Just Accepted
This article has been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. It is in production and has not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.
Assessing the Digital Health Maturity of General Practice in Australia: Results from a cross-sectional national survey
Abstract
Background: Australia’s health system combines federal and state roles, with Primary Health Networks supporting primary care. Digital health infrastructure exists, but meaningful use and maturity are limited across general practices. Methods: Digital health maturity was assessed across six domains: infrastructure, meaningful use, readiness, digital literacy, data literacy, and clinical leadership using a cross-sectional survey design. Between August 2020 and July 2024, 1,164 general practices from 10 PHN regions were surveyed out of the 2,255 practices invited to respond (31.3% of GP clinics in Australia), this represented a 51.6% response rate. Results: On average, none of the GP clinics scored above 80 out of 100 in any of the digital health maturity domains, suggesting a trend towards lower maturity. We found that low overall digital health maturity in practices is related to lower scores in meaningful use, digital health and data literacy, and clinical leadership domains. Discussion: Digital health infrastructure alone is not enough, but targeted support is essential for digital adoption. Enhancing digital health and data literacy, leadership, and tailored change management can strengthen digital adoption in practices, potentially improving care quality and digital transformation nationally.
PY25107 Accepted 31 July 2025
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