Quote Of The Year

Timeless Quotes - Sadly The Late Paul Shetler - "Its not Your Health Record it's a Government Record Of Your Health Information"

or

H. L. Mencken - "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong."

Tuesday, June 02, 2020

Commentators and Journalists Weigh In On Digital Health And Related Privacy, Safety And Security Matters. Lots Of Interesting Perspectives - June 2, 2020.

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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

Online Events

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.

Find out more

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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 Scholefield

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?

Barry.Nilsson. Lawyers

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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https://developer.digitalhealth.gov.au/resources/faqs/electronic-prescribing-implementation-communities-interest

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:

  1. 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:
    1. diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, treatment or alleviation of disease;
    2. diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, alleviation of or compensation for an injury or disability;
    3. investigation, replacement or modification of the anatomy or of a physiological process;
    4. 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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https://www.afr.com/world/north-america/trump-wants-to-close-social-media-companies-after-twitter-fact-check-20200527-p54x3d

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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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/coronavirus-a-quick-lesson-on-the-digital-divide/news-story/3164147c7944fcb7af60200ccad74e78

Coronavirus: A quick lesson on the digital divide

Caroline Overington

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

Posted by Jeremy Knibbs

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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https://digitalhealth.org.au/blog/EOI-for-Digital-Health-and-Health-Informatics-Subject-Matter-Experts/

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


Guest Author24/05/2020

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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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/coronavirus-spurs-opportunities-for-reform/news-story/04220878ce10de910d69e2ad82d663e9

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.

Monday, June 01, 2020

Weekly Australian Health IT Links – 01 June, 2020.

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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Yet again we find all sorts of angles on security making the headlines – and as you can see – even in the mainstream press. Not discussed here but the robo-debt debacle shows Government can’t be trusted with computers!

Otherwise the lockdown drags on and we wait to see if the dreaded ‘second wave’ is about to happen.

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https://www.watoday.com.au/business/small-business/security-concerns-raised-as-my-health-record-provider-works-with-app-developers-20200526-p54wfp.html

Security concerns raised as My Health Record provider works with app developers

By Emma Koehn

May 26, 2020 — 10.00pm

Cybersecurity experts have warned that partnerships between Australia's digital health agency and software startups to speed up improvements to the My Health Record system could create privacy risks for users.

The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) has said it is looking to work with more than 20 developers to connect apps to the My Health Record platform. The focus on new technologies comes as the country's digital health care sector is expected to boom after coronavirus despite concerns of likely security breaches in the months to come.

The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) oversees My Health Record, the electronic health care record platform that Australians are enrolled in unless they opted out by the start of 2019. 

There are more than 22 million e-records, according to the agency's website. Users that have provided informed consent are able to view their data in read-only format through third party apps.

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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/afterhours-gp-services-facing-annihilation-patients-turn-telehealth

After-hours GP services 'facing annihilation' as patients turn to telehealth

Industry leader Dr Nathan Pinskier says the future is bleak

26th May 2020

By Geir O'Rourke

Australia’s after-hours GP services are “doomed” to fail and most will be gone in five years’ time, one of the sector’s top GPs is warning.

Dr Nathan Pinskier says Medicare-funded telehealth is to blame as demand for after-hours home visits slumps as patients turn to phone and video consults.

“The new telehealth items are looking like the straw that broke the camel’s back and our members are very, very despondent,” says Dr Pinskier, president of the GP Deputising Association.

He says some members of the industry body have suffered a 60% slump in revenue since the emergency items, due to remain until 30 September, were first rolled out two months ago.

“I really don’t think some of these services will survive to September. At the very least, they will need to curtail their service delivery.”

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https://www.miragenews.com/australian-first-as-wa-breast-screening-results-uploaded-to-my-health-record/

Australian first as WA breast screening results uploaded to My Health Record

BreastScreen WA has become the first breast screening service in Australia to connect to My Health Record.

WA women, who have consented, will have their mammogram results uploaded to their My Health Record as soon as their test is assessed by two consultant radiologists. They can also choose to receive either an SMS or a letter.

Regular breast screenings save lives but waiting for the results of the procedure can be challenging. The fast-tracking of results will further support women and their health care providers as more care is delivered digitally.

Having the results kept in one convenient and secure place means they can be accessed at any time to help inform decisions about patient care.

