TRANSFORMING SURGICAL WAITLIST INTO A ‘PREPARATION LIST’
With
Dr Andrew Marks,
Staff Specialist Anaesthetist & Director of Perioperative Medicine,
Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia
Dr Kanika Chaudhri,
Anaesthetic Senior Resident Medical Officer,
Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia
CASE STUDY
Filmed in Sydney, Australia | January 2026
The DIAMONDS initiative aims to transform the surgical waitlist into a “preparation list,” enabling healthcare professionals to optimise patient care in the months leading up to elective surgery starting at pre-admission phase.
Patients are will be able to complete pre-admission forms online, receive timely updates, and access educational resources to ensure thorough preparation. This will allow staff to spend more time with patients.
The DIAMONDS pathway, which stands for ‘Digital Pathway of Improved Assessment, Management and Optimisation of Patients for Planned Surgery’ has commenced at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia.
patient care by streamlining assessments and addressing the challenges of the existing paper-based system.
“Staff benefit by having centralised patient information and automated routine tasks, allowing them to focus on providing high-quality care, which ultimately leads to a smoother, more efficient process for everyone involved”, says Dr Kanika Chaudhri.
“Patients benefit from user-friendly tools that enable them to complete pre-admission forms online and access educational resources, enhancing their care experience,” she said.
DIAMONDS is led by the New South Wales, Northern Sydney Local Health District, with collaboration partners Australian Institute of Health Innovation (AIHI) and the George Institute for Global Health.
Source: Adapted from NSLHD news and events
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Nanoparticles & microparticles to combat antimicrobial resistance
Dr Anjana Jayasree is an emerging research leader in biomaterials, tissue engineering and nanotechnology, recognised internationally for her innovative work on antimicrobial nanoparticles and regenerative therapies. A Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of Queensland, she operates at the intersection of materials science, drug delivery and cellular biology, developing advanced metallic-based nanotechnologies to improve both human and animal health outcomes. Her expertise spans nanoparticle synthesis, cell–material interactions, and the design of sophisticated in vitro models to investigate soft-tissue integration, osseointegration, angiogenesis and biofilm formation.
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Oral administration of insulin for Type 1 Diabetes
Huiwen Pang is a 3rd year PhD candidate in the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, focusing on biomedical health research. Prior to commencing his PhD, Huiwen studied animal genetics in his Masters degree at Huazhong Agriculture University in China.
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Huiwen Pang is conducting research on nano-based drug formulations for Type 1 diabetes treatment, with a focus on using nanomaterials to load insulin for oral administration and employing anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory approaches to mitigate damage to beta cells.
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Applying nanotechnology to chronic pain management
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