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

Australian Health Review

Australian Health Review

Australian Health Review explores health policy and management including healthcare delivery systems, clinical programs and health financing. Read more about the journalMore

Editor-in-Chief: Sonĵ Hall

Publishing Model: Hybrid. Open Access options available.

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Latest

These articles are the latest published in the journal. Australian Health Review is published under a continuous publication model. More information is available on our Continuous Publication page.

Published online 12 August 2025

AH25104Retention and attrition of chiropractors in Australia: the Workforce Retention and Attrition Project

Timothy Lathlean 0000-0001-7340-1567, Abbey Chilcott, Michael Shobbrook AM, Colleen Papadopoulos 0009-0008-3227-7465, Rechu Divakar, Lee Barclay, Kirsten Hibberd, Eva Saar and Jade Tan
 

What is known about the topic? Chiropractors play an important role in the treatment of health conditions, particularly in a growing and ageing Australian population. It is important to understand the effects of workforce attrition, specifically factors that may contribute to chiropractors leaving the profession. What does this paper add? Although the overall numbers of chiropractors in Australia have increased as well as those entering the profession compared to those exiting, this paper highlights some issues in workforce stability, particularly among those with limited registration, non-standard work hours per week, and casual/temporary contract status. What are the implications for practitioners? This research will help to inform strategies to improve the workforce retention of chiropractors in Australia.

Published online 11 August 2025

AH25100Emergency care requirements in alcohol-related presentations: a multi-site observational study

Josea Arneli Polong Brown, Katie East, Ping Zhang, Josh Byrnes, Jill Duncan, Leonie Jones, Nathan J. Brown, David Rosengren, Jeremy Furyk, David Green, Sean Rothwell and Julia Crilly 0000-0002-1455-8983
 

What is known about the topic? The harmful use of alcohol is a major contributor to the global burden of disease, disabilities and deaths. People arriving at emergency departments with alcohol-related harm have a different demographic profile, clinical characteristics and outcomes compared with other emergency department presentations. What does this paper add? Medication, pathology and radiology are commonly required for people presenting to emergency departments with alcohol-related harm. Nearly two-thirds arrive by ambulance and arrive after hours (between 6 pm and 6 am). What are the implications for practitioners? People arriving at the emergency department with alcohol-related harm require significant resourcing.

Published online 11 August 2025

AH25018Red tape delays maternal morbidity study: problems and possible solutions

Joanne Frost 0000-0002-5268-9458, Edward Weaver and Leonie Callaway
 

What is known about the topic? Before the introduction of the National Mutual Acceptance scheme, overly bureaucratic research ethics and governance processes hindered Australasian maternity outcomes surveillance, and recent evidence from other disciplines suggests that multi-centre research remains obstructed by costly and inefficient governance processes. What does this paper add? Our research demonstrates: complex, repetitive and inconsistent research governance processes impede statewide review of severe acute maternal morbidity. What are the implications for practitioners? Overregulation of low- and negligible-risk research is costly and limits investigation and prevention of life-threatening obstetric conditions.

Published online 04 August 2025

AH25025A novel format for management of intravenous medication guidelines – a pharmacist-led guideline working group

Jeanie Misko 0000-0003-1136-2683, Emma Fox, Tim Chang and Matthew Rawlins 0000-0002-6525-1084
 

What is known about the topic? Intravenous medications have multiple steps required to safely prepare and administer. Succinct, clear instructions can be difficult to find and may be prone to error. What does this paper add? This paper reports on the establishment of a hospital clinical pharmacist-led group to develop and maintain intravenous medication guidelines on preparation, administration and relevant information to clinicians. Each guideline is regularly reviewed and improved based on end-user feedback. What are the implications for clinicians? Clinicians have access to clear, accurate guidelines tailored to the needs of the hospital that can be accessed quickly.

Online short summary

What is known about the topic? Value-based health care (VBHC) is now enmeshed within Australian healthcare conversations as well as implementation strategies. What does this paper add? This paper explores the barriers and opportunities for VBHC and compares the differing paradigms of VBHC and health economics. What are the implications for practitioners? o harmonise the two, and realise VBHCs potential, we must bridge existing misalignments, experiment with hybrid models that integrate VBHC’s focus on outcomes with health economic principles to ensure care is not just high value at the bedside, but also fair and efficient at the population level.