BreastScreen WA provides free screening mammograms to asymptomatic women and specifically targets women aged 50 to 74 years, however, all women 40 years or over are eligible and welcome to attend. The screening only takes about 15 minutes and does not need a GP referral.

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https://www.governmentnews.com.au/breastscreen-wa-first-to-join-my-health-record/

BreastScreen WA first to join My Health Record

25 May, 2020

The WA component of the national breast cancer screening program has become the first in Australia to connect to My Health Record.

It means that women in WA will now be able to have mammogram results immediately uploaded to their My Health Record, after assessment by two radiologists.

Health minister Greg Hunt says the move will fast-track results and ensure they are kept in on one place where they can be accessed by specialists at any time.

BreastScreen WA provides free mammograms to women aged 40 and over and has conducted more then 2 million screening mammograms since 1989.

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https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/new-app-helps-people-monitor-covid-19-symptoms

New app helps people monitor COVID-19 symptoms

The technology supports those in self-isolation to monitor symptoms from home, and to identify their mental health needs.

Anastasia Tsirtsakis

29 May 2020

‘What do these symptoms mean?’
 
‘Should I get tested?’
 
‘Where do I go to get tested?’
 
‘How long do I self-isolate? Do I keep isolating if my results are negative?’

 
These are just some of the common questions for which a new app aims to provide guidance.
 
Led by a team at the University of Melbourne’s Department of General Practice,
CovidCare has been developed by researchers and clinicians, including GP Dr Mukesh Haikerwal.
 
It allows patients with symptoms or a diagnosis of COVID-19 who are in isolation to self-monitor their progress. It guides them on how to measure their heart rate and body temperature, as well as documenting shortness of breath, which is then input into the app.
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http://federal.governmentcareer.com.au/news/myhealth-hacks-mentioned

MyHealth hacks mentioned

25 May 2020

A federal agency has admitted MyHealth records have been targeted by hackers.

The Australian Digital Health Agency, which runs the MyHealth digital records system, says there were two potential data breaches this year, but claims no personal information was stolen.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre along with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner were brought in to investigate the first hacking attempt.

“Somebody tried to hack our system, so the external perimeter of our system,” the agency's national health chief information officer Ronan O'Connor has told a parliamentary committee hearing.

“I want to assure the committee that there was no access into the MyHealth record in any way whatsoever, no health information or personal sensitive information was accessed.”

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https://itwire.com/health/only-states-can-release-stats-on-covidsafe-data-after-pandemic-ends.html

Tuesday, 26 May 2020 11:54

Only states can release stats on COVIDSafe data after pandemic ends

By Sam Varghese

Data collected by the COVIDSafe app will be destroyed after the pandemic is declared over in Australia, and only the states and territories will be able to release data to show if the app was an effective tool in combatting the pandemic.

A Department of Health spokesperson told iTWire in response to queries that no statistics would be released by the Federal Government.

When the pandemic was declared over in the country, users of the app would be prompted to delete the app from their smartphones.

"The Commonwealth is not involved in the utilisation of the data," the spokesperson added.

iTWire had inquired whether the stats collected by the app and uploaded would be released so that Australians could get an idea about how the data had helped in combatting the crisis.

Deleting the app from a smartphone would also delete all app information. And when the pandemic was over, the central server that was storing the data would also be cleaned out.

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/dta-fixes-covidsafe-bluetooth-privacy-bug-548634

DTA fixes COVIDSafe Bluetooth privacy bug

By Justin Hendry on May 27, 2020 3:20PM

After feedback from developers, researchers.

The Digital Transformation Agency has fixed a security issue with its COVIDSafe contact tracing app that exposed Android device names over Bluetooth.

The update - its third since the source code for the app was released almost three weeks ago - was pushed out on Tuesday to “further enhance the protection and anonymity of users”.

It introduces “new measures to the Bluetooth contact tracing protocol” to remove the visibility of Android devices names, as well as “an extra layer of encryption for the digital handshake”. 

The issue was raised by software developer Jim Mussared and cryptographic researcher Eleanor McMurty in their comprehensive summary of the app’s privacy issues.

