Smartphone app for surgeons wins $100,000 funding from Queensland Government

The company - SurgicalPerformance - has developed online auditing software that allows surgeons to record not only details of their surgical procedures but also important details of their patients' state of health before the operation and how they fare afterwards.

The program is currently used by 600 gynaecological surgeons, mainly based in Australia, and each individual surgeon using the tool can see how their surgical performance compares against aggregated (and anonymous) data from all other surgeons on the system.

The smartphone app, called the 'Surgeon Score Card', is an extension of the existing online tool designed specifically to allow surgeons to inform patients about their surgical risks accurately ahead of any surgery, and so directly improve patient outcomes.

Professor Andreas Obermair, founder and managing director of SurgicalPerformance, and a practising gynaecological surgeon, says “The Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas funding allows my company to expand the existing functionality of SurgicalPerformance and help surgeons to further examine and improve their practices. Every surgeon, every hospital will tell you that they have excellent patient outcomes. However, sometimes they realise that they don't actually know that for certain, because they don't collect this detailed information. SurgicalPerformance shows surgeons and hospitals in accurate, clinically meaningful ways, and in total confidentiality, where they stand.”

Dr Cliff Neppe, Director of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Joondalup Health Campus in WA and user of SurgicalPerformance says “In any hospital you are subject to review, whether it be personal or peer. You want to be working at your optimum skill, and Surgical Performance is the perfect tool for this. At the end of the day Surgical Performance gives you an honest evaluation of how you are performing as an individual and also as a unit. I think - how could you not want to know that information?!”

Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy and Minister for Small Business Leeanne Enoch said that SurgicalPerformance would receive $100,000 Ignite Ideas funding to further develop its innovative surgical audit software,

“With this funding boost, the Palaszczuk Government is helping to light the way towards the knowledge-based jobs of the future.” the Minister said.

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About SurgicalPerformance
SurgicalPerformance is an independent, registered Australian company based in Brisbane, Australia. SurgicalPerformance was developed in 2008 and relaunched in 2011 by Professor Andreas Obermair, a gynaecological oncologist in active clinical practice, who identified an unmet personal need for his practice. SurgicalPerformance is a data collection and feedback tool providing accurate, measurable and clinically meaningful information for its users. The data provided is essential to providing bench-marked feedback in order to self-assess and improve. More information at surgicalperformance.com.

About the Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas Fund
The Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas Fund was created to help businesses which are ready to take their innovative ideas to the next level and potentially create products and services with huge global market potential. It targets businesses with less than 200 staff that have a working prototype which is ready to be tested in the market place. A total of 39 applicants from throughout Queensland (including SurgicalPerformance) were successful in the program’s first round of funding, representing an overall commitment of $5.65 million. Advance Queensland represents $405 million funding and is the centrepiece of the state government’s drive to create the knowledge-based jobs of the future. More information at http://advance.qld.gov.au/entrepreneurs-startups/ignite-ideas-fund.aspx.