About HIREU

Information exchange is the core of a safe, efficient and effective health system. The Health Informatics Research & Evaluation Unit conducts innovative research aimed at understanding and improving the way in which health care delivery and patient outcomes are enhanced through the effective use and exchange of information.

Health systems internationally are coming under increasing pressures driven by demographic, social and technological change. Existing models of health care delivery will not be sustainable in future decades. Information and communication technologies have a significant role to play in creating opportunities for new models of care delivery. Examples range from telemedicine applications supporting care delivery in the community to sophisticated clinical decision support systems accessible to clinicians at the point of care.

Such interventions are designed to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and safety of the health system. Health systems around the world are making vast investments in such technologies often with limited evidence regarding the extent to which these systems will deliver desired benefits.

Our research centres on designing rigorous and innovative approaches to evaluate these health informatics interventions and to apply these methods to provide evidence of effectiveness, efficiency and safety. A unique aspect of the team’s work is the application of rigorous evaluation approaches which bring together highly quantitative methods grounded in epidemiological techniques married with the use of qualitative approaches including techniques such as video observational studies and social network analyses. We focus upon investigating and measuring both expected outcomes, for example reduced medication error rates following introduction of electronic prescribing systems, as well as unexpected outcomes in care delivery such as changes in the nature and amount of face to face communication between health care providers.

We are internationally recognized for this work and the research unit constitutes the largest health informatics evaluation research team in Australia and the group’s work is highly competitive with other international research teams in this area. Our research program is characterized by strong engagement with national and international academics from a board range of disciplines, health practitioners, government bureaucrats, policy-makers and information system industry leaders. We aim to make significant scientific contributions to the disciplines of health informatics, health information management, evaluation methodologies and safety and quality in health care. Further we seek to promote the translation of our research findings into health care policy, implementation and evaluation approaches within the health care sector.

Future Students

Students wishing to undertake research with the Health Informatics Research & Evaluation Unit can obtain more information here