Here are a few I have come across the last week or so. Note: Each link is followed by a title and a few paragraphs. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.
General Comment
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Another pretty quiet week with all sorts of odd angles emerging on some topics like telehealth and app reliability.
As usual there is at least one Government ‘stuff-up’ to discuss!
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Bug found on Australian government app generating digital COVID-19 vaccine certificates
An independent researcher has demonstrated the app's weakness by faking his own certificate.
By Adam Ang
September 10, 2021 03:17 AM
A Sydney-based software engineer has made known a suspected bug on the Express Medicare Plus app by Services Australia that could potentially enable the creation of fake digital COVID-19 vaccine certificates.
On 18 August, Richard Nelson took to Twitter an issue he found on the federal government app that made it possible for him to manipulate his own digital vaccine certificate. He also found that the app does not verify a person's vaccination data.
Since then, he reached out to the federal government agency but to no avail. He also reported the issue to the Australian Signals Directorate, the country's spy agency, who then forwarded the case to Services Australia.
According to a news report, the agency has acknowledged Nelson's report and asked the public to inform the government about individuals who they suspect are forging their digital COVID-19 vaccine certificates.
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Phone consults are risky: My 'Spidey sense' saved a serious misdiagnosis
Dr Ro Goel is a GP and cosmetic physician, Cairns, Qld.
6th September 2021
As the COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the country telehealth consultations have increased too. And with them the inability to practise medicine as we’ve all been taught from medical school.
Telehealth has severely limited our ability to perform proper history taking, physical examination, bedside testing and the chance to use our ‘Spidey sense’ as I call it.
This Spidey sense is the gut feel that GPs get on seeing a patient in-person that intuitively guides us on whether they are genuinely sick or not, despite what they may be saying.
The classical cases are undiagnosed depression and cancer, where we can see the patient lacks emotion or is pale and cachectic even though they’re saying, “I’m fine doc”.
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/will-specialists-consent-greg-hunt-revealing-their-fees
Will specialists consent to Greg Hunt revealing their fees?
The Medical Costs Finder site is being revamped
10th September 2021
On the scale of government-funded white elephants, the Medical Costs Finder website is certainly not the biggest beast in the health policy safari park.
It has not generated the taxpayer bills of My Health Record or disappeared into the National Medical Stockpile like Clive Palmer’s 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine — never to be seen again.
But it has failed to fulfil its basic promise: to let patients compare fees between different non-GP specialists offering the same procedure in the same local area.
When it launched in 2019, the site simply provided average out-of-pocket costs by post code for 62 hospital procedures.
It listed what percentage of patients paid no gap. And of those patients who did pay a gap, it showed what the median, top 10% and lowest 10% of fees were.
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/practice/how-could-australian-vaccine-passports-work
How could Australian vaccine passports work?
Stringent safeguards will be needed to prevent hacking by anti-vaxxers
10th August 2021
COVID-19 vaccine passports seem to be moving closer to reality in Australia.
The Federal Government’s new ‘road to normal’ plan involves easing restrictions for people who are vaccinated, which it hopes will be an incentive for more people to step up and get the shot.
While the precise details are still being thrashed out, the Prime Minister flagged letting vaccinated Australians move freely through state borders as an example.
But presumably, to do that, you need to verify someone’s vaccination status at the border.
So how will these vaccine passports work in practice?
The government has touted that vaccination is recorded in the Australian Immunisation Register and listed in a patient’s Medicare record — which they can access through the pre-existing Medicare app.
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/men-prefer-telehealth-sexual-problems
Men prefer telehealth for sexual problems
Almost one in three blokes say they prefer online rather face-to-face care: US survey
6th September 2021
When it comes to broaching sexual health problems, men appear more comfortable covering them in telehealth rather than face-to-face consults, a US survey shows.
Around 44% of men would rather discuss sexual health matters with their doctors over the phone or online “because they are too embarrassed to do it in person”, according to a poll by Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.
The survey of more than 1000 men also shows that for any health matter 29% would rather have an online visit with a doctor or health professional than a face-to-face appointment.
The pandemic saw virtual appointments at the Cleveland Clinic rocket from 37,000 in 2019 to 1.2 million in 2020.
