The role of digital innovation

Despite improved community awareness, people experiencing mental health and/or wellbeing concerns continued to struggle:

to understand what they were experiencing and if they should act
to find the right service/s for their needs
with concerns about wait times and service costs.

Starting in mid-2021, the Head to Health team set out to understand what role digital innovation might have in addressing the identified issues, and how it might support better mental health and wellbeing outcomes for Australians. In particular, how a digital solution might support a person-centred approach to navigating mental healthcare services, which:

provides increased clarity on choices and service availability
makes it easier to access digital services/treatments
reduces fragmentation and duplication in consumer experience
is more holistic in addressing social determinants or triggers for poor mental health and wellbeing.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 54 per cent of Australians with mental health challenges do not seek professional help. For this project, we needed to understand why and what would motivate them to take action.

Improving mental health and wellbeing outcomes for all Australians

Renée Crown Wellness Institute, University of Colorado Boulder

A theory for effective engagement in digital learning