Diagnostic informatics

Diagnostic informatics

What is Diagnostic Informatics?

Diagnostic informatics relates to the gathering, integrating, interpreting and communication of data and information, an integral part of the diagnostic process and crucial to the quality and safety of patient care.

Diagnostic informatics involves laboratory medicine, anatomic pathology and medical imaging. Whilst diagnostic testing may account for a small (less than 5%) proportion of most hospital budgets, it is considered to have a huge influence on medical decision-making [1]. It underpins much of our health care system, generating information that is crucial to the prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, stratification of risk and treatment of disease [2].

Diagnostic informatics encompasses major areas of research across the diagnostic analytical process. This ranges from the clinical choice of diagnostic request, the quality and efficiency of the analytical process, right through to the interpretation and follow-up of test results and their impact on patient care outcomes.

Clinical Excellence, Safety and Value

The diagnostic informatics research team is committed to generating quality evidence to enhance clinical excellence, patient safety and the value of care. This involves:

  • An outcomes-based approach to diagnostic research
  • Optimised clinical workflows, engagement, governance and accountability
  • Shared decision-making and patient-centred care
  • IT-enhanced decision support, data analytics and knowledge management systems

Our people

Diagnostic Informatics team members


Prof Andrew Georgiou
Professor


Prof Johanna Westbrook
Professor and Director


A/Prof Ling Li
Associate Professor


Dr Mirela Prgomet
Senior Research Fellow


Dr Judith Thomas
Research Fellow


Dr Abbish Kamalakkannan
Postdoctoral Research Fellow


Dr Getiye Kibret
Postdoctoral Research Fellow


Ms Yu Jia Julie Li
Research Assistant & PhD Candidate

News

 
Invitation to speak at the WONCA International Classification Committee (WICC) Open Day 2023

Dr Abbish Kamalakkannan has been invited to speak at a round table during Open Day at the annual WICC meeting on the 25th October in Sydney, Australia. In line with the theme of data collection and classifications in general practice/family medicine, Abbish will be presenting his work on the challenges with defining and identifying long COVID patients from general practice data, and other means of recognising patients with long COVID from the data.

 
Posters accepted at Victoria’s first conference on Long COVID

Supported by the Victorian State Government Department of Health and aiming to bring together stakeholders to share information and the emerging evidence about long COVID care in Victoria, the Long COVID Conference took place virtually and in-person on the 1st September 2023 in Melbourne, Victoria. Findings from our project on long COVID were conveyed through two posters submitted by Dr Judith Thomas and Dr Abbish Kamalakkannan, on the general practice perspective on long COVID diagnosis and management, and long COVID presentations from general practice data, respectively.

 
Welcome new team member!

Dr Getiye Kibret has joined the DxI team as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow working on the NHMRC Partnership Project in Digital Health with South Eastern Sydney LHD, NSW Health Pathology, Abbott Diagnostics and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Most recently Getiye worked as Database Biostatistician at The University of Sydney’s Save Sight Institute. Welcome Getiye!

 
Diana Forsythe Award Shortlisting

Each year, the Awards Committee and People and Organizational Issues Working Group of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) sponsors the Diana Forsythe Award. This award honours a paper that best exemplifies the spirit and scholarship of Diana Forsythe’s work at the intersection of informatics and social sciences, and is announced at the AMIA Annual Symposium. A paper published by Prof. Andrew Georgiou, Julie Li, Dr Judith Thomas and Dr Mary Dahm on the mechanisms that contribute to safe and effective electronic test result management systems was selected as a finalist for the 2023 award. The award winner will be awarded a plaque and a token cash price.

 
Diagnostic Informatics team presentations at MedInfo

The 19th world congress on medical and health informatics, MedInfo 2023 is the premier digital health and informatics event. It took place over the 8-12th July at the International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Sydney, Australia. Our Research Assistant, Julie Li presented a study on the impact and usability of the Electronic Record for Intensive Care (eRIC), whilst Prof. Andrew Georgiou was invited to participate in a panel discussion on scientific hypothesis generation in clinical research. Proceedings from the conference will be published as part of the Studies in Health Technology and Informatics series of books by IOS Press.

