News
Those living with disability could soon have a better way of monitoring quality of life, as Monash University’s newly launched Disability Wellbeing Index (DWI) gets set to improve services and guide disability policy across the country.
The Disability Wellbeing Index is a measure of outcomes based on what is important to people with disability in terms of their personal wellbeing, according to Monash University’s Centre for Health Economics.
According to the Disability Wellbeing Index website, the DWI was developed across four years through consultation with more than 3,500 Australians with disability and the wider disability sector.
Project lead, Professor Gang Chen, explains that the Index could be used to help measure the impact of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and other service providers
Measuring wellbeing through the DWI…will help the NDIA, providers and other agencies in the community to improve services for people with disability
Gang Chen
“Looking at the Index results over time and across services for diverse groups of people with disability can inform better planning decisions and assist in prioritising resources.”
According to the Disability Wellbeing Index website, the DWI aims to investigate ten areas of life including health, safety, relationships, personal care, meaningful activities, finances, learning and support.
Monash’s Centre for Health Economics Researcher, Professor Dennis Petrie, claims this is the first time a wellbeing index has been built from the ground up by and for people with disability.
“It captures what really matters to the participants, not just what systems think should matter. This will enable smarter, more compassionate investments in disability services and supports,” Professor Petrie says.
According to the researcher, the Disability Wellbeing Index is calculated by responses to a short questionnaire
Health Economics Professor, Anthony Harris, believes the measuring tool should be utilised to allow service providers and participants to make better choices.
“Ultimately if adopted as a routine measure of performance by providers we hope that it will lead to better support for people with a disability, and improved value for money as investment shifts to services that contribute more to wellbeing,” Professor Harris says.