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Interview Highlight: Australian Digital Health Agency
In this highlight, Peter Greco learns about the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) from Dr Amandeep Hansra. The ADHA is encouraging everyone to not overlook having their flu and COVID vaccines and screening as well as having regular preventative check-ups.
Australia has one of the best healthcare systems, but there are still opportunities for improvement. Whether it's a secure connection to doctors, electronic prescriptions or telehealth, through the ADHA progress is being made to connect Australia to better healthcare.
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Australian Digital Health Agency
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We're delighted to welcome to the program a guest who we haven't spoken to before. Dr. Amandeep Hansen from the Australian Digital Health Agency. Doctor, thanks so much for your time and welcome.
Thank you for having me.
Now you've got a message out. I guess you're wanting people to be a bit more aware of their health. You think like with the floods and the pandemic people, perhaps? Well, maybe I would look in the health little bit more than I should.
Yeah, look, absolutely. Peter, I think it's been a tough couple of years for most people and they've got a bit of COVID fatigue and that's actually distracting people or putting them off seeing doctors for other reasons. So it's really important that we keep getting that message out, that we don't delay health checks and people don't put their health on hold while dealing with other things that are going on. But we do understand the challenges that people are experiencing at the moment.
One of the great things, of course, that's come into being, if you like, because of COVID and things like that, are the telehealth consults. But I guess literally there's nothing like a face to face consult role. So getting to get those checkups that are so vital.
Yeah, look, absolutely. I mean, we've been very lucky that during the pandemic we were able to use technology. And so telehealth has been really you know, it's a saving grace for us during that pandemic period. We've done over 100 million telehealth services and 17 million patients who receive those services. But it doesn't matter which way you access your health care provider. It's really important that you keep doing that. You get all your, you know, usual heart checks and diabetes checks and your cancer screening. All of that still needs to be done. We really don't want people putting that off.
Now, playing devil's advocate is a little bit of responsibility. Might be back on the doctor.
Yeah. Look, I mean, I think we're certainly trying to get the message out, trying to encourage people to come back and really giving them options in terms of how they access us. So now that we know that telehealth is kind of here to stay, I really want to encourage people to have that option if they can't get to their doctor, if, you know, obviously we've had some big challenges with the floods and people travelling and not being able to get to their doctor in person. We really encourage those people to reach out to their doctor and if they want to do it via telehealth that they do, you know, ask for it to be set up that way. I think most doctors are offering it, but if yours isn't really worth having that conversation and asking them to provide the health care services to you that are the most convenient, I.
Guess things like the floods and the pandemic. I mean, they're also issuing or bringing up mental health challenges as well.
Yeah, look, I think the next sort of wave of health care challenges for us is really going to be around mental health. I think a lot of people have been impacted significantly and that's it's not going to be a short term impact. I think that's going to go on for some time. And again, you know, we can provide those services remotely to people who can't get to a health care provider in person, whether that's just psychologist or psychiatrist or your GP. And the other thing to know is that we can also send prescriptions electronically. So if people are struggling to get to their doctor, their medications are running out with people who are on anti-depressants or anxiety medications not to stop those because they can't get access. We do have great technology that allows us to continue those things with 50 million electronic prescriptions that we've been issued, that we've issued since 20th of April, in 20 as of 20th, April 2022.
Very impressive numbers.
Yeah. And I think it's just showing that the public are embracing the changes that we've had to make. And those changes are really here to stay because COVID won't be the last challenge that we have facing communities in accessing health care. I'm sure there'll be other things that will pop up, as we've seen with the floods and we saw with the bushfires, you know, a few years ago and.
Things cropping up. I mean, I guess we think about the flu or coming into the southern winter, particularly in many states. In Australia, flu shots are now very much top of mind as far as the next thing to do.
Yeah, look, absolutely. We are aware that people have a bit of vaccine fatigue as well, I think, over having to have vaccines administered to them. But we really do want to encourage people to, you know, to get visit their GP. They can get their flu shot the same time as they COVID shot. And we've already seen large numbers of flu coming through more than we've had the whole of last year already. And it's April. So we're going to probably have a bit of a challenge in terms of impact on our health care system. If we've got lots of people coming to hospital with flu related illness as. Well as COVID related. So just encourage people. I know that you're exhausted, but please visit your doctor and get your flu shot.
Of course, be exhausted. Probably doesn't help your immune system, so maybe you need a bit of support there with the with the flu, particularly this year's strain of flu like seems like it can be pretty Berlin to know the number of people that have had it and said you know they've had both the COVID and the flu and the flu season have been worse in terms of side effects of impact than COVID.