 
Best Poster Presentation Award at the Context Sensitive Health Informatics Conference

Our Research Assistant and PhD candidate, Julie Li was awarded Best Poster Presentation at the Context Sensitive Health Informatics Conference (CSHI), held at the University of Sydney on the 5-6th July 2023. The CSHI is the pre-conference to MedInfo, the world congress on medical and health informatics. CSHI focuses on Human and Socio-technical approaches to health technology and healthcare delivery. Julie’s abstract reported preliminary findings from a scoping review on identifying diagnostic stewardship mechanisms in the electronic test result management process. The full conference proceedings can be accessed here: https://ebooks.iospress.nl/ISBN/978-1-64368-399-7.

 
Psychotropic medication prescribing for children and adolescents by general practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic

A research letter led by Dr Rae-Anne Hardie published in the Medical Journal of Australia reported that while rates of psychotropic medication prescribing by GPs for children has been increasing since 2018, the peak rates reached during the pandemic were higher than forecast. The study drew on data from two metropolitan primary health networks (PHNs) in New South Wales and one regional and two metropolitan PHNs in Victoria. Findings suggest that the capacity of the Australian health care system to increase mental health care provision during a time of crisis is inadequate, and consequently the key role of general practice in mental health support for children and adolescents.

DxI team members invited to speak at the Informa National Telehealth Conference

Professor Andrew Georgiou was invited to present at the National Telehealth Conference in Sydney over the 27th-28th April about the use of near real-time electronic general practice data to enhance patient care and best-practice policy. Dr Mirela Prgomet also participated in a panel discussion on primary healthcare perspectives on telehealth alongside Dr Nicole Higgins, President-Elect, RACGP and A/Prof Chris Pearce, Chair, ACRRM Digital Health Committee.

