Patient advocate Julie McCrossin returns to Sydney Innovation Week to lead our innovators in conversation about their cutting-edge research and the latest advancements in patient and family centred care in our District. 

She’s the warm voice we recognise over the airwaves, an activist for women’s and LGBTIQ+ rights and a passionate advocate for cancer patients. Julie McCrossin is set to return as emcee at the Sydney Innovation and Research Symposium on Thursday 20 July 2023. She’ll be asking questions to get our presenters, researchers, innovators and our audience talking. 

Here, Julie shares her views on the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, treating patients as participants and not recipients in their care and why trust between patients and healthcare professionals is the key to positive outcomes. 

What does innovation in healthcare mean to you?  

Innovation in patient and family care is an attitude of mind and heart. Intellectually, innovation emerges from an open mind with a commitment to flexibility to improve results, and if we have a genuine curiosity and willingness to learn new things all the time.  

Innovation is equally dependent on our hearts because empathic, open-minded listening to patients and their families is the essential precursor to innovation. Innovation that puts the heart back into healthcare, and nurtures trauma prevention and psychological recovery, is the Holy Grail we strive to find. 

Healthcare is constantly evolving to drive better patient outcomes – what healthcare innovation do you think has transformed patient care the most over the past decade?  

From a patient perspective, care is transformative when focusing on multidisciplinary team care. There has been significant progress in recognising that nurses and allied health professionals are just as critical as doctors in delivering the best patient outcomes.   

The multidisciplinary team improves the capacity to see the patient as a whole person needing holistic care, not as a malfunctioning body part requiring physical repair. The innovation of extending multidisciplinary care to more patients is marvellous. However, there is still work to ensure that GPs and primary healthcare colleagues are included in team communication and consultation and how patients and their families can influence their care. 

You’ve spoken about your experiences of healthcare for decades. What do you think is the key to engaging people in their health?  

The key is the quality of the relationship between the clinician and the patient, combined with a referral system to help the patient improve the social determinants of health in their life. If a doctor, nurse or allied health professional has the willingness and the time to build an empathic, trusting, caring relationship with the patient, then deep engagement to improve health is possible and likely. 

What do you see as the next frontier in healthcare?  

Artificial intelligence appears to be a disruptive game changer with great capacity for healthcare benefits and unpredictable risks. The development of the future workforce poses significant challenges globally, especially with the decline in school students studying higher levels of STEM subjects.  

Equally important will be measures to attract and retain people who care about patients and families. We need to put in place support systems, professional opportunities and incentives to keep the next generation of healthcare providers in health services that are under pressure.  

How do you think healthcare professionals can enable and empower patients to lead their healthcare journey? 

In the sophisticated landscape of modern healthcare, supporting patients and their families to participate in shared decision-making is a more realistic goal than expecting patients to lead their healthcare journey.  

As a seriously ill cancer patient, I needed my family and clinical team to work together to help me understand my options and participate equally in decisions about the way forward. There is still progress needed in respecting and resourcing the role of family members or friends nominated by the patient in care planning.  

Multicultural and First Nations families often face particular challenges in being recognised and included as equal participants in their healthcare. The focus in Sydney Local Health District on involving people with lived experience in staff development and training is a marvellous initiative.  

The more health staff are encouraged to stand in patients' shoes, the more likely they are to develop engaged and caring relationships with patients in the clinical setting. This empathy empowers patients to speak up about their needs and partner with staff to improve their health. 
 

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