For the most part, governments do not directly determine how much digital technology is used in the health system. Decision-making is mostly decentralised; which types of infrastructure to invest in, and which services to opt for, are generally decisions that are made by clinicians, administrators, patients and other actors, who are motivated by a combination of financial incentives and a desire to deliver good health outcomes.
However, there are also things that governments can do to help realise the potential of digital technology in healthcare. Though they generally do not directly determine the extent of uptake, governments can be facilitators, and have a range of policy tools available. This is consistent with the Australian Government’s National Digital Health Strategy 2023-2028, which recognises the role that policy and regulatory settings can play as ‘enablers’ of positive outcomes for patients in the health system (ADHA 2023d, p. 18).