More Diagnostic Informatics news

Follow us on @DxInformatics for more news

Honorary and visiting appointments

Dr Chrissy Imai
Honorary Research Fellow

Dr Zhaoli (Joy) Dai-Keller
Honorary Research Fellow

Dr Tony Badrick
Visiting Fellow

Prof Heiko Gewald
Honorary Professor

Prof Andrea Rita Horvath
Visiting Fellow

Prof Michael Legg
Adjunct Fellow

A/Prof Robert Lindeman
Visiting Fellow

Dr Tze Ping Loh
Adjunct Fellow

Prof Paul Monagle
Honorary Professor

Guilherme Saffi Franco
Adjunct Fellow

Prof Roger Wilson
Visiting Fellow

Selected publications

  1. Carrigan AJ, Charlton A, Wiggins MW, Georgiou A, Palmeri T, Curby KM. Cue utilisation reduces the impact of response bias in histopathology. Applied Ergonomics. 2022 Jan;98:1–10.
  2. Cresswell K, Rigby M, Georgiou A, Wong ZSY, Kukhareva P, Medlock S, De Keizer N, Magrabi F, Scott P, Ammenwerth E. The role of formative evaluation in promoting digitally-based health equity and reducing bias for resilient health systems: the case of patient portals. Yearbook of Medical Informatics. 2022 Jun 2.
  3. Dai Z, Sezgin G, Li J, S. Franco G, McGuire P, Datta S, Pearce C, McLeod A, Georgiou A. Telehealth utilisation in residential aged care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective cohort study in Australian general practice. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare. 2022 May 11.
  4. Franco GS, Li J, Li L, Dean M, Shalaby G, Georgiou A. Investigating the association between blood transfusion and clinical outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndromes: a data linkage approach to Patient Blood Management. Blood Transfusion. 2022 Jan;20(1):50–8.
  5. Georgiou A, Li J, Thomas J, Dahm MR. Identifying the mechanisms that contribute to safe and effective electronic test result management systems: a multisite qualitative study. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. 2022 Jan;29(1):89–96.
  6. Hardie R-A, Sezgin G, Imai C, Gault E, McGuire P, Sheikh MK, Pearce C, Badrick T, Georgiou A. Telehealth-based diagnostic testing in general practice during the COVID-19 pandemic: an observational study. BJGP Open. 2022 Mar;6(1):1–9.
  7. Imai C, Thomas J, Hardie R-A, Pearce C, Badrick T, Georgiou A. Telehealth use in patients with type 2 diabetes in Australian general practice during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective cohort study. BJGP Open. 2022 May 31.
  8. Thomas J, Georgiou A, Imai C, Sezgin G, Hardie R-A, Dai Z, Wabe N, Saffi Franco G, Li J. Monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on general practice: a suite of impact measures for Australian general practice. Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University; 2022.
  9. Wabe N, Thomas J, Sezgin G, Sheikh MK, Gault E, Georgiou A. Medication prescribing in face-to-face versus telehealth consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australian general practice: a retrospective observational study. BJGP Open. 2022 Mar;6(1):1–10.
  10. Carrigan AJ, Charlton A, Foucar E, Wiggins MW, Georgiou A, Palmeri TJ, Curby KM. The role of cue-based strategies in skilled diagnosis amongst pathologists. Human Factors. 2021 Feb 13.
  11. Carrigan AJ, Magnussen J, Georgiou A, Curby KM, Palmeri TJ, Wiggins MW. Differentiating experience from cue utilization in radiological assessments. Human Factors. 2021 Jun;63(4):635–46.
  12. Dahm MR, Georgiou A, Balandin S, Hill S, Hemsley B. Health information and the quality and safety of care for people with disability: an analysis of Australian reports of reviewable deaths in residential care. Journal of Patient Safety. 2021 Dec;17(8):e1559–75.
  13. Dahm MR, Li J, Thomas J, Smith P, & Georgiou A. How is test-related information communicated in Australian Emergency Departments?–ED clinicians’ and patients’ perspectives. Patient Education and Counseling. 2021;104(8):1970-7.
  14. Dahm MR, Li J, Thomas J, Smith P, Georgiou A. How is test-related information communicated in Australian Emergency Departments?: ED clinicians’ and patients’ perspectives. Patient Education and Counseling. 2021 Aug;104(8):1970–7.
  15. Dai Z (Joy), S. Franco G, Datta S, McGuire P, Georgiou A. General practice consultations in residential aged care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic period. In: 54th AAG Conference Digital Event. Australian Association of Gerontology; 2021. p. 63.
