Collaboration: the cornerstone of advancing primary health care data in Australia
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)
Australia's national agency for health and welfare statistics and information. Have a question? ?? [email protected]
Information collected by general practitioners can provide crucial insights into the health of Australians and access to health services. However, a comprehensive national primary health care data collection does not currently exist.
Released today, Towards a national primary health care data collection – dementia demonstration project was a proof-of-concept study exploring the quality, accessibility and usability of aggregate general practice dementia data.
The project was a collaboration?with?17 Primary Health Networks (PHNs)?to:
This collaboration?demonstrated general practice data has the potential to provide insights into health conditions that impact the Australian population. It also revealed critical insights into?the opportunities and challenges of developing a nationally consistent collection,?including variations in data governance, extraction capabilities, and resources among PHNs.
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These findings highlighted the complexity of the primary health care data environment but also pointed to opportunities for improvement. Efforts by PHNs through their National Data Governance Committee and the?Sparked work program on data standardisation are already laying the groundwork for governance and data quality enhancements.
While the project noted limitations in data coverage and quality, it also identified a path forward. Addressing issues like data access, incomplete data extraction, variability in governance, and lack of consistent standards will require continued collaboration between AIHW and all primary health care stakeholders. Central to this work is the need to safeguard patient privacy and data security.?
A collection of?de-identified unit record general practice data would present an opportunity to further investigate potential data quality issues and develop a deeper understanding of health conditions for priority populations.
The insights gained from this project will guide future general practice data demonstration projects, with plans already underway for a second initiative.