Sysmex Award for Health Informatics Finalists Selected

For Immediate Release
Sysmex New Zealand Limited

Sysmex Award for Health Informatics Finalists Selected.

Kyle Frank, Daniel Surkalim and Frances Toohey have been named as finalists in the annual Sysmex Award for Health Informatics. The third year Bachelor of Health Sciences degree students at The University of Auckland beat a large pool of creative and original entries to be selected as the top three finalists, with the winner to be announced at the 2016 HiNZ Conference dinner in November.

Established in 2011, the Sysmex Award for Health Informatics seeks to inspire creative thinking and encourage excellence in health informatics education and is open to students undertaking their third year of a Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) degree at The University of Auckland. Sysmex and Auckland University collaborate to determine the assignment question, the selection of finalists and, ultimately, the winner of the award. Finalists are shortlisted based on their innovation, use of technology and feasibility. Karen Day, Senior Lecturer in Health Informatics at Auckland University, stated, “The assignment topic this year to ‘create a business case for an innovation, using an evidence-based approach, that would fit with and add value to the proposed national EHR strategy’, proved to be challenging for the students. But, I was impressed with the quality and breadth of innovations the students submitted.”

Our first finalist, Kyle Frank, has expanded on the current New Zealand e-Prescription service with the introduction of MedScript - a patient portal that allows patients to record non-prescription medication, view dispensing history and the ability to directly communicate with providers in regards to their current treatment plan. The second finalist, Daniel Surkalim, has written a business case proposing the use of a graphical relational integrated database (GRID) system that would allow for easy information retrieval and comprehension of patient and clinical data, facilitating a more efficient patient information management system. And our third finalist, Frances Toohey, has looked to improve current eReferrals programmes to allow individuals to track the progress of their specialist referrals, closing the gap between patients and clinicians.

Deborah Steele, Product Manager at Sysmex says, “Each finalist has approached the assignment topic differently. They showed a good understanding of the use of current health record systems and it was excellent to see the innovative thinking identifying possible ways to enhance this in future national systems.

A new feature to this year’s award will be the Finalist Showcase at the HiNZ conference in November. The three finalists will be presenting their business cases during a lunchtime session at the conference on Wednesday 2nd November, with the overall winner announced at the HiNZ conference dinner later that night. Rose Harding, Sysmex New Zealand Marketing Communications Manager said, “This showcase is a great opportunity to be inspired by the inventive thinking of the next generation and the originality and practicality of their innovative business cases. The future of health informatics looks bright, if these finalists are any indication.”

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