Digital Health Space Blogs
Welcome to the Digital Health Space — a place to catch up across Australian health and care blog posts. We want to hear from you — send us your feedback and comments on the posts below by emailing [email protected] - follow us on Twitter @AuDigitalHealth
Protecting our online identity
- Created on Friday, 27 September 2019
Stay Smart Online Week runs from 7-13 October 2019. This year the focus is on protecting our online identity. In healthcare this means protecting personal information.
With personal information cyber criminals can steal our identity and then through impersonation use our credit cards, or set up and access accounts, which can result in significant financial and emotional losses.
Read more: Protecting our online identitySafe use of apps for My Health Record
- Created on Monday, 16 September 2019
As the use of mobile devices increases, there has been a similar increase in the proliferation of applications (apps) for the mobile device market.
Mobile device apps provide a convenient way to transact and access personal information from any location or while on the move. Like personal computers, mobile devices can be affected by malicious software designed to compromise your information.
Therefore, it is important to make sure any app you install on your mobile devices, including apps that connect to your My Health Record, are authentic and can be trusted to do what they claim.
Read more: Safe use of apps for My Health RecordMy Health Record lets Harry take control of his health information
- Created on Monday, 26 August 2019
Harry has been battling a combination of chronic conditions since early childhood. Now in his early 20s, his medical records were so extensive that they needed to be carried on a trolley.
Read more: My Health Record lets Harry take control of his health informationPutting the consumer at the centre – A conversation with Leanne Wells
- Created on Friday, 9 August 2019
As CEO of the Consumers Health Forum of Australia, Leanne Wells gives the consumer perspective the attention it deserves.
Read more: Putting the consumer at the centre – A conversation with Leanne WellsAre you and your healthcare organisation scam aware?
- Created on Monday, 5 August 2019
5 August 2019: This is the question to ask during Scams Awareness Week: 12-16 August 2019.
Australians made over 378 000 scam reports in 2018, with more than $489 million reported lost.1 Everyone is a target. | ![]() |
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The healthcare workforce of the future: a global perspective
- Created on Thursday, 30 May 2019
30 May 2019: Digital health technologies will play an important role in addressing projected global healthcare workforce shortages, KPMG’s Mark Britnell tells us.
Read more: The healthcare workforce of the future: a global perspectiveEngaging pharmacists to enhance medicines safety
- Created on Thursday, 30 May 2019
30 May 2019: The Pharmacist Shared Medicines List is a new feature coming to My Health Record that provides a complete view of a consumer’s medicines, including non-prescription and over the counter products.
Read more: Engaging pharmacists to enhance medicines safetyInteroperability: better connections for better care
- Created on Thursday, 30 May 2019
30 May 2019: What does interoperability look like, and how do we get there? Join the national conversation to have your say.
Read more: Interoperability: better connections for better careDigital health experts gather at HIMSS19 global conference
- Created on Monday, 1 April 2019
29 March 2019: Agency Chief of Staff Mark Kinsela reports from the 2019 HIMSS Global Conference.
Read more: Digital health experts gather at HIMSS19 global conferenceWhy is secure messaging between healthcare providers important?
- Created on Wednesday, 27 March 2019
27 March 2019: An interview with Melbourne GP and Australian Digital Health Agency advisor Dr Nathan Pinskier.
For many decades, healthcare providers have relied heavily on the use of antiquated technology like the fax machine and letters delivered by post, to share important patient information such as test results and referrals.
Read more: Why is secure messaging between healthcare providers important?Top trends in digital health – insights from the MSIA
- Created on Tuesday, 26 March 2019
29 March 2019: Emma Hossack and Robert Best from the Medical Software Industry Association share their insights with us.
Read more: Top trends in digital health – insights from the MSIADigital health: tools for shaping the future
- Created on Tuesday, 26 March 2019
29 March 2019: Digital health technologies are powerful tools for modernising health and care. We survey their roles in shaping the future of healthcare in Australia and internationally.
