Key points
- Digital technology such as ambient scribes are now becoming common place at GP offices and in our health system platforms, such as My Health Record.
- CSIRO is contributing to many of these changes.
- Our research covers many aspects of healthcare including Alzheimer's disease, ambulance ramping and standards for health data.
If your GP sends you for a blood test over the next few months you may notice some changes.
Firstly, your results are likely to be available in your My Health Record before your doctor even calls. Then, when you do speak with them, they may use an AI tool that converts conversation to text, also known as an "ambient scribe", to record and summarise your visit.
These small shifts are part of a much bigger transformation. Australia is investing heavily in digital health infrastructure, and emerging technologies are playing a growing role in how healthcare is delivered. 
Behind the scenes, researchers are helping shape this future. At CSIRO's Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC) , scientists and engineers have been working for over 20 years to make healthcare smarter, safer and more connected. Our work spans everything from personalised medicine to hospital efficiency — all increasingly powered by AI.
Regardless of whether it's easy to see or toiling quietly in the background, our work is driven by a desire to improve the health system for patients and clinicians.
But what does that mean for us and our families as users of the healthcare system?
To this point, here is an overview of some of CSIRO's work in digital health which we hope will become features of Australia's healthcare.
Smarter records for a healthier you
The Federal Government now requires healthcare providers to upload your health information, meaning faster and easier access to your summary records, results, such as pathology and imaging.
To support this transition, we are leading the community of Sparked , Australia's Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) accelerator. Providing a set of rules and languages for databases, otherwise known as a standard, FHIR allows for the secure electronic exchange of healthcare data.
Thanks to Sparked driving the development of digital health data standards — you'll see better data in all health records over coming years.
A standard for an Australian Patient Summary, one of the key outputs of Sparked, means your data can be accessed and shared with your care team much more easily, making it easier for you to play an active role in your healthcare decisions.
Connecting data for a more connected you
Some of that "better data" will include standardised clinical terms to describe your health so that as data moves from system to system it is well understood.
AEHRC helps make this possible by managing Australia's national health terminology service, which is governed by the Australian Digital Health Agency. This work ensures that medical terms — for instance, the names of medicines or health conditions — are used consistently and allows for health data to be safely and accurately shared between hospitals, clinics and other healthcare providers.
This is just another way we ensure healthcare data can speak to each other across all the different places it needs to go .
Putting the heart into digital health
Cardiovascular disease is one leading causes of deaths in Australia. In 2023 there were 156 acute coronary events (for example, heart attacks) a day. Working with the National Heart Foundation, AEHRC helped develop a new cardiovascular risk calculator. It integrates directly with software used by doctors, pulling relevant data from your record and writing back the results — making it easier for doctors to assess risks and plan care. Next time you have your heart checked, a GP might be using this calculator to assess cardiovascular disease risk.
Caring for mothers and babies in a digital world
Gestational diabetes is on the rise, with 1 in 5 women who gave birth in 2020/21 being diagnosed. Managing this disease well is critical for the health of both mother and baby. AEHRC is trialling a digital care model with Queensland Health hospitals that replaces paper diaries with digital tools. Early results show it's just as effective as traditional care — and mums prefer it.
Helping Australians get access to Alzheimer's disease treatments
At the other end of life more Australians are getting dementia. In 2024, an estimated 425,000 Australians were living with dementia . That figure is predicted to more than double over the next 40 years. 
Our research over the past 20 years has been used to support the FDA and TGA approvals of some of the new Alzheimer's drugs now available that slow the progression of this terrible disease.
Now we are fast-tracking the regulatory approval of our imaging algorithm to identify the people who will benefit from this treatment.
Reducing bottlenecks and improving care
Ambulance ramping can mean life or death for some patients, and prolonged time to treatment for others. Our research has shown the complexity of the causes of this are across the care system – from aged care facilities to hospital in patients. AEHRC has developed a "digital twin" of Queensland's hospital and ambulance systems, which is a computerised model that lets decision-makers simulate different scenarios and improve hospital flow.
If you're curious to learn more, the AEHRC Annual Report 2024/25 offers a deeper dive into the science behind these changes.
The integration of digital technology into all parts of healthcare from diagnosis to treatment and beyond is a change that affects every single Australian. If carried out with care and consideration, technology has the ability to increase efficiency and effectiveness of treatment. This looks good on paper, but in real-life it also has the potential to transform how people receive healthcare. This means extra time with the people we love, it means the reduction of suffering and it presents an opportunity for us to live healthier for longer.
Dr David Hansen is CEO and Research Director of the Australian e-Health Research Centre at CSIRO. The AEHRC is CSIRO's digital health research program and a joint venture between the CSIRO and Queensland Health.
