ongoing outpatient treatments.
To further help clinicians free up time, the health service also automated many workflows – including uploading documents to the EMR system and the notification of patient admissions – and trialled the use of ambient AI scribes.
ON THE RECORD
"With more families seeking support and GPs eager to access specialist advice when needed, this model answers a growing call for timely, practical support," said Dr Angela Owens, who led the development of DevPaed Connect with local GPs and the Gold Coast Primary Health Network (GCPHN).
"Families can now have their GP connect with a paediatrician within days, meaning they get the benefit of specialist input without losing the trusted relationship they already have with their GP."
"This model reflects what modern primary care should be: connected and collaborative care, designed around the needs of children and their families, and enabled by innovative digital tools," commented Dr Ka-Kiu Cheung, deputy board chair of the GCPHN.
