Inside Digital Health | October 2024
Australian Digital Health Agency
Connecting Australia to a healthier future
October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, an annual reminder about the importance of cyber security in a world where digital transformation is a priority for many healthcare organisations.
In this edition, read about how complacency can expose healthcare organisations to cyber attacks and get practical steps to strengthen cyber security practices. We hear from experts on the importance of adopting practical, phased approaches to build resilience against cyber threats, and more. ?
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Why healthcare professionals need cyber security training
The healthcare sector is more connected than ever, with digital transformation driving a new era of patient care and operational excellence. However, this increased connectivity brings a growing threat of cyber-attacks with the potential to cripple organisations.
Danielle P. , Chief Information Security Officer at the Australian Digital Health Agency , highlights the significance of cyber security in this context: 'Cyber security is everyone's business. It is a collective effort to create a safer online environment for everyone.'
John Borchi, Chief Technology Officer at the Australian Digital Health Agency shares his insights on the risks: 'We have so much dependency on health and on digital transformation in healthcare. Organisations need to be aware of what those risks are.'
Complacency is a major risk because healthcare professionals believe 'it's not going to happen to us, it'll happen to someone else.' John addresses this misconception: 'We see time and time again in the news that healthcare is a big target for criminal gangs and organised crime.'
Peter O'Halloran , Chief Digital Officer at the Australian Digital Health Agency also highlights the critical role of consumer awareness in cyber security: 'Consumers don't want their information out there. They have a vested interest in making sure their own information is secure. If we're thinking about that and we are designing systems from a consumer-centred manner we end up with a more secure-by-design methodology. Ultimately this leads to better health outcomes for all.'
A common challenge in healthcare settings is the belief that implementing advanced cyber security measures is unattainable. Many organisations set overly ambitious goals, only to abandon their efforts due to the complexity and costs involved. 'A lot of organisations try to go from zero to a thousand in one step, and that's not achievable. Complacency sets in, and they give up,' John explains.
To combat this and protect against cyber threats, healthcare professionals need practical, phased approaches to cyber security training and protocols. John recommends these actionable steps to mitigate risks:
Prioritise data and systems
Identify the most critical data sets and systems that directly impact patient care. These systems should be highly secure and operational at all times, whereas non-essential databases can be lower priorities.
Adopt incremental improvement
Rather than aiming for instant perfection, organisations should adopt a phased approach to enhance their cyber security practices. By implementing smaller, achievable changes first, organisations will build confidence and capability over time.
Ask the right questions
Healthcare professionals often rely on IT or cloud service providers without understanding the full scope of the services they are receiving. It is critical to ask the right questions about security provisions, and it may be worth investing in expert advice if needed.
Make cyber security a priority
'We are taking this seriously. Cyber security and cyber threats are at the top of our risk agenda. These issues are discussed at Board meetings, senior executive meetings, all the way down to operations and everyday activities. That is how I think organisations should approach it moving forward,' John emphasises.
By following these steps, healthcare professionals can shift from complacency to proactive security management, ensuring a safer future for both patients and organisations.
A new report has identified the top 5 trends in redefining health systems in the coming year: the deployment of AI and machine learning to make healthcare smart, use of digital replicas and simulation technologies, leveraging digital means to provide remote patient care, health system adaptability and biotechnology breakthroughs.
The?Health x Digital Transformation Report 2024-2025 ?from the National Industry Innovation Network (NIIN) Health Alliance, led by the?RMIT-Cisco Health Transformation Lab , scoured almost 10,000 journal articles and trends reports to find the tech solutions that could affect healthcare in the near future, and gives recommendations to the healthcare sector of steps to adopt them.
Researchers in Melbourne have developed a cost-effective method to print tiny bioscaffolds that can be implanted in the body to support cell regrowth.
The?new technique ?developed by researchers led by?RMIT University ?in collaboration with clinicians at?St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne ?uses a basic 3D printer to print the negative of a bioscaffold using soluble material they fill with biocompatible materials, before dissolving the moulds away, allowing for much smaller structures previously considered impossible to create with standard 3D printers.
The researchers say the development is a significant step towards making tissue engineering a medical reality for people who lose a significant amount of bone or tissue due to illness or injury.
Wearable fitness trackers such as Apple Watches and Fitbits have been shown to detect COVID-19 with comparable results to rapid screening tests and atrial fibrillation as accurately as doctors, in a study the?University of South Australia researchers hope will revolutionise the detection of medical conditions and disease.
The?study ?found wearable technology could correctly identify COVID-19 status (positive or negative) in 88 out of 100 people, and atrial fibrillation – a type of arrhythmia associated with increased risk of stroke and heart failure – in 87 out of 100 people.
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A separate,?small study ?by the?University of New South Wales ?looked at how older Indigenous people, who are at higher risk of atrial fibrillation, can use wearable technology to monitor their health. The study found that these devices were a viable health tool for those living remotely.
As outlined in the recent information session on Transforming Australia's Digital Health Infrastructure, the Agency is committed to modernising the My Health Record system from a clinical document repository to a data-rich platform built on the international data exchange standard known as Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources? (FHIR?), to ensure health data can be seamlessly connected across all care settings, supporting real-time access to information for the patient and the broader care team, anywhere, anytime.
The Agency has released the FHIR Server Solution Request for Tender on AusTender.
The release of this tender represents a significant opportunity for suitable tenderers or partners with the ability to build and enhance foundational FHIR technical capability within the My Health Record ecosystem to deliver improved interoperability capability, allowing for better data-rich experiences for healthcare providers and consumers.
An industry briefing was held on 4 October 2024. Watch the FHIR Server Solution Industry Briefing .
Questions related to this tender can be submitted via the Contact Officer [email protected]
C3.0 Bytesize – Connect – 15 October 2024 | Virtual
'C3.0 Bytesize' is a series of 3 virtual events on the 3 C's of clinical governance: Connect, Care and Confidence.?
The first event, 'C3.0 Bytesize – Connect', explores how to build partnerships, collaboration and integration throughout the digital health service.
Hosted by Peter Birch , CEO Talking HealthTech , this event will feature leading experts and innovative service providers including:
Wild Health 2024 – 22 October 2024 | Melbourne
Hear from the Agency's Branch Manager, Connected Care Ryan Mavin at Wild Health 2024. Ryan will join other panellists to discuss how technology can enable connected care to deliver a unified health system and more.
Health Information Management Conference – 28-30 October 2024 | Melbourne
Join the Agency's Chief Digital Officer Peter O'Halloran at HIMAA24 as he discusses the role of SNOMED-CT and ICD in transforming digital health in Australia.
If you're looking for a role that's professionally and personally rewarding, and offers career growth and mentoring, check out the latest jobs at the Australian Digital Health Agency.
See more vacancies at https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/about-us/careers
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