1st September 2020   INNOVATION

Chemo@home partners to meet surging demand for treatments

PERTH: Frontline workers are harnessing the power of remote technology from Perth to meet a surge in demand for at-home chemotherapy services, which has seen treatment numbers more than double as patients avoid hospitals.

Home-based infusion service provider chemo@home, which was founded in WA seven years ago before expanding nationally, enlisted the help of Perth-based software company Chironix to train new staff when COVID-19 border restrictions ended interstate travel in mid-March.

Since the start of the pandemic, chemo@home has taken on an extra 25 nursing staff, with the number of in-home treatments jumping from 500 in February to 1200 in July.

Chironix’s software solution, Metix, which officially launches today, has enabled chemo@home to continue training staff remotely from Perth.

The software, which is used on Google’s smart glasses brand Glass in conjunction with Zoom video conferencing, allows workers to see exactly what their colleagues — also wearing the glasses — observe in real time as they go about their tasks.

Clinical nurse manager for chemo@home Richelle Finselvachsaid the software had been a fantastic workaround amid travel restrictions.

Spearwood resident Brittany Johnson, who is expecting her first child within weeks, used the chemo@home service for an iron transfusion.

She said receiving the treatment within the comfort of her own home was far easier than travelling to hospital, especially during COVID-19.

Chironix managing director Daniel Milford described the technology as a “true enabler for anyone doing a remote or regional activity that’s got busy hands”.

“This tech has the potential to really increase productivity significantly and cut costs,” he added.