NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

Allied health professionals are pivotal agents of change in the health system and must leverage data to tell stories about their impact and advocate for their role, says the new chief allied health, scientific, and technical at Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora.

Jacqui Lunday was the chief health professions officer for the Scottish Government before moving to work in Waitaha Canterbury in 2018 and believes allied health professionals are at the forefront of transforming healthcare.

“My interest in data and digital comes from a passion around driving change at the point of care: looking at the opportunities for data driven improvement to show that the changes we make are actually delivering real and measurable impact for our systems and better outcomes for the consumers, whānau and communities we serve,” she tells eHealthNews

Lunday says the work of allied health scientific and technical staff goes beyond treatment, as it is about early intervention, prevention, and supporting long-term well-being, and the effective use of data is key to demonstrate their value.

"It is not enough to say that we are improving clinical outcomes," she explains. 

"We need to show how our interventions lead to faster access to care, shorter hospital stays, reduced readmissions, and ultimately, better quality of life for our patients.”

Read the full article, HERE