In November 2003, NICS commissioned the Centre for Health Informatics at the University of New South Wales to produce an 'action plan report' to assist in advancing recommendations 17 and 18 of the national electronic decision support systems taskforce report.
The brief was to identify actions that NICS or other parties could take in assisting to remove barriers to the uptake of electronic decision support systems (EDSS) in a clinical setting, and to provide indications as to current activities in Australia related to the undergraduate and postgraduate training of health professionals in the use of EDSS.
The report contains a number of short and medium-term options for NICS to pursue in relation to EDSS. These recommendations were considered by NICS in light of their congruence with NICS' strategic plan for the period 2005 to 2008.
Currently, NICS will be commencing work to develop a basic primer to the Internet for clinicians. We believe this is timely given the roll out of the Australian Government’s Broadband for Health initiative that is under way.
The action plan report has been presented to the Australian Health Information Council's Electronic Decision Support Steering Committee, the national body overseeing the implementation of the EDSS Taskforces' recommendations. NICS acknowledges the soundness of the Action Plan Report's recommendations and welcomes initiatives designed to take them forward.