Read more: Digital health: tools for shaping the futureNational consumer and community education consultation workshops
- Created on Tuesday, 26 March 2019
29 March 2019: We’re consulting with communities around Australia to develop consumer education materials that will help people to increase engagement with their own care.
Read more: National consumer and community education consultation workshopsInteroperability is the answer. What is the question?
- Created on Tuesday, 26 March 2019
29 March 2019: The biggest challenges in improving healthcare interoperability are not technical.
Read more: Interoperability is the answer. What is the question?NCTS Connectathon: boot camp for digital health nerds
- Created on Tuesday, 26 March 2019
29 March 2019: NCTS Connectathons are great opportunities for digital health developers to enhance their implementation skills.
Read more: NCTS Connectathon: boot camp for digital health nerds“Please do not send letters, documents or messages via fax” – Dr Oliver Frank
- Created on Tuesday, 26 March 2019
29 March 2019: This Adelaide-based GP and columnist is taking a stand against outdated messaging technologies.
Read more: “Please do not send letters, documents or messages via fax” – Dr Oliver FrankDigital health in (clinical) practice – Dr John Aloizos
- Created on Tuesday, 26 March 2019
29 March 2019: John Aloizos, an Agency Senior Clinical Reference Lead, reflects on how digital health is empowering patients and enhancing clinical care.
Read more: Digital health in (clinical) practice – Dr John AloizosSeven Steps to Securing Your Smart Health Devices
- Created on Wednesday, 9 January 2019
9 January 2019: You may have received or purchased a new smart device over the Christmas and New Year period. Devices that are able to connect to the internet are often referred to as ‘smart’ devices.
Read more: Seven Steps to Securing Your Smart Health DevicesOur clinical experts, in their own words
- Created on Wednesday, 12 December 2018
20 December 2018: The Agency’s Clinical Reference Leads play a key role in ensuring the fitness for purpose of our products and services.
Read more: Our clinical experts, in their own wordsNavigating digital health – where we’ve been, and where we’re going
- Created on Wednesday, 12 December 2018
20 December 2018: The best way to predict the future is to create it. This special report shares some insights about what’s on the horizon for digital health in Australia.
Read more: Navigating digital health – where we’ve been, and where we’re goingNationwide secure clinical communications are on their way
- Created on Wednesday, 12 December 2018
20 December 2018: The Agency is working closely with industry, suppliers and vendors to deliver a true nationwide secure messaging capability.
Read more: Nationwide secure clinical communications are on their wayInteroperability in 2019: watch this space
- Created on Wednesday, 12 December 2018
20 December 2018: Interoperability is a journey, not a destination. But in 2019 we’ll be making big strides.
Read more: Interoperability in 2019: watch this spaceChildren’s health goes digital
- Created on Tuesday, 11 December 2018
20 December 2018: The Agency has partnered with eHealth NSW and the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network to enhance children's care and empower families through digital health technologies.
Read more: Children’s health goes digitalDigital engagement for chronically ill patients
- Created on Tuesday, 11 December 2018
20 December 2018: Large-scale trial of new model of care aims to engage and empower chronically ill patients through digital technologies.
Read more: Digital engagement for chronically ill patientsFive ways you can Stay Smart Online
- Created on Tuesday, 9 October 2018
10 October 2018
8-14 October 2018 is Stay Smart Online Week. We all have a role to play in keeping our information secure online. Staying smart online is just like locking your doors and securing your belongings. This week, take a look at your digital health from another perspective, and follow these tips to stay smart online.
Digitally enhancing population health
- Created on Thursday, 27 September 2018
27 September 2018: In 1985 Professor Geoffrey Rose published a paper that would fundamentally define the way we think about health, wellness, and disease prevention. In it he distinguished two fundamental approaches.
