Client stories How the Royal Women’s Hospital streamlined maternal health screening

The full integration of the iCOPE application on the Diginostic health platform, at Melbourne's Royal Women’s Hospital (RWH) - Australia’s first and largest public maternity hospital - has achieved incredible results.

Following the recommendations of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence, RWH adopted the iCOPE digital screening tool to facilitate comprehensive perinatal mental health and family violence screening.

iCOPE is now seamlessly integrated into RWH’s EMR system, with particular emphasis on secure and confidential family violence screening to enhance patient safety.

With more than 9,000 perinatal patients to screen each year, it was critical for the iCOPE screening process at the RWH to be as efficient and effective as possible.

Our goal in integrating and rolling out iCOPE at the RWH was to enhance both clinician and patient experiences with perinatal mental health screening. iCOPE streamlines the process, providing quicker access to results, supporting early identification of mental health needs, and enabling individualised care planning. This integration reduces administrative tasks, allowing clinicians to focus more on direct patient care and support.

“The integration of iCOPE within RWH’s EMR was a complex but vital component of the project. We received continuous technical support and updates from the Diginostic team which ensured the functionality and efficiency of the integration.”

- Amanda Morris, Senior Program Manager Family Violence, Royal Women’s Hospital

The integration of iCOPE has significantly streamlined the screening process across the RWH clinical teams, enabling the successful screening of over 150 mothers per week. To date, more than 10,000 screens have been conducted, with an increase in family violence disclosures, attributed to the private and discreet nature of the digital tool.

The seamless integration with the RWH EMR system, EPIC, ensures that clinicians can act immediately on screening results. This is especially crucial when family violence is disclosed, as clinicians have access to detailed reports and can quickly implement the necessary interventions and referrals.

iCOPE has enhanced patient engagement, increased screening uptake, improved accessibility for diverse populations, empowered health professionals, and ensured comprehensive data collection and utilisation.