ObservaCare wins Innovate with NBN Award

Borne out of the Covid-19 pandemic, remote patient monitoring service model, Observa Care, has been named the winner of the Heath category and overall champion of the nbn and Regional Australia Institute 2023 Innovate with nbn Grant Program.

Founders Deborah and Rod Martin have been involved in rural health for over 20 years. Deborah explains that herself and her husband first thought of the patient care model during the covid pandemic, but soon began to think further afield.

“We realised that there was a lot of potential for using this kind of technology to really help people, especially in our rural and remote communities where we know there’s a lack of access to medical care and clinicians.”

“There’s a lot of potential for this kind of a service to really help to solve some of the health issues that are facing rural and remote Australia at the moment.”

Observa Care’s service model is a novel approach to patient monitoring. Using technology that already exists, Observa Care’s model looks at how best to support patients, allowing them to remain at home while still being monitored in the case of a health emergency. Deborah explains that for some people, remaining at home is in their best interests.

“Sometimes hospital isn’t the best place to be. Being at home can be obviously more comforting to a patient. It also can be a safer place to be, to be honest, in terms of staying healthy and staying connected to your community and your family.”

But it’s not just about the tech. What Observa Care brings is an in-depth understanding of the healthcare needs of rural and remote Australia, and puts that at the forefront of their practice. As for being overall champion of the nbn Grant Program?

“Humbling,” Deborah says. “We were really just humbled, and you know, proud as well.”

Thanks to the nbn Grant, Observa Care will now be able to ramp up development, and test the service across a range of clinical uses.

Image courtesy of Deborah Martin.