Read more: Digitally enhancing population healthAn electronic future for prescriptions
- Created on Thursday, 27 September 2018
27 September 2018: How do you get your tickets when you go to a music concert or a sporting event? What about your boarding pass when flying? More and more Australians are ditching paper tickets and opting for the convenience of receiving tickets and confirmations electronically.
Read more: An electronic future for prescriptionsWhere we were in August: conferences and digital health events
- Created on Wednesday, 29 August 2018
A snapshot of some of our activities around Australia.
Read more: Where we were in August: conferences and digital health eventsDrawing the blueprint for safer medicines
- Created on Wednesday, 29 August 2018
The Agency and its partners will co-produce a national digital medicines blueprint to coordinate digital medicines safety initiatives across Australia.
Read more: Drawing the blueprint for safer medicinesTowards frictionless health data exchange: Tech heavyweights band together
- Created on Tuesday, 28 August 2018
Some of the biggest names in the tech industry have jointly called for greater interoperability in digital health.
Read more: Towards frictionless health data exchange: Tech heavyweights band togetherFor he’s a jolly good (ACHI) Fellow
- Created on Tuesday, 28 August 2018
The Australian Digital Health Agency is helping to build the digital health workforce of tomorrow. Toby Hodgson shares his experiences of working with us.
Read more: For he’s a jolly good (ACHI) FellowWhere we were in July: conferences and digital health events
- Created on Monday, 30 July 2018
"Art of the Possible" in WA, PSA conference, and HIC
Read more: Where we were in July: conferences and digital health eventsResidential aged care gets connected through My Health Record
- Created on Friday, 27 July 2018
A Rockhampton Queensland initiative tests linkages between GPs, hospitals and Residential Aged care via My Health Record.
Read more: Residential aged care gets connected through My Health RecordAustralian Digital Health Agency celebrates its second anniversary
- Created on Friday, 27 July 2018
We now stand at the cusp of a national transformation of the delivery of health and care.
Read more: Australian Digital Health Agency celebrates its second anniversaryNext generation interfaces
- Created on Thursday, 26 July 2018
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality systems hold special promise in healthcare, improving safety and convenience, while offering entirely new models of delivering health and care.
Read more: Next generation interfacesThe view from Mount Isa
- Created on Thursday, 26 July 2018
How can My Health Record and other digital health services improve lives in Mount Isa? We travelled there to find out.
Read more: The view from Mount IsaInteroperability: find out what it means to me
- Created on Friday, 29 June 2018
Australian users of clinical information systems have told us what information they need from interoperable clinical systems. Understanding these needs will enable us to shape and prioritise the development of Australia’s digital health system.
Read more: Interoperability: find out what it means to meBetter data and a bigger workforce: In conversation with Professor Louisa Jorm
- Created on Wednesday, 20 June 2018
Professor Louisa Jorm is the Foundation Director of the Centre for Big Data Research in Health at UNSW. She is an Australian leader in policy-relevant research using linked administrative health data, including hospital inpatient, mortality and Medicare data, and is a high-profile advocate for more and better use of routinely collected health data for research. We spoke to Professor Jorm recently to talk through the potential of big data in health care and how we can ensure we have the technical expertise within the Australian health care sector into the future.
Read more: Better data and a bigger workforce: In conversation with Professor Louisa JormThe quiet achievers of digital health: celebrating 100 releases of the Australian Medicines Terminology
- Created on Thursday, 31 May 2018
Reflections of some of the pioneers of digital health in Australia.
Read more: The quiet achievers of digital health: celebrating 100 releases of the Australian Medicines TerminologyMy Health Record will allow consumers to take greater ownership of their health needs
- Created on Friday, 4 May 2018
Townsville resident Rebecca Vella believes My Health Record is an essential tool – and one that she uses often – to keep track of all of her important health information.
Read more: My Health Record will allow consumers to take greater ownership of their health needsA platform for empowerment
- Created on Friday, 4 May 2018
Pharmacist, Chris Braithwaite has worked in a variety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health locations since graduating in 2012, including at Katherine in the Northern Territory, Mount Isa and Cape York in Queensland.
