Codesigning an Australian National Prompt Response Network for Emerging Drugs

Recent recommendations from coronial inquests and parliamentary inquiry reports have highlighted significant delays in detecting and responding to increased health problems related to emerging drugs in Australia. However, developing information exchange mechanisms that support both value propositions for the wide range of stakeholders across eight Australian jurisdictions involved, and their varied information sharing processes, system structures and policies, presents a significant challenge.

To address this, the National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs (NCCRED) engaged existing jurisdictional networks, clinicians, toxicologists, policymakers and peer organisations to develop the Prompt Response Network (PRN). This collaborative, codesign process to understand what information can and should be shared and how.

Specifically, we codesigned: an online community platform for informal, private and secure information-sharing between jurisdictional stakeholders; a national incident register that consolidates all public health, clinical and peer alerts and incident information in one location; and a resource library to extend learning, research and sharing. Our codesign process mapped the strengths, limitations and gaps in local systems, and where a national PRN could support, enable, and network existing and emerging systems, acknowledging and complimenting the work already undertaken.

Codesign mapping helped manage the significant complexity involved, bringing together diverse stakeholders across multiple jurisdictions, and made the process tangible and visible. This enabled stakeholders to arrive at a shared understanding and cultivated the necessary trusted relationships with us and each other. Ultimately, this codesign process and mapping created shared ownership in delivering and enabling the final solution, as well as activating the PRN network’s foundational membership.