Engaging our youth in youth mental health
Being a young person in modern Australia is hard. The transition into adulthood is…
Young carers face more hurdles than most and need support
Australia’s young carers account for a substantial number of the 2.7 million unpaid carers…
Consumer and carer participation in youth mental health
Over the past two years working with Health Consumers Queensland, I’ve been lucky enough…
Mental illness increases risk of youth homelessness
The road to adulthood can be a tumultuous journey, with a range of challenges…
Finding my Swing: Young baseball player tackles alcohol advertising in sport
Few people are able to live out their childhood dream as a professional sports…
Building mental resilience in students
With research showing that as many as one in four (26 percent) young people…
Young Australians’ use of digital health technologies
Digital technologies for health-related topics and practices such as websites, online discussion forums, social…
The new art of listening
The 1970s stand out for many reasons: lurid wallpaper, funny hair and flares. It…
Improving health care involves us all
In the week that this edition of Health Voices comes out, I am pleased…
The future is research
There’s a quiet revolution happening in healthcare, fueled by research and, if you join…
Health and medical research – a partnership between researchers and consumers
We live at an extraordinary time in human history. More than in any earlier…
Research delivering value to the community
Funding of health research is a crucial investment in the health of all Australians,…
The consumer and community involvement journey – where to next?
Often when undertaking a journey, it’s the fork in the road that forces decision-making…
How should Australia make the most of consumer participation in health services research?
Health services researchers support the identification, implementation and uptake of the most appropriate health…
What role for consumers in the new health evidence ecosystem?
The know-do gap Most people naturally expect that the health practice, systems and policy…
Consumer directed research – powering results
As the peak body for Australia’s health and medical research sector, Research Australia is…
Turning research into action through knowledge translation
The value of health research comes from its ability to improve health outcomes. Knowledge…
How sharing research can bring better health
A five-year partnership between South Australian consumers and researchers is showing how sharing research…
Research nothing about us without us
In recent years we have seen the active engagement of consumers in health and…
Consumer Involvement in Health and Medical Research: What’s driving change and how can health consumers contribute?
According to Research Australia, $5.9 billion is spent on health and medical research (H&MR)…
Researchers and consumers discovering collaboration
Medical research has done a remarkable job in improving our health, allowing us to…
Thanks for the funding, but is that all there is?
Funding for rural and remote health research is at critically low levels, and new…
Health and medical research role consumers can play in reaching best outcomes
When I became committed to becoming a consumer representative and patient advocate in 2000…
Medical devices – tragedy and triumph
Pelvic mesh and 3D printing – you could hardly think of two more diverse…
Trans vaginal mesh injuries – is anyone accountable?
The medical catastrophe associated with Trans Vaginal Mesh implants is a cautionary tale about…
Medical device regulation – a challenging and changing area
Today’s rapidly evolving healthcare system, along with the expectations by patients and clinicians of…
3D Printing in Medicine – A Transformative Technology
Despite its reputation as an inherently conservative discipline, medicine has always advanced through embracing…
Transforming advances raise great benefits and risks
Unprecedented advances in biomaterials, cell biology, 3D printing and medical imaging have attracted the…
The past keeps happening. We need to do something about it
Recent weeks have again demonstrated problems with Australia’s regulation of medical devices. Those problems…
Consumers in the evolving flux of the Australian medical devices ecosystem
With the ongoing investigations here and overseas into the problems with polypropylene pelvic mesh…
Taking a wise approach to the use of emerging medical devices
Implantable medical devices have been the subject of three Senate Inquiries in less than…
How medical devices play a central role in health care
Global advances in medical technology over the past 20 years have resulted in a…
Advocating for access to health technologies without compromising patient safety
Biomedical innovation is a major societal priority, and public and private funders invest heavily…
A new dimension in dentistry
For more than 20 years dentists and dental laboratories have been using Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided…
Public-private compact plays key role in access to healthcare
To hear industry criticised in the healthcare context for having a commercial orientation, appears…
Ethics and advanced medical devices: Do we need a new approach?
Along with their potential to greatly benefit health, biotechnological advances surrounding medical devices may…
Health insurance: a question of value
Private health insurance represents an increasingly disturbing paradox in Australia. While it now finances…
Seeking better value for consumers
Australia has a mixed public and private model of health care funding and service…
Low value, confusing and time consuming – findings from CHF’s 2017 Awareness campaign
Year on year CHF consistently hears about the confusion that PHI causes, the considerable…
The Ombudsman’s guide to private cover
Australian consumers are faced with many choices when selecting a health insurance policy. With…
Private health insurance: a conundrum for people with chronic illnesses
Jason* is in his 40s and has multiple sclerosis. He has always had private…
Private health insurance: what’s in it for people with chronic conditions?
The rise in private health insurance premiums from 1 April will put more pressure…
Private health insurance – is it delivering good value?
Private health insurance is an important pillar of Australia’s health system, but increasingly there…
How to counter the walled garden of health insurance
Private health insurance has become a perfect storm for Australian consumers. Premiums have increased…
Health insurance and psychiatry – covered or not?
In these increasingly difficult financial times, more Australians with private health insurance are questioning…
Older consumers and the private health insurance dilemma
Maintaining private health cover in later life, on a fixed income, can be a…
Private health insurance in rural and remote Australia
There are 1.3 million people living in outer regional and remote communities in Australia…
Change urgently needed to address inflation and inefficiencies
Australia’s mixed private – public health system is highly regarded by the Australian community….
Driving better health outcomes and improved affordability: a consumer-empowered health system for the 21st Century
Australia has a unique health system that comprises a mix of public and private…
Does it have to be this way?
Few consumer products are as complicated and difficult for the purchaser to understand as…
Surgeons seek less complexity, more transparency in health cover
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) is aware of the increasing costs associated…
Private patients in public hospitals: the story in detail
Private health insurance policies are complex and do not readily support comparisons, accurate assessments…
Affordability, access and equity: the issue of private health insurance
The complexity, cost and lack of transparency in the private health insurance industry is…
Is your private health insurance worth it for dental care? Or is it Time2Switch?
Consumers are questioning the value of their private health insurance. I would like to…
The challenges of private health insurance for allied health in primary care
Australia spends considerable money on its health. In 2014-15, the Australian Government spent $66.2bn…
The unfairness and waste of private health insurance
History is repeating itself. Medicare was created by the Whitlam Government because of the…
Doing without private health insurance
Every year the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission reports on competition and consumer issues…
Policy downgrades – a closer look
Premiums for private health insurance are expected to increase by an industry average of…
Health workforce: working for consumer-centred care
Putting the consumer first in health care is self-evident. It advances the long-held axiom…
