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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 were dated 6 December, 2018 and we have seen none since! It’s pretty sad!
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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Digital legacy: who gets your cloud storage when you die
By Tim Biggs
January 16, 2022 — 9.00am
Taking stock of a loved one’s belongings when they die can be an immense task, even if they have prepared instructions. With so much of our collected things now living online in some server somewhere belonging to big tech — photos, recordings, documents, journals, calendars — getting to it all without the owner’s fingerprints or passwords can be particularly difficult.
While previously getting this kind of access could require lawyers and long approval processes, some platforms are beginning to build in tools that let you stipulate what happens to your stuff in the event of your death. Apple is the most recent, rolling out its Digital Legacy feature last month.
In the privacy settings of an Apple device, you can now nominate a “legacy contact” to receive a special code. If you die, they can send this code with a death certificate to Apple to receive access to everything you have stored in iCloud; photos, notes, mail, contacts, calendars, files, memos, health data, device backups and more.
There’s no way to choose specific stored data that should go to specific people, or to hide stuff that you’d really prefer your next of kin didn’t see; Apple has prioritised simplicity here so that once you’ve set it up, your legacy contact will get everything stored in your iCloud.
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https://www.innovationaus.com/privacy-warnings-wont-stop-abc-sharing-user-data/
Privacy warnings won’t stop ABC sharing user data
Joseph
Brookes
Senior Reporter
13 January 2022
The ABC will require users of its iview streaming service to log-in to continue watching this year, and will share their data with tech giants by default, despite repeated warnings from privacy experts.
The national broadcaster last year delayed the mandatory log-in requirement following concerns about user data collection and how it is being shared with third parties.
An updated privacy policy was released in December to explain the process and the ABC has confirmed it will require log-ins within months. But privacy experts have warned user data is being collected and shared with Facebook and Google without active and informed consent, a potential breach of Australian privacy law.
The ABC confirmed it would introduce mandatory logins “in the next few months” through a staged rollout process in order to “keep up” with global streamers like Netflix, commercial broadcasters and the SBS, which all require user accounts.
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Smartphones will die - predicting the year ahead in tech
Futurist Amy Webb has made a career of predicting the unpredictable. Her latest book, The Genesis Machine, tackles the big questions about our future.
Steven Zeitchik
Jan 14, 2022 – 12.00am
Over 15 rich years of public forecasting, Amy Webb has become one of the most prominent futurists around.
As an author, the former journalist is behind nonfiction books such as The Big Nine, exploring the potentially dire consequences of unchecked artificial intelligence; Data: A Love Story, about how she used algorithms to help herself date; and The Signals Are Talking, in which she examined the better ways to read the right tea leaves. As founder and leader of the Future Today Institute, Webb has headed up a group that spots and advises on coming social and technological change for all manner of organisations. (The institute also issues an annual must-read Tech Trends Report on what to imagine for the times ahead.)
Webb has co-written a new book, The Genesis Machine, with pioneering geneticist Andrew Hessel talking about the possibilities and pitfalls of synthetic biology – the broad idea that science will allow us to change everything from how we create medicines, food and even human beings. (Designer babies are, she says, the wrong way to think about it.)
As 2022 kicks off with ever-increasing levels of innovation – and plenty of hype and fear to go with it – The Washington Post chatted to Webb about topics as varied as lab-created meats, CRISPR gene editing, 5G and the future of reproduction. The conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
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https://medicalrepublic.com.au/let-the-bots-do-the-busy-work-whats-next-in-tech/60784
14 January 2022
‘Let the bots do the busy work’: what’s next in tech
James Fielding, Craig Cooper, Philip Woolff and Jason Waller
Four Australian small-cap and start-up executives give their take on what we might see from the medtech industry in 2022, as we work towards “living with covid-19”.
As the world becomes ever more confident with digital-led healthcare, 2022 will see a flurry of adoption of clever ways to improve and track your health.
The need for in-person appointments with qualified professionals will never fade but there is so much opportunity to let the smart devices of our world do the data collecting and disease catching and let clinicians focus on what they should be focused on: their patients.
If what you need is a quick check of your child’s cough at night? Whip out your phone. Need that covid test before you jump on the plane? Plug it in. Feeling a bit off and thinking it might be your diet? All sorted by mail.
