Governments have ticked off a 5-year plan aiming to empower Australians to manage and improve their personal health and wellbeing through advances in digital technology.
Launched today, Australia’s National Digital Health Strategy 2023 – 2028 and accompanying Strategy Delivery Roadmap present a path towards an inclusive, sustainable and healthier future for all Australians.
The digital health strategy is striving to achieve four clear outcomes for digital health:
- Digitally enabled: Health services are connected, safe, secure and sustainable.
- Person-centred: Australians are empowered to look after their health and wellbeing, with the right information and tools.
- Inclusive: Equitable access to health services, when and where they are needed.
- Data-driven: Readily available data informs decision.
Australian Digital Health Agency CEO, Ms Amanda Cattermole, said the Strategy and Delivery Roadmap were the result of a productive collaboration between federal, state and territory governments and shaped through extensive consultations with consumers, carers, healthcare providers, research organisations and technology innovators.
“In an age of precision medicine, characterised by healthcare innovations like wearable technology and AI-driven genomic research, we are witnessing a paradigm shift towards personalised and preventative healthcare. The National Digital Health Strategy is essential to support this shift while fostering a connected, secure, inclusive and ethical healthcare system, backed by robust legislation,” Ms Cattermole said.
“The Strategy captures areas of reform that require a nationally co-coordinated effort across all jurisdictions to drive transformation in digital health.
Agency Chief Clinical Advisor Dr Steve Hambleton said advances in technology were already improving health outcomes and reducing waste. Clinical benefit and consumer engagement can only get better as programs such as sharing diagnostic tests to My Health Record by default rollout, he added.
“Immediate access to critical diagnostic information wherever requested is a quantum leap forward in supporting clinicians to make the best decisions for the patient,” Dr Hambleton said.
“Digital tools will never replace doctors but doctors who use digital tools will likely replace doctors who don’t.” Read the National Digital Health Strategy 2023-2028
