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The HealthPathways Community - Enabling learning health systems to get evidence and policy into practice

Resource type
Author/contributor
Title
The HealthPathways Community - Enabling learning health systems to get evidence and policy into practice
Abstract
The HealthPathways Community, a global network of local health systems, is collaborating to get evidence and policy into practice at scale and improve the quality and experience of care for patients and clinicians. Based on a shared vision and values, the HealthPathways Community has developed a scalable approach to local care pathway development, to enable learning health systems. Each pathway is developed collaboratively by local clinicians, using a facilitated workgroup model to build relationships and reach agreement about local care processes. HealthPathways optimises patient flows and makes best use of the health workforce by supporting clinicians to practice at the top of their scope, reducing unwarranted variation in care. The HealthPathways Community has grown to include over 60 local health systems across New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and Canada, collectively responsible for the care of over 30 million people. Clinicians viewed HealthPathways guidance over 16 million times in the last 12 months. During the COVID-19 pandemic HealthPathways was used to rapidly get evidence and policy into practice across New Zealand and Australia, with pathway updates occurring daily. The community is collating examples improved quality and efficiency of care including reduction in low value diagnostics, improved prioritisation of outpatient consultations, and reduced acute demand. These have been translated into cost-savings of $9.76 per $1 invested in pathways. Recently the community has been developing methodologies for addressing equity issues in pathways. Key lessons from the development of the HealthPathways Community include the importance of shared vision and values, partnership and collaboration, effective local stakeholder engagement, agile development processes, and robust clinical governance. We aim to continue to grow the HealthPathways Community, strengthening the network to benefit all members. We are exploring the application of AI large language models to both the development and user experience of pathways.
Proceedings Title
International Journal of Integrated Care
Publisher
Ubiquity Press
Date
24 March 2026
Volume
26
Issue
S1
Language
en
Library Catalog
Notes

Study topic: This study examines how the global HealthPathways Community enables learning health systems to translate evidence and policy into routine clinical practice at scale, improving quality, efficiency, and clinician experience.

Study type: Conference abstract (descriptive case study)

Key finds:

  • The HealthPathways Community has expanded to over 60 local health systems across New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and Canada, collectively supporting care delivery for more than 30 million people.
  • Clinicians accessed HealthPathways guidance over 16 million times in the previous 12 months, demonstrating sustained, large‑scale use in day‑to‑day clinical decision‑making.
  • During the COVID‑19 pandemic, HealthPathways enabled rapid implementation of new evidence and policy, with pathway content updated daily across New Zealand and Australia to support frontline response.
  • Reported system‑level impacts include reduced use of low‑value diagnostic testing, improved prioritisation of outpatient consultations, and reduced acute service demand, indicating more appropriate care delivery.
  • Collated economic evaluations across the community indicate a return of $9.76 for every $1 invested in HealthPathways, demonstrating strong value for money at system scale.
Citation
Holland, K. (2026). The HealthPathways Community - Enabling learning health systems to get evidence and policy into practice. International Journal of Integrated Care, 26(S1). https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.ICIC25383