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14 January 2022
AI is here to stay, but can it help fix covid?
The pandemic saw remarkable advances in health technology, as governments and institutions fast tracked funding and decision making to identify, control, treat and prevent covid.
Hundreds of these projects used artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to solve the myriad problems that emerged during covid. Many of them were tasked with uncovering patterns in radiology images, patient demographics, symptoms and histories, to inform diagnoses and predict patient outcomes.
But despite the hype, evidence has emerged suggesting that almost all of these projects were flawed. In the face of a pandemic, AI often turned out to be a solution in search of a problem.
That’s not to say we should write AI off, says Dr Stefan Hajkowocz, Principal Scientist at CSIRO’s Data61 and author of best-selling book Global Megatrends, which predicts that AI is one of the digital technologies that will become critical to most industries in coming decades, along with data science, computer vision and natural language processing.
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Friday, 14 January 2022 11:56
Brisbane lawyer warns parents the consequences of monetising their children's social media accounts
A Brisbane lawyer has warned parents that monetising their children's appearances on social media could lead to tears.
What might have begun as cutesy snaps of a baby in nappies has grown to an income stream as influencer parents promote their children through social media accounts in startup business ventures whose ownership is mired in a legal quagmire.
This legal dilemma poses a question: who legally owns those social media accounts, the parents or the children?
Brisbane intellectual property and cyber technology lawyer Nicole Murdoch says the answer to that question is actually quite complex.
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Twitter, Snapchat warns government off undermining online anonymity
By Nick Bonyhady
January 14, 2022 — 5.00am
Social media giants Twitter and Snapchat are defending anonymity online as lawmakers and bureaucrats work on a series of proposed laws that would force Australians to verify their age before using many of the most popular sites on the internet.
While the laws planned by the government would not require users to post their real names, Snapchat’s parent company is concerned technology giants would effectively be forced to keep copies of users’ IDs and contact information to meet planned age verification rules.
“Several of the measures which the government is currently proposing to introduce seem designed to end the right to anonymity online,” Snap said in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into online safety.
It argues an erosion of anonymity could hurt people who use it to protect themselves online, from survivors of domestic violence to Australians critical of repressive foreign regimes that target dissidents abroad.
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Software
Developer Community Announcement
Developer Portal & Service Catalogue
Opportunity for Co-Design
Dear Valued Industry Partner,
The Australian Digital Health Agency would like to invite you and your organisation to be part of a co-design workshop for an Developer Portal and Service (API) Catalogue project.
We would like to work with stakeholders to understand the use of our existing services and platforms and explore potential service enhancements that will support the creation of a collaborative environment to accelerate adoption and use of national digital health services.
On 3rd February 2022 there will be a 90 minutes collaborative workshop online (from 10am- 11:30am AEDT) to discuss the current service processes for applications and system implementation. The purpose of this will be to develop a clear and simple digital journey that supports access to national digital health services and information to support application and system development and implementation.
This workshop will consider the software providers digital journey for:
- Implementation
- Staying connected and conformant
- Supporting services
Who does this affect?
- Developers of Health Systems
- Implementers of clinical producing and consuming systems
- Senior managers and policy makers, clinical experts, health information managers, IT operations and support teams, and system integrators
- Technical and non-technical readers
Required action
We would greatly appreciate your subject matter expertise to identify and map the software provider and consumer journey and to capture your experience and insights.
We would like to invites you to nominate one member from your organisation to join the our user workshop and interviews. This would help us with shaping how we improve national digital health services. If you are interested in being part of this co-design, please send us an email at help@digitalhealth.gov.au by COB 24th January 2022.
Further information on the workshop agenda and interview process will be circulated to nominated participants by 28th January 2022.
Regards,
Lars
Becker
Director,
Connectivity and Informatics
Infrastructure Operations
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https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/careers/incident-coordinator-070122
Incident Coordinator
APS6
($99,860 - $112,659)
Technology
Services Division > Info/Comm Tech (ICT)
Brisbane,
Canberra, Sydney
Closing - 26 Jan 2022
Division overview
Technology Services – responsible for the operation of high quality, trusted, reliable and secure national digital health infrastructure and health support systems.