Published online 01 August 2025

AH25154Listening for meaning: consumer voice in a system built on value

Elizabeth Deveny
 

What is known about the topic? Current health policy emphasises value-based care: efficient, outcome-driven models that aim to improve quality and reduce cost. Emerging research shows value frameworks often prioritise clinical metrics and provider performance over patient-defined experience or meaning. What does this paper add? It argues that meaning — not just measurable value — must be foregrounded in healthcare policy. The commentary explores how policies assumed universal access but often reinforce inequity, eroding trust and excluding marginalised voices. It makes the case for treating lived experience as foundational, not optional, and for structuring policy around real-world meaning, not just metrics. What are the implications for practitioners? Practitioners should embed consumer voice early and consistently, across service design, evaluation, and funding decisions, to ensure equity and trust. They should invest time and resources in engaging voices often excluded by assumptions of universality (such as people with disability, chronic illness or low income). And they should recognise that access, dignity, and visibility must precede ‘value’ if equitable care is the goal.

Published online 01 August 2025

AH25152‘Booking’ fees for private hospital patients

Steve Robson
 

What is known about the topic? The overwhelming majority of inpatient procedures in Australia are performed under no- or known-gap arrangements, but there is a suggestion that this is associated with ‘booking fees.’ What does this paper add? The arrangements that private health insurers impose on specialists mean that real fees for procedures have fallen dramatically while costs of providing care have increased. What are the implications for practitioners? At a time when private health insurers are making record profits a rethink of no- and known-gap arrangements – which constitute price caps – must occur urgently.

Published online 01 August 2025

AH25151Value: in the eyes of the beholden

Daniel O’Halloran
 

What is known about the topic? A reflection of the effectiveness of national health funding reforms, the challenges faced by such reforms, and considerations required to move to a value-based healthcare agenda. What does this paper add? This reflection examines Australia’s 2010 national health reforms, particularly the pursuit of technical efficiency and the unintended perverse incentives it has generated. It explores the key actors across the health system and how their influence can inadvertently shape a value-based agenda in ways that diverge from the original reform objectives. What are the implications for practitioners? It provides an opportunity to reflect that the lens that we use will impact the outcome, and that various lenses and perspectives exist when pursuing a value based health agenda. It provides insights that can improve policy to deliver effective reforms in the future.

What is known about the topic? Values-based healthcare is a driver of patient outcomes within the constraints of a challenging resource poor health care environment. What does this paper add? and what are the implications for practitioners? This paper suggests that in addition to the robust integration of ethical principles into clinical practice, an effective complaints resolution mechanism enhances the compassion and patient centredness of health care and provides a more sustainable basis for value-based healthcare into the future.

Published online 28 July 2025

AH25037Improving inpatient mental health nurses practice through the use of a standardised instrument

V. K. Drinkwater, M. Giles, A. P. O’Brien, C. Harmon and R. J. Tynan
 

What is already known about the topic? There is no agreed-upon tool, process, or method to guide mental health nurses (MHNs) in assessing and documenting a patient’s mental state. What this paper adds? The study demonstrated that the implementation of a standardised instrument can significantly improve documentation of patient mental state. What are the implications for practitioners? A benefit of the tool is to provide a standardised template to: facilitate improved documentation of interactions and recognise change or deterioration in mental state; facilitate improved communication between health disciplines working on the treating team; enable MHNs to articulate and document complex and sometimes confusing content elicited from patient engagement and interactions; and set an agreed minimum standard for documentation.

What is known about the topic? Very little is known about the weighting of extracurricular involvement within standardised curriculum vitae scoring criteria across the Australian medical and surgical specialty training programs. What does this paper add? This paper highlights the limited and varied weighting of extracurricular activities between training programs, specifically in comparison with academic domains. What are the implications for practitioners? Specialty training programs should continue to consider the importance assigned to extracurricular involvement, and junior medical officers should consider whether their time and effort is best spent securing curriculum vitae points from an academic domain.

What is known about this topic? Regulation has a significant impact on registered health professions. This means that the design, governance, proportionality and scope of professional regulation are the focus of significant reform in many countries. What does the paper add? A unique, longitudinal view of the development and maturation of a national health practitioner regulatory system, which is multi-professional in its scope, is provided. What are the implications for practitioners? An understanding of the genesis, design and achievements of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme and the challenges shaping future reform of regulation, reflecting wider changes in the health system, are conveyed.