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https://itwire.com/health/%E2%80%98world-first%E2%80%99-touchless-triage-kiosk-used-for-screening-covid-19.html

Friday, 22 May 2020 11:57

‘World first’ touchless triage kiosk used for screening COVID 19

By Peter Dinham

Melbourne based technology solution provider Elenium Automation has implemented a multifunctional health screening device for COVID-19 and other potential illnesses using a claimed “world first” touchless triage kiosk.

The trial with Nagambie HealthCare, a regional hospital and aged care provider in Victoria, is being conducted in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), and enables Nagambie HealthCare employees, visitors and contractors to “quickly and effortlessly self-assess their vital health signs, including temperature, respiratory and heart rates at a safe distance before permitted entry”.

During the trial, if a health sign concern is detected the kiosk will immediately link the user via a video call to a triage nurse for further assessment - eliminating contact between staff and visitors during the process, and allow the user, in this incidence, to avoid entry into the Nagambie HealthCare precinct.

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/centrelink-loses-welfare-payments-overhaul-chief-548520

Centrelink loses welfare payments overhaul chief

By Justin Hendry on May 25, 2020 5:15PM

Former Human Services CTO drafted in.

The high-profile senior executive in charge of the country’s billion dollar-plus Centrelink IT overhaul has called it quits after more than four years on the project.

John Murphy, who joined what was then the Department of Human Services from the National Australia Bank back in February 2016, worked his last day on Friday.

His departure is a significant loss for the agency, which still has another three years to run on its massive welfare payments infrastructure transformation (WPIT) project.

WPIT is replacing the legacy Model 204-based income security integrated system that is still used to process more than $170 billion worth of payments every year, more than 30 years on.

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https://itwire.com/home-it/working-from-home-during-covid-19-crisis-%E2%80%98positively%E2%80%99-impacts-australians,-survey-reveals.html

Tuesday, 26 May 2020 10:15

Working from home during COVID 19 crisis ‘positively’ impacts Australians, survey reveals

By Peter Dinham

Australians who have been required to work from home during COVID-19 say the experience has positively impacted how they view their work/life flexibility, according to a new behavioural change survey by National Broadband Network operator NBN Co.

According to the survey, conducted by Venture Insights and commissioned by NBN, that was the effect of working from home - and with that access to fast broadband had made 81% of respondents who could work from home feel more secure in their jobs during the COVID-19 crisis, with 83% saying they could not have completed their jobs without it.

The NBN Survey investigated Australians’ internet usage habits before and during social distancing, to understand how consumption needs were changing and the behaviours that might endure post-restrictions being lifted, also revealing that:

  • 67% say they expect to work from home more after the COVID-19 crisis has ended, and

81% of work from home respondents agreed access to fast broadband had made them feel more secure in their jobs during COVID-19, and 83% agreed they could not have completed their jobs without access to fast internet.

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/fed-agencies-cop-mass-fail-in-core-systems-cyber-review-548738

Fed agencies cop mass fail in core systems cyber review

By Justin Hendry on May 29, 2020 1:59PM

Just one agency gets 'essential eight' tick for financial, HR systems.

Only one of the federal government’s largest agencies has fully applied the Australian Signals Directorate's essential eight to some of its most important systems, the national auditor has found.

The finding is contained in the 2019 interim financial controls audit of major entities, which reviewed the implementation of the controls now considered the baseline for cyber resilience.

The Australian National Audit Office’s review focused on the financial and HR systems of 18 agencies, including Defence, Services Australia, Home Affairs and the Tax Office.

“The review was undertaken to confirm the accuracy of reporting and identity cyber security risks that may impact on the preparation of financial statements,” the auditor said [pdf].

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/toll-group-attackers-accessed-personal-and-payroll-data-of-staff-548702

Toll Group attackers accessed personal and payroll data of staff

By Ry Crozier on May 28, 2020 11:04PM

Impacts employees in several countries.

Toll Group has confirmed its latest encounter with ransomware enabled attackers to “access” personal and payroll details of current and former staff in several countries, though it says there's “no evidence” the data was "taken”.

In an update late Thursday - its first in over a week - the company said it had established that employee data held on servers compromised by the Nefilim attackers included "details such as name, residential address, age or birthdate, and payroll information (including salary, superannuation and tax file number)."

“The information relates to some current and former employees in certain countries in which Toll operates, including Australia and New Zealand," the company said.

