Digital health in Australia - statistics & facts
Digital health and telehealth play a critical role in connecting Australia’s health workers with patients around the country, particularly in remote communities with limited access to health services and personnel. However, telehealth is also utilized almost as much in population-dense metropolitan areas and its popularity has been boosted somewhat by social distancing practices during the coronavirus pandemic. While telehealth remains an important part of the public health system, new digital technologies and the expansion of the National Broadband Network (NBN) have given rise to innovative digital health platforms with diverse applications. Today, digital health comes in the form of public health websites, social media engagement, and apps that are more widely accessible through platforms such as MyGov and the Healthdirect website.
Another notable digital health service accessible through MyGov is the My Health Record. The My Health Record has been a major development in the digitization of health records in Australia, however not without resistance. The online health record can be accessed and updated by treating healthcare professionals, pharmacies, hospitals, and the record holder themselves but concerns about privacy and its introduction as an opt-in service saw a slow initial adoption rate. After January 2019, the My Health Record was reintroduced as an opt-out digital record, meaning that Australians would need to actively cancel their account if they did not wish to have one. As expected, the number of records increased exponentially, and by March 2023 most My Health Records were being used actively, with around 23 million accounts with uploaded data and growing.
Overall, Australia’s ongoing investment in NBN, coupled with the expansion of e-government and digital health services, means that more people than ever before have access to health services in the country.
Australia’s expanding digital and telehealth network
One of the most important Australian government infrastructure projects has been the expansion of the NBN. This broadband network is key in allowing more Australians access to digital health and telehealth services. The number of houses across Australia with an active NBN connection is growing every year, but many regional areas still lack access to this new network. This means that a smaller share of people in regional areas are using telehealth services, compared to the major cities in the country.How are digital health services accessed?
Australia’s rapid digital health expansion is closely aligned with the country’s e-government development led by the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA). Among other projects, the DTA is responsible for the development of the MyGov platform, which links government services to a single account that allows them to make digital transactions. Medicare, which is the national public healthcare insurance service, has most of its services transmitted digitally, particularly bulk billing.Another notable digital health service accessible through MyGov is the My Health Record. The My Health Record has been a major development in the digitization of health records in Australia, however not without resistance. The online health record can be accessed and updated by treating healthcare professionals, pharmacies, hospitals, and the record holder themselves but concerns about privacy and its introduction as an opt-in service saw a slow initial adoption rate. After January 2019, the My Health Record was reintroduced as an opt-out digital record, meaning that Australians would need to actively cancel their account if they did not wish to have one. As expected, the number of records increased exponentially, and by March 2023 most My Health Records were being used actively, with around 23 million accounts with uploaded data and growing.
Overall, Australia’s ongoing investment in NBN, coupled with the expansion of e-government and digital health services, means that more people than ever before have access to health services in the country.
