In Sight, In Mind

Team Name

Ravenous Drop Bears

Team Members

Project Description

Stress impairs judgement.

In Sight, In Mind is about empowering Australians with information in their most difficult times.

People attend the Emergency Department (ED) for non-emergency reasons. This could be problematic:
* For the patient as wait times in EDs can be extensive.
* For the health care system as resources could focused on emergency situations.

Introducing In Sight, In Mind -- we provide information about estimated wait time for local emergency departments, and also alternative places to seek non-emergency assistance, such as medical centres and pharmacies. We also provide links contact information to for support lines for mental health issues and crisis situations such as domestic violence. Empowering Australians to make informed decisions about their health.

Our Problem

• The fragility and importance of the public health care system was made clear through the COVID-19 pandemic.
• There have been numerous studies on ways of alleviating ED overcrowding (see this for example) - a redirection of some non-urgent care to general practice (particular after-hour ones) have been proposed.
• In particular, areas such as the Northern Territory has TWICE the rate of ED Presentation (people turning up to ED when compared to other states - ED wait times are also significantly higher in the Northern Territory.

Our Target Audience

• Those who are unaware of potential after-hour services (eg. pharmacies/medical centres) to address non-emergency needs
• Those who present at the ED with mental health issues that may be treatable with alternative arrangements (eg. with GP or with support helpline)

Our Solution

1. Emergency Department Waiting Time Search App

• Many people are unaware of the potential wait time before them once they arrive into ED - this app provides users with information on not only the time taken to reach the hospital, but also the waiting time, to help users make more informed medical decisions. [Currently only available in WA]
• For non-ED inquires, users are shown nearby alternatives to hospital ED such as medical centres and pharmacies which may be a more timely way to address the issue of the patient.
• If a user just needs someone to speak to, this app provides quick access to a plethora of 24/7 hotlines in areas such as mental health.

2. Raising Awareness of the Prevalence of ED-related and mental health issues

• In Sight, In Mind not only connects users with potentially life-changing medical services, but also aims to raise awareness on the urgently increasing pressure on the health system.
• The Data Analysis Dashboard provides tells a compelling story about the need for this solution with open data provided by various government agencies

3. Encouraging Future Open Data Providers

• Currently the live waiting time function of this app is only available in WA -- our hope is this compelling story will encourage other states to be more open about sharing this valuable information.
• There is a scarcity of after-hours general practice in less populous areas such as Northern Territory -- our hope is this app encourages more after-hour options to be made available to vulnerable communities.

This project highlights the compelling need for open data -not only to tell an important story, but also to make a real impact on real lives.

Tech Used

• Python
• R
• React (Blueprint JS)
• Node.js

API Used

• Nominatim: Extract hospital addresses

• MapBox:

Data Story

Ambulances are doing their part. Of the patients they admit to the emergency department, at a national level, out of every 1000 patients who are admitted to hospital, only 12 are non-urgent patients. Data shows too many non-urgent cases attending ED. The Northern Territory per capita has much higher rates of ED presentation compared to other Australian regions, and higher median wait times. In our project we want to highlight the prevalence of this issue and provide a technological solution that can alleviate some pressure from hospital ED.