The Digital Health Association (DHA) is urging the incoming government to create a digital health academy to support New Zealand’s health workforce to upskill in the use of digital tools and literacy, and to receive appropriate cyber security training.

The Association says our health workforce does not get sufficient training support in those digital fields.

As a result, our health system can be exploited at a number of levels, including data security breaches and compliance risks.

Because there is an increasing use of technology in our health system, staff need to be skilled in the use of these digital tools.

If they aren’t it can compromise efficiency and means staff can’t always provide the best patient care.

The DHA says a digital health academy is an investment in our health system and our health workforce, which will pay significant dividends.

Chief executive, Ryl Jensen, says the academy should be tasked with developing and delivering a comprehensive national training programme covering a wide range of digital tools, digital literacy and technologies relevant to the health system.

Its digital technology training should be carefully tailored to the specific needs and responsibilities of the various individual professions within the wider health workforce.

“We’re talking about an online academy that offers healthcare professionals accessible, customised training, certifications, and ongoing learning,” she said.

Jensen says the academy should reward healthcare professionals for gaining digital health literacy certification that will enhance skills, reduce errors, improve patient care, retain talent and foster innovation.

She wants to ensure digital literacy and cyber security training is a core part of the health workforce training and CPD curriculum.

“We have to invest now in the future of healthcare to ensure our health system keeps pace with rapidly increasing demand and can leverage the digital innovations that are being developed which will, if we have the ability and resources to use them, greatly improve patient care and outcomes.”