Access secure on My Health Record
Addressing concerns about possible unauthorised access to the My Health Record system, the North Coast Primary Health Network is reassuring the public that code setting restricts access to those healthcare professionals who receive patients’ consent to put their details online.
The PHN is also stressing the benefits of providers having fast digital access to information such as allergies, current conditions, medicine details and pathology and lab reports in the event of accident or medical emergency.
This is particularly valuable if people are away on holidays or business and might need emergency care.
Addressing the security issue, the PHN points out that healthcare professionals can only access My Health Record if they have been given permission to do so. In addition, the system has a history capability whereby patients can monitor who has looked at their health details.
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Comprehension is the missing health care ingredient
There is a serious disconnect between the reading ability of many Australians and the complexity of the health care information they need to understand, according to the chief executive of Northern NSW Local Health District, Wayne Jones.
Consequences include up to 40 per cent of booked surgeries being postponed because written instructions such as fasting are not followed, and 20 per cent of discharged patients not understanding their medications.
On the North Coast, Mr Jones revealed, up to one-in-four patients do not comprehend what doctors and nurses tell them, adding that while the average reading age sits at around school years 6 to 8, much of the material people receive is pitched at levels 11 to 12 years.
Such figures explain surveys showing up to 60 per cent of Australians have low health literacy, a term defined as “how well people can obtain, communicate, process and understand health information and services to make appropriate health decisions.”
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- Written by: Robin Osborne
Read more: Comprehension is the missing health care ingredient
Painting a homage to the Bundjalung story
At a fascinating and emotional artist’s talk on 15 December, accomplished ‘matchstick painter’ Adrian Cameron told the gathering how the only escape from prison was to withdraw into the world of his artwork, sometimes painting day and night to relieve the boredom and oppression of jail.
It is no secret that Adrian has experienced a tough life, becoming a ward of the state from the time he was born in Lismore Base Hospital.
Frequently institutionalized as a boy, he found himself imprisoned in adulthood, turning for solace to painting, his only real interest since primary school years.
Even then his main themes were the traditional imagery of the Widjabul clan of the Bundjalung Nation, including local animals like goannas and snakes, water life, sacred places and dreaming stories such as the Rainbow Serpent.
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- Written by: Robin Osborne
UCRH to expand collaborations in 2017
The North Coast’s University Centre for Rural Health is set to further expand its role in developing regional health care capacity, according to Director Professor Ross Bailie, who said, “The year ahead will see us drawing further on the expertise of our highly regarded research team and coordinating the practical training of more university students from medical, nursing and allied health programs.”
Prof Bailie said UCRH has already developed strong links with the region’s key health bodies, Northern NSW Local Health District and the North Coast Primary Heath Network, and is looking to collaborate closely with other relevant groups in the coming year.
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Poorer NSW residents live in an unhealthy state
A survey of 417 low-income residents of NSW has found that a ‘quality health system’ is the main issue they want the State Government to take action on, with affordable dental care to be given top budgetary priority.
Almost 50 per cent of regional respondents cited cost as the major barrier to improving their health, while dental treatment, unaffordable for 38 per cent of interviewees, was the number-one ‘cannot afford’ item in a list that included decent housing, medical treatment and prescribed medication.
According to the AIHW, “The affordability of oral health care has both personal and system-wide implications, with dental conditions the third highest reason for acute preventable hospital admissions in Australia.”
Poor Health: The Cost of Living in NSW, the report based on the survey was released by the NSW Council of Social Service this week. NCOSS works with and for people experiencing poverty and disadvantage to see positive change in communities.
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