The Preventative Health Flagship is helping to unlock the treasure trove of information found in health records to create a powerful new diagnostic tool which will allow doctors to better assess or treat patients.

The Health Data Integration (HDI) project, initiated by the Preventative Health Flagship, involves using new data-mining systems that allow health professionals to link and share data, while patient identities remain private.

National and international implementation of HDI would allow doctors from around the globe to draw on information to help in the management of patients. Clinicians and medical researchers will also be able to access the data to examine trends and improve the knowledge about medical conditions.

For its first demonstration of the power of HDI, the Preventative Health Flagship has teamed up with several partners, including CSIRO’s ICT Centre, to translate this work into better health outcomes for Australians through the Brisbane-based e-Health Research Centre (EHRC).

The EHRC is a $15 million joint venture between CSIRO and the Queensland Government, which was established in 2003 to develop information and communications technology in the health sector.

Data sharing has already begun in a network of public and private hospitals in Queensland. About 10 research scientists and software engineers at the EHRC are working with the Queensland Health Cancer Control and Analysis Team to improve the clinical management of patients suffering from lung cancer and to enhance population-based research on this disease.

Preventative Health Flagship Director Dr Richard Head says these innovative technologies developed in the Preventative Health Flagship are already creating tangible benefits for the community through better information management, potentially leading to improved patient outcomes.

“This is one exciting example of how the vision of CSIRO’s flagships has allowed us to initiate ground-breaking research which has been translated and applied to the real world for the benefit of all Australians,” he says.

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The Preventative Health Flagship is a CSIRO initiative and part of the National Research Flagships program that aims to deliver scientific solutions to advance Australia's most important national objectives. One of the largest scientific initiatives ever mounted in Australia, it aligns closely with the Federal Government's National Research Priorities. The initiative brings together our national research resources to deliver breakthroughs in fields ranging from healthcare to light metals and the environment.

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