Research
Precision Triage Project: Improving clinical decision making pathways for children requiring developmental paediatric support (PTP)
Tackling Long Waitlists with Smarter Triage
Over the past two years, the Paediatric Development Clinic at Gold Coast University Hospital has seen a 175% jump in referrals, pushing wait times beyond 12 months. These delays mean many children miss early diagnosis and support — a critical window for improving lifelong outcomes.
The problem? Referral information is often incomplete, making it hard to prioritise cases and leading to children being placed on the wrong pathway.
This project uses the Tracking Cube to collect richer information early — from developmental history to caregiver concerns and the child’s own voice. Clinicians can then:
- Prioritise cases accurately and assign the right specialists
- Ensure the correct pathway from the start
- Gather supporting information (e.g., school reports) before the first appointment
- Provide tailored resources and guidance while families wait
The result: reduced wait times, more effective use of clinician time, and families feeling supported from day one.
Results and Outcomes
Triaging Improvements:
Results and Outcomes
Triaging Improvements:
Enhanced Clinician Preparation:
Increased prompting to families to provide useful additional information, including private reports (79%) and school information (88%). While not a diagnostic tool, the additional information gathered can help shorten the diagnostic process for the child and family.
Proactive Family Support:
High rates of linking families to mental health plans, behavioural resources, and other community supports.
Increased Family Satisfaction:
Qualitative feedback shows high satisfaction among families, noting that the updated information helps clinicians and reduces children’s anxiety during assessments.
Staff
Satisfaction:
Clinicians report that having detailed clinical history and information before appointments is immensely helpful, providing a clear picture of the child and family and allowing them to focus on key clinical questions more effectively.
Project Team
Funding Partner
Chief Investigators
Erinn Hawkins, Emma Harbeck, Angela Owens, Dianne Shanley, Francoise Butel, Doug Shelton, Wei Liu
Project Team
Chief Investigators
Erinn Hawkins, Dianne Shanley, Emma Harbeck, Doug Shelton, Fracoise Butel, Angela Salmon, Wei Liu
Funding Partner
Partner Organisations
