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This weekly blog is to explore the news around the larger issues around Digital Health, data security, data privacy, AI / ML. technology, social media and related matters.
I will also try to highlight ADHA Propaganda when I come upon it.
Just so we keep count, the latest Notes from the ADHA Board are still dated 6 December, 2018! How pathetic is that for transparency? Secrecy unconstrained!
Note: Appearance here is not to suggest I see any credibility or value in what follows. I will leave it to the reader to decide what is worthwhile and what is not! The point is to let people know what is being said / published that I have come upon.
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/case-report/managing-critically-ill-telehealth
Managing the critically ill via telehealth
Alarm bells start ringing when a patient 'presents' with nausea, diarrhoea and a painful abdomen
26th May 2020
By Associate Professor Renata Chapman-Konarska
Beth is a 65-year-old regular practice patient who has arranged a same-day telephone consultation with her GP.
Beth reports that 36 hours previously she woke in the middle of the night with severe epigastric pain with associated nausea and diarrhoea.
She recalled eating a rich (and perhaps not so fresh) cake, a few hours earlier. Her husband, Jim, ate the same cake but has been well.
Beth took some paracetamol with warm tea that night and felt some improvement.
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https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/webinar-introduction-to-my-health-record-tickets-106171313256
Jun 25
Webinar: Introduction to My Health Record
by City of Tea Tree Gully ADHA Propaganda
Description
This session will introduce you to My Health Record. My Health Record is an online platform allowing healthcare professionals to share information with each other as well as the patient, to help give a clearer and more complete picture of a person’s health to aid in their treatment. This session will give you an overview of the platform, along with the opportunity to access and use My Health Record.
You will need an active email address and a MyGov account.
This is an online webinar and an email with the webinar link will be provided provided prior to the session.
Tea Tree Gully library has received a grant to deliver this course and is required to capture attendees details as part of this funding.
Tags
Date and Time
Thu, 25 June 2020
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM AEST
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It Seems That For Some The #myHealthRecord Can Be A Real Risk.
https://www.myhealthrecord.gov.au/
In immediate danger? Call 000 now.
For 24/7 support and counselling, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
Call 1800 723 471 if you think your family's safety is at risk due to information in a My Health Record.
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/opinion/should-you-be-worried-about-privacy-covidsafe
Should you be worried about privacy with COVIDSafe?
Antony is a medical reporter with a special interest in technology and pharmacy.
29th May 2020
When the Federal Government announced an app to help public health officials improve their contact tracing for COVID-19 cases, the ‘virus threat’ vs ‘threat to privacy’ debate was inevitable.
Countless stories warned of Big Brother and the rise of state surveillance.
In terms of technology, the COVIDSafe app being promoted by the government is simple.
It uses Bluetooth to track other phones belonging to people you have crossed paths with during your day — friends, family, acquaintances and strangers.
It does this by connecting with phones which also have the app, taking a record of their unique encrypted identifying numbers. No details about where you crossed paths with the phone (and its owner) are recorded.
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https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=5f0eb418-28fb-44bc-a61c-8bfec4ee3df7
How do I obtain informed consent to a Telehealth consultation?
Telehealth services are currently providing a critical service in enabling patients to continue to receive care while also enabling health services to continue to operate. From a public policy perspective, they have also been playing an important role in easing pressure on personal protective equipment supplies and other resources needed to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
However, the rapid rise in the use of telehealth services has presented risks along with the benefits for health services and practitioners in providing treatment to patients.
A significant risk in using telehealth is the heightened risk of misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. This risk arises from, among other factors, the inherent limitations of telehealth, which include the inability to undertake a physical examination, the difficulties with ensuring full and appropriate communication between patient and practitioners and patients’ capabilities and comfort levels in using telehealth services.
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Electronic prescribing – implementation via communities of interest
· Australia’s first electronic prescription in primary care was successfully transmitted in Anglesea, Victoria on May 6 2020.
- This involved testing the end to end process from generation of the electronic prescription by a general practitioner, provision of its associated token digitally to a consumer, supply of medicines via a pharmacy and subsequent PBS claim.
