Understanding the needs for better ‘local level evaluation’ of healthcare in Australia
The embedded Economist (eE) initiative is a collaboration between HTSA and NSW Regional Health Partners (the Health Translation Centre for regional NSW). It aims to
- embed economic expertise into daily health service decision-making to demonstrate the acceptability, feasibility and value of undertaking high quality local evaluations to inform decisions in local health service organisations
- support current and future healthcare leaders increase their capacity to use health services research and economic evaluation to develop and demonstrate high value health programs, services, initiatives and technologies.
This initiative incorporates both an education and economist-in-residence program whereby researchers actively engage with the health service to ultimately impact on patients through the best possible evidence informing health services decisions.
There are two major components to the eE initiative.
- An education component – consisting of an online facilitated Community of Practice and with the option of an additional university course; and
- funding the embedding of health economists in local health service organisations. In SA, a health economist, Professor Jon Karnon, from the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute (FHMRI) will be embedded in the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN).
The eE Community of Practice (ComPrac) provides the opportunity to support current and future healthcare leaders to increase their capacity to use health services research and economic evaluation to develop and demonstrate high value health programs, services, initiatives and technologies.
It features regular facilitated online workshops by NSW Regional Health Partners and HTSA and the opportunity to learn, share and connect with peers interested in the field.
In addition, participation in the eE ComPrac provides an opportunity to apply for a fully-funded place (limited numbers) in the University of Newcastle’s Applied Health Economic Evaluation for Health Service Decision Making online course (PUBH6290) in 2021. This online training course in health economics is targeted specifically at people working in local health service organisations. Health service staff from across SA can enrol in this course.
For more information and to enrol in the eE ComPrac please see the website below.
This project is supported by the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) as part of the Rapid Applied Research Translation program. (MRF9100005).
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