The need

A growing burden of complex, long term conditions is driving demand for health care around the world, yet skilled health professionals and funding are increasingly in short supply. These factors threaten to overwhelm the capacity of healthcare systems to respond. New approaches to promoting health, preventing disease, and providing healthcare are urgently needed.

However, at a time when investment in change is most needed, public funds are increasingly constrained. To have the best possible chance of success, solutions must be underpinned by robust evidence of effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and equity. There is no margin for poor decisions.

Why NIHI?

The National Institute for Health Innovation (NIHI) is a University of Auckland Research Institute that exists to enable the best decisions to be made about the delivery of healthcare, the technology to support that care delivery and the prevention and management of disease. NIHI provides the independent evidence that supports individuals, communities, clinicians, service planners, funders and policy makers to 'get it right'.

NIHI's scientists have world-class expertise in developing novel health interventions and in measuring, monitoring and tackling the leading health conditions and their causes; NIHI's informatics and health technology experts develop new approaches to the use of health information to shed light on health problems, and trial the use of information technology to drive and scale up e-health and telehealth across healthcare systems;the Institute's clinical trials capability enables rigorous assessments on the efficacy of new pharmaceuticals, new ways of using existing drugs, and new approaches to prevention and treatment that involve behaviour change, often supported by mobile and device-based technologies; the EPIQ group, a NIHI Associate Centre, is expert in evidence-based decision support and quality improvement. Health Systems, another NIHI Associate Centre, undertakes economic evaluations, assesses health system performance and evaluates innovative models of care.

Knowledge translation to change policy and practice

NIHI works with people who need high-quality information to enable change, from those who make and implement policies that affect people's health, who need and use healthcare services and systems, to those who provide, organise and fund healthcare.

Success

NIHI's success will ultimately be measured by its contribution to improving people's health and increasing health equity within and between populations. More immediate indicators include changes in practice, systems and policies that in time will lead to health improvement and the more cost effective delivery of healthcare. 

Chris Bullen, Director