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SA hospitals: digital analytics tool to improve staff planning, patient outcomes
Monday, 06 September, 2021
A new Digital Health CRC (DHCRC) project aims to enhance workforce planning and improve patient outcomes at South Australia’s major public hospitals.
Led by DHCRC participants the University of South Australia and SA Health, the project will provide and evaluate digital analytics tool that can provide advance notice of emerging risk of adverse events in healthcare environments.
The South Australian public health system will apply advanced data science techniques to support clinical and executive decision-makers, which includes optimising patient data analytics to create value for health consumers and stakeholders.
The project, which will aim to help issues such as ramping, suicide prevention, medication and falls incidents, will begin in Central and Southern Adelaide Local Health Networks clinical settings — the two largest in the state with a preliminary focus on general medical and mental health departments.
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Digital health accelerator targets 25 high-growth companies
Carrie LaFrenz Senior reporter
Sep 10, 2021 – 9.09am
After receiving a $19.75 million funding injection from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), digital health accelerator ANDHealth will open applications today for its flagship program where funds will be dispersed to companies that may one day change Australia’s health and medical research landscape.
Bronwyn Le Grice, CEO and founder of ANDHealth, says there will be a big diversity component for companies applying to this flagship program.
The ANDHealth+ program will be augmented by a dedicated fund, the ANDHealth Digital Health Accelerator Fund, which will ensure investments made under the program will drive maximum impact and growth in selected small to medium enterprises.
ANDHealth chief executive and founder Bronwyn Le Grice said this is the government’s biggest single investment in the digital health sector, which is great recognition of the importance to Australia and the economy.
“These are products (of companies) that spent a lot of time in pre-revenue because they have to do clinical trials, but they also require deep medical research,” Ms Le Grice told The Australian Financial Review.
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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/579173/Call-to-protect-contact-tracing-data.htm
eHealthNews.nz:
MOST RECENT NEWS
Call to protect contact tracing data
Tuesday, 7 September 2021
NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
More than 100 academics and
privacy experts have signed an open letter calling on the Government to ensure
personal information collected for contact tracing is not misused.
The letter to Covid-19 Response
Minister Chris Hipkins says, “we urge you to consider the adoption of
legislative protections for recordkeeping data collected for contact tracing
purposes as a matter of urgency,”
Mandatory record keeping was announced on August 22, which includes not only
the use of the NZ COVID Tracer app to scan QR codes, but also manual
recordkeeping in workplaces as well as people using personal apps and diaries
to record their movements.
The letter says this requirement to record data at all alert levels in certain
venues will lead to a significant increase in the amount of data being
collected by individuals and businesses.
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Technical barriers and costs hindered New Zealand GPs' shift to e-prescribing, survey reveals
During last year's lockdown, some patients were hoarding repeat medications while some were not taking them at all.
By Adam Ang
September 10, 2021 03:26 AM
While most general practitioners in New Zealand have embraced the move to electronic medication prescribing at the start of the pandemic, some have struggled to adapt.
A study from the University of Ontago, which was recently published in the New Zealand Journal of Primary Healthcare, surveyed over 160 GPs, practice nurses and nurse practitioners across the island country to know how they dealt with the change in issuing scripts. The survey ran for 16 weeks from May when the Level 4 lockdown was implemented.
FINDINGS
The study revealed that some GPs were ill-prepared for the shift to e-prescribing, especially among those who had not adopted it as standard practise prior to the pandemic. There were concerns over the cost of installation and technical barriers; others had systems that were not compatible with those in pharmacies, leading to delays in issuing scripts.
It was also noted that the pandemic-induced lockdown had an effect on patient behaviour. According to the researchers, some GPs said their patients were "stockpiling, hoarding and panic-buying" medications due to concerns that the border closure might affect supply.
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Audit says Vic doesn't have an effective statewide incident management system
Friday, 03 September, 2021
Victoria has made some progress in improving its clinical governance, but doesn't have a fully functioning statewide incident management system, according to the latest Victorian Auditor-General's Office (VAGO) audit.