Read more: A platform for empowermentMoving forward with paperless communication and record keeping
- Created on Wednesday, 2 May 2018
The Cairns-based obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Elizabeth Jackson actively uses My Health Record and strongly believes digital health is the way forward for Australia’s healthcare system.
Read more: Moving forward with paperless communication and record keepingAustralian healthcare providers prepare for My Health Record expansion
- Created on Thursday, 26 April 2018
The Agency and its partner organisations are engaging with healthcare providers across Australia to prepare for the transition to an “opt out” system.
Read more: Australian healthcare providers prepare for My Health Record expansionPharmacy goes digital: new guidelines, events and more
- Created on Tuesday, 24 April 2018
New Pharmaceutical Society of Australia guidelines, pharmacist Chris Braithwaite talks My Health Record, and TerryWhite Chemmart's three-day masterclass.
Read more: Pharmacy goes digital: new guidelines, events and moreMy Health Record – the connection to accessible information at any time
- Created on Monday, 23 April 2018
Hospital pharmacist Leonie Abbott discusses the benefits of My Health Record.
Read more: My Health Record – the connection to accessible information at any timeHow to design an award winning health app
- Created on Monday, 23 April 2018
The secret? Real co-design and co-production, says Cheryl McCullagh, Director of Clinical Integration at the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network
Read more: How to design an award winning health appEnhanced clinical leadership at the Australian Digital Health Agency
- Created on Monday, 23 April 2018
The Australian Digital Health Agency has greatly expanded its group of Clinical Reference Leads to promote greater engagement across healthcare sectors.
Read more: Enhanced clinical leadership at the Australian Digital Health AgencyDigital health beyond My Health Record
- Created on Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Smart medical devices will transform healthcare.
Read more: Digital health beyond My Health RecordWhat’s next for the Global Digital Health Partnership?
- Created on Tuesday, 27 March 2018
A conversation with Clinical Professor Meredith Makeham, the Agency’s Chief Medical Adviser.
Read more: What’s next for the Global Digital Health Partnership?Digital health for all
- Created on Tuesday, 27 March 2018
The Agency’s Marina Fulcher discusses what digital health means for Australia.
This article originally appeared on Australian Association of Practice Management (AAPM). Marina has over 25 years’ experience in healthcare practice management and is a Clinical Reference Lead working with the Australian Digital Health Agency on the My Health Record.
Read more: Digital health for allLooking ahead to a digital transformation of health and care
- Created on Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Digital health technologies will do more than just replace faxes and paper notes.
Read more: Looking ahead to a digital transformation of health and careInaugural listening forum opens the conversation with community groups
- Created on Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Led by the Clinical and Consumer Engagement and Clinical Governance division at the Australian Digital Health Agency.
Read more: Inaugural listening forum opens the conversation with community groupsDigital health leaders talk innovation
- Created on Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Digital health symposium brings together leaders, advocates and healthcare providers from around the globe.
Read more: Digital health leaders talk innovationBerrigan NSW takes the lead in connecting to My Health Record
- Created on Tuesday, 27 March 2018
First town in Australia to connect all medical services to the My Health Record.
Read more: Berrigan NSW takes the lead in connecting to My Health RecordWhat are the prospects for artificial intelligence in healthcare?
- Created on Tuesday, 27 February 2018
New report moves beyond the hype and speculation.
Read more: What are the prospects for artificial intelligence in healthcare?The importance of interoperability: a conversation with Dr Nathan Pinskier
- Created on Tuesday, 27 February 2018
Dr Nathan Pinskier discusses how interoperability across the sector will benefit greatly from the adoption of secure electronic messaging.
Read more: The importance of interoperability: a conversation with Dr Nathan Pinskier“Pharmacists have worked in the dark for way too long”
- Created on Tuesday, 27 February 2018
Associate Professor Mark Naunton says that pharmacists have worked in the dark for too long, and looks forward to them having secure access to patient health information.
