WentWest and Western Sydney Local Health District have signed with patient education specialists Healthily for a region-wide rollout of their digital patient education platform GoShare Healthcare.

Under the agreement, all healthcare professionals in Western Sydney will have access to GoShare to support patient education and empower patients to play a more active role in their healthcare.

Dr Tina Campbell, founder of Healthily, said “The scale of this collaboration is very exciting. We’re working closely with WentWest and Western Sydney LHD to take a measured approach to rollout, with an early focus on practices taking part in the Health Care Homes trial, and rapid access and stabilisation clinics (RAS) at Westmead and Blacktown hospitals.”

GoShare enables healthcare professionals to send information and resources relevant to a patients’ condition to encourage and support self-management behaviours. The evidence-based content is easily tailored to the needs of a patient and sent via GoShare in a variety of formats, such as patient narratives, video, animation, text and apps, accommodating a wide range of health literacy levels and learning styles.

Hosting hundreds of videos and developed in partnership with Australia’s leading peak bodies and subject matter experts, thousands of information sheets and resources, GoShare supplements face-to-face or telehealth consultations. The information provided by the health professional can be sent to the patient as an SMS or email on a one-off basis, or as a scheduled program over a series or weeks or months.

Mr Walter Kmet, CEO of WentWest said, “We are pleased to partner with Western Sydney Local Health District, Healthily and our health professionals to enhance the health literacy and self-care capabilities of patients, especially those who live with a chronic condition. By empowering people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to better self-manage their health we will help improve health outcomes, prevent complications and reduce avoidable hospitalisations”.

Mr Danny O'Connor, CEO of the Western Sydney Local Health District explained the collaboration would deliver a range of benefits to our health professionals and patients including improved integrated and patient centred care. “Health professionals, across the continuum of hospital based care through to community based care, will be given access to the GoShare platform.

“The GoShare platform supports patient centred care by making important information and resources more accessible to patients as well as their carers. Patients and their families play a central role in the successful management of chronic health conditions.

This includes appropriately monitoring their health, regulating lifestyle behaviours, and dealing effectively with the emotional and social stresses associated with being chronically ill. Patients can easily and effectively share the information and resources provided by their health professional with their carers, families and friends empowering them to play a more informed or active role in their loved one’s care” Mr O’Connor said.

A valued feature of GoShare’s content library is the patient and carer experiences. The videos positively influence behaviour change and self-efficacy. “There is now considerable evidence that listening to people in similar circumstances sharing their health experiences and insights is an effective way of improving a patient’s confidence about their ability to self-manage their condition” Dr Campbell said.

A phased rollout commences in November.