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Australian Health Review Australian Health Review Society
Journal of the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Future of medical engagement

Helen Dickinson A E , Marie Bismark B , Grant Phelps C and Erwin Loh D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Melbourne School of Government, The University of Melbourne, Vic. 3052, Australia.

B School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Rm 442, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Carlton, Vic. 3010, Australia. Email: mbismark@unimelb.edu.au

C Deakin University Medical School, Geelong, Vic. 3220, Australia. Email: g.phelps@deakin.edu.au

D School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine/School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, 246 Clayton Road, Clayton, Vic. 3168, Australia. Email: Erwin.loh@monash.edu

E Corresponding author. Email: helen.dickinson@unimelb.edu.au

Australian Health Review 40(4) 443-446 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH14204
Submitted: 28 October 2014  Accepted: 17 August 2014   Published: 21 September 2015

Abstract

Although it has long been recognised that doctors play a crucial role in the effectiveness and efficiency of health organisations, patient experience and clinical outcomes, over the past 20 years the topic of medical engagement has started to garner significant international attention. Australia currently lags behind other countries in its heedfulness to, and evidence base for, medical engagement. This Perspective piece explores the link between medical engagement and health system performance and identifies some key questions that need to be addressed in Australia if we are to drive more effective engagement.


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