Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) account for around one quarter of deaths in Australia.1 The Economist Intelligence Unit estimates that the annual direct and indirect costs of CVD in Australia totals US$12.3bn.2 There are numerous modifiable risk factors for CVD, but the most important include hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, tobacco use, diabetes and obesity.3 While much of the recent focus has been on primary prevention through lifestyle modification, those highrisk patients with existing CVD—such as peripheral artery disease or a previous heart attack or stroke—require particular attention to avoid further morbidity and mortality.
The improved use of data and digital health tools has the potential to enable more coordinated and patient-centred models of care. The Digital Health CRC takes this further in saying “research and innovation in digital health offers Australia significant economic and business development opportunities, as well as great promise for the better health of our community”.4
On 27 May 2020, The Economist Intelligence Unit—supported by the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance (ACvA) and Digital Health CRC and with sponsorship from Amgen—convened a virtual roundtable discussion with 25 representatives from across the Australian cardiovascular healthcare landscape.
Co-hosted by the Economist Intelligence Unit with Dr Gemma Figtree, president of ACvA and professor in medicine at University of Sydney & Royal North Shore Hospital, and Dr Tim Shaw, director of research and workforce capacity at Digital Health CRC, the roundtable aimed to identify barriers, challenges and opportunities to improve outcomes for highrisk CVD patients by improving the use of data and digital technologies.
