Top 9 health consumer pain points

1. Access

Access to physical and digital health services is not equitable for all Australians. People living in regional and remote areas (1 in 3.4) have limited physical service options, have poorer internet connection and experience longer travel times. People with disabilities (1 in 5) or people who speak languages other than English (also 1 in 5) do not have reliable access to digital services, because these services have not been designed for them. With these figures, you can be guaranteed that the audience for your Australian health service WILL be made up of people who are remote, who are disabled, who do not speak English well.

1. Access

Access to physical and digital health services is not equitable for all Australians. People living in regional and remote areas (1 in 3.4) have limited physical service options, have poorer internet connection and experience longer travel times. People with disabilities (1 in 5) or people who speak languages other than English (also 1 in 5) do not have reliable access to digital services, because these services have not been designed for them. With these figures, you can be guaranteed that the audience for your Australian health service WILL be made up of people who are remote, who are disabled, who do not speak English well.

“It is a day trip just to see my GP. I’d love to do video calls, but my internet out here is just too slow” Doreen, 75, living in regional NSW

“I told them I couldn’t read the health information they gave me or fill in the forms. It was all in hard-copy print. They just said ‘get someone to help you.’ They expect that I want to ask friends and family to fill in the gaps in their system. There was no effort to make sure I could access the information.” — Moira, 58, legally blind and living alone.

“Everything was in English. My mum speaks Vietnamese and had no idea what she was agreeing to.” — Lien, 35, carer for her mother, Sydney

2. Cost

Cost is a major pain point for Australians. Expensive specialist appointments and tests is one of the biggest barriers stopping people from getting the healthcare they need.

In 2023, 1 in 12 people delayed or did not see a GP. 1 in 5 people avoided seeing a dentist, and 1 in 10 did not fill a medication prescription, because they couldn’t afford it. For people with chronic conditions, with disability or on low incomes, the numbers are even higher. Health consumers are also navigating unclear pricing, unexpected out-of-pocket expenses, and a lack of plain-English information about what’s covered.

“Because of the cost, I often have to choose between food or healthcare. Even when I try and balance everything, my card ends up being maxed out.” — Tanya, 38, part-time retail worker with endometriosis

“The gap fees kept stacking up. I end up cancelling appointments or put things off, just so I can manage the bills I already have. This means I end up pushing through the pain until it gets so bad I end up in emergency. It’s the only free option.” — Dean, 61, warehouse worker with arthritis

“I haven’t been to the dentist in years — it’s just too expensive. Between that and the cost of paying somebody to help me get there—it becomes a low priority.” — Marcus, 33, man with mobility issues whose income is the Disability Support Pension

3. Wait times

Wait times is one of the most persistently felt pain points for health consumers. 46% of Australians who needed urgent GP care in 2023–24 waited 24 hours or more. The typical wait time for allied health specialists (OT, speech, physio) is 3 to 6 months. Rural and regional communities face the longest waits—sometimes months to years, especially for paediatric, dental, and allied health. Because adult dental isn’t covered under Medicare, most Australians must pay out-of-pocket or join lengthy public queues (can 2-4 years), leading many to skip dental care entirely.

Excessive wait times are caused by the shortage in health professionals—exacerbated by aging populations, COVID aftershocks, and staff migration. 82% of health occupations, including GPs, nurses, and mental health professionals, are currently in shortage.

“The hardest thing is the waiting. We pay for specialists in the meantime because waiting to see a specialist on the public system is ridiculous.” Mother of a 15 month old and a 3 year old, South Australia.

“There is a waiting list even for the speech therapy, sometimes 3 to 4 months.” Father of a 2 year old, regional Victoria

“I’ve been on the public dental waitlist for over two years now. Every time I call, they just say I have to wait my turn. One of my molars cracked six months ago—I can’t chew properly on that side, but I can’t afford to go private either. So I just live with it.” Maree, 61, pensioner, regional Victoria

4. Lack of continuity of care

Australians are navigating a fragmented health system—one where services don’t speak to each other, digital records don’t sync, and where their health data is in many different places. While 23 million Australians have a My Health Record, it’s only as useful as the data uploaded and accessed—many providers still don’t use it. And so, health consumers bear the burden of coordination.

“Because of my illness, I see many different health professionals. Every time I see somebody new, I have to start from scratch. It feels like they don’t talk to each other or read case notes.” — Karen, 52, breast cancer patient in public hospital system

“My health information is in different formats—some hardcopy and some is stored in apps, some as email attachments. I have trouble keeping track. Adding to that, it gets complicated if I access a service privately. My care team often asks for reports. Why can’t it be easier for health professionals to access the information they need?” — Ali, 28, with a neurological condition navigating the public and private health sectors

“I had to take a photo of my discharge summary and then email it to the specialist who was sitting in the same building, the hospital from which I was discharged! It seems crazy, that she couldn’t look it up” - Brett, 65, recently visited ER

5. Difficulty navigating the health system

1 in 2 Australians say the healthcare system is too complex to understand. Processes, appointment systems, and information gathering have been built around what works for organisations and professionals, not around the health consumer.

This adds layers of stress onto health consumers and impacts their confidence to be active managers and decision makers of their health care.

“First, you have to decide whether to go public or private. Trying to work your way through it all, there are so many portals. Centrelink, NDIS, Medicare — it’s all too much. Nobody tells you how to navigate it all, you’re just expected to know.” — Matt, 33, with a disability new to the NDIS

"I was told I needed surgery, but no one explained what would actually happen. Was I meant to call someone? Wait for a letter? I had no idea what the steps were." Jess, 35, casual worker, Brisbane

"My son’s been missing milestones and showing signs of autism, but I don’t know who we’re supposed to see first — a paediatrician, a psychologist, someone else? It’s overwhelming." Sarah, 40, Mother of two, Adelaide

"When I got to hospital, they asked if I wanted to go public or private. I didn’t know what that meant — would it cost more? Would I be seen faster? No one explained it." Dan, 53, public housing resident, Sydney

6. Health literacy barriers

Health literacy is the degree to which health systems and providers enable individuals and communities to find, understand, and use information and services to make informed health decisions. Medical language is too complex, and health documentation is confusing. 60-95% of health information is too complex, 40-80% of health information is immediately forgotten, and 19-59% of people make errors when taking their medication.

“I nodded even though I didn’t understand. I didn’t want to seem stupid. The information I was given to look back on was in very small print. I couldn’t make sense of it. I left the clinic more confused than when I went in.” Rita, 63, Western Australia.

“Decisions were made about my treatment, but I wasn’t included. They just told me what needed to happen. I was just told what to do. They rushed through the information. I had questions, but didn’t ask because I didn’t want to be seen as difficult.” — Amir, 34, Afghan-born stroke survivor adjusting to a new care routine.

"I got the medicine but didn’t really understand how to take it — the label said ‘three times daily’ but didn’t say with food, or how far apart. I was too embarrassed to call and ask." Maria, 61, lives alone, Hobart

7. Gaps in mental health support

One in five Australians experience a mental health condition each year. The reasons people can not access mental health services are complex and include cost and stigma, but also digital tools are often not designed well and safely.

“It’s not easy to see who built the app—you can’t work out if it is reputable or not. Add to that, some of those tools spit out generic feedback. They’re build for people who already feel okay.” — Emma, 24, university student experiencing anxiety

“I kept it to myself for years. You don’t talk about mental illness in my community. I also worry that I will be treated differently in the health system if I mention that I have mental health issues.” — Yasmin, 40, Muslim woman caring for elderly parents

“There are so many barriers. There’s no bulk-billed psychologists where I live. It’s a two-hour drive and a five week wait to get in. The mental health plan only covers a few sessions. I need more than that.” — Sophie, 27, early career teacher dealing with burnout.

8. Bad design

This one hits home the most for us! So many health websites, apps and physical services, have not been designed around the health consumers' needs, nor according to user experience best practices. One study found that between 38% and 80% of people with diabetes stopped using apps designed to help them manage their condition. The main reasons? Poor layout, clunky manual data entry, and unreliable features.(Fu et al., 2018)

This problem is exacerbated by the fact there are many new organisations creating health services, with no health background or clinical governance frameworks. And vice versa, clinicians are creating digital services without any expertise in user experience design.

“I downloaded the diabetes app my doctor recommended, but gave up after a week. It took forever to log anything, and half the time it crashed. It just added stress — not support.”Janelle, 42, living with Type 2 diabetes

“Every time I try to use My Health Record, I end up giving up. It’s slow, confusing, and I can never find what I need. So now, I don’t even bother.” David, 57, managing multiple chronic conditions

“The x-ray app was full of medical terms and numbers and acronyms. The scan was impossible to see on my mobile. I don’t think it was designed for everyday people.” Aisha, 24, student

9. Trust

Trust and privacy are top concerns for Australian health consumers - Almost three-quarters of Australians rank data breaches as one of their top privacy concerns — especially when it comes to health information. (Source: OAIC, 2023)

People have been burnt when their private data has been leaked, so naturally they are concerned with the security of their health information. Willingness to share data increases when the use is clearly explained and aligned with personal benefit.

Groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse populations, and those with stigmatised health conditions have unique concerns and lower trust in systems.

“Too much of the wrong sort of data is collected - data that is blaming, that is meaningless and that is from an anglo perspective. Instead we need data to inform a comprehensive, nuanced narrative of who we are as peoples, of our culture, our communities, our resilience, our goals and our successes.” Professor Maggie Walter, University of Tasmania

“I work in tech – I know how often data gets mishandled. I’m not against sharing my health info, but I want to know exactly who’s using it, why, and how it’s protected. Otherwise, it’s a hard no.”

James, 35, IT professional, Sydney

“In my culture, some health issues are very private. I’d consider sharing my data if it helps others, but only if I fully understand how it will be used and feel confident it won’t be misused.”

Laila, 28, Migrant from Lebanon, lives in Melbourne

“There are widespread concerns that personal data may be misused by third parties, especially insurers and employers.” Consumers Health Forum of Australia and NPS MedicineWise, 2018 

So what?

This list certainly isn’t exhaustive and there are complex barriers faced by particular groups - older Australians, Indigenous Australians and people with complex health conditions. However, it’s a good list to guide the design of health services. Human-centred design approaches can be used to be reduce, if not eliminate each of these pain points. We have written another article, 8 essentials for designing digital health services, that outlines how.