The Queens Park Theatre was buzzing with the sounds of oohs and ahhhs as the young and old encountered the latest in computing technology and applications.

Over 300 school students and 350 members of the general public attended the Get IT @ Geraldton Expo over the three days.  The biggest draw card was the Technology Roadshow, a prime mover organized by the Department of Industry and Resources that is touring regional Western Australia.  Visitors tested Open Source software and got expert advice about getting on the internet and making the most use of it.

Nineteen companies and agencies had displays in the Queens Park Theatre, which was wireless enabled especially for the event.  The popular stalls included

Online real time weather forecast by the Weather Bureau
Portable computing solutions for a mobile workforce by Midwest Division of General Practice
Satellite assisted farming and broad acre cropping by the Department of Agriculture and Food
Advances in mobile computer – what you will be able to do on your mobile by Edith Cowan University’s Department of Mobile Computing
Demonstrations of multimedia by Central West College of TAFE
Online books and library by the Geraldton Library
What kids are doing on broadband by Geraldton Primary School
Small business answers by Midwest & Gascoyne Area Consultative Committee
Virtual conference rooms by CompuEd
Net banking and electronic banking for small business by Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Tourism and the internet by the Geraldton Tourist Bureau
Show case of new products by Telstra

Like a country fair, there were many other events happening as well. Westnet provided laptop computers that were the heart of an internet café where volunteers were available to help. Leaning Tree Community School completed the café theme by selling excellent lunches and teas.  Separate adult and student lotteries for IPod Shuffles created lots of interest.  Eight speakers gave entertaining updates on the state of technology applications to appreciative audiences.  Topics included wireless solutions for rural and remote communities, telehealth, virtual conference rooms, the growth of local internet service provider Westnet, and an example of how ordinary Australians have used the internet to enrich their community.  A sundowner, drawing together the local business community and co-hosted with the Midwest Chamber of Commerce and Industry, crowned this exciting regional event.

The Rural eHealth Forum was the culmination of discussions held over many years.  The Midwest has long been a silent achiever in eHealth innovations. The Midwest Division of General Practice has supported general practitioners to embrace electronic patient records and safe, secure sharing of clinical data.  Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health has participated in several trails of imaging and other health applications.  The state health services in the region have set the standard in the use of videoconferencing for clinical services and in e-meeting and e-planning.  The opportunity to use our collective expertise to showcase the potential for broadband to the wider rural health sector was a dream come true.

The forum attracted at least 130 participants, with registrations from most states and territories.  Starting on Thursday afternoon, Kathe Boucha from Providence Hospital, Anchorage Alaska and Dr Anthony Smith from University of Queensland told us about eHealth innovations in their regions.  The messages were clear.  The potential for technological advances is unlimited, but that there must be strong champions and outstanding support for successful and sustained introduction.

Psychologist Dr Robin Harvey was the dinner speaker.  She continued the theme of positive outcomes that are being achieved right now as well as reminding us about the importance of people in her talk on remote monitoring of the mental health of Hurricane Katrina survivors.

We had a full program on Friday.   With a welcome to country by Mr Clarrie Cameron, an Aboriginal elder of Champion Bay, we focussed on the potential for eHealth to give quality health care to those furthest away from help.  Dr Peter Sprivulis explained the national priorities, policies and actions for rural Australians to benefit from eHealth.  Prof Fred Pearce from University of Alaska Anchorage talked about the communication technological solutions that are possible and what is needed to take advantage of the technology.  In only twenty minutes he conveyed three decades of experience in that remote region.  Dr George Margelis from Intel got the before-lunch gig.  He reminded us that eHealth is ‘a state of mind.’  It means that you look to all possible avenues to promote, maintain and improve health – from the hospital to the home.  Kathe Boucha returned to the podium with her secrets of a telehealth change agent.  Again, technology can help change, but it is empowering health practitioners to name what needs to be changed and to decide on the course of change that is the real secret.

All participants found the main speakers worth the travel to Geraldton, but there was also so much more to these busy hours.  Concurrent sessions highlighted outstanding eHealth examples conducted in rural settings.  In five sessions we heard about new technologies that were improving practitioners’ quality of health care; applications that were smashing the tyranny of distance in ear and eye health, burns management and cardiac care; case studies of the safe and secure exchange of client information to enhance continuity of care from prison to surgery or from hospital to rural GP; strategies to give carers and other consumers better care and support in their own communities; and, finally the ways that professionals are finding new ways to communicate using the internet and through those medium create new knowledge and ideas.  Also jammed into the day was a panel on the economics of rural eHealth in which we touch on such controversial topics as fee-for-service funding models, indemnity costs, rationing of increase service demand and, as always, the shortage of rural health professionals to help consumers take advantage of what can be offered.

Another important part of the Forum was the outstanding exhibitors.  These companies and agencies added considerably to the quality of participant’s experiences.  Thanks are due to:

There was extensive local advertising in television, newspapers and radio as well as posters, as well as shop-fronts.  Local and state media carried stories about the events and main speakers.

Selected presentations will be available at www.cucrh.uwa.edu.au/eHealth in July.