Read more: “Pharmacists have worked in the dark for way too long”On the road, in the air – talking about My Health Record in Western Australia
- Created on Tuesday, 27 February 2018
Agency CEO Tim Kelsey’s reflections on his recent stakeholder meetings in Western Australia.
Read more: On the road, in the air – talking about My Health Record in Western Australia"My Health Record will definitely help ... There is no question."
- Created on Tuesday, 27 February 2018
Dr Michael Crampton was involved in the Nepean and Blue Mountains opt-out trial of My Health Record and has followed its evolution over the past few years.
Read more: "My Health Record will definitely help ... There is no question."Making timely and safe clinical decisions
- Created on Tuesday, 27 February 2018
Hospital pharmacist Leonie Abbott explains why having My Health Record accessible 24/7 is a huge benefit to the system.
Read more: Making timely and safe clinical decisionsDemand for mobile access continues to grow
- Created on Tuesday, 27 February 2018
Consumers demand access to health records anywhere and anytime.
Read more: Demand for mobile access continues to growApple’s new Health app heats up the digital health market
- Created on Tuesday, 27 February 2018
What does this mean for Australian developers, providers and consumers?
Read more: Apple’s new Health app heats up the digital health marketWhen every second counts: Q&A with Dr Andrew Hugman, Emergency Physician
- Created on Friday, 23 February 2018
Accurate and timely information is vital in medicine, and never more so than in emergency departments, where time is of the essence and patients may arrive in critical conditions.
Read more: When every second counts: Q&A with Dr Andrew Hugman, Emergency PhysicianGetting the care you deserve, no matter where you live
- Created on Thursday, 15 February 2018
Australia's famously harsh outback is an unforgiving place. To survive and prosper in such an environment requires more than just grit and self-reliance - it requires innovation. The Royal Flying Doctor Service and the School of the Air are just two of the famous Australian innovations that have helped to overcome the vast distances and support rural and remote communities.
Read more: Getting the care you deserve, no matter where you liveSydney North PHN facilitates a smooth transition to My Health Record
- Created on Monday, 12 February 2018
The thought of signing her pharmacy up to My Health Record was ‘a bit daunting’ for Berowra pharmacist Carrie Leung, but with assistance from the Sydney North Primary Healthcare Network (PHN) the process was completed smoothly and successfully.
Read more: Sydney North PHN facilitates a smooth transition to My Health RecordMy Health Record – a critical tool in improving patient care
- Created on Tuesday, 16 January 2018
The power of My Health Record was driven home to Adelaide-based GP Dr Chris Moy in an incident where he had to review an unwell patient who had been discharged early from hospital from another state without any information about his condition or follow up.
Read more: My Health Record – a critical tool in improving patient careBuilding a rich data repository of accurate information
- Created on Tuesday, 9 January 2018
My Health Record Expansion Programme Deputy Chair Dr Steve Hambleton discusses My Health Record.
Read more: Building a rich data repository of accurate informationMy Health Record - Connecting Pharmacists to the Healthcare Team
- Created on Thursday, 21 December 2017
Rachel Dienaar, a locum pharmacist who works mainly at the Nubeena Pharmacy on Tasmania’s Tasman Peninsula, recently shared her My Health Record story with Andrew Daniels as published in In The Know magazine on Friday 15 December 2017.
Read more: My Health Record - Connecting Pharmacists to the Healthcare TeamNudging digital health with David Halpern
- Created on Monday, 18 December 2017
We talk to the British psychologist who specialises in getting big results from small well-judged inputs.
Read more: Nudging digital health with David HalpernMy Health Record – get on board
- Created on Monday, 11 December 2017
Townsville-based GP Dr Ron Malpas has been practising for 30 years.
He is Tiger Corrigan’s GP. Tiger, who is 72 years old and suffers from multiple chronic conditions was featured in the recent My Health Record Men’s Health Kit GP. Here Dr Malpas shares his experiences with My Health Record.
