Clinicians and consumers know only too well that life circumstances such as poor housing, income and food insecurity can have a negative impact on health outcomes. Conversely, participation in community activities, social connection and access to nature parks and leisure facilities can help maintain health and wellbeing.

More recent phenomena in public health have also focused us on the health and social care connection. Stress factors such as the sudden loss of employment and social interaction, moving to remote work or schooling, and the impacts of sudden, localised COVID-19 ‘lockdowns’ to prevent further outbreaks were triggers of increased psychological distress.

And loneliness is being described as our latest epidemic with chronic loneliness inked to a myriad of health problems and earlier death. A recent report  found one in four Australians say they feel persistently lonely, and that loneliness costs $2.7 bn a year in health costs alone.

More significant changes in recent years have been health-related misinformation eroding trust in healthcare professionals, leading to people seeking alternative treatments or avoiding medical advice altogether. This can make it more difficult for healthcare professionals to provide effective treatment and care.

Recent vaccines delivered as part of the COVID-19 response, are having a consequential impact on the uptake of routine vaccines.

Australian Health Journal spoke with Dr Paul Griffin, an Infectious Diseases Physician and Microbiologist at Mater Health, and who has been involved in over 150 clinical trials in the field of infectious disease.

Paul talks about the importance of having reputable sources of information that can used to encourage people to understand what is involved in clinical trials and the roles of vaccines.

Drawing from GE’s 125-year legacy in healthcare, Amit Yadav, CEO GE HealthCare ANZ is leading efforts to integrate AI into medical imaging devices and optimise workflow efficiencies. He stresses the importance of leveraging the vast amount of untapped healthcare data, with an emphasis on automating manual processes to enhance productivity. Additionally, his focus extends to utilising AI for workflow optimisation and ensuring compliance with local regulations and standards to prioritise safety.