Name: Bringing vital maternal care to remote communities
Uploaded: 2023-08-21T01:50:16.800Z
Duration: 191.47
Description: Hear from Jared Watts, an experienced Obstetrics director working in WA, as he talks about the challenges and processes to bringing maternal healthcare in remote regions. From delivering equipment, using technology and setting up central medical hubs, Jared explains what it takes to consistently deliver quality healthcare for such a large region like WA.

Jared Watts.mp4

Jared Watts.vtt

Jared Watts

{{00:00:11}}
So what we actually do is
actually try and make shared

{{00:00:12}}
decision making with our patients.

{{00:00:14}}
So we try to make sure they know what's
available, what they actually want, and

{{00:00:19}}
come to an agreed understanding of what we
think you know is the best place for them.

{{00:00:23}}
It might be going to another place to
have a delivery or have a surgery, but

{{00:00:26}}
just really making this patient-centered
care that's really shared decision making.

{{00:00:36}}
So it's a very fascinating research
that we are undertaking with Notre

{{00:00:40}}
Dame University and UWA where we have
point of care cervical screening.

{{00:00:44}}
So we can have women rather than come
to us to undertake their cervical

{{00:00:49}}
screening to try and make sure we don't
get progression to cervical cancer.

{{00:00:52}}
We're taking the machinery and
the doctors and the nurses to

{{00:00:55}}
them out in the communities.

{{00:00:57}}
So this is a very exciting thing.

{{00:00:58}}
So we can actually see and get an answer
within an hour and provide the initial

{{00:01:03}}
diagnosis, if required, to try and make
sure that patients can access cervical

{{00:01:07}}
screening wherever they are in Australia.

{{00:01:09}}
So hopefully close to their home.

{{00:01:17}}
We are looking in Western Australia.

{{00:01:19}}
We have 17 or 18 actual
birth sites across.

{{00:01:22}}
It's actually the 10th largest, you
know, if it was the country, it's

{{00:01:26}}
the 10th largest country in the world
where we look after all these women.

{{00:01:30}}
And so we have quite a lot of technology.

{{00:01:33}}
So we've got CTG machines that are
all linked into a central service, so

{{00:01:36}}
they can be seen, you can be anywhere
in the world and actually go on to

{{00:01:39}}
your mobile phone and look at a CTG.

{{00:01:42}}
We have a command center based
in Perth with very senior

{{00:01:45}}
midwives that can provide advice.

{{00:01:47}}
So we're just sort of trying to really
make this one big state into like, I

{{00:01:50}}
like to say, just one hospital where
we have multiple rooms with senior

{{00:01:54}}
people available to give advice.

{{00:01:55}}
So it's a great use of technology
to try and make delivering in

{{00:01:59}}
remote areas as safe as possible.

{{00:02:06}}
The biggest thing we're gonna
do is just to try and actually

{{00:02:09}}
use this technology further.

{{00:02:10}}
So be able to build on some advances,
make sure that any artificial intelligence

{{00:02:16}}
comes out that we're able to give it
to these women who are actually in the

{{00:02:18}}
remote areas so that you know, our most
vulnerable women, our First Nation women

{{00:02:23}}
actually have access to this technology
as soon as possible, so we'll adapt to it.

{{00:02:27}}
And then, wherever they want to deliver,
if it's on country, near their family,

{{00:02:31}}
near their support networks, we can
make it happen as safe as possible.

{{00:02:39}}
So I think it's the absolutely best
job because, you get to actually

{{00:02:44}}
become part of the community.

{{00:02:46}}
So quite often I'll be able to
see the same patients through.

{{00:02:49}}
I get to see the women in their
second and third pregnancies as well.

{{00:02:53}}
You get to see them in the community.

{{00:02:55}}
You get to actually, you know, look
after your friends and colleagues

{{00:02:57}}
as well as patients is always
such a thing, a beautiful thing.

{{00:03:00}}
And then, you know, love working
and living in such a beautiful

{{00:03:03}}
area is always a bonus as well.

So what we actually do is
actually try and make shared

So we try to make sure they know what's
available, what they actually want, and

come to an agreed understanding of what we
think you know is the best place for them.

It might be going to another place to
have a delivery or have a surgery, but

just really making this patient-centered
care that's really shared decision making.

So it's a very fascinating research
that we are undertaking with Notre

Dame University and UWA where we have
point of care cervical screening.

So we can have women rather than come
to us to undertake their cervical

screening to try and make sure we don't
get progression to cervical cancer.

We're taking the machinery and
the doctors and the nurses to

So we can actually see and get an answer
within an hour and provide the initial

diagnosis, if required, to try and make
sure that patients can access cervical

screening wherever they are in Australia.

We have 17 or 18 actual
birth sites across.

It's actually the 10th largest, you
know, if it was the country, it's

the 10th largest country in the world
where we look after all these women.

And so we have quite a lot of technology.

So we've got CTG machines that are
all linked into a central service, so

they can be seen, you can be anywhere
in the world and actually go on to

We have a command center based
in Perth with very senior

So we're just sort of trying to really
make this one big state into like, I

like to say, just one hospital where
we have multiple rooms with senior

So it's a great use of technology
to try and make delivering in

The biggest thing we're gonna
do is just to try and actually

So be able to build on some advances,
make sure that any artificial intelligence

comes out that we're able to give it
to these women who are actually in the

remote areas so that you know, our most
vulnerable women, our First Nation women

actually have access to this technology
as soon as possible, so we'll adapt to it.

And then, wherever they want to deliver,
if it's on country, near their family,

near their support networks, we can
make it happen as safe as possible.

So I think it's the absolutely best
job because, you get to actually

So quite often I'll be able to
see the same patients through.

I get to see the women in their
second and third pregnancies as well.

You get to actually, you know, look
after your friends and colleagues

as well as patients is always
such a thing, a beautiful thing.

And then, you know, love working
and living in such a beautiful

Hear from Jared Watts, an experienced Obstetrics director working in WA, as he talks about the challenges and processes to bringing maternal healthcare in remote regions. From delivering equipment, using technology and setting up central medical hubs, Jared explains what it takes to consistently deliver quality healthcare for such a large region like WA.