Read more: My Health Record – get on boardEmpowering healthcare consumers to manage their information
- Created on Wednesday, 6 December 2017
Tony Kitzelmann, Chief Information Security Officer at the Australian Digital Health Agency describes how the security in the My Health Record system gives consumers the power to manage their health information.
Read more: Empowering healthcare consumers to manage their informationGPs: Install the latest version of clinical information systems (CIS) to get the most of out of My Health Record
- Created on Tuesday, 5 December 2017
Dr John Aloizos AM shares his views on how digital health benefits him as a GP, plus how important it is to ensure clinical information systems (CIS) are updated to get the most out of My Health Record.
Read more: GPs: Install the latest version of clinical information systems (CIS) to get the most of out of My Health RecordIt's easier being a patient with My Health Record
- Created on Monday, 20 November 2017
Over a period of three years from 2013 to 2016, Renee Downman experienced the exceptional treatment of Australia’s healthcare system for two serious health conditions. But what was different in those few years? Enter My Health Record.
In 2013, the young fitness instructor was diagnosed with Ewing...
Read more: It's easier being a patient with My Health RecordInteroperability: a personal view
- Created on Friday, 10 November 2017
By Bettina McMahon, Chief Operating Officer and Executive General Manager for Government and Industry Collaboration and Adoption.
Northcott is a not-for-profit organisation that provides services and innovation for people living with disability. Today Northcott is one of the largest not-for-profit disability service organisations in Australia and provides empowering, personalised services to over 13,500 people with disability, their families and carers each year.
Read more: Interoperability: a personal viewMy Health Record: what you can do!
- Created on Friday, 10 November 2017
Andrew Daniels shares his thoughts on how My Health Record can help pharmacies build digital health capabilities, as published in Post Script Australia on Monday 6 November 2017.
Read more: My Health Record: what you can do!Big data in healthcare: the US experience and potential for Australia
- Created on Monday, 24 July 2017
By Chief Medical Adviser, Meredith Makeham.
In this technologically advanced age, we are able to draw knowledge from many interesting sources which were not previously available to us.
As they are increasingly integrated into healthcare, electronic and digital technologies enable the collection of increasing amounts of data. Data which we are able to translate into knowledge, to help us make more informed decisions, and to improve the quality of services.
Professor Atul Butte, of the Stanford School of Medicine reminded us that within “mounds of data is knowledge that could change the life of a patient, or change the world.”
Read more: Big data in healthcare: the US experience and potential for AustraliaMeredith Makeham: Digital health transforming healthcare with benefits for Australians through My Health Record
- Created on Thursday, 1 June 2017
Chief Medical Adviser Meredith Makeham recently shared her thoughts with Healthcare IT News Australia on how digital health is transforming healthcare with benefits for Australians through My Health Record.
Read more: Meredith Makeham: Digital health transforming healthcare with benefits for Australians through My Health RecordMy Health Record and the Medicines Safety Program
- Created on Friday, 19 May 2017
By Steve Renouf. In 1993, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and it turned out that my four sons have it too, so we all have ongoing treatment for it. Eventually I got involved with Diabetes Australia and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation as their ambassador, which led to advocacy work with the diabetic community. For the last six years, I’ve worked for the Institute of Urban Indigenous Health, which is based in the South East Corner. We started off with four Aboriginal Medical Services and have grown to 18 services. At first I wasn’t sure if I was a good fit, because it’s a Commonwealth Advisory Committee and I don’t have a medical background; I wasn’t sure what I could contribute. But I soon realised it’s important for someone to represent consumers, ensure their best interests are on the table. I see myself as a bridge between them and the medicos.
Read more: My Health Record and the Medicines Safety ProgramInnovation is a team sport
- Created on Tuesday, 2 May 2017
Words like "disruption" and "transformation" get bandied about a lot these days, along with their more prosaic cousins "change" and "innovation". With Australians now spending more time in front of a screen each day than they do sleeping, we are seeing the shift as consumers choose "digital first" to manage both their personal and professional lives.