- The implementation of any new software requires initial testing in real environments to confirm not only the technical functionality of the software, but also that it is fit for purpose for the health professionals and the consumers that will use the end product.
- Software providers already have established sites that they routinely use for this testing. Importantly for electronic prescribing, testing of the end-to-end process requires collaboration and coordination across all participating software providers. The Australian Digital Health Agency and Department of Health are assisting in this collaboration and coordination.
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https://www.tga.gov.au/regulation-software-medical-device
Regulation of Software as a Medical Device
13 March 2020
Software is becoming increasingly important in medical devices. In addition, it is becoming more and more important as a medical device in its own right.
Medical devices are regulated in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). This includes software and mobile 'apps' that meet the definition of a medical device.
The following is intended to provide guidance on the regulation that applies to software and apps that meet the legislated definition of a medical device in Australia.
The definition of Software as a Medical Device
A software product is considered to be a medical device if it fits the definition of a medical device in section 41BD of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989.
A medical device is:
- any instrument, apparatus, appliance, material or other article (whether used alone or in combination, and including the software necessary for its proper application) intended, by the person under whose name it is or is to be supplied, to be used for human beings for the purpose of one or more of the following:
- diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, treatment or alleviation of disease;
- diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, alleviation of or compensation for an injury or disability;
- investigation, replacement or modification of the anatomy or of a physiological process;
- control of conception;
and that does not achieve its principal intended action in or on the human body by pharmacological, immunological or metabolic means, but that may be assisted in its function by such means.
(Comment: I missed this and it is important of Software Industry)
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https://www.ddwmphn.com.au/news/digital-health-update-may-2020
Digital Health Update May 2020
May 27, 2020
GET READY: ELECTORNIC PRESCRIPTIONS ARE ON THE WAY!
Australia’s first electronic prescription was recently prescribed and dispensed by a doctor and pharmacist in Victoria. Electronic prescriptions provide an option for prescribers, dispensers and their patients to have a digital prescription as an alternative to a paper prescription. It is not mandatory, and patients and prescribers will be able to choose an electronic or a paper version of their prescription. Electronic prescriptions will remain as a longer-term solution for prescriptions, you can get ready now by following the below checklist.
Electronic prescriptions readiness checklist
- Ensure your organisation has a Health care Provider Identifier-Organisation (HPI-O) and is connected to the Health care Identifiers Service (HI Service). This is a core requirement for electronic prescribing more information is available here.
- Ensure your organisation is connected to a Prescription Exchange Service such as eRx Exchange and MediSecure.
- Update your patients’ and their carer’s contact details on file (mobile and email).
- Subscribe to your software provider newsletter and correspondence.
- Stay up to date with communication from clinical peak organisations.
- Keep your staff informed about electronic prescribing and how they may respond to patient’s questions.
- Stay up to date with relevant State and Territory legislative amendments.
- Check the Australian Digital health Agency Website for electronic prescribing information and updates.
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Trump threatens social media after Twitter fact check
Josh Wingrove
May 27, 2020 – 10.16pm
Washington DC | President Donald Trump threatened to regulate or shutter social media companies - a warning apparently aimed at Twitter after it began fact-checking his tweets.
In a pair of tweets issued Wednesday morning from his iPhone, Mr Trump said that social media sites are trying to silence conservative voices, and need to change course or face action.
There is no evidence that Mr Trump has the ability to shut down social media networks, which are run by publicly traded companies and used by billions of people all over the world.
"Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen," he said. In a second tweet, he added: "Just like we can't let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country."
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https://www.afr.com/technology/privacy-a-lingering-concern-about-smart-tech-20200521-p54v01
Privacy a lingering concern about smart tech
Ian Grayson
May 26, 2020 – 1.54pm
Large-scale networks of sensors and video cameras are important components of smart-city infrastructure, but the data they generate raises questions when it comes to the privacy of citizens.
Sensors can detect anything from air quality and temperatures to noise levels and traffic flow rates.
Cameras can monitor pedestrian and vehicle movements as well as identifying individuals through facial recognition software.
Data is collected through wired or wireless networks and sent to data centres for storage and analysis.
