healthdirect app integrates with My Health Record
Published: 19 October 2022
The healthdirect app (Opens in new tab) has undergone a significant upgrade and is now one of only three apps in Australia authorised to provide users access to their My Health Record.
The free healthdirect app has been downloaded more than 350,000 times since 2015 and provides easy access to multiple user-friendly self-help tools and functions — a symptom checker, health service finder, medicines information library, searchable health topics and quick-call health and emergency phone numbers.
The recent upgrade now also allows users to view details in their My Health Record, including pathology results, immunisations, Medicare items and COVID-19 records for themselves and their family.
“The healthdirect app integrates seamlessly with My Health Record, creating a secure avenue for users to connect with their records, and increasing adoption of this core piece of digital health infrastructure,” says Bettina McMahon, CEO, Healthdirect Australia.
“Having all this personal health information in one secure place helps users take control of their health and make informed decisions,” she says.
The integration with My Health Record was made possible via the Australian Digital Health Agency’s industry standard Application Programming Interfaces (Opens in new tab) which connects the My Health Record Mobile Gateway to mobile apps.
User accounts
The recent app upgrade also enabled user accounts, a first step in a roadmap of enhanced personalisation of health information.
Also accessible via the healthdirect website (Opens in new tab), user accounts allow users to login and save relevant health content, symptom checker results and medications for future reference and to curate health information pertinent to themselves and their families.
The benefit of user accounts is that information relevant to the user is quickly accessible to them via the app — say, if they were at a doctor’s appointment and wanted to show the results of their symptom checker care advice or details from their My Health Record, it’s right there at their fingertips, says Ms McMahon.
Secure and private personal information
Healthdirect Australia has developed a two-factor, biometric authentication to ensure protection of personal health information, with My Health Record access compliant with Australian Digital Health Agency requirements.
“We have taken a ‘privacy-by-design’ approach to ensuring the security of personal information and safeguarding consumer privacy. This has included external reviews, scenario testing, user testing and ensuring we meet or exceed all relevant standards,” says Ms McMahon.
The healthdirect app is available on App Store and Google Play.