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https://itwire.com/security/toll-says-employee-information-accessed-by-ransomware-attackers.html

Friday, 29 May 2020 08:49

Toll says employee information accessed by ransomware attackers

By Sam Varghese

Australian logistics and transport firm Toll Group says that a ransomware group that attacked the company recently has accessed files on a corporate server that included employees' information such as names, residential addresses, age or date of birth and payroll information.

In its first update about the attack in eight days, Toll said the affected personnel were past and present employees from countries where it operates, including Australia and New Zealand.

Toll was hit by Windows ransomware known as Nefilim and the incident was made public on 5 May.

This is the second time Toll has been attacked this year, with the first being in February.

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https://www.healthcareit.com.au/article/west-hume-region-implement-dxc-care-suite-patient-management-platform

West Hume Region to implement DXC Care Suite patient management platform

Dean Koh | 26 May 2020

Located in the northeastern part of Victoria, West Hume Region (WHR) last week announced they will be implementing DXC Care Suite to optimize workflow and help improve outcomes in patient care. WHR comprises five rural health services: Goulburn Valley Health (GV Health), Nathalia, Cobram & Numurkah Health, The Kilmore & District Hospital, Yea & District Memorial Hospital and Seymour Health.

DXC Care Suite is a health platform that offers contemporary patient record management, automated scheduling and pathway management. The interoperability capabilities of DXC Open Health Connect helps care providers integrate data from different systems to create a longitudinal patient record via Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) interfaces.

WHY IT MATTERS

Through real-time automation, DXC Care Suite will enable a redesign of workflows that will increase efficiency for staff and patients across the WHR. This will allow member hospitals to achieve significant savings and reallocate staff to higher-value responsibilities. For instance, the use of DXC Care Suite will increase and improve the flow of patients through the hospitals, freeing up capacity and creating administrative efficiencies.

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https://www.healthcareit.com.au/article/new-mental-health-program-announced-support-australian-healthcare-workers-during-covid-19

New mental health program announced to support Australian healthcare workers during COVID-19

Dean Koh | 20 May 2020

A new partnership between Smiling Mind and the Australian Federal Government will allow 20,000 Australian healthcare professionals to get access to a dedicated mental health program. The program, now available in Smiling Mind’s popular app, has been tailored to the needs of healthcare workers to help them manage their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With a focus on proactive and preventative support, content covers topics such as stress management, sleep, resilience, thinking clearly, and decision making under pressure. Smiling Mind is a non-for-profit web and app-based meditation program developed by psychologists and educators.

The company has said that it has seen unprecedented growth across its digital resources over recent months. April was the organization largest month on record with over 181,200 downloads – an increase of 165% on April 2019 downloads.

Healthcare professionals can access all free content within the Health Professional Support Program by downloading the Smiling Mind app (available on iOS and Android) and navigate to Healthcare Worker under All Programs.

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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/509355/E-ordering-of-lab-tests-skyrockets.htm

E-ordering of lab tests skyrockets

Tuesday, 26 May 2020  

eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

The Covid-19 lockdown has driven a huge increase in the use of electronic ordering for lab tests and a national clinical data repository (CDR) for all Covid-19 test results has been created.

The new CDR, created by ESR and Sysmex, is a repository for all Covid-19 test results from labs across New Zealand, making it easier for information to be made available for the intelligence reporting that ESR provides to the National Health Coordination Centre.

This data is used by the Ministry for the daily Covid-19 update to the nation.

ESR data and informatics manager Andrew Crooke says the system allows a complete national overview of all testing to be provided much faster.

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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/509599/whina-app-launched-for-health-workers.htm

Âwhina app launched for health workers

Wednesday, 27 May 2020  

eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

The Ministry of Health has developed a mobile app to help health workers access information about Covid-19.

The Âwhina app is designed to provide health workers with quick access to relevant information such as the latest case definitions, clinical care pathways or Personal Protective Equipment guidance.

The information is frequently updated based on latest research, advice, and changes to alert levels. The app will notify health workers when new or updated content is available to them.

Âwhina been welcomed by the medical director of the Royal NZ College of GPs Bryan Betty, who says “anything that makes it easier for front-line GPs to access up to date information on Covid-19 would be welcomed by the College.”

MoH deputy director-general Data and Digital Shayne Hunter says Covid-19 has changed the way many people live and work and this is especially true for those working in the health and disability sector.

