Problem-solving data privacy to plan for whole-of-life digital health

There is a lot of untapped personal data that has the potential to radically improve how healthcare services are delivered to patients when they need it, but some creative thinking is needed to realise the possibilities and give the government a social licence to get there. 

Paul Grant has worked in a range of digital roles overseas and in Australia, most recently for the Australian Digital Health Agency and then the department of defence, where he established the role of chief health information officer to support the work of the surgeon general.

Speaking to The Mandarin about the need for a better national conversation about the future of digital health solutions, Grant says reforms to privacy and data-collection consent can pave the way for some revolutionary changes to how patients are treated. 

“I think it’s no surprise that the pandemic and other national crises, things like the black summer [bushfires], have accelerated some of the innovation and opportunities for digital health, such as telehealth and...