Research Topics

The list of issues that affect health outcomes in Australia is a long one. Investigating them objectively and dispassionately is critical if workable and affordable solutions are to be found. As with any complex system, changes to one component often have knock-on effects and these can sometimes be hard to predict. But this lack of clarity and certainty does not diminish the need for the research to be undertaken or for the public discussions to be held. The ACHR, with its broad charter, is ideally positioned both to promote the necessary public discussions and to commission the research that will lead to the right answers. The ACHR has compiled an initial list of issues that need to be addressed and resolved in the national interest. The list, in no particular order and which is by no means complete, is summarised below as an indication of the breadth of ACHR's vision.

Financial sustainability and effectiveness of current approaches to healthcare delivery
1	The sustainability of the levels of health expenditure
2	Do the present funding arrangements for health provide the optimum outcomes?
3	Strategies for the future - provision of aged care
4	The need for equitability in healthcare delivery
5	Priorities in healthcare delivery
6	The management of dying
7	Should there be limits to accessibility of "high tech" healthcare?

Ensuring quality, cost effective outcomes in healthcare
1	Identifying disparity of health outcomes
2	Effective utilisation of available data to establish and monitor health outcomes and the standard of healthcare delivery
3	Is there a need to collect additional data to establish and monitor health outcomes and the standard of healthcare delivery?
4	Can we prevent the need for some patients to be hospitalised?
5	An examination of the necessity and value of surgical interventions
6	An examination of the supply and utilisation of prosthetics
7	The efficiency of the present organisation of hospitals
8	The relationship between the provision of drugs and the optimum outcomes for patients particularly poly-pharmacy in the aged
9	An examination of ways by which drugs can prevent hospitalisation

Public v Private healthcare
1	Comparison of the efficiency of public and private hospitals
2	An examination of the principles behind, and the practical benefits of State ownership of hospitals
3	Strategies to ensure an increase in young people in the health insurance pool

Primary Healthcare
1	An examination of the present arrangements of GP services - note the issues paper by the General Practices Division Victoria (GPDV 2005)
2	The role and funding models for GPs and other health professionals to ensure effective preventative healthcare
3	The role and funding models for GPs and other health professionals to ensure quality chronic disease management

Health Workforce: roles and training
1	Do the roles and distribution of the current healthcare workforce best serve the Australian Community?
2	Does the present training provision for the medical taskforce provide the best outcomes?
3	Does the present training provisions of other health professionals provide the best outcomes?
4	To what extent and who should be responsible for monitoring standards of healthcare professionals?

Community understanding and education in health?
1	Are community expectations about healthcare reasonable?
2	If expectation is unrealistic how can this be changed?
3	Getting through the maze or how a reasonable person can access useful health information
4	Medical information and internet access