Discharge against medical advice (DAMA), also referred to as self-discharge, occurs when an in-patient leaves a hospital or healthcare setting before discharge is advised by the treating provider. DAMA causes interruption of treatment therapies and is strongly associated with post-operative complications, increased morbidity and mortality, readmission, and increased healthcare expenditure. It is widely known that...

Ineffective management of heart disease, asthma, diabetes and other chronic diseases costs the Australian health system more than $320 million each year in avoidable hospital admissions. At best, the Australian primary care system provides only half the recommended care for many chronic conditions. Only a quarter of the nearly one million Australians diagnosed with type...

This Evidence Check review examined organisations that have a key role in healthcare performance measurement and reporting across developed economies. A total of 34 organisations from 12 countries were included in the analysis, with the aim of identifying trends in terms of mandates, functions, structure and staffing, stakeholder engagement, analytic frameworks or indicator sets and...

On 1 July 2015, the Australian Government established 31 new Primary Health Networks (PHNs), following a review by its former Chief Medical Officer, John Horvath, of 61 Medicare Locals created under the previous Labor administration. The Horvath review recommended, among other things, that new, larger primary health organisations be established to reduce fragmentation of care...

Although primary care is at the forefront of delivering healthcare to the population, its role in preventing poor health has varied throughout history. Faced with growing demand on healthcare services and a rise in noncommunicable diseases, some health systems are attempting to integrate healthcare delivery with broader population health and wellbeing interventions. Liverpool has a...