Half of the critical IT hardware in New Zealand hospitals is outdated and poses significant risks to the healthcare system, according to a recent briefing from Health NZ – Te Whatu Ora to Health Minister Shane Reti.
The briefing, obtained by state media under the Official Information Act, highlighted the urgent need for significant investment and effort in modernising hospital data and digital technology just to maintain current operations.
A five-year project for digital modernisation is set to begin, addressing the “fragile and fragmented” legacy systems, which include over 6,000 applications, 1,000 servers, and numerous outdated databases and devices. These antiquated systems have led to vital health data being locked away ‘in silos’, making it difficult to manage and secure effectively.
Health NZ wants bureaucrats to take on global standards and reduce local barriers to unleash ‘innovation’ in digital health, similar to trends seen in the USA.
The briefing underscores that smart use of technology can enhance capacity, drive savings, and improve clinician productivity and effectiveness. Highlighting successful international examples, the briefing emphasised the need for New Zealand to adopt innovative solutions such as remote monitoring and advanced control centres.
Minister Reti acknowledged the long-standing issues but cautioned there was a need for careful planning to address them. A new 10-year digital plan from Health NZ is expected to guide future investments and improvements in the healthcare IT infrastructure.
Image credit: National Cancer Institute
Anytime a patient’s health, medical or lab record is accessed by second and third parties, the patient should be notified ASAP via e-mail.
Why???
We discovered that a certain health care provider who we parted ways with some years ago had been accessing our medical records, and inserted DNR sheets into the same.(If a DNR was carried out without proper permission(s) from the Patient(s), this would mean manslaughter charges for those who changed the medical, health and Medlab records…)
We noted that some critical lab results had been erased from the lab reports / results, and even MyIndici didn’t pick-up on this.
THIS is why every time someone accesses these records, the recipient(s) / Patients(s) need to be notified via messaging, e-mails, or a phone call from the record(s) holders.
This is how vindictive ex-employers in the medical and research fields screw with ex-employees!
All very well but where are the doctors, nurses and specialists, to use the shiny new tech??