In 2016, the Victorian Government commissioned the Targeting zero report, following a cluster of baby deaths at Djerriwarrh Health Services. The report found that the then Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) was not effectively leading and overseeing quality and safety across the health system and recommended VAGO to follow up on the Department's progress in improving clinical governance.
In February this year, DHHS was split into the Department of Health (DH) and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.
The recent VAGO audit looked at how DH — including Safer Care Victoria (SCV) and the Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI) — managed quality and safety risks across the health system and examined how it produces and uses information to identify and reduce risks.
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https://www.miragenews.com/extension-to-digital-image-prescriptions-628459/
9 Sep 2021 8:38 am AEST
Extension to Digital Image Prescriptions
Pharmacy Guild of Australia National President, Trent Twomey, has welcomed extension of Digital Image Prescriptions from end September to end December 2021.
Digital Image Prescriptions have been an option providing Australians with prompt access to their PBS medicines during COVID and allowing timely claiming by pharmacies. This has been particularly valuable when people have been in lockdown, as well as part of prescriber telehealth arrangements.
It means that all Commonwealth COVID PBS arrangements will continue to the end of December 2021 – Digital Image Prescriptions, expanded Continued Dispensing, prescription signature exemptions and the home delivery service.
The Commonwealth extension to Digital Image Prescriptions does require enablement under state and territory laws and Guild Branches will be providing further updates to members for their jurisdiction.
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https://www.digitalhealth.net/2021/09/industry-news-in-brief-46/
Industry news in brief
The latest Digital Health News industry round up includes news on an automated recruitment platform for clinical studies, an acquisition in the medical imaging field and an Australian company focused on measuring coding launching into the UK.
Cora Lydon 10 Sep 2021
Beamtree launches into UK
Former NHS leader, Tim Kelsey, has launched an international division of Beamtree into the UK – an Australian company that focuses on measuring coding and the quality of hospital care.
Kelsey leads the Australian company, but the new London-based arm will be led by coding policy expert Jennifer Nobbs and former Paterson Inquiry advisor Alex Kafetz. Beamtree works with health organisations around the world in a bid to improve the capture, management and leverage of human expertise. The UK office will focus on AI in health, clinical decision support, data quality and analytics supporting better health outcomes.
It’s work will be supported by a global advisory committee – chaired by health expert Mark Britnell – which will provide guidance on strategies and policies to promote best practice and innovation in health data.
The company has also announced two new acquisitions to bolster its support to UK organisations. They are Ainsoff Pty Ltd, a clinician-led healthcare analytics company and Potential (x) an Australian firm that provides comparative analytics to support improvements in care.
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https://wildhealth.net.au/pinpointing-what-makes-emrs-so-annoying/
9 September 2021
Pinpointing what makes EMRs so annoying
By Holly Payne
The poor usability of key hospital records-keeping systems must be addressed if they are to live up to their potential as a clinical tool, rather than a data repository, according to new Australian research.
Virtually every GP clinic, public hospital and private specialist now uses at least one form of electronic medical record (EMR) system to store and share patient information.
Despite this proliferation, there is a relative lack of quantitative research looking at how these systems are used in practice, and what features make them usable.
Building on research carried out in Finland, a recent paper published in the International Journal of Medical Informatics is the first study examining the usability of Australian EMRs.
Led by Griffith University health informatics researcher Dr Sheree Lloyd, the research looked at the experiences of community-based GPs, hospital-based clinicians and hospital-based nurses.
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https://www.itwire.com/mobility/facebook-and-ray-ban-launch-ray-ban-stories-smart-glasses.html
Friday, 10 September 2021 11:37
Facebook and Ray-Ban launch Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses
Facebook collaborates with eyewear company Ray-Ban to launch Ray-Ban Stories, smart glasses that can capture photos and videos, hear music or take phone calls.
The Ray-Ban Stories come with dual integrated 5MP cameras, which users can take photos and record up to 30-second videos using the capture button or hands-free by commanding Facebook Assistant voice. A hard-wired capture LED lights up to indicate the user’s activity to people nearby.
Streamlined, open-ear speakers are built in, and Ray-Ban Stories’ three-microphone audio array delivers voice and sound transmission for calls and videos. It features Beamforming technology and a background noise suppression algorithm facilitate better calls.