Organisations have seen the writing on the wall and are seeking new ways to adapt to this changing environment in pursuit of ever-greater efficiencies and operational effectiveness.
Read more: Innovation is a team sportHealth in an age of information
- Created on Thursday, 20 April 2017
"Cause we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl"[1]
You know these lyrics. Madonna's single "Material Girl" and its accompanying video were huge hits in 1985, and went on to define much of her career. But was she right? Is she really a material girl? And are we living in a material world? More than 30 years after she sang this song, we find that the world we live in is becoming less and less about material things, and more and more about information.
From the perspective of the national and global economy, information technology is a vast and growing sector that is displacing manufacturing in value and influence. A similar trend is apparent in the economy of our daily lives: financial transactions are routinely conducted electronically, and reliance on the physical tokens of notes and coins starts to seem quaint.
Read more: Health in an age of informationMy Health Record in General Practice
- Created on Monday, 10 April 2017
Dr Steve Hambleton, MBBS FAMA FRACGP (Hon) GAICD
Follow Dr Steve on Twitter @SteveJHambleton
Amongst my other roles, I've been a GP at the Kedron Park 7-Day Medical Centre in Brisbane for the past 29 years. Many of my patients have been in my care for a long time and I know them very well but I cannot be there for them every day. Like a lot of GPs who have been in the same practice for a long time, I mainly treat people with chronic and complex disease.
Pictured: Dr Steve Hambleton
I believe one of the responsibilities of General Practitioners is to facilitate patients’ interactions with the health system as a whole, and it’s particularly important for those with chronic ailments. For this reason, I am an early adopter of My Health Record – the secure, online digital summary of a patient’s pertinent medical information, including diagnosis, outcomes, medications, reactions and allergies.
Read more: My Health Record in General PracticeBringing Digital Health to Central Australia — introducing Dr Sam Goodwin
- Created on Wednesday, 5 April 2017
Australia's digital health system is currently developing and evolving to best serve the community's needs, and arguably, people living in the most remote areas of the continent stand to benefit the most. Recently, Tim Kelsey, CEO, Prof Meredith Makeham, Chief Medical Advisor and I travelled to the Northern Territory to meet with a number of stakeholders, among them, Dr Sam Goodwin, the Executive Director of Medical and Clinical Services with the Central Australian Health Service. Having lived and worked in the area for 11 years, Dr Goodwin gives first-hand insights into the challenges faced by remote communities and how digital services can make a significant, positive difference.
Dr Sam Goodwin Executive Director of Medical and Clinical Services with Central Australian Health Service
Read more: Bringing Digital Health to Central Australia — introducing Dr Sam GoodwinChild Immunisation and Digital Health
- Created on Sunday, 8 January 2017
The week before Christmas 2016, with temperatures peaking at 43 degrees, I travelled with our CEO, Tim Kelsey and Chief Medical Adviser, Clinical Professor Meredith Makeham to Perth, Bunbury and Busselton in Western Australia.
Read more: Child Immunisation and Digital HealthStarting the conversation on digital health
- Created on Friday, 18 November 2016
Dr Monica Trujillo, Chief Clinical Information Officer for the Australian Digital Health Agency, talks about how putting data and technology safely to work for patients, consumers and the healthcare professionals who look after them can help Australians live healthier, happier and more productive li...
Read more: Starting the conversation on digital healthAutomating faxes was just the start: Inala Primary Care and Digital Health
- Created on Wednesday, 16 November 2016
Driving through the streets of Inala, a south-west Brisbane suburb, is always memorable. The 1950s style brick-and-stucco housing is clear evidence of Inala’s origins as a post-war social housing experiment. Through the decades, disadvantage has continued to dominate the area, populated by the elderly and predominantly African, Middle Eastern and Asian communities – in particular Vietnamese, who were among Australia’s first wave of ‘Boat People’ and made Inala their home. Indigenous art work in the local parks reflect one of Queensland’s largest agglomerations of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Island and Pacific Island peoples.
