Ten Years of Innovation Celebrated

Photo source: Shutterstock

‍

Mackay Institute of Research and Innovation (MIRI) recently held its annual symposium, and whilst many things were on the agenda, in the spotlight was a celebration of the decade they have spent conducting regional medical research.  

‍

This 10-year achievement started with a simple dream; to improve the delivery of healthcare in the Mackay region.  

MIRI’s founder Dr David Farlow is a former Mackay Hospital and Health Service (HHS) executive director, and a former clinical dean of the JCU Medical School.  

‍

“The goal was to become a ‘learning health system’,” David said.

‍

“This means a health system that learns from its own experience, gathers evidence, adds staff ideas to improve and then puts those improvements into practice.  

‍

“Research attracts clinicians who want to grow their careers, and existing staff have opportunities to learn, investigate and improve care.”

The impacts of this first decade have been profound.  

‍

“MIRI was instrumental in helping the Mackay HHS cardiac care team trial and introduce a coronary shockwave procedure which brought advanced treatment closer to home and reduced the need for transfers to tertiary centres,” David said.

‍

Access to ground-breaking clinical trials and emerging treatments for conditions such as diabetes and diabetic foot disease, concussion, falls prevention, mental health and improved cardiac care have also been made accessible to patients in the region.  

‍