The effectiveness of health impact assessments conducted in Australia and New Zealand. Health impact assessment (HIA) has been internationally recognised as one of a limited number of preventive interventions that can be used to enhance the health benefits of health and other sector activities - policies, programs and projects - before they are implemented. The issue of how effective HIA is in changing decision-making and implementation remains largely unresolved however. This study will exami ....The effectiveness of health impact assessments conducted in Australia and New Zealand. Health impact assessment (HIA) has been internationally recognised as one of a limited number of preventive interventions that can be used to enhance the health benefits of health and other sector activities - policies, programs and projects - before they are implemented. The issue of how effective HIA is in changing decision-making and implementation remains largely unresolved however. This study will examine the effectiveness HIAs that have been completed in Australia and New Zealand between 2005 and 2009. The findings will guide the use of HIA by the public and private sectors in Australia and internationally, and improve HIA's ability to strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric.Read moreRead less
Resolving patients' complaints about hospitals: Responsive regulation by health ombudsmen. Ombudsmen help ensure integrity and accountability in societal institutions. This study of patients' complaints about hospitals to health ombudsmen in two states, and the responses of hospitals, will produce evidence on strategies for making hospitals more responsive to the public and more accountable for the quality of their care. Australia was a world leader in establishing health ombudsmen and this stud ....Resolving patients' complaints about hospitals: Responsive regulation by health ombudsmen. Ombudsmen help ensure integrity and accountability in societal institutions. This study of patients' complaints about hospitals to health ombudsmen in two states, and the responses of hospitals, will produce evidence on strategies for making hospitals more responsive to the public and more accountable for the quality of their care. Australia was a world leader in establishing health ombudsmen and this study will explore their impact upon the hospital system. Evidence-based strategies are needed to improve the accountability of service providers and regulators. Social and economic benefits flow from empowering patients and from improving hospital performance.Read moreRead less
Using Law To Improve Population Health and the Quality of Health Care Services. There are huge gaps in our understanding of how legal rules and processes impact population health and the quality of health care services in Australia. This research program will begin to fill those gaps by addressing topical issues such as medical negligence litigation, the coroner's role in injury prevention, and the use of medical science in the courtroom. The findings will be useful to government policymakers, ....Using Law To Improve Population Health and the Quality of Health Care Services. There are huge gaps in our understanding of how legal rules and processes impact population health and the quality of health care services in Australia. This research program will begin to fill those gaps by addressing topical issues such as medical negligence litigation, the coroner's role in injury prevention, and the use of medical science in the courtroom. The findings will be useful to government policymakers, regulators, and judges, as well as professionals working in both the legal and health care fields. But most importantly, the findings will serve patients by helping to shape strategies and reforms that enable Australia's health care system to deliver services that are safer, of higher quality, fairer, and more efficient.Read moreRead less
Maximising the Effectiveness of Public Health Policies: The Case of Smoke-Free Policies. Promoting good health and well being for all Australians is a key National Research Priority. Tobacco smoking is the largest single preventable cause of death in Australia, and while much has been achieved in tobacco control in Australia, there has been little systematic effort to understand or improve the relationship between research and policy implementation. This project will provide a deeper and more so ....Maximising the Effectiveness of Public Health Policies: The Case of Smoke-Free Policies. Promoting good health and well being for all Australians is a key National Research Priority. Tobacco smoking is the largest single preventable cause of death in Australia, and while much has been achieved in tobacco control in Australia, there has been little systematic effort to understand or improve the relationship between research and policy implementation. This project will provide a deeper and more sophisticated understanding of both how to maximise the effectiveness of smoke-free policies, and, through that increased understanding, how to best manage the implementation of public policies that seek to facilitate changes in the behaviour of individual citizens. Read moreRead less
The ART of making babies: How human embryo research and assisted reproduction are regulated in Australia and New Zealand. Scientific breakthroughs in the past 25 years have made it possible for people to receive assistance to conceive when they would otherwise remain childless. Access to assisted reproductive technologies is governed by different regulatory frameworks in the states and territories of Australia. We will clarify how clinical practice, service delivery and medical research are in ....The ART of making babies: How human embryo research and assisted reproduction are regulated in Australia and New Zealand. Scientific breakthroughs in the past 25 years have made it possible for people to receive assistance to conceive when they would otherwise remain childless. Access to assisted reproductive technologies is governed by different regulatory frameworks in the states and territories of Australia. We will clarify how clinical practice, service delivery and medical research are influenced by the differing regulatory frameworks. The research will be of national significance to policy makers and legislators and to potential beneficiaries of infertility services and will assist communities to understand how and why these important areas of human concern are regulated. Read moreRead less
The Distributional Impact of Health Outlays: Developing the Research and Modelling Infrastructure for Policy Makers. The Commonwealth recently concluded that the projected increase in health outlays over the next few decades is unaffordable. Policy makers are therefore going to face difficult decisions about health funding, the balance between government and consumer contributions to health costs, and about taxes (which fund public health outlays). They do not currently have adequate modelling t ....The Distributional Impact of Health Outlays: Developing the Research and Modelling Infrastructure for Policy Makers. The Commonwealth recently concluded that the projected increase in health outlays over the next few decades is unaffordable. Policy makers are therefore going to face difficult decisions about health funding, the balance between government and consumer contributions to health costs, and about taxes (which fund public health outlays). They do not currently have adequate modelling tools to help them make sound decisions. This project aims to redress this situation, by constructing a microsimulation model of the health sector, with a capacity to assess the likely distributional impact of possible policy changes and their revenue or expenditure implications.Read moreRead less