In the May 2018 Federal Budget the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) was funded to establish a Primary Health Care Data Unit and to develop a National Primary Health Care Data Asset (Data Asset). Despite the routine use by most people of primary care in the Australian health system – mostly visits to the GP – there is relatively little known about the activities and outcomes that can be translated into useful information for the community at large. The Data Asset is proposed to fill in that gap by collecting data on primary health care usage and outcomes akin to existing AIHW reports on Australia’s hospitals. It is envisaged that the Data Asset will facilitate a better understanding of what happens to patients in the primary health system including their diagnoses, treatment, outcomes and patient experiences, by bringing together a range of data from various sources over time, including not only from GPs but also from allied health practices.
Read more:
- AIHW The National Primary Health Care Data Asset: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/health-welfare-services/primary-health-care/primary-health-care-data-development
- Consumers Health Forum of Australia: https://chf.org.au/blog/our-data-our-health-0