technology
Digital dilemma
While some peak bodies are encouraging consumers to keep their My Health Record, others are warning of privacy risks.
By Dallas Bastian
Australians can now opt out of My Health Record – but they’ re hearing competing advice on whether to do it.
The Australian Digital Health Agency is giving all consumers until 15 October to decide if they want an online summary of their key health information.
Professor Meredith Makeham, the agency’ s chief medical adviser, says people can choose which healthcare information they’ d like to store in their My Health Record and who they’ d like to share it with.
“ My Health Record aims to deliver better healthcare outcomes and safer care for people,” Makeham says.“ It will reduce harm caused by medication errors because people and their healthcare providers will have access to important information about medicines and allergies. This could save your life in an emergency.”
Dr Linc Thurecht, the acting chief executive of the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association( AHHA), says the record has the potential to reduce hospital admission, adverse drug events and duplication of diagnostic tests, and could also result in better coordination of care among multiple healthcare providers while leading to more informed decisions being made.
“ It won’ t be an overnight success, because the usefulness of each person’ s record will depend on the amount of information put there by individual healthcare providers and consumers,” Thurecht says.“ But we think that with active use and updating, My Health Record has the potential to be very empowering for both clinicians and patients.”
AHHA strongly encourages consumers to keep and maintain their My Health Record.
“ Overall, we think that the My Health Record, with its inbuilt privacy and security controls set by the consumer, balances the need for better information and coordination of care, with the right to privacy,” Thurecht says.
Digital Rights Watch is less confident. The group, which aims to defends digital rights in Australia, marked the beginning of the opt-out period by urging people to be aware of what it deemed“ deeply concerning” privacy issues.
Chair Tim Singleton Norton says Digital Rights Watch is encouraging everyone to consider opting out.
“ A range of privacy concerns have been raised in relation to this system since it was first proposed years ago,” Singleton Norton says.“ Despite this, no guarantees have been given that individual citizens’ personal information will be kept safe and secure.
“ Health information is incredibly attractive to scammers and criminal groups. Creating such a massive database of Australians’ personal, private health information is highly likely to become a target in the future.”
National Rural Health Alliance chief executive Mark Diamond says having access to a digital health record is particularly important for people who live in rural and remote areas, and he recommends that they do not opt out, despite the reported privacy risks associated with the service.
“ If you live outside a major city, you have less access to health services, and are more likely to delay getting medical treatment. That means you’ re more likely to end up being hospitalised.
“ A My Health Record means that all your important health information is at the fingertips of your doctor, nurse or surgeon,” Diamond says.
While he says there is always a risk with online information, he adds that the alliance is satisfied that the Australian Digital Health Agency is“ using the most robust security measures to safeguard people’ s health records”, and that“ the risk associated with My Health Record is small”.
As of 1 July, more than 5.9 million Australians and nearly 13,000 healthcare professional organisations were registered with My Health Record. By the end of the year, a record will be created for every Australian who decides not to opt out.
However, although the opt-out period ends in October, consumers can still request to have their record deactivated at any time in the future. ■
36 agedcareinsite. com. au