Future of Health: New Perspectives to Transform Healthcare Delivery
In developed countries across the world, healthcare spending is rising steadily as ageing populations, an epidemic of chronic disease, advances in biomedical knowledge, increased digital healthcare innovations and higher public expectations place additional demands on services.
In Australia, for example, health expenditure rose by an average of 5% a year in real terms over the last decade, outstripping GDP growth of 2.8%. In locations worldwide, healthcare delivery systems are now reaching breaking-point and there is an urgent need to develop new working practices innovative business and funding models.
The University of Queensland (UQ) Business School’s experts bring new perspectives to this debate. With backgrounds in areas such as innovation, management, strategy, marketing, finance, accounting, information systems, economics and technology, they work alongside clinicians and healthcare leaders to help address the challenges in the Future of Health.
Through our work with private and public healthcare providers, patients and families, we are internationally recognised as thought leaders in the healthcare sector.
The Future of Health initiative draws together the School’s expertise across different disciplines to help transform healthcare delivery for the benefit of patients and society at large.
Contact The Future of Health
If you would like more information or to explore opportunities with The Future of Health initiative please contact:
Professor Andrew Burton-Jones
Professor in Business Information Systems
abj@business.uq.edu.au
Dr Nicole Hartley
Senior Lecturer in Marketing
n.hartley@business.uq.edu.au
Professor Victor Callan
Professor of Leadership and Management
v.callan@business.uq.edu.au
Future of Health Experts
Business School academics who span management, strategy, business information systems, and accounting work together to improve the quality and impact of research related to the future of health.
UQ Business School experts plan and execute impactful research to lead change in healthcare delivery and plan for future-focused health innovations. Our researchers and academics have deep relationships with industry partners at a public, private and not-for-profit level, also engaging and influencing key policymakers.
Leads
Professor Andrew Burton-Jones – Design, use, and governance of IT in healthcare
Professor Victor Callan – Health leadership and change management service delivery and design
Dr Nicole Hartley – Health innovation and technology, patient experience, health
Key Researchers
Dr Saeed Akhlaghpour – Digital transformation & social media in health
Dr Lilliemay (Lily) Cheung – Patient-centred care, health service co-creation patient experience
Professor Nicole Gillespie – Adoption of virtual health services, change management, trust in health services, leadership.
Dr Gemma Irving – Physical space and change processes in healthcare organisations
Dr Robyn King – Management control systems in healthcare
Professor Janet McColl-Kennedy – Patient-centred care, health service co-creation, patient experience
Dr Shoko Maru – Market access, health technology assessment, pricing, decision analysis
Associate Professor Paul Spee – Strategy processes in healthcare
Dr Anna Stephens – Strategy processes in healthcare
Associate Professor April Wright – Institutional change and identity in healthcare
Cross-Faculty Partnerships
Associate Professor Damian Hine – Australian Institute of Business and Economics (AIBE)
Professor Stephen Birch - Taylor Chair and Centre Director; Centre for the Business and Economics of Health (CBEH)
Future of Health Research
Our research on the Future of Health has a strong focus on being industry-relevant and high-impact, benefiting stakeholders in the health sector. We provide insights and encourage engagement with leading healthcare providers and policymakers at a local and global level.
The work of UQ Business School offers unique value to healthcare providers, complimenting health driven research outcomes from clinical trials. Practitioners place high-value on the different methods and insights we bring.
Managing for Transformational Healthcare Change
Our research offers insights into leadership and change management in health organisations, to transform the way healthcare is delivered. Our researchers specialise in organisational development, innovation and corporate governance practices that have future-focused healthcare impact. Projects include evaluations for the State Government into the delivery of new models of mental healthcare services.
Transformative Healthcare Innovations
Digital technologies have the power to transform healthcare delivery, reduce costs and save lives. However globally, its uptake has been slow and fraught with problems. UQ Business School is at the forefront in helping organisations to harness the potential of digital in healthcare, develop new strategies, create more effective models of care and introduce health innovations. Our researchers are currently assessing the transformation of Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital and other flagship IT projects, identifying lessons for others.
Patient Centred Care
Patients are at the heart of the healthcare system, so it is critical to understand and support their needs. UQ Business School experts work with healthcare providers for the delivery of services to diverse groups including rural and remote patients, Indigenous Australians, children, and the elderly to find better ways to address their needs and improve uptake of technology-driven healthcare delivery modes (i.e. telehealth) and patient care platforms (i.e. virtual reality; gamification).
Accountable and Flexible Healthcare Systems
Funding is one of the biggest constraints facing healthcare providers. Our research looks at how best to develop and assess new funding models, invest in new innovative healthcare services, incentivise staff and implement management control systems in healthcare organisations.
UQ Business School’s research expertise complements that of The University of Queensland, which is a global leader in improving the health of populations. Business school staff are involved in projects for UQ’s Centre for the Business and Economics of Health and Centre for Research Excellence in Telehealth, Centre for Research in Telerehabilitation, the Centre for Online Health (based at PA Hospital), the UQ Centre for Health Services Research, RECOVER Injury Research Centre and the Digital Health CRC.
