\"Australia has developed a range of tools that can help identify people at risk of future health problems earlier, giving health professionals the chance to step in before problems become more serious,\" Dr Dunne said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"But while these tools show promise at the development stage, most are never adopted widely enough to make a real difference.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The researchers reviewed more than 7,000 studies and identified just 21 examples of risk prediction and screening tools being used in Australian healthcare settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of the tools used artificial intelligence or digital technology to help clinicians spot early warning signs of disease or declining health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Dunne said the problem was not a lack of innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"We've seen strong innovation in this area, but our findings suggest much more attention is needed on how effective tools can be implemented and sustained in routine healthcare,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The study found healthcare workers generally supported the use of these tools and patients often responded positively, but barriers such as funding constraints, workforce pressures and difficulties integrating new technology into existing systems slowed uptake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Implementation science expert and co-author Professor Bronwyn Myers<\/a>, Director of Curtin\u2019s enAble Institute<\/a>, said the findings reflected a broader challenge across healthcare systems worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"Developing a tool is only the first step. The real challenge is making sure it can be successfully integrated into busy healthcare settings and sustained over time,\" Professor Myers said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"Healthcare systems operate under significant funding and resource constraints, so even effective tools can struggle to gain traction if they don't fit naturally into existing workflows or aren't supported by the right systems, training and funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"Implementation science methods can help us design tools that are feasible to implement in real-world practice and strategies that support their adoption.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senior author Professor Blossom Stephan,<\/a> Director of the Dementia Centre of Excellence<\/a> at Curtin, said improving the use of existing tools could play an important role in supporting healthy ageing and reducing the future burden of dementia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"As Australia's population ages, identifying health risks earlier will become increasingly important for helping people stay healthy and independent for longer,\" Professor Stephan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"Many of the conditions leading to lost independence, hospitalisation and dementia develop silently over many years. Knowing your risk earlier, before symptoms appear, gives individuals and their health professionals the chance to intervene sooner and make changes to support healthier ageing.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n Co-author Dr Leanne Greene,<\/a> from the University of Exeter, said: \u201cAustralia has no shortage of innovative health technologies, but innovation alone does not improve care. Our review highlights that we need to invest just as much effort in understanding how effective tools can be embedded into routine healthcare as we do in developing them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the number of Australians aged over 65 continuing to rise, the researchers warn that failing to translate proven innovations into practice risks missing a valuable opportunity to improve care, support healthy ageing and reduce pressure on the healthcare system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The review is the first to examine how risk prediction and screening tools are being implemented across the Australian healthcare system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The research also involved authors from the University of Exeter, the University of Nottingham and the University of Adelaide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The paper \u2018Implementation of Risk Prediction and Stratification Approaches for Ageing Populations in Australian Healthcare: A Systematic Review\u2019 has been published in The Lancet Regional Health \u2013 Western Pacific<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","post_title":"Australians missing out on \u201cmajor gap\u201d between innovation and patient care","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"australians-missing-out-on-major-gap-between-innovation-and-patient-care","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2026-06-30 15:41:14","post_modified_gmt":"2026-06-30 07:41:14","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=media-release&p=31501","menu_order":0,"post_type":"media-release","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":31496,"post_author":"4490","post_date":"2026-07-03 08:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2026-07-03 00:00:00","post_content":"\n A new international program designed to improve rehabilitation for stroke survivors around the world has been developed by researchers, including the lead author from Curtin University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every year, millions of people across the world survive strokes but are left with disabilities affecting movement, speech, and thinking. High-quality rehabilitation after a stroke is critical to a person\u2019s recovery, but access to quality care can be a major barrier, especially for people in low and middle-income countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now The World Stroke Organization<\/a> (WSO) Rehabilitation Certification Program is hoping to change that. The program sets out clear standards for stroke rehabilitation services, helping hospitals and healthcare providers deliver the best possible care to patients recovering from stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lead author Dr Jessica Nolan<\/a>, from Curtin University's School of Allied Health, said the program aimed to address major gaps in quality of rehabilitation services, particularly in low and middle-income countries where the burden of stroke is greatest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"While significant progress has been made in acute stroke management, access to high-quality rehabilitation remains inconsistent around the world,\" Dr Nolan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"Rehabilitation is critical to helping stroke survivors regain independence, improve their quality of life and participate in their communities, yet many people still miss out on the care they need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"Our certification program is globally applicable and provides clear, evidence-based standards that can be implemented across a wide range of healthcare settings, from emerging rehabilitation services all the way through to highly specialised centres.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n The original WSO certification program, which commenced in 2021, was developed by an international team of experts and focuses on acute (early after stroke) interventions. The new rehabilitation certification program is designed to follow on from the acute program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The final rehabilitation framework includes 55 recommendations covering key areas of stroke recovery, including mobility, communication, swallowing, mental health, exercise, discharge planning and ongoing support in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After being tested across 15 centres in six middle income countries across three continents, the program is now ready to roll out globally. Setting clear, globally applicable standards means that more stroke survivors, regardless of where they live, will receive better, more consistent care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Co-senior author Associate Professor Elizabeth Lynch<\/a>, from Flinders University, said the certification program recognises the realities faced by rehabilitation services around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"Services vary greatly between countries and regions, so rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, the program includes three levels of certification that allow services to work towards progressively higher standards of care,\" Professor Lynch said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"The goal is to support continuous improvement and ultimately ensure more stroke survivors have access to effective rehabilitation, regardless of where they live.