  16. Dai Z, McKenzie JE, McDonald S, Baram L, Page MJ, Allman-Farinelli M, Raubenheimer D, Bero LA. Assessment of the Methods Used to Develop Vitamin D and Calcium Recommendations—A Systematic Review of Bone Health Guidelines. Nutrients. 2021 Jul;13(7):2423.
  17. Fernandez-Luque L, Kushniruk A, Georgiou A, Basu A, Petersen C, Ronquillo C, Paton C, Nohr C, Kuziemsky C, Alhuwail D, Skiba D, Huesing E, Garbarron E, Borycki EM, Magrabi F, Denecke K, Peute LWP, Topaz M, Al-Shorbaji N, Lacroix P, Marcilly R, Cornet R, Gogia S, Kobayashi S, Iyengar S, Deserno TM, Mettler T, Vimarlund V, Zhu X. Evidence-based health informatics as the foundation for the COVID-19 response: a joint call for action. Methods of Information in Medicine. 2021;59(6):183–92.
  18. Franco GS, Hardie RA, Li L, Imai C, Sezgin G, Li J, McLeod A, Pearce C, Georgiou A. Prostate-specific antigen testing of asymptomatic men in Australia: an observational study based on electronic general practice data. The Medical Journal of Australia. 2021. doi: 10.5694/mja2.51147
  19. Georgiou A, Li J, Hardie R-A, Wabe N, Dai Z, Sezgin G, Thomas J, Saffi Franco G. Digital health: monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on care in Australian general practice. In: ICT in Health. Comite Gestor da Internet no Brasil (CGI.br); 2021. p. 243–53.
  20. Georgiou A, Li J, Hardie R-A, Wabe N, Horvath AR, Post JJ, Eigenstetter A, Lindeman R, Lam Q, Badrick T, Pearce CM. Diagnostic informatics: the role of digital health in diagnostic stewardship and the achievement of excellence, safety, and value.Frontiers in Digital Health. 2021;3:1-5.
  21. Georgiou A, Li J, Hardie R-A, Wabe N, Horvath AR, Post JJ, Eigenstetter A, Lindeman R, Lam Q, Badrick T, Pearce CM. Diagnostic Informatics—The Role of Digital Health in Diagnostic Stewardship and the Achievement of Excellence, Safety, and Value. Frontiers in Digital Health. 2021 Jun 10;3:1–5.
  22. Georgiou A, Li J, Pearce C, McLeod A, Wabe N, Hardie R-A, Franco GS, Imai C, Sezgin G, Thomas J, Dai Z, Sheikh MK, Proposch A, Weeding S, Wickham B, Badrick T, Murgatroyd D. COVID-19: protocol for observational studies utilizing near real-time electronic Australian general practice data to promote effective care and best-practice policy - a design thinking approach. Health Research Policy and Systems. 2021 Sep 7;19(1):1–6.
  23. Imai C, Li L, Hardie R-A, Georgiou A. Adherence to guideline-recommended HbA1c testing frequency and better outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: a 5-year retrospective cohort study in Australian general practice. BMJ Quality and Safety. 2021 Sep 1;30(9):706–14.
  24. Li J, Dahm MR, Thomas J, Wabe N, Smith P, Georgiou A. Why is there variation in test ordering practices for patients presenting to the emergency department with undifferentiated chest pain?: A qualitative study. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2021 Nov 1;38(11):820–4.
  25. Magrabi F, Ammenwerth E, Craven CK, Cresswell K, De Keizer NF, Medlock SK, Scott PJ, Wong ZS-Y, Georgiou A. Managing pandemic responses with Health Informatics: challenges for assessing digital health technologies. Yearbook of Medical Informatics. 2021 Aug;30(1):56–60.
  26. Sezgin G, Li L, Westbrook J, Wearne E, Azar D, McLeod A, Pearce C, Ignjatovic V, Monagle P, Georgiou A. Influence of serum iron test results on the diagnosis of iron deficiency in children: a retrospective observational study. BMJ open. 2021 Jul 1;11(7):e046865.
  27. Thomas J, Dahm MR, Li J, & Georgiou A. Can patients contribute to enhancing the safety and effectiveness of test‐result follow‐up? Qualitative outcomes from a health consumer workshop. Health Expectations. 2021;24(2):222-33.
  28. Wabe N, Hardie RA, Lindeman R, Scowen C, Eigenstetter A, Georgiou A. Potentially redundant repeat liver function test ordering practices in Australian hospitals: A 5‐year multicentre retrospective observational study. International Journal of Clinical Practice. 2021 May;75(5):e14004.