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https://www.zdnet.com/article/nbn-to-get-250mbps-on-entire-hfc-network-by-june-2021-only-7-can-get-750mbps/

NBN to get 250Mbps on entire HFC network by June 2021, only 7% can get 750Mbps

New wholesale pricing structure leaves cable users guessing.

By Chris Duckett | May 29, 2020 -- 00:57 GMT (10:57 AEST) | Topic: Networking

The wholesale pricing changes flagged by the company responsible for deploying the National Broadband Network (NBN) across Australia at the end of 2019 came into force on Friday, and along with the new 100/20, 250/25, and 1,000/50Mbps speed tiers, a bunch of caveats were also released.

NBN said its new 500-1,000Mbps plan, which the company has dubbed as ultrafast, would only be available on 18% of its network, which would include its fibre-to-the-premises (FttP) footprint along with an "initial" 7% of the hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) footprint.

"This will provide an opportunity for NBN and RSPs to work together to understand customer demand, usage patterns, customer satisfaction with speed performance and the future growth profile," NBN said in reference to the HFC footprint.

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https://itwire.com/telecoms-and-nbn/nbnco-boosts-broadband-network-speeds-to-satisfy-%E2%80%98customer-demands%E2%80%99-for-higher-speeds.html

Friday, 29 May 2020 12:03

NBNCo boosts broadband network speeds to satisfy ‘customer demands’ for higher speeds

By Peter Dinham

National Broadband Network operator NBNCo has launched new higher speed Internet plans in response to what it says has been strong demand for higher speed services from new customers. The plans include a new “close to” 1Gbps service.

NBN Co said on Friday that to further improve residential customers’ nbn experience, it is “overprovisioning the downlink component” of the Home Fast and Home Superfast products by around 10 – 15%, where possible - with the exception of the new Home Ultrafast speed tiers1-4,6.

“NBN Co is planning to overprovision most other existing wholesale fixed line speed tiers starting from between June and August 2020 (with the exception of the new Home Ultrafast speed tiers1-4,6),” NBN Co said.

“The provision of additional download capacity at the wholesale layer is designed to accommodate protocol overhead, which includes the code used to help ensure the correct delivery of data packets, that otherwise impact a customer’s broadband speed.

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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/nbn-offers-up-to-gigabit-speeds-but-many-miss-out/news-story/d5717c16a02aa95e0a3aaa1855dc1ace

NBN offers up to gigabit speeds but many miss out

Cable used in the NBN rollout.

Chris Griffith

NBN Co will radically increase consumer download speeds due to more Australians working at home. Some users will have access to a theoretical speed of close to 1000 Megabits per second (one Gigabit) on the “Home Ultrafast” tier, one of three new speed tiers being rolled out from today.

But only those with fibre-to-the-home and seven per cent of HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coaxial) users will access anything like Gigabit speeds with copper connections used with fibre-to-the-node and fibre-to-the curb limited to 100Mbps, the current top-of-range speed for consumers.

The ability of the NBN Co to deliver speeds above 100Mbps but only to some sections of the network brings into play the limitations of moving from the original fibre-to-the home model to mixed options that use old copper wiring.

There’s multiple reasons for NBN’s decision to roll out faster speeds. First there’s been an NBN wholesale review of the changing dynamics of the internet market which shows Australians are connecting many more devices to their home networks.

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-limits-gigabit-services-to-just-7-percent-of-hfc-footprint-548704

NBN Co limits gigabit services to just 7 percent of HFC footprint

By Ry Crozier on May 29, 2020 1:07AM

Similarly constrains access to 250 Mbps tier.

NBN Co has revealed it won’t offer 250 Mbps and up to gigabit speeds to its entire HFC footprint, constraining availability of the new high-speed plans to a subset of HFC users for at least a year.

The limitations were disclosed as the network builder finally launched the 100/20 Mbps, 250/25 Mbps and up to 1000/50 Mbps plans it came up with via a wholesale price review late last year.

The limits on the HFC network’s ability to support the highest speed services are likely to be a source of some embarrassment for the Australian government.

Affordable services with up to gigabit speeds have been touted for the fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) and HFC footprints since being announced last year.

