Learning Health System

The Monash Learning Health System is an evidence-based framework for evolving our health centres to capture, identify and address health service and community priorities and emergent challenges.

“It‘s a system where routine health practice data can lead to iterative cycles of knowledge generation and improvement”

The vision is ‘Learning together for better health’

A Learning Health System represents a paradigm shift in healthcare, moving from a static, one-size-fits-all approach to a dynamic, continuously improving model. It leverages data and technology to make healthcare more effective, efficient, and patient-centred.

It contains the necessary elements to enable routine health practice data, from service delivery and patient care, to contribute to iterative cycles of knowledge generation and improvement in healthcare. 

Use our interactive wheel to explore the Learning Health System Framework.

Key themes for a Learning Health System

Learning Health System — interactive wheel
OUR VISION Learning together for better health
Eight stages of the cycle Four sources of evidence Four underpinning principles

The four principles, on the outer ring

    The Monash Learning Health System contains the necessary elements to enable routine health practice data, from service delivery and patient care, to contribute to iterative cycles of knowledge generation and improvement in healthcare, whereby the whole Learning Health System is enabled by partnerships across multidisciplinary stakeholders: Academic  | Clinician | Community | Industry Stakeholders

    Four principles underpin all aspects of the Learning Health System: People | Culture | Standards | Resources/Infrastructure

    The Learning Health System encompasses four different sources of evidence, with each represented in a quadrant of the wheel. Each is essential to capture, identify and address health service and community priorities and emergent challenges, and needs to be integrated to create the systems-level intervention needed for a Learning Health System to deliver health impact: Stakeholder’s evidence | Research evidence | Data evidence | Implementation evidence

    How to make it work

    Learning Health System environments are system-level initiatives with effective examples demonstrating translation from practice data to data analysis and new knowledge back to clinical practice. 

    The main prerequisites for a Learning Health System are:

    • An integrated multidisciplinary team of frontline clinicians, researchers and community members embedded in healthcare settings is key to success
    • To have a direct health impact, a Learning Health System must provide timely access to data, as well as analysis of that data with feedback
    • Effective Learning Health Systems require people with a broad range of workforce capabilities to make sense of the data arising from complex healthcare environments.e

    Evidence to Impact: Implementing Systems Change in Women’s Health Webinar

    Exploring how implementation science, collaboration and data can help translate research into meaningful health system reform.  With  Professor Helena Teede AM, Dr Nicole Pope, Associate Professor Joanne Enticott and Professor Jane Fisher AO (host), experts in shaping the future of women’s health systems.nity involvement (CCI) across Australia.

    This Monash University webinar explores:

      • Translating research into scalable health system reform

      • Implementation science as a driver of impact

      • Embedding gender equity through policy and practice

      • Leadership, collaboration and data as catalysts for change

    Learning Health System in action

    MCHRI applies the LHS for evidence-based guideline development and implementation to improve healthcare and for health impact. The following are highlights of MCHRI’s Monash Learning Health System research projects and publications. Research Projects
    • CCIRI – The Health Research Hub will centralise resources and foster connections among individuals working in consumer and community involvement (CCI) across Australia. The Health Research Hub responds directly to an Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA) priority area and addresses an evidence-based need.
    • National Maternal Learning Health System and National Clinical Quality Data Registry Monash Maternity Learning Health System (LHS) – now funded by MRFF – integrates evidence from stakeholders, including consumers and healthcare providers, evidence from research, evidence from practice through the data registry and evidence from implementation. To establish a registry with harmonised data sharing analysis and transparency to improve healthcare, and building on Monash University’s world leading registry program.
    • DELIVER  – Western Alliance led MRFF grant ($9M)
    • MCHRI’s Healthcare Implementation Toolkit (soon to be launched) – tools and resources underpinned by the LHS framework as the evidence-base for successfully creating change within a complex system like health care.
    • Emergency Care LHS to improve treatment of  Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) ($5M MRFF led by Prof Diana Edgerton-Warburton) Prof  Teede and A/Prof Enticott are both CIs.
    Published papers

    Further Reading & Resources