PUBH6013: Qualitative Research on Australia's Healthcare System

This report provides a qualitative analysis of the Australian healthcare system, examining its structure, challenges, and the experiences of individuals within the system. The report begins with an executive summary and an introduction to the healthcare system, outlining its organization, financing, and delivery to the population. It highlights the hybrid model of healthcare in Australia, which combines public and private components, and identifies key issues such as workforce shortages, increasing costs, and the need for improved outcomes. The research question focuses on understanding the Australian healthcare system and the problems it faces compared to other developed nations. The study employs a qualitative research design with a realism approach, using in-depth interviews with four participants who have experience with both public and private healthcare services. The data collection involves a questionnaire with open-ended questions to gather detailed information on participants' experiences. The analysis focuses on identifying and interpreting key themes and experiences from the interviews. The report concludes by reflecting on the motivation for the research and its potential contribution to the body of knowledge, suggesting that the findings could inform improvements in resource allocation and policy implementation within the Australian healthcare system. The report also includes appendices with the questionnaire used in the study.

Running Head: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHOD
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHOD
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
The healthcare system of Australia is universal that is funded by the Medicare. It is run
jointly by all the levels of governments of the Australia, which includes local, territory, state
and federal. Hence, this paper aims to review the literature on healthcare system of Australia
and identifying various issues and problems facing the system. Further, explanation will be
done on the chosen methodology of research. Moreover, explanation will be done on
selection of participants, their interview process and potential ethical issues will be addressed.
Lastly, reflection on motivation for research topic will be done.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Background and Problem Statement..........................................................................................3
System of Healthcare in Australia..........................................................................................3
Research Question......................................................................................................................5
Research Design.........................................................................................................................6
Study Population and Sampling.................................................................................................6
Data Collection Methods and Analysis......................................................................................7
Reflection...................................................................................................................................8
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
Reference....................................................................................................................................9
Appendices...............................................................................................................................11
Questionnaire.......................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
The system of healthcare can be described as the method by which the healthcare is
organized, financed as well as delivered to the population. This is consisting of issues of the
access, resourced and expenditures. The healthcare system’s goal is enhancing health of the
population in most effective manner in respect of the available resources of society and the
competing needs. Further, healthcare system of Australia is recognized greatest in the
“Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development”; however, this system has
come under the intense pressure because of changes in the needs of healthcare, for instance
increase in the demand and cost of healthcare, complex conditions of health, inequities and
push for improving outcomes (McGorry et al. 2014). The healthcare system in Australia not
only faces workforce shortages and inefficacies, but there are expectations of the greater
public reporting of required services availability as well as patient-reported outcomes and
clinical indicators for ensuring informed decision-making by the patients (Harris, Nagy &
Vardaxis, 2014). Hence, this paper aims to highlight and discuss system of healthcare in
Australia.
Background and Problem Statement
System of Healthcare in Australia
Australian system of healthcare is most comprehensive in the world that offers ranges
of the services from preventive and general health to treating much more complex conditions,
which may require hospital care or specialist. This system is having two major parts, which
includes private healthcare system and private healthcare system. The healthcare system of
public is consisting of various components that includes affiliated health organization,
community-based services and public hospitals that are largely owned as well ad governed by
territory and the state governments (Duckett & Willcox, 2015). The public assess care of

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Australia falls within public health system that is almost free or at the lower cost through the
Medicare. However, healthcare system of private includes the providers of healthcare system,
which are managed and owned privately, for instance private hospitals, pharmacies and
specialist allied and medical health. The access to this service is through public system,
which are funded by federal, state and local governments, however, service accessed through
private system are funded by private entities and government both (aihw.gov.au. 2020).
There include three models of healthcare system around world, which are market
model, welfare model and hybrid model that is combination of first two model. In market
model, payment and choice of the healthcare services are left to private institutions and
individual citizens (vox.com. 2020). In welfare model, the funding of healthcare is by tax
dollars and in hybrid model, government helps in providing the public insurance for the basic
coverage and the individual can purchase private insurance for the coverage of healthcare on
the top of any of the public insurance they are having. The healthcare system of Australia is
the hybrid model, in which the permanent residents, citizens and refugees can purchase
coverage of private insurance along with the public insurance they are already having and can
gain access to public and private hospitals. Other countries such as France, Canada and
Belgium are also having hybrid model in healthcare system. However, the key issue is that
Australia spends lowest amount of the money on its healthcare compared to the other
countries (The Australian health system. 2020).

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Chart 1: Australian Public Healthcare System
Although there are multiple data and reports in relation to healthcare sector of
Australia that have been published by federal, territories and states government of Australia,
“Australian productivity Commission”, “Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, “World
Bank” and “OECD”, however, there is still need to focus review of Australian healthcare
system compared to the other economically developed nation’s healthcare system (Australia :
International Health Care System Profiles. 2020). This review will be done for gaining
insights into areas, where the improvements are warranted. Hence, for filling the gap, this
paper will review healthcare system of Australia compared to advanced nations (Fletcher,
2017).
Research Question
This research paper aims to answer the question that what is the healthcare system of
Australia. Further, in order to answer this research question, problems and issues faced by the
healthcare system of Australia compared to the other system of healthcare in the
economically developed countries will be discussed.

