QEII Hospital’s Director Intensive Care Unit, Dr David Stewart
QEII Hospital’s Director Intensive Care Unit, Dr David Stewart has carved a reputation for thinking outside the box, after successfully leading and implementing a number of multidisciplinary projects that have improved outcomes for patients, staff, and the health system.
Between directing, training, mentoring, and liaising with sub-specialties across the hospital, Dr Stewart is known amongst his colleagues for continuously questioning ‘conventional’ care and driving an agenda of ambitious innovation that has greatly benefitted the ICU, QEII Hospital, and the broader Metro South Service.
Beyond ensuring the fundamentals are performed consistently well, Dr Stewart believes the key to improving the standard of care within ICU lies in early detection and intervention.
“Most of my interest in the hospital is actually outside of the ICU. I very much believe that we're generalists as well as specialists in Intensive Care Medicine, and we have to know a bit about everything,” Dr Stewart said.
“We might not be sub-specialty experts, but we have patients from every single specialty come to ICU at some point, so we need to know a bit about what every surgery and every medical specialty might involve. Naturally, that makes it a coordinated effort between different departments.”
After launching his medical career in the UK, Dr Stewart made the move to Australia, where he completed his ICU training and spent some time in private practice before joining QEII 10 years ago. It was here Dr Stewart fully realised his leadership potential and set the course for change at QEII.
“My first role at QEII was Director of Clinical Training, where I supervised the junior doctors’ training programs. That gave me the authority to approach other teams and start to develop processes that would raise the standard of care by taking a more proactive and multidisciplinary approach.”
By 2017, Dr Stewart stepped into his directorial role. It was here that his passion for preventative medicine and educating the next generation of specialists was fully realised.
With licence to lead the team in a new direction, Dr Stewart has wasted no time implementing a number of successful projects in collaboration with his teams, including the Pathology Dashboard Surveillance Program, the ICU after-hours Outreach system, a Perioperative referral and consultation service, a Procedural service and the “Hercules” Program to improve optimisation of heparin infusions. With several more clinical efficiency projects in the works, Dr Stewart is playing the long game.
“Growth and change can take decades in health. But if you can change the mindset of the people you’re working with, then you can start to work together in the same direction.
“I know I’m not going to change the world with something revelational, but if we can make these incremental changes that benefit patients and staff and the health system over time, then ultimately we will make a significant difference,” he said.
After three decades in the field, it is the purpose in his life’s work that remains the same for Dr Stewart: providing the best care possible to everyone.
“Our patients are just as sick as anywhere else, but we have an ICU mortality rate and length of stay that's less than the national average of comparable ICUs. We fix people and get them back to where they should be. Their length of stay in hospital is also shorter, so it's safer, more efficient, and more cost effective,” he said.
“There’s no single outstanding moment to me. It’s more about that gradual improvement over five to ten years that gives me a sense of purpose.”
Cited for his infectious enthusiasm, curiosity, and skilful engagement of multidisciplinary teams in delivering numerous initiatives at QEII, Dr Stewart’s natural aptitude for rethinking the standard named him a finalist for the 2023 Metro South Health Ambitious Innovation Staff Award.
“I haven’t invented anything new, I just look at doing things differently,” he said.
Congratulations Dr Stewart, and thank you for your continued commitment to the advancement of medicine.