A new digital system has been launched with the ambitious goal to change the way Australia’s mental health care system operates.

The AI² (Actionable Intime Insights) software has been developed by a team of researchers in digital psychiatry at Flinders University, and offers real-time digital updates on patient status to clinicians.

The software also identifies patterns that represent when a patient may be at risk of relapse and hospitalisation – and these insights can help patients access appropriate care in the community and prevent hospitalisations.

Now in a 24-month trial phase, patients can nominate themselves to take part, and mental health professionals are also able to participate.

The project, led by Flinders’ Associate Professor Niranjan Bidargaddi in collaboration with the Department of State Development and Data to Decisions Cooperative Research Centre, aims to revolutionise the approach to treating mental illnesses outside hospital, using digital applications and internet technologies.

In Australia approximately 600,000 people are living with a chronic mental disorder, and face often inadequate monitoring, managing and treatment.

The new app pulls and stores consented patients’ Medicare Benefit Scheme (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) data, such as medication prescriptions, from My Health Records into the AISquared infrastructure.

From there it, it uses machine learning algorithms to continuously monitor key parameters of patients’ mental health within the data.

The AISquare project has begun its pilot program and will run until October 2019.