The Australian Digital Health Agency (the Agency), in collaboration with the Digital Health CRC, today hosted the National Digital Health Workforce and Education Summit.
This crucial Summit brought together leading academics, industry, policy makers, consumers and health and care workers nationally to discuss and collaborate on the draft National Digital Health Workforce and Education Roadmap (the Roadmap) to support the Australian health workforce in the global transformation to a digital health future.
The Roadmap builds upon Australia’s National Digital Health Strategy and the associated Framework for Action. The Roadmap describes the current state of the workforce in health, including volunteers and health consumers and their associated digital capability.
The Roadmap also anticipates how the application of digital health tools and technologies in health is currently impacting and is likely to impact the health workforce in the future. In addition to the requirements for digital health education and training in the short to medium term, it provides a framework for target setting and measuring success.
Australian Digital Health Agency CEO, Tim Kelsey, said: “The benefits of digital health technologies are significant and compelling.”
“The development of this Roadmap is a progressive and timely step that will improve the Australian health workforce’s digital health capabilities, ensure it is able to realise the benefits of adopting digital technologies and remain world-class in the delivery of healthcare. This will support us in meeting the increasing health demands of people in a resource constrained environment.”
CEO of the Digital Health CRC, Dr Victor Pantano, said: “The development of this critical Roadmap acknowledges that we need to re-shape the education and training provided to the current and future health workforce in order to meet digital expectations.”
“It also recognises that, in spite of the considerable benefits that will flow from digital transformation of healthcare systems around the world, people will remain its most valuable asset.”
Professor Tim Shaw, Research Director at the Digital Health CRC and Professor of Digital Health at the University of Sydney, said: “The global digital health focus remains on the role of emerging technologies more than on the capabilities required for the health workforce to use them effectively. This is despite the significant health workforce impacts that are expected. Digital health is evolving from an eHealth orientation to encapsulate emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, genomics and advanced robotics.”
The Agency will be incorporating feedback from the Summit into the Roadmap over the coming months. For questions or information on the Roadmap, please email workforce@digitalhealth.gov.au.
(20 November 2019)
Media contacts
Australian Digital Health Agency Media Team
Mobile: 0428 772 421
Email: media@digitalhealth.gov.au
Dr Victor Pantano, CEO, Digital Health CRC
Mobile: 0406 422 074
Email: victor.pantano@dhcrc.com
About the Australian Digital Health Agency
The Agency is tasked with improving health outcomes for all Australians through the delivery of digital healthcare systems, and implementing Australia’s National Digital Health Strategy – Safe, Seamless, and Secure: evolving health and care to meet the needs of modern Australia in collaboration with partners across the community. The Agency is the System Operator of My Health Record, and provides leadership, coordination, and delivery of a collaborative and innovative approach to utilising technology to support and enhance a clinically safe and connected national health system. These improvements will give individuals more control of their health and their health information, and support healthcare providers to deliver informed healthcare through access to current clinical and treatment information. Further information: www.digitalhealth.gov.au.
About the Digital Health CRC
The Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (Digital Health CRC) is one of Australia’s largest CRCs, the nation’s leading collaborative research organisation in the digital health space, and one of the world’s largest digital health cooperatives. It brings together researchers, clinicians, the healthcare and technology sectors, governments, universities and others to focus research and development on digital healthcare – for the benefit of the health system and Australia’s health consumers.
