I’m looking forward to seeing this new contact tracing app.
I note from the article:
“The first version of the app would allow voluntary pre-registration so the ministry had up-to-date contact details for users.”
I wonder if there will be potential for app users to allow DHBs to use their contact info that is collected by the app. We are struggling to collect patients’ email addresses which we need to send them telehealth clinic invitations. If we can somehow link off the contact details entered in the app, thus would be great.
Presumably the app would need to be set up so patients could give permission for DHB to use their contact details.
@jon_herries I’d be interested in any further info you are able to provide on if this app is likely to be able to do this if not at launch, at some stage?
It would be great if patient contact details could be shared/updated with primary care too. We try and check contact details each encounter but a central repository of those details, accessible and updated by patients would be terrific. This is especially important for after hours clinics and urgent care settings (e.g. to chase up abnormal results after hours when accessing GP records/phone details is not so easy).
While this is a huge topic from a legal and technical implementation perspective this all goes away if we have a patient centric, rather than a service centric (primary care, public health, Ministry etc) records infrastructure. Very easy for me to say of course, very hard to operationalise.
The issue is perennial, our hospital admin are always challenged with trying to keep contact details up to date. This includes email and mobile as these avenues are used for appointments and reminders now. This has helped somewhat with reducing DNA rates.
I somewhat doubt that this has been one of the core priorities of the dissapointingly slow to implement app.
I’d love someone to prove me wrong - patient/person centricity is a key principle of clinical informatics. Does anybody know a clinical informatician involved? @jon_herries?
Totally tongue in cheek, but we could put a bluetooth data capturing device by the takeaway places and we could get up to date mobile numbers and emails for a lot of people:). Just some privacy and legal issues to sort out.
I think that in terms of COVID-19 contact tracing, the ability of users to update their contact details is likely to be more of a useful feature on the app than the bluetooth recording of interactions with other app users. From the press release, it seems like the ministry and government realise this too (" the new app will allow people to pre-register and update their contact details, to help contact tracers do their work.")
If we can provide the right incentives for people to download and use it, and keep their details up to date, I wonder if it could be the beginning of a nationwide login and ID verification app for healthcare???
Yes, I saw that too; perhaps my cynicism is unjustified. All it needs is a nice connection to the person’s NHI and it will be home and hosed. Got to give people a reason to use it beyond COVID-19 is all.
I got some information from the Ministry regarding use of personal data and Covid-19 - this relates to the National Contact Tracing Solution rather than an app, but I wonder if the same policy will apply?
“The Ministry’s intention is that any data held about individuals by health agencies related to contact tracing will only be to inform the public health response and not be used for other purposes.
“We expect the majority of the Covid-19 related personal information held will also be regularly and automatically deleted.”
Full story here https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/504471/National-Contact-Tracing-Solution-gets-development-funding.htm
Thanks for that @RMcBeth that’s interesting. I’m holding out hope that they will take a different approach for the upcoming app, and at least allow an option for each member of the public using the app to give their permission for their contact details to be shared with their DHB.
We certainly have to get people’s trust and allow them to control what they share, but we should make sure we are also making it easy for them to share when they want to as well.
or would you use it to update NES?
Shouldn’t that be the single source of truth for patient contact information that DHB/ everyone else uses and udates?