Future of Health Projects
2018 Development of an active video game for the long-term
maintenance of exercise of people with COPD.
UQ Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences and Metro North Hospital and Health Sciences (CISS) Research Collaboration Seeding Grant $39 535.
Researchers: Trevor Russell, Nicole Hartley, Allison Mandrusiak, Jennie Money
2017 – 2020 Home Telehealth Adoption in the Aging Population: Consumer Perspectives.
NHMRC $352 000.
Researchers: Trevor Russell, Deborah Theodoros, Nicole Gillespie, Nicole Hartley, Len Gray, Anne Hill.
2017 – 2020 Improving quality of care for people with dementia in the acute care setting.
NHMRC Boosting Dementia Research Grants $1.86m.
Researchers: Melinda Martin-Khan, Len Gray, Nancye Peel, John Hirdes, Amanda Henderson, Elaine Pascoe, Nicole Gillespie, Brant Fries, Veronique Boscart, Julia Crilly.
2017 – 2019 Understanding and Improving the Effective Use of Electronic Medical Records.
UQ Development Fellow (Strategic Research Fellowship) Teaching release.
Researcher: Professor Andrew Burton- Jones.
2017 – 2019 Using Electronic Medical Records Effectively and Aligning to a Digital Healthcare Vision.
Queensland Health $278 000
Researcher: Professor Andrew Burton- Jones.
2017 – 2018 Electronic Medical Records and a Digital Healthcare Vision: Benefits Evaluation
Metro South Hospital $234 000
Researcher: Professor Andrew Burton-Jones
2016 – 2020 Evidence-based Approach to Evaluating Strategic Transformation.
Mater Misericordiae Ltd $300 000.
Researchers: Andrew Burton-Jones, Victor Callan (CBEH).
2016 – 2019 Exploring the Value of Telehealth in Primary Care:
A Controlled Trial within the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
NHMRC Partnership Grant $465 165 + matched funding from RFDS.
Researchers: Len Gray, Anthony Smith, Jenny Whitty, Elaine Pascoe, Geoffery Mitchell, Trevor Russell, Nicole Gillespie, Oscar Whitehead, Anita Hansen.
2016 – 2018 20 Modelling Multidimensional Multiparty Decisions to Improve Outcomes for Customers and Service Providers: New Theory and Measurement Tools.
ARC Discovery Grant $330 000.
Researchers: Janet McColl-Kennedy, Len Coote, Claire Wainwright, Scott Bell, Michael Brady.
2016 – 2018 Redesigning skin cancer early detection and care.
NH&MRC Partnership Grant $596 600 ($178 259 UQ).
Researchers: Monika Janda, Peter Soyer, Lois Loescher, Nicole Gillespie, Dimitrios Vagenas.
2015 – 2018 Examining the Effectiveness of Patient-centred Practices on Health Outcomes.
ARC Linkage Grant $1.1 million (including $180 00 from ARC).
Researchers: Pennie Frow, Janet McColl- Kennedy, Adrian Payne.
2015 – 2018 A Telehealth Framework for BushKids.
BUSHKids (industry grant, funding for PhD scholarship + 0.2 FTE RA
Researchers: Deborah Theodoros, Trevor Russell, Nicole Gillespie, Nicole Hartley, Annie Hill.
2014 – 2018 The Centre of Excellence in Telehealth.
NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence Grant $2,495,357 over 5 years (3 year PhD scholarship and 3 year half time post-doc funding to UQBS).
Researchers: L. Gray, D. Theodoras, A Smith, N. Gillespie, N. Hayman, T. Russell, P. Soyer, & J. Whitty.
Healthcare policy makers and shapers discuss Queensland’s future of health
System-wide technology reform, digital hospitals, technology implementation and out-patient customer experience for chronic disease management were all items on the agenda at a recent panel in conversation regarding the future of health in Queensland.
Published September 2019
New technologies for recovery science in the digital era
Future of Health co-lead and MBA Director Dr Nicole Hartley was recently featured in a podcast alongside UQ’s Department of Physiotherapy Professor Trevor Russell discussing the complementary research angles of technology in service, telehealth and physiotherapy.
Published August 2019
Business Insights
Emergency Departments as places of social inclusion in pandemics
Emergency Departments serve an important frontline function in Australia’s public health system as “places of social inclusion” where people with acute medical needs can go to receive free access to care and treatment.
Assessing the digital hospital transformation
The Digital Hospital transformation represents a multi-billion investment by the state to improve the delivery of healthcare to Queenslanders. It is important to evaluate the investment.
Actionable Intelligence - Delivering the right information into the right hands – System dynamics and the case-study of emergency care
Frontline emergency service providers in Queensland are struggling to serve unprecedented growth in demand, and it is putting patient lives at risk. There has been no change over the last 10 years in wait times for emergency departments (AIHW).