NUR252 Digital Technology in Healthcare Report 2 Sample
Assignment Brief
Relevance: Registered Nurses need to have a comprehensive understanding of digital health technologies and the professional, legal and ethical implications for clinical practice.
This assessment provides an opportunity to apply knowledge of digital health technologies to a clinical case scenario.
Task instructions: This assignment is in two parts. Questions 1 and 2 assess your understanding of the use of digital health technology and its legal, ethical, socio-cultural and political factors impacting the uptake and use of digital technology. Question 3 assesses your ability to apply digital health technology to a case study.
Part one:
1.Discuss the use of digital health technology in healthcare from a political and socio-cultural perspective.
2.Discuss the legal and ethical requirements of the registered nurse when accessing digital health information.
Part two:
3.Discuss the potential impacts of using digital health technology to improve Helen’s health outcomes and the role and responsibilities of the Registered Nurse to make Helen feel more confident about its use, and what strategies the RN can adopt to ease any concerns that Helen might have regarding confidentiality and accessing personal information.
Case Study
Helen is a 45-year-old Indigenous lady who lives in a remote area of Australia. Helen is a teaching assistant and has recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and requires insulin. Helen is still learning about how to manage her condition and visits the diabetes nurse educator when they come to the community for their 3 monthly visits. Helen also has hypertension, high cholesterol and had a hospital admission in the past 12 months for pneumonia, palpitations, and complications of diabetes. Helen often forgets to take her medication.
Helen has been airlifted and admitted to a larger metropolitan hospital after she was found unconscious. The hospital that has admitted Helen has a combination of digital health programs (pathology, radiology) and paper-based systems. Helen has been reluctant to use the My Health Record due to concerns about who can access her information. The lack of information on her arrival causes delays in her treatment.
Suggested Procedure
1. Review the course content and your lectures/tutorials.
2.When planning Question 1, you should use the materials in your unit and you could also refer to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025 and Australia's National Digital Health Strategy and Framework for action to support your discussion. (approx. 500 words).
Solution
Part One
1. The Use of Digital Health Technology in Healthcare from a Political and Socio-Cultural Perspective
1.1 Political Perspective
To enhance health-related access and efficiency in the area of patient safety, Australia has implemented various digital health policies. My Health Record (MHR) is a national electronic health record that is shared between healthcare providers securely for improved coordination of care (Nowrozy et al., 2024) Telehealth has especially been beneficial for rural and remote communities. Many of these policies were enabled and expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic when access to healthcare via telehealth was finally embraced and implemented on a massive scale. Digital health policies are also promoting data security, interoperability, and patient engagement.
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Figure 1: Framework of WHO
(Source: WHO, 2025)
The WHO Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025 offers a complete framework for the introduction of digital technologies into the healthcare systems of the world (Sheikh et al., 2021). It highlights interoperability, data security, digital infrastructure development, and capacity building that will facilitate universal health coverage. The WHO's stance on equity in the adoption of digital health solutions directly contrasts with Australia, where Indigenous and remote communities continue to struggle against digital healthcare service availability, hampered by inadequate infrastructure and gaps in digital literacy (WHO, 2025).
The National Digital Health Strategy for Australia aims to improve access to safe and efficient healthcare through interconnected digital technologies (Kemp et al., 2021) The strategy is centered on seven key pillars such as MHR expansion, interoperability between health systems, cybersecurity enhancement, and consumer-driven health technologies. The Framework for Action leads the implementation of the strategy by pooling together efforts and resources in government agencies, healthcare providers, and technology developers.
The Australian government has invested heavily in digital health initiatives aimed at improving access to, efficiency of, and safety in healthcare delivery (Lokmic-Tomkins et al.,2023). The My Health Record, tele health services, and electronic prescribing programs received funding in significant amounts to ensure their nationwide rollout. The COVID-19 pandemic stimulated investments in tele health so that virtual consultations would now be permanently subsidized by Medicare.
Above and beyond all successes, digital health policies in Australia are facing some hard realities, such as disparities in access to digital healthcare facilities. Communities that are rural, remote, or Indigenous have access denied by broken connectivity and limited healthcare labor infrastructure, coupled with low digital literacy. Cybersecurity risk and data privacy issues also need constant attention in any policymaking revisions. Resource allocation is another issue, where a balancing act among investment in digital infrastructure, training of the workforce, and educating patients becomes critical for effective rollout.
1.2 Socio-Cultural Perspective
Digital literacy relates to the navigation ability of telehealth services, electronic health records, and online health information. Barriers to accessing essential care can be caused by poor digital literacy, especially in older individuals and marginalized groups. Thus, preparing well-informed people with the tools and programs to supplement digital skills will also ensure equity in access to and distribution of health services and enable effective for university assignment help management of health by people.
Indigenous people are significantly adversely affected by poor internet connectivity, lack of access to digital devices, and less digital literacy, restricting them from adopting telehealth and online health services (Raihan et al., 2024). This digital divide is also manifest due to differences in culture and alleged negative emotions toward digital systems. A way out includes targeted policies, infrastructural investments, and culturally relevant digital health solutions relevant to community needs.
