Working Towards a Connected Frontline Health System

Commonwealth Government needs to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Australia's health care system. Primary health care provides the first point of contact for patients and is touted as the cornerstone of a more effective health system, but it is undermined by fragmented services. Frontline clinicians need be able to provide comprehensive, coordinated and personalised care to patients, particularly those with multiple serious illnesses such as cancer, diabetes and depression. Dr Stange looked at the challenges facing the primary care system in the United States that could inform the Australian health community as it grapples with a major reform process. The lecture was based on a series of editorials that will appear in the international journal Annals of Family Medicine, focusing particularly on understanding and organising health as a science of connectedness.