Annabel Platt, 10 February, 2022
Annabel Platt found a way to help patients without needles and blood.
I always envisioned myself having a career where I could help people, so naturally I gravitated towards healthcare. Unfortunately, my dream of becoming a doctor or nurse was short lived, as I have quite a weak stomach when it comes to needles and blood.
My interest in Health Information Management (HIM) was sparked during a conversation with my auntie, who works in this field. HIM allows you to work with clinical data and understand how the clinical side of a hospital works from a nonclinical standpoint, which I thought was fascinating.
I work at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) and one of the best things about my job is that I can help improve or streamline clinical and non-clinical processes. Auditing is a large part of my job and one of my favourite tasks. I enjoy auditing as I know that my recommendations and observations can help to identify areas of improvement within a hospital and optimise funding.
Even though I'm not on the frontline of patient care, I can help people by preventing and minimising clinical error.
For example, one audit I conduct is a documentation audit. One specific element I look for is the consistency of allergies documented within the Inpatient Medication Chart. If a patient suffers from anaphylaxis or severe allergies, this has the potential to cause significant harm or, in very unfortunate circumstances, a fatal event. I analyse the documentation, identify any concerns, and relay that information back to clinical staff in the form of a report.
The Bachelor of Health Information Management is only offered at a few universities in Australia, which has limited the amount of exposure and understanding of this great career. However, as this degree is lesser known, there is the advantage of having smaller class sizes. With such a small cohort, I received significant support from my tutors, lecturers and unit coordinators. These people really helped me to succeed, and I was very grateful for their passion and dedication to the degree. HIM is a very niche area, however there are multiple avenues and roles which the completion of the degree can offer you. Some roles include data custodianship, release of information, clinical coding, medical record management, and information system architecture.
Clinical placement is a crucial component of the degree, as you get an idea of the industry you will be working in. During my placement, I maintained communication with my supervisors and the RBWH team about any upcoming jobs. I was fortunate that there was a temporary position advertised, and I applied for the role. I later found out that several of my work colleagues had put in a recommendation for me, as they enjoyed working with me. When you are on placement, you are presenting yourself to a potential future employer, so never underestimate the importance of those industry connections.