Cultural beliefs have been greatly adopted, making accessibility to this concept of digital adoption for health care much easier or problematic in different levels of society. Some communities would not trust technology and prefer a face-to-face conversation to have their medical issue solved. Others' concerns revolve around who actually would hold the data and traditional healing. All these barriers would need culturally sensitive digital health initiatives that combine technology without neglecting the rights of alternative beliefs and preferences of individual patients.
Concern among digital health systems is due to data breaches, unauthorized access, and misuse of personal health information. Patients may also be reluctant to use telehealth or electronic records because of privacy concerns. Enhancing cybersecurity and ensuring clear data policies together with patient education concerning data security can create a trust that encourages digital health use (Zarour et al., 2021).
A necessary part of enhancing digital inclusion would be broadband access and the provision of affordable digital devices and age-appropriate literacy programs. Inclusion of community leaders with the delivery of health services culturally appropriate, and multilingual, and all communities would cover the gap. Government policies should also find a way to address issues of access inequality, trust-building, and finally, including digital health in the already existing community health infrastructures.
2. Legal and Ethical Requirements of the Registered Nurse When Accessing Digital Health Information
2.1 Legal Considerations
Health information privacy legislation in Australia protects patient data and institutes ethical digital health practices. The Privacy Act 1988 establishes principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of personal health information requiring healthcare providers to maintain confidentiality and security (Semantha et al., 2021). The My Health Records Act 2012 deals with the national electronic health record system in particular, providing access controls, data security, and the rights of patients to control their records.
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Registered Nurse Standards for Practice mentions the identification and digital competency in confidentiality and ethical use of health technologies (Gum et al., 2024). Nurses are expected to protect the security of patient data, acknowledge privacy, and exhibit professional judgment in their use of digital health technologies.
Confidentiality, consent, and security are paramount when operating electronic health records and telehealth services (Wenhua et al., 2024). Patients must provide informed consent before their information is shared, and health providers must enforce stringent security measures to deter breaches. Any unauthorized access to patient records or actual data breaches will invite hefty penalties including fines, suspension of professional registration, and criminal prosecution. Obeying the legal framework protects the rights of the patient and develops trust in digital health aspects, ensuring that technology-assisted interventions are in line with ethical and professional standards.
2.2 Ethical Considerations
The ICN Code of Ethics urges nurses to honour integrity, confidentiality, and professionalism with respect to digital health (Podgorica et al., 2024). There is an emphasis on respecting the privacy of patients, ensuring ethical data governance, and using technology to improve patient care while maintaining the highest standards of ethics. Hence, nurses must advocate for the digital rights of their patients in exercising safe and equitable access to healthcare.
Key ethical principles that hold true for the digital health ecosystem are autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Under the principle of autonomy, patients must determine how their health data may be used, and for any digital service, they must give informed consent. Beneficence dictates that anything that improves the outcome of the patient must be done through technology, while non-maleficence would hold that anything that causes the patient harm. Digital equity thus becomes relevant for Indigenous and rural populations who deal with challenges such as no or limited internet connectivity, coupled with low levels of digital literacy. Ethical digital health policies must intentionally resolve these challenges through culturally sensitive interventions with investments in the required infrastructure.
Nurses face the ethical challenge of educating patients and advocating for digital health. They should help patients learn how to safely use digital platforms and advocate for the policies that support accessible practice and ethical practice in digital health so that the benefits of new technologies will be passed on to all patients.
Part Two
3. Potential Impacts of Using Digital Health Technology to Improve Helen’s Health Outcomes and the Role of the Registered Nurse
3.1 Potential Benefits of Digital Health Technology for Helen
- Remote and Telehealth Monitoring
It is identified that Telehealth will greatly enhance Helen's access to healthcare providers. At present, she only has her nurse educator for diabetes three monthly when they analyse at her local community, thus restricting her from getting timely guidance. Telehealth would allow Helen to have consistent virtual meetings with general practitioners, specialists, and her nurse without having to spend long hours in transit. As per Anikwe et al. (2022), Remote monitoring equipment, like an internet-enabled blood pressure cuff, and blood glucose monitor would enable her medical professionals to monitor her status in health in real-time. Should any red flag trends become apparent, on-the-spot medical guidance or tweaking of her regimen could be administered, mitigating complications and the need for hospitalisation.
- Wearable Apps and Devices
Health applications and Wearable devices can enable Helen to better cope with her chronic conditions. A continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device would be able to track the patient's blood sugar levels in real-time and notify them of high or low levels (Karter et al. 2021). Her heart rate and activity could be tracked by a smartwatch and offer her informative insights into her general health. Apps for health mainly remind Helen to usually take her medications at the right time and enable her to track symptoms and her diet. It would make it easier for Helen and her medical team to find patterns and make informed choices about her treatment. Helen would have more control over her health and also fewer chances of developing complications by using these apps.
