Australians are living longer, largely due to health services that identify and treat illnesses more effectively. But an ageing population and increasingly prevalent risk factors such as obesity lead to many people spending long years living with chronic health conditions, including diabetes, arthritis and cardiovascular disease. These chronic conditions adversely affect the health, wellbeing and income of nearly four in ten Australians. For some, the effects are debilitating.

Prevention can reduce the human and financial costs imposed by chronic conditions; the reduction in smoking rates and the associated burden of disease is one example of success. Nonetheless, there is still significant scope to mitigate the effects of chronic conditions on people’s lives and improve the management of such conditions following a diagnosis. This would promote wellbeing and produce economic benefits.

The initiatives included in this report offer practical examples of preventive health innovations and provide insights into overcoming entrenched barriers to implementation of health reform.

Key points:

• Innovative approaches to managing chronic health conditions are present in all types of health services and in all jurisdictions
• There are substantial barriers to the development and broader diffusion of healthcare innovations
• Implementing innovative interventions on a larger scale depends on effective diffusion mechanisms and funding reform