Read more: Automating faxes was just the start: Inala Primary Care and Digital HealthMobile enablement meeting consumer demands
- Created on Wednesday, 16 November 2016
In September 2016, I was invited to speak at HISA Queensland’s workshop for Health Data Interoperability, held at Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital. As the title suggests, the workshop brought together clinicians, technologists and other health informaticians to discuss various approaches to making interoperability within digital health services a reality. Such interoperability is universally recognised as a key component for an effective, user-friendly service.
Read more: Mobile enablement meeting consumer demandsWhy I’m behind digital health
- Created on Friday, 11 November 2016
Watch the National Digital Health Consultation: Findings so far to hear what Australian communities are saying about the future of health and care.
“Can you give me a call when you’re free, love mum.”
The message flashed up on my phone and my heart dropped. I knew something was up. My mum’s attempts at ‘text speak’ usually end up with half a screen of rambled shortcuts that I need to look up urban dictionary to decipher. This, on the other hand, was too short for comfort.
Read more: Why I’m behind digital healthAustralian Migrant Resource Centre – Hearing Their Stories
- Created on Tuesday, 1 November 2016
In light of the Australian Digital Health Agency’s commitment to delivering the best possible digital health services to Australia, we recognise the importance of going out and talking to people, hearing their individual health issues and concerns. It’s been one of the most interesting aspects of my job in the Agency’s Communications team.
Read more: Australian Migrant Resource Centre – Hearing Their StoriesThe power of data to make healthcare safer
- Created on Monday, 31 October 2016
I am in the school of pharmacy and medical sciences at the University of South Australia in Adelaide looking at the ceiling of Professor Libby Roughead’s office. ‘It used to be lower,’ she says. ‘We had to take out the overhead partition because somebody could have crawled through it’. This is one of the most secure offices in South Australia, perhaps the country. It is where data on the health of Australia’s 250,000 veterans is analysed. When a veteran receives their Gold card they are invited to consent to their medical information being reviewed to ensure they get the best possible care.
Read more: The power of data to make healthcare saferPrivacy – enabling trust and confidence in digital health
- Created on Sunday, 16 October 2016
What's the collective noun for a group of healthcare providers? A horde? A congregation? Certainly not a gaggle. I think it should be an orchestra – just as an orchestra is made up of distinctive yet harmonious sections, so too is the healthcare industry.
Read more: Privacy – enabling trust and confidence in digital healthHow to harness the power of the modern information revolution: reflections from Perth
- Created on Wednesday, 12 October 2016
Nine years ago, Fiona’s husband Peter was diagnosed with a brain tumour. It was benign and they were told that it wouldn’t kill him, but would be ‘a bit of a nuisance’. Peter, who worked as a business consultant in Western Australia, went into hospital for surgery – and then their world was shattered. There was a complication after his second operation and Peter, vulnerable to infection, contracted meningitis. He suffered brain damage and has required around-the-clock care ever since. What initially seemed like something Peter and Fiona could live with, now consumes their whole lives.
Read more: How to harness the power of the modern information revolution: reflections from PerthUnleashing the power of people - How digital services can transform healthcare
- Created on Monday, 12 September 2016
Here is our first blog post from the Agency CEO Mr Tim Kelsey.
Tim Kelsey, CEO of the Australian Digital Health Agency
Everybody in Darwin is hoping for rain: it is heating up and a humid summer is coming. We drive along the foreshore towards Palmerston, past the mangroves that mantle the ocean. I have been invited by Dr Sam Heard to come and listen to patients and staff in his practice, the Palmerston GP Super Clinic. It is a great innovation – a joint venture between Charles Darwin and Flinders universities to give local people access to comprehensive primary care services in one setting, from medical and pharmacy through to podiatry.
Read more: Unleashing the power of people - How digital services can transform healthcare