- My Health Record
Helen's hesitation to access My Health Record because of concerns over privacy could be overcome with improved education on access controls and data security. However, My Health Record would mainly allow doctors to view Helen's entire medical history, past hospitalizations, test results, and medication history. Therefore, this would avoid delays in treatment in the event of emergencies and provide uniform and accurate treatment. Had Helen been mainly using My Health Record during her recent hospital stay, her care would have been more effective and coordinated.
- Management in Electronic Medication
Management in Electronic medication can mainly assist Helen in becoming more adherent to her medications. Smartphone applications and intelligent pill dispensers would be able to provide reminders to Helen regarding taking insulin and other medicines on time in churches. These devices could also alert healthcare providers or relatives when patients skip a dose to provide timely intervention (Faisal et al. 2021). Enhanced medication adherence will enable Helen to maintain a stable level of blood sugar, as well as effectively control hypertension and cholesterol, thereby minimizing risks of different future hospitalizations and complications.
3.2 Addressing Helen’s Concerns about Digital Health Technology
- Privacy and Confidentiality
Helen's hesitancy to utilize My Health Record is a result of privacy and confidentiality concerns. It is necessary to discuss the security that exists to safeguard her information. My Health Record falls under Australian privacy legislation, which assures that only relevant healthcare providers who are involved in her care are able to view her data. Helen has control over who sees her record and can limit exposure to sensitive information. Secondly, My Health Record encrypts and securely logs in to protect her information from unauthorized users. Informing Helen of these measures can also allay her fears and enhance her trust in utilizing the system.
- Building loyalty within Digital Systems
To establish Helen's trust in electronic health systems, open communication regarding the security of her data is needed. Providers should describe that Helen's data is stored safely and is not accessible to insurance companies, employers, and also unauthorized individuals. As per Khan & Abaoud (2023), Teaching a patient how to create privacy controls and viewing the system's audit logs to demonstrate who has viewed the data can solidify trust. Giving Helen stable support and the ability to pose questions on data security would still enhance her significant confidence in different digital health technologies.
- Cultural Considerations
Meeting Indigenous health opinions and choices is critical to Helen's comfort and integration into different technologies in digital health. Indigenous peoples tend to appreciate care addressing all aspects of body, emotion, and spirit. Culturally competent staff and Indigenous health workers must be involved by healthcare workers to assist Helen with the utilization of digital systems. For example, as per Hunt & Young (2021), Presenting information in a culturally sensitive manner, through peer support groups, or Indigenous health initiatives, would mainly make the patient more at ease. Maintaining Helen's cultural values and engaging her in decision-making regarding her health technology would create a feeling of trust and control.
3.3 Strategies for the Registered Nurse to Support Helen
- Patient Education
A registered nurse can take a significant role in instructing Helen about how to utilize digital health tools appropriately. This involves educating her on the use of telehealth platforms for online consultations, accessing and modifying her My Health Record, and wearing devices such as a continuous glucose smartwatch and monitor. Moreover, the nurse must take the process step by step while utilizing visual aids and simple terms to make the patient comprehend the process (Landry, Jabbour, & Kilpatrick, 2025). To empower Helen to manage her health in a more proactive manner, showing her how to set up reminders for medication on her phone and how to understand health information on wearable devices would be an appropriate step.
- Fostering Self-Management
Facilitating Helen's digital competency is crucial to enable her to manage her chronic illness with confidence. The nurse can instruct Helen hands-on in the utilization of health applications in the observation of her heart rate, medication compliance, and blood glucose level. Getting Helen to observe her signs and symptoms and medication intake using these programs would enable her to identify trends and learn how her way of life affects her well-being. The nurse must also provide follow-up care through telehealth consultations to clarify any issues and enhance Helen's confidence in utilizing digital technology on her own.
- Advocacy for Digital Inclusion
The nurse is able to push for fair access to digital health for Helen and other people in her community. This involves collaboration with healthcare facilities and local governments to enhance access to the Internet and mobile networks in rural regions. The nurse may also advise that Helen receive subsidized or lent digital equipment, such as a glucose monitor or smartwatch, so that affordability is not an impediment to access. As per Whitehead et al. (2023), encouraging culturally relevant digital health programs designed for Indigenous populations would also increase acceptance and participation.
- Collaboration with Healthcare Providers
Having other healthcare professionals on board to facilitate the smooth integration of digital equipment into Helen's care plan is important in the UK. The nurse must update Helen's My Health Record regularly with her current test results and changes in medication. As per Sharma, Feldman & Sharma (2024), coordination with the diabetes general practitioner, nurse educator, and also different specialists via telehealth would ensure continuity and informed care.
References
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Faisal, S., Ivo, J., Tennant, R., Prior, K. A., Grindrod, K., McMillan, C., & Patel, T. (2021). Implementation of a real-time medication intake monitoring technology intervention in community pharmacy settings: A mixed-method pilot study. Pharmacy, 9(2), 105. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy9020105
Gum, L., Brown, A., Royals, R., Matricciani, L., & Kelly, M. A. (2024). Digital professionalism in preregistration nursing and midwifery students: A scoping review to explore perceptions of professionalism when using social media. Nurse Education in Practice, 104128.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471595324002579
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