What is Digital Health? and why Dermal Clinicians can’t afford to ignore it
- Jennifer Byrne
- Mar 1
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 8
Start here......
A lot of dermal clinicians will ask me....So why digital health Jen?
As a dermal clinician I have been blessed with a diverse career that so far has spanned 19 years. At the bedside, coordinating small and large scale educational and clinical services, in academia as well as policy reform at a clinical and profession level.
I have been around since the time of the dermal dinosaurs. Yes, I predate google and I have seen the journey from when all of our patient and business management tools were manual (literally pen and paper and rooms of files) to a highly connected digital world both personally and clinically. Through all of this, like you, I have experienced lots of challenges with every transition along the way.
Being on the cusp of being 'Gen X and millennial' myself I've always been curious about how technology can enhance productivity and our human experience. In my professional work, I explore how technology can assist in quality control, standardisation and as well as how we remain accountable and implement technology ethically. I am also cautious and rely on my training to work through the problem, identifying risks, imagining worst case scenarios, and evaluating whether the benefits of uptake of any technology outweighs the risks.
So why digital health Jen?
Simply put health reform is already underway in Australia. This isn’t a trend, It's a shift in how health care is being structured, classified, integrated and delivered. For me, it wasn't one moment, it was a series of aha moments that guided me to dive deeper into digital health reform.
Of course COVID was a big stimulus, the question of how do we maintain accessibility of skin health services when we can't see each other in person. Tele-health had been around for a while but it suddenly became a necessity. There was a massive learning curve in how to deliver this as a service at scale, safely, securely and in a way that provided good outcomes for patients (and in my case students as well).
During this time I was also involved with our peak body as the president. This allowed me to be informed of government plans to improve healthcare and meeting the needs of our population in the years to come. As we know there is current and ongoing projected shortages within our healthcare workforce and on top of this the increasingly aged population and rise of chronic disease which requires systemic reform to meet our health care needs.
The Australian Society of Dermal Clinicians has been working away quietly for many years on the digital health project as one of the many allied health professions involved. In our case to ensure that dermal clinicians were being considered for integration into the planning of new frameworks and systems.
The final bell went off in my head when I attended the 2025 digital health festival, for me this consolidated that professionally this was my next step. The sheer scale of the project, the investment that's going into it, and the need for people to participate, contribute and also lead. So now here I am undertaking further post graduate studies in this area.
but you don't have to start a Masters Degree to be ready for digital health in your practice.
You just have to be curious, open and put some time aside to continue learning. Together we are going explore what is digital health, what do you need to be aware of, what do you need to think about and what actions should you take to increase your readiness. Because digital health reform isn't coming its here.
What is digital health?
Digital health encompasses the use of digital technologies to improve and provide interconnected health care by supporting and delivering health services. It aims to provide access to health information to those who need it, when they need it, in order to improve accessibility and better health outcomes.
It refers to the systems, technologies, infrastructure and data that enable health care to be delivered, recorded, shared, and evaluated in a connected environment.
But more importantly it's about relationships between clinicians, patients, information and decision making. Technology is the vehicle, but people are at the centre of and for digital health. Therefore it's not just about technology it's equally about the people who design the systems, the clinicians who use them, and the patients whose data and care move through them.
Digital health sits at the intersection of technology, human care and of course governance. Digital health is not just a collection of tools it's also the decisions made by clinicians, policy makers and patients within these systems.
Why dermal clinicians can’t afford to ignore it
When we talk about preparedness, we are not only talking about becoming more familiar and confident using new software or apps. We are talking about how we adapt, how we decide what to up-take in our businesses and include in our interactions with patients. As well as how we communicate and how we lead within these evolving systems.
The foundations of digital health are being laid now and systems are being designed that will influence how dermal care is classified, integrated and accessed in the future. Being informed is the first step, contributing is the next.
And don’t worry, being prepared is not about becoming a technical expert, it's about understanding what is happening to ensure dermal clinicians are meaningfully represented and can influence what’s next for dermal care and accessibility.
So what are we talking about really?
Digital health includes:
Electronic medical records EMR (patient management systems)
Secure data sharing systems
Telehealth and remote care
Clinical decision making tools
Artificial Intelligence
Mobile health apps and wearable devices
Digital identity and verifications systems
Why it's important for dermal clinicians collectively (as a profession)
Digital health also determines
What gets measured
What gets coded
What becomes visible
What receives funding
Who shapes policy
Who remains peripheral
Ok, but what about me, just the dermal clinician. How is it going to actually impact me and my practice, my patients?
Digital health isn’t an abstract concept, it is how modern clinical practice now operates.
How your EMR records and structures data
Whether you and your systems can access MyHealth Record
How patients are using AI tools to understand their skin
How tele-health expands your reach and ability to improve accessibility to health services
How clinical terminology systems classify what you do.
How digital platforms influence your scope, visibility to other health professionals and patients seeking services and referral pathways
How is this being implemented, where can I go for more information?
If you want to read the ‘Action Plan for the Digital Health Blue Print 2023-2033’ by the Australian Government and the Department of Health and Aged care you will get a high level view of how the government is approaching development of a person centred and sustainable health care system by 2033. The Digital Health Agency has been tasked with the development and implementation of this action plan and is currently in the process of working through the National Digital Health Strategy 2023-2028 Roadmap
Over the next few years there is a focus on
Becoming digitally enabled which includes breaking down silos for how information flows between hospitals, allied health and community or outpatient services, clinicians, specialists and patients
Becoming digitally ready which focuses on equipping health professionals and patients with the skills and confidence to use digital tools.
Modern and integrated digital solutions, to improve and maintain technology that can support our workflows and enable secure health information sharing.
Through all of these initiatives there is a focus on ensuring that the patient experience and their interaction with information is a priority. This includes equitable, and inclusive access as well as ensuring decisions that inform health are going to be supported by data.
How will this translate to you the Dermal Clinician?
There are a few areas that are going to matter in dermal practice
Your readiness to be a part of this - how you choose and use your electronic medical records systems, including terminology and coding that improves how we can structure data and ensure you can be integrated into the broader framework
Using defined and consistent terminology and coding will enable us to develop greater data driven care, increase research visibility, outcomes measurement and clinical coding.
Inclusive access for dermal clinicians looks like using tele-dermal appointments that enable remote triage to patients with skin problems in rural, regional and remote areas of those that have reasons that prevent them attending in person. This provides a valuable health service to assist with access to evidence based skin health education and management, working with medical professionals such as GP’s, dermatologists, and other health professionals.
Patient centred care, by improving patient engagement and shared decision making as well as more connected care with smoother referrals, less duplication and more coordinated multidisciplinary care improving the health care experience for patients and outcomes.
If you want to know more about specifically the initiatives that dermal clinicians can prepare for and how to do that. This blog series will explore this and more.
If you want to know more about a specific topic, reach out and if there are commonly asked questions I can develop a blog around this as well. I'm building a community of practice and resources for our industry informed by you.
Download the Digital Readiness Checklist to assess what you need to work on
Stay in touch with what is happening
The Digital Health Agency
Allied Health Professions Australia
The Australian Institute of Health and Wellare
Next Blog
What MyHealthRecord & HealthConnect will mean for you as a dermal clinician and how to prepare now
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