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A GOLD COAST startup has been selected as one of five finalists in Westpac's Innovation Challenge, designed to improve healthcare in Australia.
OnCallogist has developed a task management app that allows clinicians to access real-time information to see patients faster and provide better care.
Doctors prioritise patient requests and can advise nurses how far away they are from the required location without constant pager interruptions.
Gold Coast University Hospital has reported patients being seen 41 per cent faster in comparison to a traditional paper-based system.
OnCallogist CEO Justin Wong (pictured) says the current pager system is inefficient, with doctors spending more than three hours a shift to respond to calls.
"Very little information can be extracted from the 10-digit pager display and constant pager interruptions are a major pain point for clinicians," Wong says.
"Hospitals today are also faced with the challenges of transient workforces, legislative work hour restrictions and compliance to handover standards. Pagers and wireless handsets are now unfit for this purpose.
"We chose to enter the competition and seek support from Westpac as the brand aligns with our own values of putting trust at the heart of everything we do."
OnCallogist is up against financial management platform Surgical Partners, communications platform Cyph MD, artificial intelligence app Aipoly and skin cancer detection app SkinView.
The finalists will pitch to a panel of business leaders for the chance to win $40,000 and assistance from Westpac and startup accelerator BlueChilli.
Westpac head of healthcare Leon Berkovich says the Innovation Challenge attracted more than 250 applications across the country.
"The quality and number of entrants has been fantastic, with ideas ranging from mobile health management applications to hospital and practice communication tools, data management solutions and modern diagnostic capabilities," Berkovich says.
"It's fair to say there's no shortage of innovative ideas on how to leverage technology to further improve the healthcare industry."
The winner will be announced on July 19.
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