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https://itwire.com/telecoms-and-nbn/broadband-data-demand-remains-above-pre-covid-19-levels-nbn-co.html

Thursday, 28 May 2020 23:44

Broadband data demand remains above pre-COVID 19 levels: NBN Co

Broadband data demand on the National Broadband Network’s main wholesale access service has remained above pre-COVID 19 levels, according to the network operator, NBN Co.

NBN Co said on Thursday that data demand on the access service continues to sit at elevated levels compared to the pre-COVID-19 baseline - showing Australian users reliance on the Internet during home social isolation, according to figures from the latest Australian Broadband Data Demand report.

The report reveals that for the week from Monday, 18 May to Sunday, 24 May, peak download throughput (the measure of data flowing through the nbn access network) during the busy evening period increased by 32% compared to the last week of February (which nbn measures as its normal pre-COVID-19 baseline) to record a new record high of 14.5 terabits per second (Tbps) on the main wholesale service on Tuesday 19 May.

The new record high coincided with the release of a software update for a popular multi-player online game.

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-quotes-at-least-1200-customers-on-a-switch-to-full-fibre-548651

NBN Co quotes at least 1200 customers on a switch to full fibre

By Ry Crozier on May 27, 2020 11:41PM

Does not reveal acceptance rate.

NBN Co has seen a sizeable increase in the amount of quotes issued to customers wanting to pay their own way to a faster access technology over the past three years.

The network builder provided a rare - albeit incomplete - look at the number of customers that pursue a user-pays upgrade to fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) under its Technology Choice program.

Over the years, statistics on the uptake of Technology Choice have tended to be piecemeal, in part because numbers are released on various stages of the process: the number of applications, the number of quotes issued, and then the number of applicants that actually proceed.

The latest release of numbers only covers quotes NBN Co has issued to date, and then only for specific upgrade paths: fibre-to-the-node (FTTN), hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) or fixed wireless to fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP).

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https://www.smh.com.au/money/planning-and-budgeting/get-the-best-deal-on-your-nbn-plan-20200525-p54w4y.html

Get the best deal on your NBN plan

By Joel Gibson

May 26, 2020 — 10.00pm

Our political leaders, health professionals and our teachers have rightly received high praise for getting Australia through the coronavirus pandemic in the past couple of months.

But there’s another plucky little Australian — one often much-maligned — that has also outdone itself and deserves applause: the National Broadband Network.

The NBN had a little wobble in late March and early April as millions of us stopped leaving the house and started living our lives over Zoom, Skype and Google, with average download speeds dropping between 14 per cent and 23 per cent, depending on your internet plan speed tier.

However, the government asked streaming services Netflix and Stan to reduce the definition of their images and the NBN also gave service providers 40 per cent extra network capacity for free.

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https://itwire.com/telecoms-and-nbn/aussie-broadband-offers-1gbps-on-fibre-and-hfc.html

Tuesday, 26 May 2020 12:01

Aussie Broadband offers 1Gbps on fibre and HFC

By Stephen Withers

Gigabit NBN plans have been few and far between, but Aussie Broadband is about to join the market.

Aussie Broadband intends to launch a $149 unlimited data plan for the new NBN 1000/50 tier on Friday 29 May, taking advantage of new NBN wholesale prices that are expected to take effect that day.

Peak evening speeds are yet to be determined, but the company predicts 800-900Mbps will be achievable, depending on the NBN technology serving the premises. So Aussie is initially playing it safe and using peak evening speeds for its 250Mbps plans as a baseline.

“Not surprisingly, we are keen to offer 1Gbps plans as soon as NBN introduces the product,” said Aussie Broadband managing director Phillip Britt.

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/aussie-broadbands-250-mbps-nbn-sign-up-spurt-continues-548576

Aussie Broadband's 250 Mbps NBN sign-up spurt continues

By Ry Crozier on May 26, 2020 10:16PM

Also adds sharp rise in gigabit business connections to its books.

Aussie Broadband continues to dominate sign-ups in NBN tiers above 100 Mbps, recording a 47 percent rise in 250 Mbps services in the three months to the end of March.

The retail service provider (RSP) also saw the number of gigabit services it has in operation climb from four at the end of December last year to 51 just three months later - an 1175 percent rise, albeit off of a very small base.

iTnews confirmed that these gigabit customers were business users that had signed on to a 1000/400 Mbps NBN Ethernet Bitstream Service or NEBS product.