Yeah, look, I think what's happened is last year we were actually a bit we weren't exposed to the flu strains that were around because we obviously were lockdown and we didn't have a lot of flu circulating. So in a sense, we're a little bit naive. Our immune system's a bit naive to the flu viruses, the strains that are floating around at the moment. So it's a bit like we're out of practice in dealing with it. Normally we have some level of immunity, which is why, again, you know, the vaccine is important because we've gone for a couple of years not having that practice in responding to the flu strains. So we do encourage people go and get that flu shot that'll cover the strains that are circulating this year. But yeah, I've had patients of mine who've had flu worse than they've had COVID in terms of symptoms. So really encourage people to get that shot.
Now, I think I've suffered a little fatigue or time fatigue. I think it was last year when the COVID shots became available that people were encouraged to have a couple of weeks between COVID shots and flu shots this year. It's okay to have them at the same time.
Yeah, absolutely. Same day you can have them one different arms. Just get it over and done with. Don't have to go visit the doctor twice. Definitely go and and get them done at the same time. Your body's we've given lots of vaccines at the same time when you have children and you go through your normal immunisation schedule, most children get multiple vaccines on the same day. So these are ones that you can have together and mandate.
They're two different shots though, like you can't have one, 2 to 2 doses.
It's not combined yet, although we're hoping that one day that there will be a release of a vaccine that has them all combined. But but not as a not as yet. Not for this season anyway.
You probably don't want to go down the social media stuff, but some of the stuff that was out there regarding the vaccine and maybe its side effects and we kind of found out now into the situation to know that, you know, they are pretty minimal, both short term and longer term.
Yeah, look, I mean, we've had obviously, you know, billions of doses administered worldwide. You've got to remember, this isn't just in Australia things. It's not just our population that we've got in terms of data. We've got data from all over the world and you know, we've never really administered a vaccine at that scale to that many people at the same time. So we actually have a lot of information to study in terms of side effects and impacts ongoing. And obviously we've we've had some time now since we first started the vaccines. And I think we feel safe in saying that there's been nothing untoward or nothing that sort of raised any concerns or red flags that, you know, we made the wrong call. I think we certainly, you know, feel like it was, you know, all appropriate actions taken at the time in terms of accelerating these vaccines through the approval processes. And, you know, I'd encourage people to continue to trust in those. You know, the science has been there for us and we've saved millions of lives. I think it's important for people to know that this has had a positive impact. We're hopefully coming out of the other end, but we still still got to be mindful that we need to keep that immunity level.
Up and just going back to the flu and the COVID shots at the same time. So this is for pretty much anyone. I mean, obviously, many of our listeners would be all that I think some of the young kids might be. It's not recommended, but sort of anyone, you know, sort of adult and onwards, if you like, it's okay to have both the booster or maybe still up to your third shot and the flu. Flu shot. It's okay to have any of those together.
Yeah, look, I mean, talk to your GP about it. The flu vaccine is free under the National Immunisation Programme for those over 65 pregnant women, children under five, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those with chronic medical conditions. So that eligible group can walk into a pharmacy or a GP and get that vaccine. If you are worried about, you know, any concerns about having both together or you've got a specific medical condition that you want to talk to the doctor about first, you know, have that conversation with your GP before you have it. But you know, we do recommend it for all people, but the flu vaccine is free under that national immunisation programme for those particular cohorts.
And when they pass this question it'll be tongue in cheek. So please understand that. But if you think you and your GP cohorts have done any more reading in the last 12 to 18 months than you've done in your life.
Oh, God, yes. It's been a it's been a tough just keeping up with all of the science. I mean, you can imagine we've had to keep on top. Of all of the research in the data that's come out with COVID and then keep up to date with everything else that we normally have to do as well. So it is a workforce that's been under significant pressure over the last couple of years, but we really have to thank the public and everyone else has gotten involved and media, we've had a lot of support and also government and some of the tools they've given us and talked about, you know, telehealth and the e-prescribing, the my health record, all of that has really helped support our work so that we can continue, you know, taking care of the public.
Well, as a member of the media, I've got to say that the doctors have actually been really, really good. Obviously, we've chatted to many of them over the time, particularly in the last couple of years, and they've always been very freely available, given the fact that they're obviously very, very busy. You've been so today. So we thank you for that. We wish you well and be nice to chat to you again after we spoke to Andrew Rochford from the Australian Digital Health Agency. But I think I'd rather speak to you just before, Andrew, but.
Here is the link:
https://omny.fm/shows/interview-highlights/interview-highlight-australian-digital-health-agen
It seems to me the ADHA should be working on Digital Health issues and encouraging flu vaccination seems to have drifted rather far away from that core mission! What is going on do you suppose. Don’t they have enough to do to avoid freelancing on such peripheral stuff better done by the Department of Health?
They could start by planning and implementing a national Health Information Sharing system to replace the nonsense and essentially useless #myHealthRecord! What a difference that might make!
More work on Secure Clinical Messaging would also not go astray!
Frankly, if we are to have an ADHA, it should be doing ‘what it says on the tin’!
What do you think?
David.