Primary purpose of position
The APS6 Incident Coordinator is accountable under limited direction to perform complex work for the ongoing provision of day-to-day incident coordination, triage and action involving the Agency’s digital health products and services.
They will have reasonable autonomy to perform their work and make decisions within their area of responsibilities and will be included in a 24/7 on call roster to provide emergency incident response.
The APS6 Incident Coordinator will have considerable stakeholder contact in relation to complex, difficult and sensitive issues and will be required to exercise both initiative and judgment in the interpretation and application of the relevant Agency policies, practices and procedures.
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https://marketplace.service.gov.au/2/digital-marketplace/opportunities/18427
Australian Digital Health Agency ADHA Propaganda
Senior program Officer
Opportunity ID 18427
Deadline for asking questions Wednesday 12 January 2022 at 6pm (in Canberra)
Application closing date Friday 14 January 2022 at 6pm (in Canberra)
Published Tuesday 11 January 2022
Category Content and Publishing
Additional terms
Comprehensive terms apply
Overview
This position is responsible for maintaining a highly functioning and effective Contact Centre through the provision and ongoing maintenance of knowledge management articles and other support materials, and providing operational oversight and governance of contact centre consumer support operations through quality assurance activities. It also provides guidance and advice to other teams within the Agency. Key Accountabilities: • Produce and maintain high quality, up-to-date, and searchable content for staff across varying teams. • Work effectively across the Agency and with external stakeholders (including design teams, service support teams, trainers, and subject matter experts) to develop and support knowledge management materials to support new and existing products, features, and services. • Follow established writing guidelines, ensure continual review and improvement of materials based on knowledge base best practices and lead, coach and develop other staff. • Perform regular, ongoing quality assurance activities of Contact Centre operations to ensure a high standard of service is being provided, in accordance with contractual obligations. Requirements: • Experience working within a complex business service delivery environment. • Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining knowledge management content within a contemporary knowledge management tool. • Demonstrated high level written skills, including content/technical writing skills and good attention to detail. • Understand the knowledge management lifecycle and demonstrated experience in article content management within a formal knowledgebase tool. • Experience facilitating workshops, meetings or training sessions which strengthen use and understanding of knowledge articles, work processes and procedures. • A good understanding of or experience in Customer Service Design or User Experience methods, and adaptation of these principles to produce high quality knowledge management materials to support contact centre interactions. • Experience collecting, analysing and reporting on customer service interactions and data (including identifying patterns and trends), and making recommendations to promote continuous improvement. • Experience working strategically, consultatively, and collaboratively with senior team members and managing complex stakeholder relationships, both internally and externally. • Ability to rapidly gain and maintain a strong knowledge and understanding of the Agency’s digital health systems: the legislative frameworks, the infrastructure and external channels, the users (from members of the public to healthcare providers), and the support models. • A strong understanding of the principles of knowledge management. • Ability to develop and maintain constructive relationships across key internal and external stakeholders, at all levels.
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https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=43feb532-3ee6-49f9-8d84-185abeaf9459
In brief: digital healthcare in New Zealand
Tompkins Wake Robert Andrew Bycroft and Tina Liu
New Zealand November 30 2021
Data protection, privacy and digitisation in healthcare
Digitisation
What are the legal developments regarding digitisation in the healthcare sector and industrial networks or sales channels?
New Zealand statutes are generally technologically neutral so the digitisation in the healthcare sector, industrial networks and online sales channels can mostly be accommodated by the existing legislation.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has implemented a number of digital health initiatives in recent years, including:
- Online Patient Portal: patients can access their health information and interact with their general practice doctor;
- ePrescription: a secure digital messaging channel for prescribing and dispensing systems to exchange prescription information electronically; and
- Telehealth: enables patients to access various publicly funded health and disability services via online integrated platforms.
These digital health initiatives are part of the MoH’s broader Digital Health Strategic Framework to harness the benefit of digital technologies and data to support the provision of health and disability services in New Zealand.
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https://allevents.in/fawkner/dental-health-and-my-health-record/10000220324956877
Dental Health and My Health Record
Feb 10, 2022 - Apr 7, 2022 ADHA Propaganda
Dental Health and My Health Record
About this Event
Moreland City Libraries and Merri Health are providing these free health information sessions where you can learn about the importance of dental health and what your My Digital Health Record is.
