Philips supports Sydney Children's Hospitals Network to advance innovation for critically ill babies and children
- Aug 29, 2026
- 3 minute read
Sydney, Australia – Every patient experience has the potential to vastly improve the outcome for the next.
For clinicians caring for critically ill babies and children, that learning begins with the continuous stream of physiological data generated at the bedside. Yet much of this valuable information has traditionally been difficult to preserve once care has been delivered, limiting opportunities for clinical improvement, research and future innovation.
Sydney Children's Hospitals Network (SCHN) is changing that through Big Data for Small People, a clinician-led, research-driven program focused on improving care for some of Australia's smallest and most vulnerable patients. By securely preserving high-fidelity physiological data beyond the bedside, the initiative unlocks new opportunities to deepen clinical understanding and enhance care delivery for babies and children across Australia.
The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, part of the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network
Philips is supporting the initiative through its Acute Care Informatics capabilities, bringing together SCHN's clinical and research expertise with Philips' technology to help translate cutting-edge research into practical clinical applications. The collaboration establishes a secure, long-term foundation for high-fidelity critical care data that equips clinicians and researchers with richer insights into childhood illnesses and supports new discoveries that will help advance paediatric care.
Critically ill babies and children often require highly complex and individualised care. Throughout treatment, bedside medical devices continuously generate detailed physiological information, including heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, respiratory activity, and other vital signs.
A nurse caring for an infant at Sydney Children’s Hospital
These data provide valuable insights into how a child's condition changes over time. However, they have traditionally been difficult to preserve and access after care has been delivered, limiting opportunities to inform future patient care.
Through Big Data for Small People, SCHN is building an automated digital infrastructure that securely captures and preserves this information. The program provides clinicians and researchers with richer, more complete clinical information to investigate significant events, better understand complex cases and identify opportunities to improve patient safety and outcomes. The initiative also establishes a foundation for future capabilities, including advanced visualisation, automated analysis, machine learning and AI-enabled clinical decision support.
“Our mission is to help all children and young people live their healthiest lives, and to provide the best possible care for those with the most complex and critical healthcare needs. Big Data for Small People allows valuable clinical information to continue supporting learning and discovery long after this care has been delivered,” said Associate Professor Justin Skowno, Paediatric Anaesthetist, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network.
Associate Professor Justin Skowno in an operating room at The Children's Hospital at Westmead
Our mission is to help all children and young people live their healthiest lives, and to provide the best possible care for those with the most complex and critical healthcare needs.
Associate Professor Justin Skowno
Philips is supporting the program through its High-fidelity Data Export (HFDE) enterprise clinical software. The technology enables continuous physiological signals, including waveforms and device alarms, to be securely captured and preserved from paediatric intensive care units, neonatal intensive care units and operating theaters.
Rather than allowing these detailed data to disappear after a patient leaves the bedside, the solution helps SCHN establish a longitudinal clinical record that supports research, clinical audit and quality improvement. By preserving these data beyond the point of care, clinicians and researchers can better understand complex cases, review clinically significant events and identify opportunities to improve patient safety and outcomes.
Healthcare professionals reviewing clinical information together at Sydney Children’s Hospital
"Big Data for Small People demonstrates what is possible when clinical leadership, research and technology come together around a shared purpose. Helping clinicians learn from every patient experience is key to advancing care. For critically ill babies and children, even subtle changes in physiological information can be important,” said Jimi Ashford, Acute Care Informatics Lead, Philips Australia and New Zealand. “By preserving that information beyond the bedside, we're giving clinicians and researchers the opportunity to look more deeply at complex cases, learn from previous care and develop new approaches that may support better outcomes. Philips is proud to be SCHN's technology partner in helping turn this cutting-edge research into capabilities that can ultimately support clinical care."
Big Data for Small People demonstrates what is possible when clinical leadership, research and technology come together around a shared purpose. Helping clinicians learn from every patient experience is key to advancing care. For critically ill babies and children, even subtle changes in physiological information can be important.
Jimi Ashford
The collaboration reflects a shared ambition between Philips and SCHN: ensuring healthcare innovation is not confined to research environments but can be translated responsibly into clinical practice where it has the potential to make a meaningful difference for patients, families and care teams.
Joseph Cain, Head of Acute Care Informatics, Philips APAC, said, "Philips is honored to support Sydney Children's Hospitals Network by helping create a pathway from clinical data and research to meaningful innovation at the point of care. This collaboration is not simply about capturing more information. It is about helping clinicians and researchers transform that information into knowledge, and knowledge into better care. By enabling the outstanding work of SCHN, we hope to help drive innovations that improve outcomes for children today while contributing to the future of paediatric care across Australia."
Philips is honored to support Sydney Children's Hospitals Network by helping create a pathway from clinical data and research to meaningful innovation at the point of care.
Joseph Cain
Images for this article provided by Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network