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Research Design
The qualitative research and approach used in this paper is realism approach. The
realist approach is kind of the theory-driven evaluation that is developed for strengthening
explanatory power of the evaluation studies as well as contribute to the evidence-based
practice and policy. This approach is selected to portray the issue through the individual’s
personal experiences on the healthcare system of Australia in their day-to-day life (Fletcher,
2017).
Study Population and Sampling
The population study of this paper will include four individuals residing in the
Australia and who have accessed the healthcare services in private and public hospitals for
different set of reasons.
Realism research evaluates complex social interventions not by asking whether
particular interventions or programmes works, but recognizing that all the interventions
works for individual in the particular situations or not. Further, it tries to articulate
mechanisms, which underpin programme and exploring the way contexts influence
mechanisms for producing different outcomes of programmes. For this inquiry, in depth face-
to-face interview will be conducted with each four participants involved. Further, permission
from participants has already taken for taking notes of their interview minutes. Moreover, the
accuracy and reliability of the information provided by the population has been maintained
(Brown, 2014).
The reference has been taken from “Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of
Research 2018”, which has established framework for the responsible conduct of research
providing foundation for the high research quality, credibility and trust of community in
endeavor of research. In addition, it is recommended to have the size of sample between 5-25

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participants who have experienced the phenomenon for the research inquiry; however, this
realism study includes sample size of four participants. The criteria required for interviewing
these four participants is that they have already experienced the healthcare services of
Australian private and public hospitals (NHMRC. 2020).
Data Collection Methods and Analysis
The questionnaire for this research study will be overall 15 questions that is
mentioned in Appendix. The motive behind formulation of the questions is to gain actual
experience of the participants regarding the issues that ultimately helps in analyzing the data
easily. In the formulation of questionnaire, open-ended questions were used. It is described as
the free-form survey questions, which permits respondent for answering in the open format of
text that can be answered based on their complete understanding, feeling as well as
knowledge. These open-end questions are phrased as the statement that requires responses.
These responses are then compared to the information, which is already known to questioner
(Rowley, 2014).
The data collected from the realism study is quite large, which includes detailed
description of the questions that resulted in getting multiple set of information and detailed
quotes from the process of interview with the participants. Further, the analysis of data will
be based on segregating between useful and non-useful information for the study and
thorough analysis will be done on the important quotes and statements made by the
participants from their experience on the issue. Afterwards, the information collected will be
then combined into the research paper in order to provide clear description on the researcher
as well as participant’s experience regarding the research issue (McGuirk & O'Neill, 2016).

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Reflection
The motivation behind exploring the inquiry is related with my personal experience. I
myself have faced lots of issues when I was under treatment in Australian public hospital. I
found there that the services provided there was not so good, the doctors and the staff
working there was least bothered to provide required services to the patients and also, I found
limited available resources for meeting the needs of patients. Further, while interviewing
about the issues with the participants who were my friends, I have not done kind of biasness
with the data.
Conclusion
Therefore, this research paper analyzed healthcare system of Australia that include
private and public healthcare, model adopted by the government and different problems and
issues encountered by the healthcare system of Australia. In the attempt of conducting review
of Australian healthcare system in comprehensive manner, the qualitative research has been
conducted. Moreover, this paper will towards body of knowledge such as information
provided by this research could be used for investigating organization design of Australian
public hospitals, implementation of policy and bureaucratic capacity for improving
allocations of resources and public hospital’s performance and others.

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Reference
aihw.gov.au. (2020). Retrieved 29 March 2020, from
https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/f2ae1191-bbf2-47b6-a9d4-1b2ca65553a1/ah16-2-
1-how-does-australias-health-system-work.pdf.aspx
Australia : International Health Care System Profiles. (2020). Retrieved 29 March 2020, from
https://international.commonwealthfund.org/countries/australia/
Brown, A. (2014). Critical realism in social research: approach with caution. Work,
employment and society, 28(1), 112-123.
Duckett, S., & Willcox, S. (2015). The Australian health care system (No. Ed. 5). Oxford
University Press.
Fletcher, A. J. (2017). Applying critical realism in qualitative research: methodology meets
method. International journal of social research methodology, 20(2), 181-194.
Harris, P., Nagy, S., & Vardaxis, N. (2014). Mosby's Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing and
Health Professions-Australian & New Zealand Edition-eBook. Elsevier Health
Sciences.
McGorry, P. D., Goldstone, S. D., Parker, A. G., Rickwood, D. J., & Hickie, I. B. (2014).
Cultures for mental health care of young people: an Australian blueprint for
reform. The Lancet Psychiatry, 1(7), 559-568.
McGuirk, P. M., & O'Neill, P. (2016). Using questionnaires in qualitative human geography.
NHMRC. (2020). Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018 | Retrieved
29 March 2020, from https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/australian-
code-responsible-conduct-research-2018

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Rowley, J. (2014). Designing and using research questionnaires. Management Research
Review.
The Australian health system. (2020). Retrieved 29 March 2020, from
https://www.health.gov.au/about-us/the-australian-health-system
vox.com. (2020). Two sisters. Two different journeys through Australia’s health care system.
Retrieved 29 March 2020, from https://www.vox.com/2020/1/15/21030568/australia-
health-insurance-medicare

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Appendices
Questionnaire
1) What does the term healthcare mean to you?
2) Can you describe your thoughts on Australian Healthcare System?
3) What are the things that you like and don’t like about Australian Healthcare System?
4) How many times have you accessed the healthcare services of Australia?
5) Whose healthcare services are better, public hospitals or private hospitals of Australia and
why?
6) Do you have availed any Australian government schemes of healthcare, if yes then kindly
share your experience?
7) Can you provide some examples of how the healthcare system of Australia differs from
other countries?
8) What are your thoughts on Australian healthcare system and its response to the pandemic
such Corona Virus?
9) How many hospitals you visited are equipped with modern treatment and diagnosis?
10) In what ways is Australian healthcare sector is changing its technology for meeting the
needs of its patients?