More needed to address challenges for women in Australia’s digital health workforce

More women are choosing to continue their careers in digital health as gender diversity in the sector improves. But challenges remain, according to the Gender Diversity in Australia’s Digital Health Workforce 2024 Report. Launched last week, the report was based on the 2023 census on gender diversity and aims to address the lack of research […]

Virtual reality to improve mealtimes for people with dementia   

A virtual reality experience to assist health workers in caring for patients with dementia at mealtimes has been recently released by Dementia Australia.  Dementia Australia’s Dine with Ted allows participants to engage in a dining experience from the perspective of a person living with dementia.   The three-hour virtual reality program uses avatar technology to educate […]

AI to help address aggression in the ED 

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been integrated into an immersive virtual reality enhanced computer simulation program to train frontline healthcare workers in de-escalating aggression in patients. Developed by researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU), ‘Barry’ is an AI computer-based model that allows clinicians and students to verbally interact with him in a hospital setting.   Users have […]

The Evitable Conflict: ANMF’s Submission to the Select Committee on Adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) recently made a submission to the Australian Government’s Senate Select Committee on Adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Committee sought evidence on opportunities and impacts for Australia arising out of the uptake of AI technologies. This included consideration of recent national and international trends and opportunities, potential benefits and […]

The cyber security impacts of Artificial Intelligence in nursing and midwifery

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools become more widespread, particularly in sectors such as healthcare, the importance of cyber security protection measures will become even more paramount.  To help clinicians understand and adapt to the changing landscape, the ANMF and Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) are running a webinar later this month looking at what AI […]

The Break Glass function in My Health Record: when and how to use it

There are certain urgent situations where health professionals can legally access restricted information in a My Health Record to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a person’s health. This is known as Emergency Access or the break glass function. While it is expected that it will be rarely required, it is important to understand […]

CSIRO reports surge in AI in healthcare

A surge in the amount of digital data in the health sector, together with increases in compute power and the availability of new artificial intelligence (AI) tools are leading to an explosion of AI being used in healthcare, according to a new report from CSIRO. Australia’s national science agency CSIRO AI Trends for Healthcare report […]