Aged Care Coordination
Elderly patients see many clinicians across many settings. The GP, the care home nurse, the pharmacy, the hospital specialist — each holds a piece of the picture. CAREFUL brings them into one shared plan.
The problem
Aged care coordination in most countries relies on phone calls, faxes and fragmented messaging. A medication change in hospital may not reach the care home for days. A GP managing dozens of residents across multiple facilities has no single view of who needs what.
Medication errors are the most dangerous consequence. When prescribing teams and dispensing pharmacies cannot communicate in real time, errors accumulate.
How CAREFUL solves it
CAREFUL connects every clinician involved in a patient's care — regardless of which organisation they work for. The GP, the care home nursing team, the community pharmacy and the hospital geriatrician share one patient record with tracked actions, referral history and team messaging.
The GP gets real-time oversight of all their residents, across all facilities, from one screen. Medication changes are communicated immediately. Urgent concerns are flagged, discussed and actioned — not left as voicemails.
Results
In Melbourne, one GP used CAREFUL to manage 100 elderly patients across five healthcare organisations for 12 months:
- 91% of staff reported improved safety
- 97% reported improved nurse-doctor communication
- Significant reduction in serious medication errors
- More clinician time redirected to face-to-face patient care
Quote
"If I lost CAREFUL, I would have to reconsider whether I would continue with my clinical work. There is no going back."
— Dr Henry Konopnicki, General Practitioner, Melbourne