Co-production is key to responsible, sustainable healthcare improvement

Australia has a large and diverse digital health capability which has never been assessed at scale. Healthcare leaders need to understand the digital health maturity of their health systems and how this impacts system outcomes to ensure an evidence-based decision-making capability and to drive future investment. Our Digital Health CRC funded research addresses this gap.

We are working on new methods for assessing digital health maturity and the impact of digital health investments. Insights gained from tracking maturity over time and corresponding outcomes will demonstrate the system-wide value of digital health and reform. Good decision-making in digital health investments can contribute to Closing the Gap with First Nations communities, address inequities experienced by marginalised, rural and remote communities and ensure national health priorities are addressed responsibly.

This is particularly important in digital health which experiences rapid change in short periods and understandable caution by healthcare stakeholders. Advocating for multistakeholder co-produced research to ensure responsible, sustainable healthcare improvement is a topic I am passionate about putting on the agenda of policymakers.