Australia has no shortage of ideas to improve healthcare. The challenge is making sure proven approaches reach patients and become part of everyday care.
That was a key theme emerging from the HCF Research Foundation’s inaugural Research to Reality Parliamentary Showcase, which brought together parliamentarians, researchers, clinicians, consumer representatives, healthcare leaders and policy advisers at Parliament House in Canberra as part of National Science Week.
For more than 25 years, the HCF Research Foundation has supported health services research that improves how healthcare is delivered, accessed and experienced. The showcase highlighted examples of research already improving care for Australians and explored what it takes to translate evidence into lasting improvements across the health system.
Adjunct Professor Karen Price, Chair of the HCF Research Foundation, said the event focused on a fundamental question facing healthcare.
“One of the most important questions in healthcare is what happens after the research is done.
“Research is important, but patients only benefit when evidence changes the care they receive.”
A/Prof Price said health services research plays a vital role in improving care for patients while supporting a more sustainable health system.
“Health services research helps us understand how healthcare is accessed, delivered and experienced, and how we can make care safer, more effective, more equitable and more sustainable.
“The real measure of success isn’t how many studies are published. It’s whether the evidence improves the care people receive and the outcomes they experience.”
The showcase featured four HCF Research Foundation-funded projects addressing challenges facing Australia’s health system and demonstrating how research can improve care in practice:
- improving access to specialist heart failure care for people living in regional communities
- helping people with knee osteoarthritis reach appropriate care sooner and reducing unnecessary time on surgical waiting lists
- helping more older Australians receive safe care at home where appropriate
- expanding access to evidence-based mental health support through THIS WAY UP’s digital care programs
Dr Chris Pettigrew, Head of the HCF Research Foundation, said the projects demonstrated how research can inform practical solutions to real-world challenges.
“The projects featured through the showcase demonstrate how health services research can deliver practical benefits for patients, clinicians and the health system.
“Importantly, they provide real-world examples of how better outcomes can be achieved through changes in the way care is designed, delivered and accessed.”
Professor Price said improving healthcare outcomes requires collaboration across the health system.
“Researchers, clinicians, healthcare providers, governments, funders and consumers all have a role to play in translating evidence into better care.
“What we heard throughout the showcase is that many of the solutions already exist. The challenge now is helping more Australians benefit from what we already know works.”
The HCF Research Foundation has invested more than $40 million across more than 170 projects, working with more than 150 universities, research institutes, hospitals, healthcare providers and other organisations around Australia to improve the way healthcare is delivered, accessed and experienced.
