Mackay HealthPathways Autism Initiative
Autism HealthPathways
This project was implemented to identify and develop clinical HealthPathways to assist in the health management of children, adolescents and adults on the autism spectrum.
HealthPathways is a web-based health information site, developed by Streamliners NZ. It helps clinicians, mainly general practitioners (GPs) to guide patients through the health system with clear referral pathways for their local area.
The Autism HealthPathways were originally scoped and designed specifically for the Mackay Hospital and Health Service region with the long-term intention to share content across the national and international HealthPathways community.
To achieve this outcome the project team needed to:
- understand the barriers and enablers to the provision of health care to children, adolescents and adults on the spectrum
- develop and implement evidence-based clinical care pathways for children/adolescents and adults on the spectrum
- evaluate health professional satisfaction with the pathway.
As a result of this research the team developed autism-related content in nine HealthPathways to support the assessment and clinical care of children and adults across the lifespan. Pathways cover autism assessment and support, intellectual disability, developmental concerns, and mental health conditions, with a particular focus on post-diagnosis supports.
Autism HealthPathways are now available for adoption and adaptation in 43 health regions, caring for more than 28 million people across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. To find out more about adapting or adopting Autism HealthPathways for your region, contact your local HealthPathways team directly via the HealthPathways Community website.