Research Australia’s annual survey of views on health and medical research, Australia Speaks!, shows Australians continue to place improving hospitals and healthcare as the number one spending priority for the Australian Government - ahead of infrastructure, education standards and employment opportunities.
The Report showed that more funding for health and medical research is the sixth most important of the 27 priorities presented in the poll. It has been consistently in top 10 ever since polling began in 2003.
Interest among Australians in health and medical research is high with 89% saying they are interested in health and medical research. However, while confident in their ability to contribute to decision making about the future direction of HMR most Australians don’t know how, and many don’t believe they’d be heard.
This year’s poll also confirmed that Australians are willing to embrace technology that can help them better manage their own health. They trust healthcare professionals to assist them with choosing those technologies and directing them to other credible online information sources.
The rise of precision medicine exemplifies how quickly the landscape is changing and how health and medical research is at the forefront of healthcare. The 2018 poll shows Australians are ready to embrace precision medicine and are equally willing for their information to be used to assist others. In fact, 75% of people would be willing to use genetic testing to identify the most effective drug and 95% would be willing for their results to be used to improve treatments for future patients.
The full report can be found online.