Ray-Ban Stories pairs with the new Facebook View app, so users can share their stories with friends and social media followers.
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Facebook’s ‘smart glasses’ are coming
2:00AM September 10, 2021
Facebook is confident it can succeed where the likes of Google Glass have failed, launching Ray-Ban Stories – futuristic smart glasses that feature dual 5 Megapixel cameras, speakers and a three-microphone audio array.
The device, available in Australian stores from next week, will allow users to capture first-person videos of up to 30 seconds and photos using its dual cameras, as well as take phone calls and listen to music.
Amid a broadening backlash against ‘Big Tech’, Facebook says privacy is paramount. The glasses feature LED lights that light up to let people nearby when you’re taking a photo or video, and they also have a physical power switch to turn off the cameras and microphone.
Designed to look like unassuming normal glasses, Ray-Ban Stories are available in 20 variants including Wayfarer, Round and Meteor, and a range of lenses including clear, sun, and prescription. The glasses also feature built-in speakers for listening to podcasts and music, as well as a three-microphone audio array for phone calls and recording videos.
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7 September 2021
Telstra Health and Hayylo to streamline aged care, disability interactions
Aged Care Disability SPONSORED
Sponsored
Telstra Health has partnered with Hayylo, a homegrown award winning software platform, to simplify digital technology adoption in the aged care and disability industry by offering capabilities to interact with care recipients and their loved ones.
“Our companies share the same drive for a more connected and tech-enabled sector. Hayylo is a well-developed communication platform that complements our solutions as an added value to our client base”, explains Michael Donnelly, Head of Aged & Disability at Telstra Health.
The partnership aims to further support Telstra Health’s client base via Hayylo’s smart communication platform and provider branded mobile apps. Providers using Telstra Health’s solutions can implement Hayylo which will work in the background and automatically integrate data to drive operational efficiency. It then powers easier and transparent ways for care recipients, families and teams to self-service information around schedules, visit details, requests, care notes, statements and budget use.
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https://www.itwire.com/home-it/wearable-band-shipments-up-by-nearly-6-in-second-quarter.html
Tuesday, 07 September 2021 10:22
Wearable band shipments up by nearly 6% in second quarter
By Sam Varghese
Global shipments of wearable bands grew by 5.6% year-on-year with a total of 40.9 million units being shipped in the second quarter of 2021, the technology analyst firm Canalys says, adding that the decline of basic band shipments, which began in the final quarter of 2020, has extended into the second quarter this year.
Shipments of basic bands fell to 15.5 million units, a drop of 23.8%, but this decline was offset by growth in shipments of wristwatches.
Together, shipments of basic watches and smartwatches touched 25.4 million, a rise of 37.9%, with wristwatches accounting for 62% of the global wearable ban shipments.
Asked to define these categories of wearables, Canalys research manager Jason Low told iTWire: "A basic band is a wrist-worn device in the form of a wristband or bracelet with a display smaller than 0.6 square inches or without a display, serving a specific set of purposes, acting as an accessory to a smart device, and one that cannot run third-party computing applications. Examples are Xiaomi Mi Band, Fitbit Charge 4, Garmin vivosmart 4, etc.
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Enjoy!
David.
3 comments:
I find the first article particularly troubling. Why testing is not being conducted thoroughly (and can they publish the test cases?) then when a high risk bug is reported it is dismissed with the discoverer having to escalate to the ASD! With the ADHA now operating on Service NSW and Service Australia moulded individuals should there be concern over quality? I think there is
The problem with the digital certificate is not a "bug" it is fundamental design problem.
The "the digital certificate" is a pdf file which can easily be faked.
The problems are
a) verifying that the individual with the certificate is who they say they are
b) that the certificate is a true copy of what is in the AIR, and
c) how all this verification will happen and who will do it and pay for it? The police, the government? vendors/service providers?
It's about as well thought through as all the other useless government IT systems such as My Health Record, CovidSafe & the system that records aboriginals who have been vaccinated. The technical term is a clusterf**k.
And in a single action the DoH and their minister bolsters those who support the spread of COVID, further drive concern in the community over safety of anything to do with COVID and further deepen distrust in governments.
Still I am sure they just see it as a software bug, those silly IT folk downstairs
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