It can be used by authorities and other parties to adjust traffic signals to ease congestion, monitor crowds, and better schedule public transport links.
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Coronavirus: A quick lesson on the digital divide
So, how have the past six weeks been for you? “Hell.”
That’s the answer that comes firmly and promptly to Merrily’s mind when she is asked about the impact of COVID-19 on her life, and her son Thomas’s schooling.
Merrily, who doesn’t want her surname used, is a single mum who lost her job and within days found out that her mum had cancer. She has a bright young son, Thomas, but without a job or much chance of quickly finding a new one during the pandemic, she couldn’t afford everything he suddenly needed to get online, and start studying from home.
“We have a laptop, I saved and saved and went without so he could have it,” she said. “But the data plans are expensive.”
She had long been in the habit of taking Thomas to the library to do his school work using the free Wi-Fi, but then the libraries closed. She started taking him to a shopping centre, but then security started moving people on. “My son’s smart, and he loves school, and the last thing I wanted was for him to fall behind,” she says.
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Patients feeling better with Telehealth
MEDIA RELEASE 2020 TUESDAY 26 MAY 2020
“I was more relaxed in my consultation. I was in my familiar environment and the specialist and I were both at ease. I didn’t have the stress of getting the two people I care for sorted before the 90-minute drive to the city hospital for this appointment. I saved money on fuel and parking fees. I didn’t have to sit in a full waiting room. I didn’t have to turn down work for that entire day because of the travel time and waiting room time blowouts. The benefits of telehealth are immense.”
--- Australia’s Health Panel respondent.
The introduction of the expanded Telehealth Medicare benefit has drawn strong support from respondents to an Australia’s Health Panel survey, an initiative of the Consumers Health Forum.
The Telehealth services survey found that more than 80 per cent of those who were offered telehealth services used it. Of these a similar proportion viewed the service as excellent or good quality.
“This response gives us any early indication of the value of telehealth particularly at a time of health anxiety as we are experiencing at present with COVID-19,” the CEO of Consumers Health Forum, Leanne Wells, said.
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http://medicalrepublic.com.au/the-rise-and-rise-of-the-non-pms-cloud-based-vendors/29415
26 May 2020
The rise and rise of the non-PMS cloud-based vendors
COVID-19 General practice Telehealth
By the middle of March this year, general practices across the country were suddenly facing mayhem. Patients were starting to panic over COVID-19. They were arriving, often without appointments on mass, asking for help, information, and even to be tested, when they were showing no COVID-19 symptoms. The situation started to become unsafe and dire. One GP Wild Health spoke to described the a new patient condition of “coronavirus anxiety syndrome” that was rapidly spirally out of control.
Within two weeks of the first signs of drama however, both of Australia’s major GP appointment engines, HotDoc and HealthEngine, had developed and deployed specific modules to their patient-facing appointment apps, which significantly improved the effectiveness of GP practices in managing COVID-19 situation at the time.
Between them, these two groups can which reach over 10 million patients through their apps, and are used by more than 80% of the country’s GP practices.
HotDoc had updated its software to allow patients to pre-screen themselves, self identify according to the new criteria for COVID-19 telehealth consults, and make a telephone-based appointment which could be bulk-billed.
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https://www.afr.com/technology/only-technology-exports-can-secure-australia-s-future-20200524-p54vx6
Only technology exports can secure Australia’s future
In every Australian export dollar, 35¢ comes from China and 56 per cent from raw materials so we need to match our global peers in making technology an integral driver of prosperity.
Adir Shiffman
May 25, 2020 – 1.00pm
If Australia were a start-up, investors would recoil at its “concentration risk”. Far too much of our export income is derived from a single customer, and too much of what we ship falls into a few enormous categories. These are dire problems and as a start-up we would struggle to raise funds.
Every Australian instinctively knows that selling rocks to China comprises a huge export market but some data will add perspective.
According to the World Bank, 35¢ in every Australian export dollar comes from China. Even more worryingly, 56 per cent of all Aussie exports are classified as “raw materials” with limited value-add.