Please book only for the adults attending. Please note this is an information session not a dental check up.
Free child-minding for parents who register and attend full information session. Conditions apply*
Thursday 10 February with Arabic interpreter
Thursday 10 March with Pashto interpreter
Thursday 7 April with Turkish interpreter
Due to changes in COVID-19 restrictions this event may change. Please check the library Facebook page or this page for updates.
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Advancing digitally enabled hospital-at-home services
By Dr Sharon Hakkennes*
Friday, 10 December, 2021
Virtual care adoption accelerated dramatically in Australia in the wake of COVID-19. This was driven by the need to minimise the risk of the virus spreading, free up bed capacity for acutely unwell patients, and preserve personal protective equipment (PPE).
One area that has seen substantial growth is hospital-at-home models of care. While Australia has had well-established hospital-at-home services for many years, the pandemic has fuelled further interest in this model and is accelerating the development of new models of hospital-at-home care. Many of the traditional barriers, such as clinician understanding of the relevance of the model and patient concerns about being cared for at home, no longer exist.
Gartner predicts that 40% of healthcare providers will shift 20% of hospital beds to the patient’s home by 2025, by offering digitally enabled hospital-at-home services, improving patient experience and outcomes, and reducing costs.
Advances in hospital-at-home technologies
Hospital-at-home services consist of acute-level health care that is enabled by multidisciplinary teams, digital technologies and ancillary services. It is delivered in the homes of patients who would otherwise require admission to an inpatient facility. Advances in virtual care technology are enabling higher acuity patients to be cared for at home and delivery of hospital-at-home models of care at scale.
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Remote clinical trials: here to stay?
Medidata Solutions Inc
By Edwin Ng, Senior Vice-President,
Asia-Pacific, for Medidata, a Dassault Systèmes company
Monday, 10 January, 2022
COVID-19 has shed a spotlight on the role of clinical trials in drug and vaccine development, and has also forced Australia’s pharmaceutical and healthcare companies to redesign how these trials are run.
In an era of lockdowns and restricted movement where it may not be desirable for many participants to get to physical sites, the clinical trial industry has had to follow in the footsteps of other healthcare services in the past 18 months, in moving from clinics to the couch so that important research can continue remotely.
This promises many benefits, not least the possibility of shortening timelines for important drug and vaccine development. However, issues of interoperability and data privacy will need to be urgently addressed for it to achieve its full potential in Australia. In fact, interoperability and quality assured technology has been flagged as an area requiring attention for effective and sustainable adoption of virtual health by The Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association1.
Moving clinical trials into a home setting is the next frontier, following on from the shift of other healthcare services out of hospital and clinical settings since the start of the pandemic.
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2022 ‘the year of deep tech’
9:21PM January 9, 2022
“Deep tech” is set to hit mainstream consciousness over the next year, according to former Google executive Sally-Ann Williams.
The chief executive of deep tech incubator Cicada Innovations says while 2021 was the year of software success stories such as Canva and Atlassian, deep tech will win the spotlight in 2022.
Ms Williams said that MedTech innovations such as vaccines, rapid testing, and protective equipment had put deep tech in the global spotlight, as scientific communities globally rushed to address the pandemic and many everyday citizens engaged in scientific discussion for the first time since the moon landing.
But a host of homegrown deep tech companies across sectors such as energy and environment, new materials, and intelligent machines are also achieving world-changing milestones, according to Ms Williams.
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https://itwire.com/your-it/csiro-adds-ai-coach-to-total-wellbeing-diet.html
Wednesday, 05 January 2022 00:02
CSIRO adds AI coach to Total Wellbeing Diet
CSIRO researchers have found that the most important behavioural factors for success on the Total Wellbeing Diet are regular weigh-ins, following the menu plan and tracking food intake, and have developed an AI coach to help participants succeed.
An analysis of nearly 11,000 participants found those who did those three things the most lost an average of 7.5kg in 12 weeks, while those who did them the least lost an average of 3.1kg.
Interestingly, high diligence on two of the three behaviours resulted in a 7.5% weight loss, compared with 8.1% for all three.
So CSIRO developed Hope, an AI coach that predicts appropriate weight loss targets, tracks progress and uses psychological techniques to prompt and motivate participants.
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David.
