News release

From: Curtin University

Australians missing out on 'major gap' between innovation and patient care

Promising health tools that seek to predict a person’s risk of serious health problems before they happen are rarely being utilised in everyday healthcare, according to new Curtin University research.

The review found Australia has developed a growing number of tools that can identify people at risk of conditions such as heart disease, falls, frailty and diabetes complications, but very few are being routinely used by health services.

Lead researcher Dr Jennifer Dunne, from Curtin University’s Dementia Centre of Excellence, said the findings highlighted a major gap between medical innovation and patient care.

“Australia has developed a range of tools that can help identify people at risk of future health problems earlier, giving health professionals the chance to step in before problems become more serious,” Dr Dunne said.

“But while these tools show promise at the development stage, most are never adopted widely enough to make a real difference.”

The researchers reviewed more than 7,000 studies and identified just 21 examples of risk prediction and screening tools being used in Australian healthcare settings.

Many of the tools used artificial intelligence or digital technology to help clinicians spot early warning signs of disease or declining health.

Dr Dunne said the problem was not a lack of innovation.

“We’ve seen strong innovation in this area, but our findings suggest much more attention is needed on how effective tools can be implemented and sustained in routine healthcare,” she said.

The study found healthcare workers generally supported the use of these tools and patients often responded positively, but barriers such as funding constraints, workforce pressures and difficulties integrating new technology into existing systems slowed uptake.

Implementation science expert and co-author Professor Bronwyn Myers, Director of Curtin’s enAble Institute, said the findings reflected a broader challenge across healthcare systems worldwide.

“Developing a tool is only the first step. The real challenge is making sure it can be successfully integrated into busy healthcare settings and sustained over time,” Professor Myers said.

“Healthcare systems operate under significant funding and resource constraints, so even effective tools can struggle to gain traction if they don’t fit naturally into existing workflows or aren’t supported by the right systems, training and funding.

“Implementation science methods can help us design tools that are feasible to implement in real-world practice and strategies that support their adoption.”

Senior author Professor Blossom Stephan, Director of the Dementia Centre of Excellence at Curtin, said improving the use of existing tools could play an important role in supporting healthy ageing and reducing the future burden of dementia.

“As Australia’s population ages, identifying health risks earlier will become increasingly important for helping people stay healthy and independent for longer,” Professor Stephan said.

“Many of the conditions leading to lost independence, hospitalisation and dementia develop silently over many years. Knowing your risk earlier, before symptoms appear, gives individuals and their health professionals the chance to intervene sooner and make changes to support healthier ageing.”

Co-author Dr Leanne Greene, from the University of Exeter, said: “Australia has no shortage of innovative health technologies, but innovation alone does not improve care. Our review highlights that we need to invest just as much effort in understanding how effective tools can be embedded into routine healthcare as we do in developing them.”

With the number of Australians aged over 65 continuing to rise, the researchers warn that failing to translate proven innovations into practice risks missing a valuable opportunity to improve care, support healthy ageing and reduce pressure on the healthcare system.

The review is the first to examine how risk prediction and screening tools are being implemented across the Australian healthcare system.

The research also involved authors from the University of Exeter, the University of Nottingham and the University of Adelaide.

The paper ‘Implementation of Risk Prediction and Stratification Approaches for Ageing Populations in Australian Healthcare: A Systematic Review’ has been published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific.