Right care, first time: Decision support for post-discharge pathways in general medicine

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and low-grade lymphoma (LGL) are among the most common haematological malignancies affecting patients in Australia. Significant advances in therapy have meant that, for many patients, the life expectancy approaches that of an aged-matched population. Along with increased detection at a primary care level and an aging population, the incidence of these diseases in haematology practise is rapidly expanding.

In a resource-constrained environment, innovative approaches will need to be developed to continue to provide best-practice care to this patient population. With ever-increasing demand on the CLL and LGL service, my project will explore risk-stratified models of care, ensuring patients with the greatest need receive timely access to specialist services while maintaining appropriate safety netting for lower-risk patients.

My health service will directly benefit from this project through the rationalisation of resource utilisation in a rapidly expanding patient population. Beyond this project, the skills I will gain from the MacHSR Fellowship will facilitate ongoing service development within our team for many years to come.