However, the number of gigabit users is likely to climb significantly in the next reporting period as Aussie Broadband begins selling an up to gigabit product for residential customers priced at $149 a month.

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https://itwire.com/telecoms-and-nbn/more-than-7m-australians-can-now-connect-to-the-nbn.html

Tuesday, 26 May 2020 11:13

More than 7m Australians can now connect to the NBN

By Sam Varghese

More than seven million Australians are connected to the national broadband network after 455,000 new services were activated in the first quarter of 2020.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said in its latest quarterly Wholesale Market Indicators Report on Tuesday that this jump in connections coincided with an increase of 31% in bandwidth on the network.

The NBN Co, the company building the network, increased network capacity in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and as a result the CVC per user increased from 1.92Mbps to 2.52Mbps during the quarter, the ACCC said. This CVC increase did not cost the retail service providers anything.

“We were pleased to see NBN Co and RSPs work together to ensure Australians can stay connected during these unprecedented times,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said.

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/aussie-broadband-to-offer-best-effort-gigabit-nbn-plans-for-149-548550

Aussie Broadband to offer 'best effort' gigabit NBN plans for $149

By Ry Crozier on May 26, 2020 12:00PM

Still unsure what peak speeds are achievable.

Aussie Broadband is set to launch up to gigabit speed residential NBN plans at the end of this week, priced at $149 a month.

The retail service provider (RSP) is moving into the market after NBN Co unveiled plans late last year to introduce a more affordable “up to” gigabit tier with a heavily asymmetric 1000/50 Mbps profile.

With the new wholesale plans set to be introduced from this Friday, Aussie Broadband said it intended to “offer 1Gbps plans as soon as NBN introduces the product”.

“The new plan will initially be released for all FTTP premises and some of the HFC network, and we anticipate the footprint will grow with time,” Aussie Broadband’s managing director Phillip Britt said in a statement.

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-faces-fresh-pressure-not-to-fully-unwind-free-bandwidth-boost-548554

NBN Co faces fresh pressure not to fully unwind free bandwidth boost

By Ry Crozier on May 26, 2020 12:28PM

As its own research shows ongoing need.

NBN Co is under renewed pressure to maintain some of the free bandwidth boost it has offered during the coronavirus lockdown period after its own research indicated that elevated demand for internet could extend beyond July.

Figures released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) today showed the aggregate impact of the temporary capacity offered by NBN Co.

The boost allows RSPs to use up to 40 percent additional bandwidth above February 2020 levels without incurring additional costs.

On a network-wide basis, bandwidth per user “increased from 1.92Mbps to 2.52Mbps during the March quarter,” the ACCC said.

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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/telstra-beating-its-5g-rollout-targets/news-story/40f6424aced1ff8200a4379689126022

Telstra beating its 5G rollout targets

Chris Griffith

Telstra says it is ahead of its schedule to roll out 5G and has ­established the first test sites of 5G millimetre wave technology.

The coronavirus pandemic has not slowed Telstra’s general rollout of 5G.

Telstra network engineering executive Channa Seneviratne said the company had rolled out 5G in areas of 47 cities and regional centres, and was ahead of the goal announced last year of 35 cities by June 30.

All states and territories had some 5G coverage except for the Northern Territory. Most of the 47 regions are in NSW, Queensland and Victoria, with some coverage in Perth and Busselton in Western Australia, Adelaide and Mount Gambier in South Australia, Hobart and Launceston in Tasmania, and Canberra.

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https://www.afr.com/technology/door-opens-for-telstra-as-nbn-proves-itself-in-lockdown-20200524-p54vuv

Door opens for Telstra as NBN 'proves itself' in lockdown

Paul Smith Technology editor

May 26, 2020 – 12.00am

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has left the door open for Telstra's infrastructure arm to acquire the National Broadband Network in future, and said he was unconcerned by emerging competition from state government and privately owned rivals as the network had proven its value to most citizens during the COVID-19 lockdown.

In an interview with The Australian Financial Review, Mr Fletcher said the NBN had withstood a huge spike in usage as workers and students operated remotely and that NBN Co was now well positioned to upgrade for future needs after securing a $6.1 billion debt facility earlier this month.

His comments will prick the ears of Telstra CEO Andy Penn, who has long harboured plans to try and buy back the wholesale revenues lost to the NBN. They will also interest critics of the NBN rollout, who have complained about a lack of an upgrade plan after the completion of the initial rollout next month.

