Observa Care – Bridging the healthcare gap in regional and rural Australia

Observa Care employs high-fidelity sensor technology and cloud-based data capture to remotely monitor patients' vital signs, using TGA-approved monitoring devices, and provide that data to clinicians to assist in healthcare management and triage.

Over 7 million Australians live in rural, regional and remote locations. The impact of disease and injury in this population is greater than in urban Australians, and increases with remoteness. Observa Care wants to bridge this healthcare gap

Observa Care is a patient care service aiming to enhance healthcare for people in rural, regional, and remote areas of Australia. Using high-fidelity sensor technology and cloud-based data capture, our service remotely monitors patients’ vital signs, using TGA-approved monitoring devices, and provides valuable data to clinicians to assist in healthcare management and triage.

Data flow from the wearables is continuous, so we can see if there are changes over time. This provides a more accurate picture of patient health than one-off, point in time data reads. This is important for assisting patients to manage chronic conditions, like heart failure or emphysema, or for assisting clinicians to manage acute care situations, where triage decisions on transfer to a higher care centre are greatly informed by the quality of the health data available to the treating clinician.

Observa Care connects clinical decision-making to real-time health data, providing alerts to caregivers and clinicians when parameters deviate from the norm.

Digital health technology does not replace in-person care, but it can support doctors and nurses to make informed management decisions.

Observa Care’s service model offers a solution to challenges faced in remote healthcare, such as greater distances between healthcare facilities, health workforce shortages, and longer response times for emergency medical services.

Harnessing the power of digital health technologies to benefit people who live in some of the most isolated regions of the country, enabling them to lead healthier, safer, more fulfilled lives in their rural communities, and share this knowledge with our rural health colleagues, empowering them to better serve their communities.

Supporting health care for rural Australia

Observa Care is focused on tackling issues that we see every day in rural Australia, in clinical areas including chronic disease management, remote area acute presentations, aged care, pre-anaesthetic assessment, and avoidable or unnecessary hospitalisation of rural patients.

As rural clinicians we know that accessing healthcare services can be challenging outside metropolitan centres. We have first-hand experience of our patients’ frustrations at delayed treatment, higher rates of hospitalisation, and long journeys to access care.

Our service is being developed and tested by rural clinicians who understand the unique challenges of rural healthcare. Our primary goal is to enhance healthcare access and outcomes for patients in rural and remote areas, regardless of their geographic location or the specific health system they are part of.

Our vision is a service that not only improves patient care but also helps healthcare systems reduce waste, optimize resource allocation, and enhance the overall health of rural communities in Australia.

Engage with Us

Dr Rod Martin

Founder / Director, Clinical Operations

Deborah Martin

Founder / Director, Business Operations

Awards

Overall Winner And Winner Health category 2023 NBN Innovate Awards.

Armidale health care service Observa Care is bridging the healthcare gap for regional and rural Australians and has a mission to harness the power of digital health technologies to benefit those who live in our most remote communities.

Last night, for the development of their innovative Remote Patient Monitoring service model, Observa Care was the winner of the Health Category in the 2023 Innovate with nbn Grants Program awards and overall champion.