Published online 28 July 2025

AH25102Preparing healthcare organisations for using artificial intelligence effectively

Ian A. Scott, Anton van der Vegt 0000-0001-5642-5188, Stephen Canaris, Paul Nolan and Keren Pointon
 

What is known about the topic? Healthcare organisations (HCOs) will come under increasing pressure to implement, at scale, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tools already being used by individual clinicians and patients to deliver care. What does this paper add? In preparing for wider AI adoption, we propose several key strategies for HCOs to consider in achieving successful AI implementations, focusing on governance, investment, user trust, risk management, and medicolegal liability. What are the implications for organisation leaders and practitioners? Executives, staff, and patients of HCOs need to develop AI literacy, collaborate with industry and technical experts in co-design and co-deployment of AI tools, and actively participate in AI governance, training, and change management.

Published online 28 July 2025

AH25050Effect and illustrative costs of downscheduling on government subsidised dispensings of triptans in Australia: a 10-year analysis

Jack Janetzki 0000-0002-4171-3504, Jacinta Johnson, Lisa Kalisch Ellett, Jun Ni Ho, Kelly Hall, Michael Ward and Nicole Pratt
 

What is known about the topic? Triptans effectively treat migraines when taken early. Timely access is paramount, and downscheduling in February 2021 allowed over-the-counter (OTC) triptan supply in Australia. What does this paper add? This study shows that subsidised triptan dispensing rates slowed after downscheduling, suggesting a shift to OTC access. It also estimates cost impacts for general and concessional patients. What are the implications for practitioners? OTC access may benefit patients needing immediate treatment without a prescription. However, for those with frequent migraines, subsidised prescriptions, especially for concessional patients, remain more affordable and appropriate for ongoing management. Triptans are available OTC at a reduced price (but for fewer tablets). Downscheduling of triptans has reduced the rate of PBS subsidised dispensings. Patients with acute migraines benefit from OTC triptan access. Downscheduling has the potential to lower costs for the government.

Published online 28 July 2025

AH25028Conceptualising urgent care: taxonomy, terminology, and relationships with primary and emergency care

Nicole W. Carter 0009-0004-1909-0488, Shelley Gower 0000-0001-9663-0207, Christopher Helms 0000-0003-1195-8153 and Janie A. Brown 0000-0001-8502-4252
 

What is known about the topic? Urgent care services bridge primary and emergency care, but their role and scope remain unclear in Australia. What does this paper add? This study presents a concept map and taxonomy of urgent care services, clarifying their role between primary and emergency care. It also offers a novel comparison of service characteristics and clinical scope across Australian models, mapped to ICD-10 and grouped by condition. What are the implications for practitioners? The findings clarify the role of urgent care, service overlap, workforce roles and accessibility, supporting integration of urgent care in healthcare planning and delivery.

Just Accepted

These articles have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. They are still in production and have not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.

Most Read

The Most Read ranking is based on the number of downloads in the last 60 days from papers published on the CSIRO PUBLISHING website within the last 12 months. Usage statistics are updated daily.

Collections

Collections are a curation of articles relevant to a topical research area

A groundbreaking collection of Australian papers on Value-Based Health Care (VBHC) has been published, showcasing national leadership in reshaping healthcare delivery. Featuring contributions from leading clinicians, researchers, and policymakers, the collection highlights innovative models that prioritise patient outcomes, data-driven decision-making, and sustainable system performance. This curated body of work reflects Australia’s commitment to transforming healthcare by aligning value with quality and efficiency. The collection serves as a key resource for advancing VBHC both locally and globally, reinforcing Australia’s role in shaping the future of healthcare.

The papers in this collection are free to read for one month, from 1 August 2025.

Last Updated: 01 Aug 2025

Empowering First Nations communities and committing to long-term political action are essential to addressing the systemic health disparities they face. True change requires giving them control over their healthcare and sustained efforts to tackle the root causes of inequity for lasting justice and healing.

The papers in this collection are free to read for two months, from 11 March 2025.

Last Updated: 11 Mar 2025

Committee on Publication Ethics

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