In 2022 the top five conditions involved in deaths in Australia were coronary heart disease, dementia, high blood pressure, cerebrovascular disease (such as a stroke) and diabetes.
We don’t know much about the nature of this large-scale ransomware attack. But it’s not entirely surprising – health data is a prime target for cybercrime.
Now is the time to learn from the COVID-19 response through an action-oriented independent inquiry focused on accountability. Reforms to data generation, access and use are essential.
Some 90% of Australians have a My Health Record. But even if it has health information stored on there, it might be less than informative and rarely referred to.
While statistics tell us the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with cancer who die is increasing, the reality is likely worse.
There are concerns about how health data are used, but research shows support for uses with public benefits by health-care providers, governments, health-system planners and university-based researchers.
Sihong Wang, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
A type of computer chip that mimics both the skin and brain could pave the way for wearable devices that monitor and analyze health data using AI right on the body.
The brain can count small numbers or compare large ones. But it struggles to understand the value of a single large number. This fact may be influencing how people react to numbers about the pandemic.
In order to track the pandemic, the Public Health Agency of Canada has been using location data without explicit and informed consent. Transparency is key to building and maintaining trust.
Digital health can improve care, but in Ontario, health data are still fragmented, despite billions of dollars spent over the last two decades to enable fast and secure exchange of health information.
The use of artificial intelligence in health care is on the rise, and the concerns of the public need to be considered in developing policy that regulates its application.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how much modern societies are governed by statistics. Despite their objective appearance, these numbers gain their strength from very human relationships.
Professor (adjunct) and Senior Fellow, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne