NCPHN’S VISION FOR DIGITAL HEALTH
NCPHN’S VISION FOR DIGITAL HEALTH NCPHN’S VISION FOR DIGITAL HEALTH NCPHN’S VISION FOR DIGITAL HEALTH NCPHN will consult with the community to find out if Digital Health literacy is up to par, and if necessary close the gap
issues in Coraki? And how can we use technology to better support that population? But the first step in drawing up a Digital Health Strategy for the North Coast is to go out and talk to people, both health professionals and consumers to find out how literate they are in Digital Health. We need to have frank discussions about how THEY see Digital Health changing their lives, or those of their patients. We can’t push out digital solutions if people don’t know how to use them and we need to ensure that Digital Transformation goes hand in hand with Digital Health literacy. And while Primary Health Networks have a limited amount of money, there are a lot of people in need. These people have an expectation that NCPHN will design and fund programs and services that will care for them. And one of the ways we can get better at this is introducing digital models of care. Looking to our established and successful programs and enhancing them with digital solutions to support them. So we’ll be talking to people to find out what Digital Health means to our clinicians and their patients and what their expectations are of its uses. We have to understand people’s needs and put in place solutions that will help everyone. If we first don’t consult and understand, we’ve failed before we have begun. And if we find that Digital
WE CAN’T PUSH OUT DIGITAL SOLUTIONS IF PEOPLE DON’T KNOW HOW TO USE THEM AND WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION GOES HAND IN HAND WITH DIGITAL HEALTH LITERACY Health literacy is not up to par then we will need to close that gap. We need to build a strategy for the North Coast, one that is OWNED by the people of the North Coast.
HS: What do you see as the benefits of technology? Mason: Digital Health means we can
deliver more care to more people in more locations more effectively. And we can access people in ways that they prefer for example . wWe know that often people at most at risk of suicide don’t go to their GP and ask for help. So, how do we use technology to help people with severe mental illness? It’s not just about giving them an iPad or a telehealth consultation, it’s about interacting via social media in the ways these patients want and are accustomed to doing. We know that the Mental Health Disclosure rate is significantly higher when people interact with virtual assistants or chat bots because there’s no stigma attached to the interaction. We have to think differently.
HS: What does a Digital Health Strategy need to include? Mason: First we need to ask:
1 What are the key priorities in digital health? 2 What are we not delivering on now and why? 3 Is it because of the cost? 4 Is it because we don’t have the clinicians? 5 How do we use technology to underpin these concerns? The patient has to be at the centre of every solution. One of the key groups I’m setting up is a Digital Futures Community of Practice. We have started to set up this group and we’d love to hear from any health professionals who’d like to be part of it. We will be listening to clinicians and working through our Clinical Councils. Anyone interested in joining the Digital Futures Community of Practice should email digitalhealth@ ncphn.org.au There will also be consumers sitting on this group because everything NCPHN does has an effect on the community, and we need to design services and programs with the consumer at the centre. HS: Tell us more about your vision for Digital Health. Mason: It’s really exciting. There are
two areas of digital transformation that we need to focus on.
A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 | H E A LT H S P E A K
17