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n The program allows services to improve and build their capabilities over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr Sean Savitz<\/a>, MD, professor and neurologist at UTHealth Houston, Chair of the World Stroke Organization Rehabilitation Implementation Committee<\/a> and co-senior author of the study, said it marked a major milestone for global stroke care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"Surviving a stroke is only the beginning of the journey. Rehabilitation is what helps people regain their independence, return to their families, workplaces and communities, and rebuild their lives,\u201d Dr Savitz said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis program will help raise the standard of stroke rehabilitation globally and make evidence-based care more accessible to the people who need it most.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n Australian stroke survivor Saran Chamberlain said rehabilitation played a critical role in her recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"I was 38-years-old, fit and healthy, going to the gym several times a week and raising young children when I had my stroke,\u201d Ms Chamberlain said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 51-year-old from Adelaide said rehab is not always just about the symptoms you can physically see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"Recovery after stroke is not finite. More than a decade after my stroke, I still have no sensation in my left arm and hand, and I continue to experience fatigue and pain every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRehabilitation has been essential throughout my journey, not just in the early months after my stroke. Ongoing access to rehabilitation has enabled me to continue improving, adapt to new challenges and maximise my participation in everyday life.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n The WSO Rehabilitation Certification Program will be formally launched internationally at the World Stroke Congress in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The research, \u2018World Stroke Organization (WSO) Rehabilitation Certification Program<\/a>\u2019, has been published in the International Journal of Stroke<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","post_title":"Global stroke rehabilitation standards launched to improve care worldwide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"global-stroke-rehabilitation-standards-launched-to-improve-care-worldwide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2026-07-03 15:03:06","post_modified_gmt":"2026-07-03 07:03:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=media-release&p=31496","menu_order":0,"post_type":"media-release","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":31521,"post_author":"4457","post_date":"2026-07-02 10:33:37","post_date_gmt":"2026-07-02 02:33:37","post_content":"\n Nearly half of dementia cases could be prevented by tackling modifiable risk factors such as physical inactivity, smoking, low education or social isolation, but new Curtin University research<\/a> suggests current public health approaches are falling short of driving real behaviour change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A major international review published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity<\/em> has found while large-scale health awareness campaigns for dementia prevention can reach wide audiences, they often lead to only small improvements in knowledge and limited changes in behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The study analysed public health campaigns and programs across eight countries and found more engaging, personalised and community-driven approaches were needed to genuinely influence behaviour and reduce dementia risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Study author Professor Mario Siervo<\/a>, from Curtin\u2019s School of Population Health<\/a>, said the findings showed a clear gap between what people know and what they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUp to 45 per cent of dementia cases are linked to modifiable factors we can change, such as our lifestyle, health status and environment,\u201d Professor Siervo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut simply telling people what those risks are isn\u2019t enough; awareness campaigns are important, but on their own they rarely lead to meaningful or lasting behaviour change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professor Siervo also said a second new study<\/a> conducted by the group has provided further evidence on the relevance of modifiable risk factors for dementia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results indicated that muscle strength and body composition play a significant role in dementia risk, highlighting the need for more targeted prevention approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Curtin-led research followed nearly 500,000 adults over more than a decade and found people with both low muscle strength and excess body fat \u2014 known as sarcopenic obesity \u2014 had a higher risk of developing dementia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In contrast, obesity on its own was not associated with increased dementia risk if muscle strength was preserved, highlighting the importance of muscle health alongside maintaining an optimal body composition in dementia prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chair in Dementia at Curtin\u2019s enAble Institute<\/a> and co-author Professor Blossom Stephan<\/a> said many people still did not realise dementia risk could be reduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is still a widespread belief that dementia is an unavoidable part of ageing, which is not the case,\u201d Professor Stephan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut even when people are aware of the risks, barriers such as time, cost and motivation can prevent them from making changes to their lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The review found interactive approaches were consistently more effective in motivating people to make lifestyle changes than passive information campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professor Siervo said these types of approaches were more likely to engage people and support sustained behaviour change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen people understand their own personal risk and are given clear, practical ways to act \u2013 especially through trusted community networks \u2013 they are more likely to make meaningful changes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of effective approaches included community education sessions run by local leaders, culturally tailored programs delivered in familiar settings and interactive courses helping participants set realistic health goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professor Stephan said future public health strategies should move beyond awareness alone and focus on long-term engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe need to combine broad public messaging with targeted support that helps people take action,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat means investing in programs that are accessible, culturally relevant and designed with communities, not just delivered to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith dementia rates expected to rise significantly in coming decades, prevention is one of the most powerful tools we have -but to get there, we need to rethink how we communicate risk and support people to act on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/saran-rehab.jpg\")
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