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/telstra-ceo-wants-nbn-upgrade-paths-reflected-in-govt-policy-548506

Telstra CEO wants NBN upgrade paths reflected in govt policy

By Ry Crozier on May 25, 2020 11:24AM

Calls for telcos to be unshackled from past policy and decisions.

Telstra CEO Andy Penn wants a “long term” strategy for Australian telecommunications to be developed with government, spelling out upgrade paths for the NBN and removing barriers to 5G and edge compute deployments.

Penn laid out a broad policy wishlist on Monday, in which he sought to use the restart from COVID-related lockdowns as a springboard for change.

In particular, Penn saw opportunities to develop digital technologies in the post-COVID era, to "reform telecommunications”, and to bolster investment in and attention around security risks.

Telecommunications, he said, was the “connective tissue” that held businesses and communities together through the lockdown.

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Enjoy!

David.

Sunday, May 31, 2020

An Addition To The #myHealthRecord Website Warns The System Can Have A Serious / Lethal Downside.

Over the last few years I have been a regular visitor to the myHealthRecord site to browse the press releases and to check what the current advice on various topics related to the system was.

You can imagine my curiosity and interest when a relatively new section appeared at the top of the page.

Here it is:

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Learn more about My Health Record and how your privacy is protected.

Read our privacy policy.

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.
Find out more

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The link is:

https://www.myhealthrecord.gov.au/

The bold text is the important bit – if you follow the link you see this:

Family and domestic violence

If you are affected by family and domestic violence, you can take steps to control the information in your My Health Record.

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.

Concerned that someone may find you or your child through information in your child’s My Health Record?

For 24/7 support, call the My Health Record helpline on 1800 723 471. There are protections we can quickly put in place to protect your family’s safety. They include:

  • Restrict access to a record
  • Suspend a record
  • Cancel a record
  • See who has access to a record and remove a person’s access if they’re not eligible
  • Set a code to restrict new healthcare providers having access to the record or to specific documents within in it
  • Remove documents from a record

Family and domestic violence isn’t always physical and it can happen to anyone at any time, regardless of age, gender or sexual orientation. It can happen anywhere, including at home or at work. It can cause you to live in fear for yourself and your family. This can happen even if you’ve left a violent relationship. 

Learn more on the Services Australia website

Here is the direct link:

https://www.myhealthrecord.gov.au/for-you-your-family/howtos/family-and-domestic-violence

While I am pretty sure that most of those being threatened with domestic violence (DV) are probably not even aware of the risk of being tracked and traced using the #myHR it seems to me we have to wonder who has assessed the potential level of risk to victims and what they have concluded.

I have heard regularly that the risks exist but have never seen any research / review that has attempted to quantify the scale of the risk. Surely we should have? Has anyone?

That the front page of the #myHR mentions the issue can, of course, alert a perpetrator to another way to find the fleeing victim as well as suggest what you as a victim can do!

We do know that at least woman a week is being murdered by an intimate partner and a many more are suffering on an ongoing basis.

If it was totally clear that the #myHR is helping and benefiting many, having this risk may just be acceptable, but the benefit is not clear and so, unless there is real quantification we should just shut the wretched thing down. Right now it is a clear cut ‘honey pot’ for perpetrators,

Does anyone know the number of calls there have been to the help line?

With the COVID-19 lockdown causing increased DV we need clear stats and metrics urgently so an assessment of the risk / reward can be made. A warning add campaign as suggested by Bernard might also be a good idea to raise awareness of the issue.

Another case I suspect where Government Secrecy will mean we will never know!

David.

AusHealthIT Poll Number 529 – Results – 31st May, 2020.

Here are the results of the poll.

Do You Believe The ADHA Should Be Developing Consumer Facing Clinical Advice Websites Like The One Found At https://covid-19.digitalhealth.gov.au/?

Yes - They Have All The Expertise They Need 0% (0)

No - They Are Not Clinical Experts 100% (108)

I Have No Idea 0% (0)

Total votes: 108

A unanimous vote. The ADHA should not be performing this sort of role!

Any insights on the poll welcome as a comment, as usual.

A good number of votes for some reason.

It must also have been a very easy question with 0/108 readers were not sure how to respond.

Again, many, many thanks to all those that voted!

David.