DFAT data concurs, with iron ore and coal comprising 31 per cent of exports and natural gas a further 10 per cent. These “big three” rose 25 per cent in value from 2017 to 2019, from $139 billion to $197 billion, and they alone now comprise 42 per cent of all export value (up from 37 per cent.)
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EOI for Digital Health and Health Informatics Subject Matter Experts
What
We are seeking experienced, passionate digital health experts to collaborate with the AIDH to strengthen the capacity of the digital health workforce.
One thing we have seen during these unprecedented COVID-19 times is how extraordinary healthcare professionals are when it comes to teamwork. Putting citizens and patient care at the centre sits at the core of everything we do as an industry. As healthcare evolves rapidly, we at the AIDH are keen to ensure we collaborate with more professionals at the cutting edge in our collective efforts to strengthen the skills of digital health workforce and continue to deliver world-class health care services.
At the Institute, we have ramped up our activities and are receiving significant interest from organisations to support them with their digital health capacity development needs. We are building our efforts to deliver on our continuous improvements to the Digital Health Competency Framework, the Certified Health Informatician Australasia program (CHIA), and our advice to global institutions and organisations.
These opportunities are for AIDH Fellows, Associate Fellows and Members. We have a strong and committed community of digital health and informatics professionals who remain key to the workforce development initiatives of the Institute. For those who are not AIDH Fellows or Members, we welcome you to join the digital health movement.
Deadline for EOI: 19 June 2020
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https://www.zdnet.com/article/6-million-covidsafe-downloads-and-a-au60b-jobkeeper-data-error/
6 million COVIDSafe downloads and a AU$60b JobKeeper data error
Only 4 million more until Australia reaches Scott Morrison's magic 40% target.
By Asha Barbaschow | May 25, 2020 -- 01:21 GMT (11:21 AEST) | Topic: Coronavirus: Business and technology in a pandemic
The Australian government has surpassed 6 million downloads of its COVIDSafe coronavirus contact tracing mobile application.
Despite reports last week the app was not really being used by state and territory contact tracers, a statement from Minister for Health Greg Hunt and Minister for Government Services Stuart Robert said COVIDSafe has helped public health officials automate and improve manual contact tracing of the coronavirus and that it is proving to be a valuable tool.
"In Victoria, a person who had not been identified through the normal processes, was notified as being a close contact by the app. That person is now in quarantine, protecting the community from a further potential spread of the virus," the statement said.
The statement also said since its launch, the COVIDSafe app has received widespread support and endorsement from across the Australian community.
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https://ajp.com.au/columns/business-class/the-need-to-be-prepared/
The need to be prepared
COVID-19 has fast-tracked the introduction of e-prescribing, one of the National Health Digital Strategy priority areas. It’s vital for pharmacies to be ready for this, says Ben Wilkins
The National Health Digital Strategy has seven priority areas with the outcomes to be achieved by 2022.
The vision is to have “Better health for all Australians enabled by safe, seamless, secure digital health services and technologies that provide a range of innovative, easy to use tools for both patients and providers.” (See here for more information)
The first priority area is My Health Record and we know this has taken a long time to come to fruition and still has some way to go to become embedded as a health care tool for providers.
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Coronavirus spurs opportunities for reform
Andy Penn
As COVID-19 restrictions begin to relax, Australia has an opportunity to accelerate real change on the key issues that will shape our economy, our society and our future. On issues where progress to date has been too slow, too incremental, there is a window now to dramatically change our future — if we have the courage to make bold decisions.
Where should we focus? I see five key areas:
First, accelerating the digitisation of the Australian economy:
Forced isolation and social distancing has driven a huge acceleration in digitisation and out of necessity we have achieved in three months what might have taken us five years as we have all been forced to become far more digitally savvy, many businesses included.
What is important now is not to lose that momentum. Australia’s COVID-19 response included fast-tracking a number of interim policy and regulatory changes. A good example was telemedicine, which has emerged as an important channel for medical care at a time when visiting a doctor was often not possible. An important enabler of this shift has been a change to the Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS). For GPs in particular this type of universal access was never possible and we now consult with doctors, nurses, midwives and other health providers via a phone or video consults as a normal way of providing care. This is a perfect example of a valuable reform that should continue.
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Comments more than welcome!
David.
