Digital Health Agency launches mobile app

The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) has announced the launch of its first consumer mobile application, my health, in response to surging demand for better access to critical health information, the agency says.

The ADHA said the new my health app, which is powered by data from the Commonwealth’s health information repository My Health Record, promises an “easy-to-use digital health tool”, offering a more convenient way to access key health information for Australians.

The app will give users greater autonomy, the ADHA added, and, ultimately, provide more streamlined access to trusted health information, from birth through to end-of-life care.

The app will allow users to:

  • see medicine information history
  • check pathology results including Covid-19 and respiratory test results
  • view vaccination history and upcoming immunisations for themselves and authorised family members
  • track allergies and reactions information
  • view hospital discharge summaries
  • keep track of advance care planning documents
  • share their documents with others
  • view multiple records, such as records for children under 14 and any other records with authorised access.

According to the ADHA, the new app will be fortified with robust data protection mechanisms to secure consumers’ health information against external interference, and is fully integrated with end-to-end encryption with the My Health Record platform.

Leveraging the new Health API Gateway, the app provides a real-time data link between it and the My Health Record platform, with new health data automatically downloaded onto the app’s interface as soon as it is available on the health repository.

Agency chief executive, Amanda Cattermole, noted that around 75 per cent of interactions between the My Health Record system and users occurred on mobile devices.

Additionally, consumer views of My Health Record increased by 292 per cent in the last financial year.

“We know from our own research that almost two-thirds of Australians regularly use their mobile phones to access, share and manage their health information, so the release of a consumer-facing app is not only a logical technical development but also a direct response to consumer demand for access to health information when and where they need it,” Cattermole said.

“The co-design approach for my health has been at the core of its development. [It] will continue to drive change and improvement to the app over time so that it responds to the needs of all Australians, growing all the time as their trusted and secure source of health information.”