  29. Wabe N, Li L, Lindeman R, Post JJ, Dahm MR, Li J, Westbrook JI, Georgiou A. Evaluation of the accuracy of diagnostic coding for influenza compared to laboratory results: the availability of test results before hospital discharge facilitates improved coding accuracy. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making. 2021 May 22;21:1–10.
  30. Wabe N, Lindeman R, Post JJ, Rawlinson W, Miao M, Westbrook JI, Georgiou A. Cepheid Xpert® Flu/RSV and Seegene AllplexTM RP1 show high diagnostic agreement for the detection of influenza A/B and respiratory syncytial viruses in clinical practice. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses. 2021 Mar;15(2):245–53.Yeung VA, Thapa K, Rawlinson W, Georgiou A, Post J, Overton K. Differences in antibiotic and antiviral use in people with confirmed influenza: a retrospective comparison of rapid influenza PCR and multiplex respiratory virus PCR tests. BMC Infectious Diseases. 2021 Apr 7;21:1–7.
  31. Campbell CA, Li L, Kotwal S, Georgiou A, Horvath AR, Westbrook J, & Endre Z. Under‐detection of acute kidney injury in hospitalised patients: a retrospective, multi‐site, longitudinal study. Internal medicine journal. 2020;50(3), 307-314.
  32. Scowen C, Wabe N, Eigenstetter A, Lindeman R, Miao M, Westbrook JI, Georgiou A. Evaluating the long-term effects of a data-driven approach to reduce variation in emergency department pathology investigations: study protocol for evaluation of the NSW Health Pathology Atlas of variation. BMJ open. 2020;10(10):e039437.
  33. Wabe N, Thomas J, Scowen C, Eigenstetter A, Lindeman R, Georgiou A. The NSW Pathology Atlas of Variation: Part I—Identifying Emergency Departments With Outlying Laboratory Test–Ordering Practices. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2021;78(1):150-62.
  34. Wabe N, Scowen C, Eigenstetter A, Lindeman R, Georgiou A. The NSW Pathology Atlas of Variation: Part II—The Association of Variation in Emergency Department Laboratory Investigations With Outcomes for Patients Presenting With Chest Pain. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2021;78(1):163-173.
  35. Imai C, Li L, Hardie R-A, Georgiou A. Adherence to guideline-recommended HbA1c testing frequency and better outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: a 5-year retrospective cohort study in Australian general practice. BMJ Quality & Safety; Published Online First: 04 February 2021. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2020-012026.
  36. Imai C, Hardie R-A, Franco GS, Sezgin G, Tepper K, McLeod A, Pearce C, Westbrook JI, Georgiou A. Harnessing the potential of electronic general practice pathology data in Australia: an examination of the quality use of pathology for type 2 diabetes patients. International Journal of Medical Informatics. 2020; Published Online First: 22 May 2020.
  37. Li J, Paoloni R, Li L, Callen J, Westbrook JI, Runciman WB, Georgiou A. Does health information technology improve acknowledgement of radiology results for discharged Emergency Department patients? A before and after study. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making. 2020; 20(1):1-7.
  38. Miao M, Dahm M, Li J, Thomas J, Georgiou A. Managing uncertainty during the communication of diagnostic test information between patients and clinicians in Australian emergency care. Qualitative Health Research. 2020; Published Online First: 4 April 2020.
  39. Thomas J, Dahm MR, Li J, Smith P, Irvine J, Westbrook JI, Georgiou A. Variation in electronic test-results management and its implications for patient safety: a multi-site investigation. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. 2020; 0(0):1-11.
  40. Wabe N, Lindeman R, Post JJ, Rawlinson W, Miao M, Westbrook JI, Georgiou A. Cepheid Xpert® Flu/RSV and Seegene Allplex™ RP1 show high diagnostic agreement for the detection of influenza A/B and respiratory syncytial viruses in clinical practice Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses. 2020; Published Online First: 20 August 2020.
  41. Campbell CA, Li L, Kotwal S, Georgiou A, Horvath AR, Westbrook JI, Endre Z. Under‐detection of acute kidney injury in hospitalised patients–a retrospective, multi‐site, longitudinal study. Internal Medicine Journal. 2019; Published Online First: 28 February 2019.
  42. Dahm MR, Brown A, Martin D, Williams M, Osbourne B, Basseal J, Potter M, Hardie R-A, Li J, Thomas J, Georgiou A. Interaction and innovation: practical strategies for inclusive consumer-driven research in health services. BMJ Open. 2019; 9(12):e031555.
  43. Georgiou A, Li J, Thomas J, Dahm M, Westbrook JI. The impact of Health Information Technology on the management and follow-up of test results – a systematic review. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association 2019; 27(6):678-88.
  44. Georgiou A, Sezgin G, Li L, Wilson R, McCaughey EJ, Lindeman R, Vecellio E, Westbrook JI. Who gets a laboratory test in hospital, why, and how often? A retrospective observational study of 4 Australian hospitals. The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine. 2019; 4(3):343-54.
  45. Punyalack W, Hardie R-A, Li L, Li J, Campbell C, Badrick T, Georgiou A. High risk results – the evidence for total serum calcium alert thresholds. Pathology. 2019; 51:S18.
  46. Sezgin G, Li L, Wilson R, Westbrook JI, Lindeman R, Vecellio E, Georgiou A. Laboratory test use and repeat testing for inpatients of age 80 and over in Australia: a retrospective observational study. The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine. 2019; 4(2):143-51.
  47. Thomas J, Dahm M, Li J, Westbrook JI, Georgiou A. A comparative study of the utilisation of an electronic test-result management system in emergency and intensive care settings. Health Informatics Journal. 2019; Published Online First: 3 December 2019.
  48. Wabe N, Lee A, Wechalekar M, McWilliams L, Proudman S, Wiese M. Factors associated with medication adherence in a longitudinal study of rheumatoid arthritis patients. International Journal of Clinical Practice. 2019; e13375.
  49. Wabe N, Li L, Dahm M, Lindeman R, Yimsung R, Clezy K, Georgiou A. The timing of respiratory virus molecular testing in emergency departments and its association with patient care outcomes: a retrospective observational study across six Australian hospitals. BMJ Open. 2019; 9(8):e030104.
  50. Wabe N, Li L, Lindeman R, Yimsung R, Dahm MR, Clezy K, McLennan S, Westbrook JI, Georgiou A. The impact of rapid molecular diagnostic testing for respiratory viruses on outcomes for emergency department patients. Medical Journal of Australia. 2019; 210(7):316-20.
  51. Wabe N, Li L, Lindeman R, Yimsung R, McLennan S, Dahm M, Clezy K, Georgiou A. Impact of rapid molecular diagnostic testing of respiratory viruses on outcomes of adults hospitalised with respiratory illness: a multicentre quasi-experimental study. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 2019; Published Online First: 12 December 2018.

View earlier Diagnostic Informatics publications

Collaborators

Pathology and radiology

  • Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists (AACB)
  • New South Wales (NSW) Health Pathology
  • Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Radiology (RANZCR)
  • Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA)
  • Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs (RCPAQAP)
  • Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (Australia)
  • South Australia (SA) Pathology
  • Western Australia (WA) Pathology
Healthcare organisations

  • Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI)
  • Australia and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion (ANZSBT)
  • Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC)
  • Emergency Care Institute (ECI)
  • Health Protection Authority (HPA)
  • NSW Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC)
  • Primary Health Networks (PHNs) – NSW and Victoria
Hospitals and local health districts (LHDS)

  • Canterbury District Health Board (New Zealand)
  • Prince of Wales Hospital
  • Royal Children’s Hospital (Melbourne)
  • Royal Eye and Ear Hospital (Melbourne)
  • South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD)
  • St Vincent’s Hospital
  • Sydney Children’s Hospital
Universities

  • Bond University
  • Macquarie University
  • Melbourne University
  • Monash University
  • University of South Australia
Consumer groups

  • HealthConsumers NSW
  • Safer Care Victoria
Industry partners

  • Outcome Health
  • Abbott Diagnostics

Centres related to this research

Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research

Back to the top of this page