Sparked Bright Sparks: Jillian Kehoe

We spoke to Jillian about her involvement in the Sparked Community, here’s what she had to say!

❓What is your background?

I am a Senior Project Officer at National Allergy Council, with a background in health promotion and food science.

❓ How did you first hear about Sparked and what made you want to become involved?

I first heard about the FHIR program through the Australian Digital Health Agency, who we are working with to improve the way that allergy information is captured on My Health Record. We registered to become involved in the Clinical Design and Technical Design groups early on, so we could be actively involved in in-depth discussions and be part of the decision-making process that will improve digital health communication for allergy.  

❓ What do you see as the best outcomes that Sparked has delivered or is working towards?

Not only have Sparked accelerated the development of the national FHIR standard that will guide the path to interoperability (a fantastic outcome in itself), but I believe they are creating a cultural shift in the way healthcare providers see digital health as an integral part of patient care. If we can get every health professional and patient on board with ensuring that allergy information is up-to-date and relevant, we can achieve better patient health outcomes, improved clinician experience and reduced healthcare system costs.

❓ How is Sparked different to projects you’ve been involved in before?

Sparked takes community-led co-design to the next level! I have never been a part of a project so large and with such a vast array of backgrounds, areas of interest and expertise. It’s also fast-moving, and you can easily get left behind if you take your foot off the pedal at any moment. As an organisation that works hard to get things done, we are excited to be on board the FHIR-train towards interoperability.

❓ What is something you’ve learnt from being part of the Sparked community?

Besides learning how to say “interoperability” and building my own glossary of technical terms, the most important thing I’ve learned is that FHIR isn’t such a scary thing, particularly when you are part of a community that are learning all together.

❓ Can you share one of your favourite or memorable moments from participating in Sparked?

We are fortunate enough to have a great team of allergy experts that advise and support our work, including William Smith and Michaela Lucas who are clinical immunology/ allergy specialists. They have been driving our digital health projects from inception. It has been incredibly exciting for all members of our digital health working group to see this work progress, and to be part of the decision-making process. William has been integral to this work through his extensive research, clinical expertise and health professional engagement. His efforts have guided the key data elements for allergy put forward by the National Allergy Council, which Michaela and I are thrilled to be presenting to the wider Sparked community in Sydney. The most wonderful moments are when years of hard work finally come to life. 

❓ What excites you most about the future with Sparked?

I’m excited to see the outcomes of this great project. For us, it’s about every person being able to see any health provider with the confidence that the health professional will have immediate access to all their relevant allergy information.  

❓ What’s something unexpected that you’ve learnt/been a part of/connected with through Sparked?

I didn’t expect that we would become so immersed in the Sparked program and for it to become a significant part of our digital health project. It has also supported many of our other projects where access to relevant allergy information is critical, so it has come at a great time for us as we progress implementation of the National Allergy Strategy.

❓ How would you explain Sparked to someone not yet involved?

It’s a bunch of people of various roles and backgrounds, who are passionate about improving the way that patient health information is shared between health professionals across Australia, so that everyone (no matter who they are or where they live) can receive the most appropriate care.

❓ What piece of advice would you share to someone who may not yet be a part of Sparked?

It is a rare opportunity to apply your unique expertise to inform what critical patient data needs to be accessed by every health professional in Australia. Digital is the future of health, so get involved and join in on the fun 😊

❓ If you had to describe Sparked in three words, what would they be?

Iterative, collaborative, dynamic.

❓ If Sparked had a theme song, what would it be?

Thunderstruck – AC/DC

❓ Describe Sparked using only emojis

😬🔥🤓 (my Sparked journey)