Western Victorian Primary Health Network developed a COVID-19 online Community of Practice comprising general practitioners, practice nurses, pharmacists, aged care and disability workers, health administrators, public health experts, medical specialists, and consumers. This paper describes progress toward a durable organisational learning health system model through the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and beyond, and the function that HealthPathways served to embed learning into clinical practice.

Link to publication record.

A case study highlighting the value and impact of HealthPathways during the COVID-19 response. The study finds that HealthPathways played an important role by providing front line clinicians with trusted, reliable, and up-to-date information during a time characterised by rapidly changing information and advice. Development of the COVID-19 pathways also required significant collaboration which resulted in strengthened relationships, trust and respect between government, local health systems, community health providers, and colleges.

Link to publication record.

A case study that describes the implementation of HealthPathways in the Australian state of Queensland. Queensland presents an interesting case because HealthPathways was implemented within a policy context of addressing equity of access to care, within the wider context of a state Outpatient Strategy and Clinical Prioritisation Criteria (CPC). HealthPathways has played an important role in delivering the CPC in Queensland across a number of diverse localities, achieving the support of front-line clinicians for a change that could, in other circumstances, have been confronting and controversial. This is an example of managing the consistency in health services, while allowing for local variation where appropriate.

Link to publication record.

A Kings Fund report that provides an overview of the transformation process that the Canterbury Health System undertook. This is a follow up to the 2013 Kings Fund report.

Link to publication record.

A journal article that provides an overview of HealthPathways, which includes discussion on the background, evolution, and development of the HealthPathways platform.

Link to publication record.

A report from the Kings Fund that provides an overview of the transformation process that the Canterbury Health System undertook.

Link to publication record.

This white paper describes an economic model of the value of HealthPathways to help HealthPathways Community members understand the value of their HealthPathways programme and justify sustained investment. The model suggests a potential return on investment of $9.76 for every $1 invested in HealthPathways.

Link to publication record.

This paper shows the impact of HealthPathways on musculoskeletal radiological referrals at a single institution within the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. The paper finds that HealthPathways is an effective way of reducing referral rates for musculoskeletal radiological investigations and that the financial savings are significant and recurrent.

Link to publication record.

HealthPathways was used to embed models of acute care in the community that led to 30% fewer acute medical hospital bed days in Canterbury compared to the national average.

Link to publication record.

A case study using a pre-post study design was used to investigate the impact of HeathPathways. The study suggests that HealthPathways has likely reduced costs for diabetes patients in Mackay through a reduction in unnecessary referrals. Economic analysis indicated the diabetes pathways could potentially save the health system approximately $74,240 per year in avoidable referrals.

Link to publication record.

A journal article that demonstrated the value of explicit advice in a pancreatitis clinical pathway. The improvement led to improved compliance by 13% (65 to 78%) resulting in 54 fewer amylase tests taken over the six-month period. 

Link to publication record.

A journal article that describes and identifies the outcomes from a project to improve radiology referral. This project led to a sustained improvement in primary care radiology referral quality and value in Canterbury. The service achieved sustained improvements in referral quality (referral acceptance rates increased from 78% to 88%, urgent referrals reduced from 59% to 22%) and value (plain film volumes reduced by 40%).

Link to publication record.

HealthPathways was used to embed the The Western Sydney Integrated Care Program (WSICP) which was associated with a 34% reduction in hospital admissions amongst enrolled patients.

Link to publication record.

A journal article that describes and identifies the outcomes from a skin cancer programme. and identifies the outcomes. The programme improved skin cancer management and resulted in a greater number of skin cancers being treated by the public health system, a reduction in waiting times for treatment, and fewer minor skin lesions being referred to secondary care. Development of the programme has improved working relationships between primary and secondary care clinicians.

Link to publication record.

A journal article that describes the results from an online survey to determine the perceptions of healthcare professionals in Canterbury on HealthPathways. They found that 90 to 95% of GP teams thought HealthPathways was easy to use and improved patient care. The majority of hospital clinicians (87%) considered the website had contributed to better patient management in primary care and had improved all stages of referral and follow-up of patients.

Link to publication record.

The South Tyneside HealthPathways team undertook its first annual user survey in late 2023 to understand more about the use of HealthPathways within the South Tyneside region and the benefits it provides. The survey was undertaken via a simple online survey and yielded positive very results, with 97% of respondents saying that use HealthPathways at least once a week, and almost half saying that they use it daily. Clinicians also reported that HealthPathways make them for more confident assessing and managing the patient in front of them, identifying and accessing services, and understanding and following local referral processes.

Link to results dashboard.

This article summarises the background and benefits of community HealthPathways and provides tips to support decision making in the consulting room. The article highlights the influence a community of clinicians can have on service redesign through developing and publishing HealthPathways.

Link to publication record.

HealthPathways was used to embed an advance care planning programme that corresponded with a 13% reduction in people aged 75 years and over dying in hospital from 2013 to 2017. 

Link to publication record.

A journal article that describes the development of a supportive education programme and availability of online information about tongue-tie for health professionals and consumers. The programme contributed to successful uptake of the new clinical pathway and a reduction in the frenotomy intervention rate from 11.3% in 2015 to 3.5% by mid-2017.

Link to publication record.