v3.6: Matters of life and data

In our latest episode we’re looking at health data all the way from the cradle to the grave, and beyond! 👻

Helping us on this journey is Prof Ciara Heavin, co-director of the Health Information Systems Research Centre at University College Cork and founder of CommPAL, a software platform using AI to better allocate specialist palliative care.

Can you believe the HSE cyber attack was three years ago? And the reason healthcare systems are targeted for ransomware attacks is because they are housing extremely sensitive data. 🔒

In fact, reports claim health data is more valuable to hackers than financial details – though they vary on the scale of how much more valuable.

But get the security and usability right and health data repositories can be very useful. And, as a recent EY Consumer Health survey showed, people are ready for their data to be shared in the right way to maximise health outcomes.

Sure, already people use various wearables to track health data, and these devices are becoming more advanced. Apple even got FDA approval for its Watch’s heart monitoring data to be used in clinical trials investigating irregular and sometimes rapid heartbeats, which is known as atrial fibrillation (AFib). ❤️

AFib can increase the risk of stroke by up to five times, but research shows that many cases go undiagnosed, so many in the medtech field are building devices to aid in early detection and treatment. In Ireland alone there’s Galenband, Luma Visions Verafeye technology, Atrian Medical and AuriGen Medical.

And while Big Tech like Apple is also trying to elbow into the medtech space, you probably shouldn’t equate their off-the-shelf wearables with medical-grade detection systems, especially since the iPhone 14’s crash detection started accidentally calling emergency medical services to theme parks. 🎢

Meanwhile, the Irish healthcare system is struggling to effectively adopt even the basics of data-sharing techology and practices, and populations are only getting older and in more need of extended healthcare services for later life. We should look to countries like Japan – where a nappy maker has stopped production for baby nappies and is now only serving the adult Japanese market – as a bellwether for these trends. 👶🏻👴🏻

And then there’s the question of what happens to your data after you die. Not just your everyday digital data, which has its own issues, but your health data. Some advocate for donating health data, as we do organs, with a view to helping others in the future. But Elaine has reservations here – and you’ll need to listen to the episode to hear her out.

At the very least, this data should be collected with consent so as not to repeat past mistakes, as in the case of Henrietta Lacks.

As you can see, the world of health data is filled with ethical dilemmas, and we hope this episode gives you some food for thought. 🤔

Want to hear more?

If you enjoyed this episode of For Tech’s Sake then there are others you may also want to check out, as good companions to some of the themes discussed here:

🍎 Does an app a day keep the doctor away? – on health-tech with Prof Ita Richardson

🤖 Why robot? – on robotics in healthcare with Niamh Donnelly

👍🏻 AI can be good, actually – discussing healthcare applications of AI with Dr Mark O’Sullivan

🥽 Practising safe tech – covering all things data protection with Brian Honan

👣 A waste of space – considering our data’s carbon footprint

Next week, we’ll have a special bonus episode exclusive for HeadStuff+ Community members, so if you really want to hear from us every week, you’ll have to become a member here.