By Mark Wilhelm
Mayday is an emergency word used internationally as a distress signal. It also means the first of May and funnily enough – or maybe it’s not so funny — that’s the date on which the new “Electronic Medical Record project” became live at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Victoria.
As reported in the Herald Sun on Saturday, April 30, 2016, the EMR (Electronic Medical Record) project will see all documentation and communication from patient observations, drug orders, X-ray requests as well as doctors notes go digital. How do you feel about that?
Professor Mike South of the RCH seems to think it’s lovely. He says:
“With the EMR, your child’s entire clinical history is in one place, securely stored and readily available to the next person responsible for your child’s care,”
Am I missing something here — aren’t the parents and/or patient responsible for their own care? Is he suggesting that we give away all of our responsibilities?
The article in the Sun says families in Victoria can expect fewer medication errors, more control over their child’s care and will no longer need to repeatedly tell their medical history to each new specialist. My question is MORE CONTROL FOR WHOM?
Another question is: why is it no longer important to tell the most current updated story to each new specialist? What if you have sought treatment outside of this hospital? What if the patient has only just found out that they have reacted to their current medication?
The boast is that “Patient safety has also been consistently enhanced through EMR because medication dosage and any patient allergies appear as alerts on the screen that can’t be accidentally overlooked.” How can they guarantee that this won’t happen? Again I ask what happens if the information is not up to date, or there is a computer/system malfunction (NOT THAT THIS EVER HAPPENS!).
The Herald Sun article finishes by exulting that the Electronic Record Project will allow persons over age 16 to access their own records to make repeat prescription requests, check appointment dates, read doctor notes and add their own comments. So, where are the RECORDS BEING STORED? Does the patient have access to ALL INFORMATION? Who can ACCESS THIS INFORMATION?
My research tells me the records are stored on AARNET Cloudstor. Listed below are the benefits as shown on their website HERE.
Benefits
- CloudStor file storage, CloudStor file sender and the AARNet Mirror are all accessible from the new CloudStor web interface.
- Fast access using Australian Access Federation (AAF) credentials
- Easy to use – no plugins required
- Quick and secure large file transfer
- Secure storage located in Australia and directly connected to the AARNet backbone at 10Gbps, for rapid and convenient access, and avoiding any sovereignty issues.
Information about the Australian Access Federation (AAF) as found on their website at: https://aaf.edu.au/ includes:
The Australian Access Federation (AAF) is Australia’s leading identity broker, enabling access to online resources for the Education and Research sector.
Did you know that? It’s “part of the Australian eResearch infrastructure landscape facilitating trusted electronic communications and collaboration between education and research institutions both locally and internationally.”
Would you be willing to believe that AAF “provides subscribers with a national single sign-on that allows individuals across many different organisations to collaborate and access online resources within a trusted environment.”?
An article by Micheala Whittington, “Google Now Has Access To Millions of Patients’ Medical Records,” is enlightening. She says:
“A controversial deal between tech giant Google and the National Health Service (NHS) will allow artificial intelligence units access to 1.6 million confidential medical records. Since 2014, Google has partnered with several scientists in an attempt to understand human health, but a new report reveals the data gathering goes far beyond what was originally anticipated. “
–Mark Wilhelm lives in South Australia and keeps an eye on alternative media news nationwide.
Privacy Please
I’m 14. I should be able to commit my little crimes in private. I should be able to take a bus to visit a pal and not have Mum track this via my cellphone, or government track it via the bus ticket. I should make mistakes; it’s part of growing up, isn’t it?
I’m entitled to have awful health habits if I want, like not bothering to brush my teeth. I don’t owe it to the world to have beautiful teeth. It’s my business, not yours and certainly not “government’s”.
Let me grow up the way previous generations grew up with no electronic surveillance. Stop watching me and controlling me. If you control me, what will I be at 25? A robot? I’m an independent unique individual with my own set of experiences. Isn’t that true of everyone? Let me live.
You enjoyed your privacy when you were growing up. You didn’t have a hospital record with every measure of your urine from infancy to high school, or every “psychologist’s” comment on your behavior, etched for all to see on some remote screen — permanently!
Just because I’m “a child” doesn’t mean those things aren’t humiliating, you know. Even a six-year-old can feel humiliated. Dignity is precious. Is it asking too much that we give some regard to dignity?
Please protect my right to a personal private anonymous, non-tracked, non-recorded life. I’m only 14. It’s up to you to do this for me. Please!
It’s important for people to note this point about CloudStor from AARNet (read the last line about sovereignty issues):
“Secure storage located in Australia and directly connected to the AARNet backbone at 10Gbps, for rapid and convenient access, and avoiding any sovereignty issues.”
‘Patients’ private data more secure with Google than with UK hospitals, AI developer says’ found at:https://www.rt.com/news/342191-patient-data-google-nhs
One of the things lost when communication occurs electronically is context. Context, empathy, understanding…all qualities that are essential to good Medical practice, and all becoming rarer by the day. Doctors are already as a group abominable when it comes to actually listening, so imagine things when they don’t think they have to listen at all.
Good point, Paul, but not to be blamed solely on anything electronic. Many docors’ surgeries have been bought out by businesses so the doc becomes an employee of that guy. “That guy” is only concerned with the bottom line. So his employee also becomes concerned with the bottom line.
Ten minutes is the typical time allotted for appointments.
Step by step the agenda advances. In California the killing of the elderly, who are “unfit” to live, commences 9. 6. 2016 by lethal injection. Unofficially , I’m sure it’s been going on, here and there, for a decade and more. This is not “humane” it is murder. Who is to say that it will be restricted to the elderly only ?
Dear 56, Please elaborate on that date of June 9th. What is that all about?
Hi Mary, did not mean to shock you, with the last comment, but I thought many knew of this news. SACRAMENTO,California.(AP). ” Terminally ill California residents will be able to legally end their lives with medication prescribed by a doctor beginning June 9. Governor Jerry Brown signed off on this new law last year 6 October 2015. Assisted Suicide / Euthanasia is legal in : Switzerland Germany Albania Colombia Japan Netherlands Belgium Washington Oregon Vermont Montana and now California ( pending ).”
Oops, you are looking at a euthanasia supporter here. When I am ready to go I want to GO. Why should I be prevented?
Seems ok if we are allowed, to make that decision, but what if were not ? These laws appear to be “humane” but they have sinister sleight of hand objectives. How can a third non related party judge if one is worthy of living. This law reeks with master race ideology. Fascism and communism are brother and sister that have become the global new world disorder.
I was just thinking about the e-Identification coming as part of Agenda 2030 (23 for all those who follow numerology!!) Where the plan is to capture a huge amount of our bio-metrics to store and use as control, oops sorry i meant personal identification.
die = eid in reverse……… You simply can’t make this stuff up!!
Pardon my ignorance, but just realised that Euthanasia has been legal in OZ since 1997. Explains everything.
No it isn’t legal in Oz. I think the Northern Territory had it for a short time. But the NT is federally run, and the feds stepped in to cancel it.
Sorry, 56, I am saying that from memory, can’t research it at the moment. I think I’m gonna have to go to Holland (or California?) when the time comes.